Reviewer (P.

E)
Catherine B. Boco
12-St. joseph

Table of contents:

 Characteristic of a Good Dance

 Choreographic Forms in Dance
 Evaluating a Good Dance

I. Characteristic of a Good Dance

1. Unity - The interconnected phrases of the dance are coherent and flow smoothly together. The
movements fit together and each plays an important role that contributes to the entirety of a dance.
2. Continuity and Development - The phrases of the dance that are organized progressively, making each
movement phrase move naturally into the next.
3. Variety and Contrast - Variety and contrast in movement phrases add excitement and flavor in the
dance. Changing the direction, use of energy, timing of a movement phrase, and avoiding repeating them
in the exact way are ways to add variety to the dance. Examples of contrasting movements are slow to
fast, short to long, and minimal to large movement phrases.
4. Transition - This is the link between movements, phrases, and sections of the dance. Also, it is vital
because it keeps the unity and continuity of the dance. Transitions may vary from length and complexity.
They may also be simple or involving an entire phrase of movement.
5. Repetition - It emphasizes movements and phrases that are important to the dance and gives a feeling
of closure to a work (Minton, 2007). Usually, when a section of a choreography is repeated, it is the main
message of the dance. This function to make clearer the meaning or intention of the dance (Rickett-
Young, 1996).
6. Climax - This is where the apex of energy in the dance is reached (Schrader, 1996). It is similar to a
climax in a story where a series of events culminates. The music will often assist both the choreographer
and the audience when determining this point of development (Schrader, 1996)
All these characteristics are organized to contribute to the development of a meaningful dance. As the
author in dance choreography, Sara Cerny Minton (2007) has pointed out, "all phrases in a work should
be designed to form the integrated sections of your dance, and all the sections of the dance should be
placed in a sequence that moves toward an appropriate conclusion."

What makes a good dance?

• All works, whether it is sports, music, or dance, must have a form brought to their elements by
means of orderly arrangement, meaning, and purpose. (Lockhart, 1982).
 • There must be a sense of direction. A good dance, therefore, must have a shape or form for its
choreography to be effective.

What is a form?

A form is the instrument by which ideas and elements are arranged or combined into a logical
sequence which results in unity and consistency, and by means of which the content or idea can
be expressed and communicated. It is the organizing factor of any work or dance- composition.
(Lockhart, 1982).
The form should progress through time from the beginning to the end of the choreography
(Minton, 2007). Each section is composed of several units that are smoothly connected to each
other. These small units are called phrases.
What is a phrase?
• ”A phrase is the smallest unit of form in the whole dance" (Blom and Chaplin, 1988). It can be
related to a sentence in writing compositions. Choreographers and dancers use movement
phrasing when working on dances. Commonly, a single phrase consists of eight counts.

What is a motif?
• A single movement or a short phrase of movement that embodies the style and intention of the dance
is called the motif. A good dance uses a motif in which the movements are repeated, varied, and
developed by manipulating the movement components or elements.
• One good example of a dance with motif is the Itik-itik Philippine folkdance. It is easy to identify the
motif of this dance as it simple

II. Choreographic Forms in Dance

VARIOUS CHOREOGRAPHIC FORMS IN DANCE

Selecting the structure which best expresses the dance idea is fundamental (Rickett–Young 1996).
Dance and music are closely resemble in so many ways. It is not surprising that they follow similar forms.
The shape of a dance or a piece of choreography is based on common musical forms (Minton, 2007)
COMPOSITIONAL FORMS
•Sequential forms
•Contrapuntal forms
•Episodic forms
•Other compositional forms
SEQUENTIAL FORMS
Contains theme/motif which progress in a specific
order. They are arrange accordingly.
• AB (two-part) form

• ABA (three-part) form

• Rondo form (ABACA)

• Theme and Variation form

AB (TWO-PART) Form
• The simplest of the sequential forms and is similar to a verse and chorus of the song. It is a binary form
with two contrasting sections consist of a beginning section (A) followed by the second section (B)
•Each sections contains elements that contrast in tone or quality.
•Examples of which are light and dark, huge and tiny, love and hate. This form is commonly used in
many folk dances and songs.
ABA (THREE-PART)FORM
•Composed of introductory theme (A), a contrasting theme (B), and a restatement of the original theme
(A).
•(A) is the unifying theme and a centre of interest, the (B) gives contrast. The original (A) returns either
as an exact repetition or in an easy recognizable variation or development.
RONDO FORM (ABACA)
•In this form the unifying theme (A) returns after each contrasting theme. (A) appears after every
contrasting sections at least three times, but it can be itself be varied (Rickett-Young, 1996). It can be
describe as ABACADAEAFA development of movement idea (Minton, 2007)
•Here, sections (B), (C). (D), (E), (F) are the contrasting themes while (A) is consistently repeated every
after each section.
THEME AND VARIATION FORMS
•The motif is a series of movements to which variations are added throughout the development of entire
choreography.
•The motif/theme can be single phrase or several movement phrases place together in a sequence
(Minton, 2007)
•The order of the movements are kept the same all throughout the variations.
•It can take the form of subtle adjustments in dynamics, space, style, mood, and tempo (Rickett-Young,
1996).
CONTRAPUNTAL FORMS
•Several themes are woven together in choreography to form a complex structure. There are four
contrapuntal forms in dance
•Ground Bass
•Round or Canon
•Fugue or Accumulation
•Suite
GROUND BASS
•Single theme starts the dance and is repeated all the way through the dance while other contrasting
themes are simultaneously performed with it.
•This form is best done in a group working in either in contrast to each other or against soloist.
•The repeated theme can be performed by a group while a soloist or a smaller group dances the other
theme with more complex combination of movements (Minton, 2007).
ROUND OR CANON
•Consist of two or more movement phrases or theme in which the main movement phrases is imitated
exactly and completely by the successive movements, but done in staggered manner (McGreevy Nickols
et al. 2005).
•The first dancers performed the theme, the second dancers perform enters at the end of the first-half
phrases. The third enters at the start of the second-pharse and the fourth enters at the last half of the
second phrase.
FUGUE OR ACCUMULATION
•A choreographic form that is constructed by adding on different movements or dance phrases in every
repetition of the main movement theme (McGreevy Nickols et al. 2005).
•The movements phrases or the motif can be develop by reversing, inverting, augmenting, or diminishing
throughout the dance (Rickket-Young, 1996)
SUITE
•Every sections of a dance (beginning, middle, and end) use different tempos and qualities.
•Commonly, it has a moderate beginning, a slow middle section, and a fast and lively end section
(Minton, 2007)
EPISODIC FORM
•Episodic form are not musical forms, instead they are found in literature.
•They tell a story through connected and progressive sections called episode.
•Narrative form is an episodic form that tells story or conveys an idea and the sequence of the story
OTHER COMPOSITIONAL FORMS

•Natural structures
•Collage
•Tableau
•chance
NATURAL STRUCTURE
•Mostly came from natural structures such as the seasons, life, cycles, and everyday life experiences.
COLLAGE
•Consist of a series of a movement phrases that are often unrated but have been brought together to create
a single dance with a beginning, a middle and an end (McGreevy-Nickols et al. 2005).
•The overall form remains a whole even through the content may be illogical (Rickett-Young, 1996)
TABLEAU
•Different movement phrases are performed by different dancers simultaneously in the same space.
•The dancers may execute a tableau at a different locations on the stage and content transitional
movements for each scene to produced a progression of moving snapshots(Minton,2007).
CHANCE
The movement phrases are performed in random order and spatial placing.
•Everytime dancers performed, it is done in different order and therefore has a different appearance
(McGreevy-Nickols et al. 2005).
•Originally the dance phrases were arranged by tossing coins to decide on choices and the order of
performance, hence, coming from the word by chance

III. Evaluating a Good Dance

The success of any dance may depend on who the evaluators are. Appreciation on the importance of
dance comes from the points of view of the choreographer, the dancer, or the audiences. These people are
the one who would able to analyze, understand, and appreciate the performance (Linda Rickett-Young
1996)
Evaluators Role:
•Choreographers
•Dancers
•Audiences
Choreographers
•They will evaluate a part of an ongoing process of developing a personal style which is both spontaneous
and organized
Dancers
•They will evaluate according to the specific demands that the performance place on them
Audiences
•They will evaluate according to the particular context of the dance
 In order to transpire evaluation and appreciation in dance, evaluators must have a basic understanding
and knowledge of the elements characteristic of choreography
Stages in assessing a dance
•Description
•Interpretation
•Evaluation
Description
•Involves close observation of all the elements, characteristic, and components of dance.
Interpretation
•Involves an appreciation of the ideas, content, images, and style contained within the dance.
Evaluation
•Takes into consideration how effectively the features (i.e., elements,
Characteristic)and the context of the dance have been utilize in the actual performance of the dancers to
portray the content and the quality of dance.