Notes in Contemporary Arts

Prepared by: Mykko Ann Gellie T. Garcia. Lpt.

Dance is an art that tells a story, a set of mood and expresses emotion. There is always
movement in a dance, but not all movements signify a dance.

Movement becomes dance when the elements of dance (time, space and force) are intentionally
incorporated.

Contemporary Dance- a performing arts that involves rhythmic body movement within a given
space, choreographed based on a musical beat.

ELEMENTS OF DANCE
1. Theme- most basic element of a dance it conveys the message of the dance
2. Movement- bodily actions of the dancer, including his steps.
3. Technique- the skill of movement executed by the dancer
4. Music- the auditory background to which the dancer moves
5. Costume and body paraphernalia- properties worn by the dancer that helps convey the
message
6. Scenery- the background or setting
7. Choreography- the figures and steps a dancer performs in an organized manner

NOTABLE INDIVIDUALS IN CONTEMPORARY DANCE

1. Alice Reyes- Mother of Contemporary Dance. The organizer of Ballet Philippines, President Aquino
gave her the highest award in the Arts, making her a National Artist of the Philippines.

2. Lisa Macuja-Elizalde- founded Ballet Manila in 1995, she is a Filipino Ballerina and in 1984, she
became the first foreign soloist to ever join the Kirov Ballet.

EXAMPLES OF CONTEMPORARY DANCE

1. JAZZ – is a dance that is matched to the rhythms and techniques of jazz music, developed by
American blacks in the early part of the 20th century.
2. CLASSICAL BALLET- also called romantic ballet, system of dance based on formalized movements
and positions of the arms, feet, and body designed to enable the dancer to move with the
greatest possible agility, control, speed, lightness, and grace.
3.

CONTEMPORARY FILIPINO ARTIST

1. Ernest Concepcion (1977-present)- Concepcion is a studio artist whose work, experiments with
intense emotion, deconstructing images in his paintings, sculptures, and installations. He is a
graduate of the University of the Philippines, with a bachelor’s degree in fine arts, after he
graduated, he moved to New York and came back to the Philippines in 2002 launching a
triumphant solo show at the U.P. Vargas Museum.
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3. Ronald Ventura (1973-present)- Ronald Ventura is a contemporary Filipino artist known for his
dynamic melding of realism, cartoons, and graffiti. Portraying scenes of chaotic disarray, Ventura
culls from science fiction, Western history, Asian mythology, Catholicism, and popular comic
book characters, in producing his work.
HOTDOG SOCIETY

4. Oscar Villamiel (1953-present)- Born in Caloocan City, Manila, Villamiel is a multimedia artist
known for his large-scale installations consisting of objects found in local communities. He
initially worked as a set designer for television, a leather bag craftsman and a successful t-shirt
company entrepreneur before holding his first solo exhibition in 2006.
5. PAYATAS

6. Dex Fernandez (1984-present)- Another Caloocan native, his work is influenced by pop culture,
graffiti, children’s drawings, and tattoos – creating pieces that challenge people’s views on fine
art. He is known locally for his on-going series of Garapata street art (the Tagalog word for ‘tick’),
filling public spaces with the notion of ‘infecting’ the city with his art.
7. THE DRAWING ROOM
8. Neil Pasilan (1971-present)- Neil is a Bacolod-born artist from a family of craftsmen and boat
builders. He is a self-taught visual artist who displayed creativity as a child. Currently based in
Manila, he has become known for his paintings that hold multiple layers, using different
mediums to expose new forms.
9. MADRE DE PAMILYA