MODULE IV

MILLENNNIAL DANCE

Lesson 1 Modern Dance

Lesson 2 Creative Dance

Lesson 3 Street Dance

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MODULE IV
MILLENNIAL DANCE

 INTRODUCTION

This module presents dances of the new millennium. It has three

components: modern, creative and street dance. Millennial dance is a type of
dance performed by either individual or a group. These components will be
discussed in the upcoming lessons.

OBJECTIVES

At the end of this module, you will be able to:

1. Define and discuss modern dance, creative dance and street dance.
2. Create and perform your own steps in dancing creative dance with
chosen music
3. Compile and submit sample pictures of modern dance, creative dance
and street dance.

 DIRECTIONS/ MODULE ORGANIZER

There are five lessons in the module. Read each lesson carefully then
answer/execute the exercises/activities to find out how much you have benefited
from it. Work on these exercises carefully and submit your output to your
instructor
In case you encounter difficulty, discuss this with your instructor through
Facebook Messenger.
Good luck and happy reading!!!

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Lesson 1


Learning Outcomes:
MODERN DANCE

1. Define and discuss modern dance

2. Compile sample pictures of modern dances.

Concept

Modern Dance is one of the most beautiful creative talents known to the
world. The gestures in a dance form have the ability to articulate any emotion or
expression possible. This artistic potential could be inherent or can be acquired
later in life.
Modern dance is the most pure and simple form of movement to music
you're likely to experience. It can be fast, slow, high impact, gentle, loud, silent,
frantic and still.
It's an understatement to say that Modern dance is a mix of all the dances -
its type of movement, tempo and feeling you can imagine. Therefore, it is an
absolutely excellent way to get a great workout through a huge mixture of music.
It's one of the best exercises around and yet it's also great for people who
are less able-bodied or are recovering from injury and have limited movement.

HISTORY
The Beginnings of modern dance
Developed in the 20th century, primarily in the United States and Germany,
modern dance resembles modern art and music in being experimental and
iconoclastic. Modern dance began at the turn of the century; its pioneers were
lsadora Duncan, LoieFuller and Ruth St. Denis in the United States, Rudolf von
Laban and Mary Wigman in Germany. Each rebelled against the rigid formalism,
artifice, and superficiality of classical academic ballet and against the banality of
show dancing. Each sought to inspire audiences to a new awareness of inner or
outer realities, a goal shared by all subsequent modern dancers.
The Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater commenced in the year 1958 when
Alvin Ailey gave a performance. The face of modern dance went through a huge
transformation in 1962 through the efforts of Trisha Brown belonging to the New
York's Judson Dance Theater. In 1970's, this artistic expression evolved to a higher
level incorporating many radical views and gained footing across the globe.

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The dance form of ballet, came into limelight in the decade of the 1980's
with Mark Morris, Twyla Tharp, Eliot Feld and Karole Armitage as prominent
figures. Soon after, the scenario was ruled by the legendary star, Michael Jackson,
whose name remains embedded in the hearts of dance lovers. His exclusive
movements such as the moonwalk stand as a landmark in the history of dance.
Gradually innovations crept in, paving the way for contemporary dance forms.

German Contributions
Although often considered an American phenomenon, the evolution of
modern dance can also be traced to central Europe and Germany, where the most
influential was probably Rudolf von Laban. Although there is almost no
documentation to describe his choreography, he founded a school in Munich in
1910 in which Mary Wigman was one of his students. Exiled in the 1930's; he
immigrated to England, where he established the Art of Movement Studio in
Manchester in 1946 and worked on his system of notation until he died.
Today, the development of modern dance can also be attributed to
different groups like that of the SankaiJuku, a group of Japanese dancers trained
in modern and classical dance. Their work is based on 'butoh', a form of dance
theatre that avoids structured choreography and strives to express primitive
emotions by making minimal use of costume and actual movement.
A legendary star, Michael Jackson, whose name remains embedded in the
hearts of dance lovers is always remembered to date. His exclusive movements
such as the moonwalk stand as a landmark in the history of dance. Gradually
innovations crept in, paving the way for contemporary dance forms.

OTHER FORMS OF MODERN DANCE

1. HIP HOP
Hip hop is a dance style, usually danced to hip hop music that evolved from the
hip hop culture. The first dance associated with hip hop was break dancing.
While break dancing consists primarily of moves executed close to the ground,
the majority of hip hop moves are done standing up.
It includes a wide range of styles notably breaking, locking, and popping which
were created in the 1970s and made popular by dance crews in the United
States.
2. CRAMPING
Popularized in the United States, cramping is characterized by free, expressive,
exaggerated, and highly energetic movement involving the arms, head, legs,
chest, and feet. The youths who started cramping saw the dance as a way for
them to escape gang life and "to release anger, aggression and frustration
positively, in a non-violent way.

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Cramping (also known as clown dancing or clowning) is a style of dance that

originated in the African-American community of South Central Los Angeles,
California. It involves elaborate face-painting and freestyle dance moves
usually performed in competition with other crews.

MODERN DANCE MOVES

1. Laterals
The arm over the supporting leg comes straight up next to the ear as the
torso tilts, unbroken to the side, over the supporting leg. The opposite leg lifts
pointed through the toes. The other arm swings up as the leg rises and parallels
the straight arm next to the head. The body continues to tilt sideways from the
pelvis in one unbroken line.
2. Spiral
The Spiral is a torso twist that begins in the pelvis. As the body turns, each
level is separately articulated all the way up the spine---pelvis, lower spine, mid-
section, shoulders, neck, and head. The head remains in alignment with the spine.
The spiral releases in the same order: pelvis up to shoulders, neck and then head.
3. Stag Leap
The Stag Leap is a very high jump in a split but, although both legs are
parallel to the floor, the front leg is bent from the knee inward. Most often the
arms are either thrust up in a "V," palms facing out and down, or one-forward, one-
to-the-side in a ninety--degree angle, palms down.
4. Stag Turn
In a Stag Turn, the supporting knee is slightly bent; the other leg is up in the
air and bent behind the body. The arm on the supporting side is thrust straight
back, palms down. The opposite arm is thrust cleanly forward, palms down as the
dancer turns around.
5. Primitive Squat
A Primitive Squat is a hop that lands in a deep second-position. The feet are
turned out heel-to-heel and the knees are bent.
6. Flat Back
Flat Back is actually a series of moves but the basic movement makes a
"tabletop" of the body. The dancer stands in second position---feet turned out
heel-to-heel. The arms are down along the sides as the body bends forward from
the hips without breaking the line from the top of the head to the lower spine. The
bend continues until the entire torso is parallel to the floor. Then the arms come
out from the sides in unison, arc completely forward and stretch out ahead of the
torso parallel to each other.

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7. Hinge
In the Hinge, the dancer balances on the balls of the feet, keeps a straight
back and head and sends the knees forward as the torso tats back and the arms are
held straight out in front.
8. The Contraction
Martha Graham loved contractions in which the mid-section is pulled back
against a movement. The action begins in the pelvis, and articulates up the spine
as the breath is exhaled. The dancer aims to lengthen the space between each
vertebra as the move progresses to the neck and the head, which are always in
alignment with the spine.
9. The Release
The Release occurs on the inhalation and also begins in the pelvis. The move
travels up the spine in the same order as the contraction, restoring the torso to a
straight alignment. It typically counters the contraction.
10. The High Release
A High Release, rather than ending with the spine and upper body in an
upright, neutral position, tilts the breastbone up. The shoulder blades appear to
rest on a bar or shelf. The head remains aligned with the spine and the rib cage
remains over the hips. The lower back is not bent.

HEALTH BENEFITS OF MODERN DANCE

1. Flexibility
Flexibility is an important part of being healthy. Dance requires a great amount
of flexibility. Most dance classes begin with a warm-up including several
stretching exercises. Dancers must strive to achieve full range of motion for all
the major muscle groups. The greater the range of motion, the more muscles
can flex and extend. Most forms of dance require dancers to perform moves
that require bending and stretching, so dancers naturally become more flexible
by simply dancing.
2. Strength
Strength is defined as the ability of a muscle to exert a force against
resistance. Dancing builds strength by forcing the muscles to resist against a
dancer's own body weight. Many styles of dance, including jazz and ballet,
require jumping and leaping high into the air. Jumping and leaping require
tremendous strength of the major leg muscles. Ballroom dancing builds
strength. Consider the muscle mass a male ballroom dancer develops by lifting
his partner above his head.
3. Endurance
Modern Dance is physical exercise. Exercise increases endurance. Endurance is
the ability of muscles to work hard for increasingly longer periods of time
without fatigue. Regular dancing is great for improving endurance, especially

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vigorous dancing such as line and ballroom dancing. Elevating the heart rate
can increase stamina. Just as in any form of exercise, regular dancing will build
endurance.
4. Sense of Well-Being
Dancing is a social activity. Studies have shown that strong social ties and
socializing with friends contribute to high self-esteem and a positive outlook.
Dancing provides many opportunities to meet other people. Joining a dance
class can increase self-confidence and build social skills. Because physical
activity reduces stress and tension, regular dancing gives an overall sense of
well-being.
5. Postural Alignment
Constant participation in Modern Dance activities enables an individual to
develop postural alignment and proper way of carrying oneself.

 LEARNING ACTIVITY!

Compile and submit sample picture of modern dance moves.

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Lesson 2


Learning Outcomes:
CREATIVE DANCE

1. Define and discuss creative dance

2. Create and perform your own steps in dancing creative dance with chosen
music

Concept
It is the highest form of dance. It is the end-product of exploration and
improvisation of movements as the dancer or the choreographer expresses his
feelings or emotions, ideas, and interpretations. This is a dance with a definite
form, a beginning and an ending.

Benefits and Importance

There are many reasons to learn creative dance related to movement,
cognitive abilities, and even for the development of social skills.
1. It facilitates motor skill development through learning fundamental
movement concepts such as; body awareness, control, balance,
coordination, muscle and bone strength, flexibility, stamina, agility.

2. It also allows for appropriate movement affordances to facilitate the

development of fundamental motor skills.

3. It gives opportunities to explore different movements and to solve

movement problems.

4. It can also help in acquisition of kinesthetic intelligence - Kinesthetic

intelligence is having an understanding of the position of one’s body and its
parts in relation to the environment

5. It increases listening skills and ability to follow directions, creative skills,

learning to cooperate with others, and improving self-concept in learning
environments and in a broader context.

6. It helps in social development.

7. It can release stress and discovering a form of self-expression.

8. It develop spatial awareness, and to teach respect for one another’s

personal space.

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Structure of Creative dance

The most important focus of creative dance is the development of
fundamental movement skills. It usually consists of five distinct parts:
1. A warm up period.
2. Create and explore the concept or theme of the dance.
3. Developing necessary skills related to movement.
4. Creating and further understanding to the concept through movement often
with collaboration among members
5. Ending with a cooling down period.

Elements of Creative Dance

The elements of creative dance can be explored through different concepts
and the manipulation of these concepts to help encourage particular movements or
movement patterns.

Space
Space refers to the dance environment exploring level, size, direction, pathway,
and focus of the movement. Obstacles or other dancers in the environment can be
included to allow additional opportunities to interact with and incorporate into the
movements.

Time
This element involves the manipulation of speed: slow, medium of fast
movements. Rhythm can also be manipulated through the concepts of pulse,
breath, patterns, and accents.

Force
Force can be used through changing the energy (smooth-sustained or sharp-sudden)
and the weight (strong or light) of the movement. The flow of the movement can
be manipulated via continual, free-flowing movement as opposed to bound
movements signified by abrupt stopping and changes of direction.

Body
The element of the body can be incorporated into creative dance through isolating
body parts, making body shapes, and exploring the relationship between and
through dancers in time and space.

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Movement
This is a very important element of creative dance where the development of
fundamental motor skills really comes into play. This element can be broken into
locomotor movement (movements that travel through space) and non-locomotor
movement (movements around axes of the body and its component parts). Refer to
Module 1 Lesson 2 for the discussion on movements.

THINK!

“Dance is the hidden language of the soul”

- Martha Graham

 PERFORMANCE ACTIVITY!

Create and perform your own Creative dance with your

own chosen music.

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Lesson 3

 STREET DANCE

Learning Outcomes:
1. Define and discuss about street dance
2. Compile and submit a sample picture of street dance thru internet
surfing.

The country’s richness in cultural heritage radiates magnificence and

majesty in the value of profound opulence of the traditions of the Filipino people.
The superb existence of these traditions has been the credible identity of being
festive and highly-spirited. Filipino people showcase their beliefs and wonderful
culture through dancing where their amazing skills are exemplified with eminence,
principle and passion. The creation and celebration of festival dances are
highlighted in performing these great bodily movements matched with
incomparable choreography and they are executed fantastically in the street.

Meaning and Nature

Street dancing, also known as Festival dance is a grandiose activity
performed by all participants with coordination of movements with high level of
dexterity and synchronization of choreographic and appealing techniques. It
showcases culturally-oriented performance.
The key to performing a good street dancing show is to organize all the
necessary steps that would optimize the entertainment and fun quotient of a
street dance. The important factor in street dancing is not maintaining the strict
dance steps, but to enjoy as much as you can by utilizing your energy. You may not
know the exact dancing steps. But still enjoy and participate in a street dancing
show. If you love performing in front of crowd and enjoying a good time.
It is mixed variations from different types of dance forms. This dancing can
blend the properties and style of different types of conventional dance form. The
type of music plays an important role in street dancing styles become famous, is
due to its improvisation techniques and the interaction quotient with the
audience.
Street dancing is a form of dancing that has wonderful and different styles.
It is a great outdoor activity that is not only entertaining but also recreational. It
require a lot of energy and creativity from the performer. It is one of the best
ways of staying in shape and healthy.

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Steps in Organizing Street dances

Street dancing is beneficial to our health since it keeps your body fit and in
shape. It is the most fun and exciting way of exercising than any other forms. The
different street dancing style require considerable amount of energy. Thus, it is a
great way of losing the extra calories. Today, youngsters and adults are even
learning this style of dancing. The following are recommended in organizing street
dances:
1. Establishing Concept. The primordial and the very first method in making
wonderful and brilliant presentation is to establish significant formulation of
the concepts along steps, costume and props, and the integration of musical
piece.
2. Designing Mechanism and making Choreographic Techniques. One of the
techniques in creating splendid and magnificent street dancing
performances is to carry out divisions of dance figures that are relevant.
These mechanisms of creating dance steps will evolve from the skill of
choreography where the master/ choreographer of the dance teaches dance
patterns steps.
In here, the passion of putting salient ingredients and creative
dancing procedure are essential. The appeal of the dance depends on the
choreography and coordination of the movements of dancers which really
match to the rhythmic power of the background music. Notwithstanding,
the success of the performance is the combination of the music and the
success of the music and the coordination of movements with the powerful
clout of choreography.
3. Executing Skills. The execution of the choreographed steps is the focal
point of this. The skills of coordination, harmonization and synchronization
of the dance movements are ultimately the main elements for great
performance.
4. Mastering Procedure for Perfection. Perfection is the main aspect for
achievement as what the adage “Correct and Right practice makes perfect”
the impact of performance depends on the perfect execution and copious
numbers of breath-taking, awesome and original steps that would astonish
spectators.
In street dancing, dancers should take note of the benefit that could
be of great help for physical development. The very interesting matter that
every dancer should be considering id not only the winning which is
supposedly only the second objective. Winning could be taken into
consideration is the welfare and development of the involved individuals.

Guidelines in Street dancing competition

There are various and compelling suggested guidelines to be considered in

the Street dancing competition. These are:

A. Members
There should be at least minimum of 50 and a maximum of 100 participants

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B. Music and Accompaniment

Live use of musical instrument is required. Combined rhythmic effects of
bass drums, snare and other types of drums are obliged. However, this is
just a recommendation because other sponsoring group required the original
music reflecting their culture and traditions.

C. Performance
The competing team is required to execute the steps as they walk.
However, performance spots where they are required to have their
showdown should be considered and should be given utmost and stern
performance.

D. Costume and Props

The performing team should use costume and props relevant to the event to
be participated.

E. Criteria for Judging

Street dance Showdown

Originality 10% Choreography 20%
Choreography 10% Concept and Storyline 20%
Discipline 10% Mastery 10%
Costume and Props 10% Over all impact 10%
40% 60%

Street dance 40%

Showdown 60%
100%

F. The Decision of the Judges is final and irrevocable.

 LEARNING ACTIVITY!

Compile and submit sample picture of street dances.

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 MODULE SUMMARY

In module IV, you have learned about Millennial Dances.

There are three lessons in module IV. Lesson 1 is compose of modern dance,
Lesson 2 consist of creative dance, and Lesson 3 is all about Street dance. The
meaning, steps in organizing and guidelines in creating Street dance are also
presented.
Congratulations! You have just studied Module IV. Now you are ready to
evaluate how much you have benefited from your reading by accomplishing the
summative test as part of your final exam. Good Luck!!!

PHED 103 – Dances Module IV