Reading Material in Art Appreciation (Dance)

Contemporary Dance: From Basic Concepts to Practice

Introduction:
Hello, dear students. After studying the introduction to arts, writing your
own rawitdawit, and composing an original song during the midterm period,
you crafted visual artworks which were inspired by your previous creative
outputs. Let’s continue your learning experience, this time, in the field of dance.
We will be indulging in one of its genres, contemporary dance.
There are three sub-topics in this lesson: the introduction and brief history,
the basics of dance (elements, efforts of action, and fundamental dance
positions), and the creative process. As you study the first two sub-topics, you
will already have snippets of the creative process. You’ll also experience it as
an assessment task for this lesson wherein you’ll choreograph and perform an
original one-minute contemporary dance piece. You must be able to apply
the elements and your selected basic efforts of action through the
accompaniment of the original music you composed (an excerpt) while also
incorporating the theme/s from your visual artwork/s.

Let’s Start!
Do you still remember the first time you watched a dance performance?
Or perhaps, the first time you danced in front of a crowd whether it be at home
or in school? Who among you here are dancers or dance enthusiasts? Well,
whether you are one or not, one thing is for sure: you’ll like dancing more after
this lesson.
An introduction to dance as an art form was already discussed in the first
lesson during the midterm period, and we will now focus on contemporary
dance. I want you to watch the video of a dance performance from France
Got Talent through the link provided below. Some of you may have already
seen it since it went viral online in 2018. I want you to focus on it and share your
thoughts afterwards.

https://youtu.be/-q6CQAppxSU

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 Now that you’ve watched it, what can you say about the performance?
Share your thoughts on our discussion board under CONTEMPORARY DANCE
THREAD in the course site. You may talk about how you felt while watching it,
what you think the story is, what its theme is, and how you were able to infer
such.

CONTEMPORARY DANCE: BRIEF HISTORY AND SHORT INTRODUCTION

The performance in the video you’ve watched is a contemporary

dance. For the introduction and brief history about this genre, you may watch
the video in the link below and take down notes. If you cannot watch the video,
don’t worry because I’ve also prepared a written explanation that will help you
understand how contemporary dance came to be and how it is related to the
other dance genres.

PLANET DANCE: A Visitor’s Guide

To Contemporary Dance
https://youtu.be/4aeBhLakp3c

There are two types of dance: social dance and performance dance.
Below is a table that shows their respective characteristics.

SOCIAL DANCE PERFORMANCE DANCE

There’s a clear division between the
It’s about participation.
performer/s and spectators.
It’s a part of life. It’s a special part of theater.
Examples:
ballet, jazz dance, classical Indian
Examples:
dance, street dance, circus dance,
folk dance, club dance, ballroom dance
tap dance, African dance,
contemporary dance

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 Let’s take a closer look at the performance dances. Ballet is more on
creating long lines with the body and is often about myths and fairytales. It also
emphasizes how different men and women are. Jazz dance makes use mostly
of the hips and angles; classical Indian dance has distinct facial expressions,
geometry and footwork; street dance has acrobatics, prowess and emphasizes
rhythm; and circus dance involves gymnastics, aerial dance, and is gravity-
defying. In tap dance, the shoes play a crucial role, footwork is emphasized,
and there is improvisation. African dance has polyrhythms, is cyclic, and
movements are weighted. Other performances that can be considered as a
social dance are: Javanese, Tai Chi, Shaolin Kung Fu, mime, Noh, Balinese
dance drama, Hula dance, cheerleading, capoeira, and Butoh.

You have to keep in mind that contemporary dance, as an example of

performance dance, is more on experimentation, invention, and non-
conformity. It is influenced by the previously mentioned dances under the social
dance category in one way or another. Some dancers/choreographers may
have started from street dance, then to ballet, and finally ended in
contemporary dance that is why the performance shows a mixture or elements
of the others. Contemporary dance continues to evolve. In fact, it is
unpredictable due to its continuous search for the “new” which has become
its edge.

Now that we already have an overview of contemporary dance, let us

analyze this statement from a renowned dance critic, Walter Terry:

"No paints nor brushes, marbles nor chisels,

pianos or violins are needed to
make this art, for we are the stuff that dance is made of. It is born in our
body,
exists in our body and dies in our body.
Dance, then, is the most personal of all the arts
– it springs from the very breath of life."

The statement is very direct and truthful. We need not explain because
it’s easy to understand as it is. But let’s digest it still. When we talk about dance,
you don’t have to purchase various tools or equipment because all you need
is yourself, specifically, your body. Dancing shoes, costumes, props, and other
paraphernalia only come secondary. But what do we do with our body in order
to practice the art of dancing?

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THE BASICS:

▪ FIVE BASIC ELEMENTS OF DANCE and EIGHT BASIC EFFORTS OF ACTION

Since dance is an art form focused not on creating a permanent, static

object, but something that is impermanent and fluid, it is unique but still very
much a form of art. Dancers and choreographers have their own compositional
elements to work with and understanding these elements and how to use them
is the key to a great work of art.

There are Five Basic Elements of Dance. You can easily remember them
through the acronym, BASTE. What do you think these letters stand for?

Try guessing the five elements.

B–

A–

S–

T–

E–

Alright, what are your guesses? Let’s check if they matched with the ones
below:

BODY ACTION SPACE TIME ENERGY

ON
These elements also serve as the foundational concepts and vocabulary
that help students develop movement skills and understand dance as an
artistic practice. Let’s talk about the elements one by one.

The most important, of course, is the body because it is the mobile figure
or shape felt by the dancer and seen by others. Dancers may emphasize
specific parts of their body in a dance phrase – called isolation, or use their
whole body all at once.

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 The body moves in ways to express ourselves using locomotor and non-
locomotor movements. Both are fundamental body movements and I’m sure
you know how they differ from each other. Let’s refresh your memory by
reviewing them. Locomotor movements refer to movements that move the
body from one point to another, causing the body to travel. Such movements
could either be even or uneven in terms of rhythm. Even rhythm movements
consist equal, unvarying actions including: walking, running, hopping, leaping,
and jumping. For a little background, a hop is technically defined as a springing
from one foot and landing on that same foot, while a leap is a springing from
one foot but landing on the other foot (commonly used when people jump
over objects like over a rain puddle). Uneven rhythm movements consist of
unequal actions and sometimes incorporate alternating actions. Such include
skipping, galloping, and sliding. A gallop is defined as stepping forward and
pushing up with one foot, while the other foot follows and the person lands on
the trailing foot. A slide is similar, but the lead foot glides forward or sideward
while the other foot follows. The lead foot does not step or push off into the air
(such movement is used in skating or skiing).

On the other hand, non-locomotor movements, sometimes also called

“axial movements”, are movements of certain body parts or even the whole
body without causing it to travel. Oftentimes, non-locomotor movements are
combined with locomotor movements such as walking and swinging your arms.
The non-locomotor movements are bending, flexing, stretching, extending,
lifting, raising, twisting, rotating, swinging, swaying, turning, shaking, and
wiggling.

According to Walter Terry, “the body is the channel between the inner
realm and the outer realm”. How so? To help you understand this concept, I’ve
created a simple illustration below:

INNER REALM

BODY

OUTER
REALM

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 The inner realm refers to your intentions, ideas, emotions, and identity
while the outer realm refers to expression and communication. You are able to
manifest your thoughts and feelings through the gestures and movements you
make with your body. You communicate what’s inside you to what’s around
you through your body. See? That’s how important our body is. Aren’t we
taught and reminded to take good care of it because it is the temple of our
soul? Taking care of the body isn’t only for the dancers and choreographers,
but for everyone. It is our only means of mobilizing ourselves.

On a different perspective, how about those who are physically

challenged? Those with disabilities? Does that mean they cannot enjoy nor
execute dance as an art form? The answer is, they can! If you search on Google
or YouTube, you can find and watch performances of PWDs dancing, so if
people like them make the most of what they can to express their skills and
feelings, how much more can you, right? Just step outside of your comfort zone.
It all starts with a brave decision to try. Be open, and allow yourself to grow.
Educate yourself about dance, and expose yourself to different references and
resources. This reading material is one, so make sure to do the activities even if
I am not there to personally see you. Be reminded of what I said: In our subject,
I care for “Progress not perfection.”

Those are the important things you have to know and remember about
the first element.

BODY

The second element is action. It is any human movement included in the

art of dancing. It can include dance steps, facial movements, partner lifts,
gestures, and even walking. You have to remember that dance is made up of
streams of movement and pauses, so action refers not only to steps and
sequences, but also to pauses and moments of relative stillness.

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 Movement (or action) can also be improvised. Improvisation is when the
dancers make up movements “on the spot” as they spontaneously dance. It
can also be giving a twist to a basic movement, and it is usually how
choreographers create a dance piece.

In the field of dance as well as theater, Rudolf von Laban is a notable

figure. He was a prolific choreographer, a life-long educator, and a specialist
movement researcher. He is a master of movement widely known in
connection with “Labanotation”. It is a system he invented for analyzing and
recording movement in written form. Yes, he studied and explained the
movements that we see and execute. Yet, this is only one part of the substantial
body of work he produced in his lifetime. His work changed the perception of
movement in all performance and inspired a whole new type of movement
practice.

When we talk about Labanotation, there are so-called “Efforts of Action”.

An effort can be understood as a way of identifying the ‘quality’ of our
movement during action: the sensation or feel that our movement has both for
ourselves and others. They are the key types of effort that are expressed when
we are motivated to act and there are eight of them.

Now, I want you to stand. Think of and execute a movement which you
think reflects the following efforts of action. Don’t be shy. Move. Find out if you
are familiar with these actions.

1. Punching 5. Slashing
2. Pressing 6. Wringing
3. Dabbing 7. Floating
4. Flicking 8. Gliding

Watch the video in the link provided on the next page to check whether
you executed the actions correctly. Make sure to watch carefully and move
along so that you can fill in the table about it afterwards. You may pause and
replay the video as often as you want or need. After that, grab your
notebook/journal and supply the correct terms and concepts in the table that
follows. This way, you can easily understand and remember the Eight Basic Efforts
of Action.

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 Laban Movement Efforts
https://youtu.be/OK-7QhORB9k

Elements
EFFORTS OF ACTION
Space/Focus Time Weight Flow
Punch
Dab
Press
Glide
Slash
Flick
Wring
Float
*The key to correction for this table is found on the last part of this reading material.

Now that you already know and understand the basic efforts of action, it
must be clearer to you how and when to use such movements in a dance.
Remember improvisation as discussed earlier? The reason you no longer
recognize clearly the basic efforts of action when watching a certain dance
performance is because they have already been improvised by the dancers and
choreographers while they were still in the creative process. A basic action is
either exaggerated, minimized, or given a certain “twist” to make it more
dramatic. Of course, you have to unleash your creativity in order to craft a
meaningful and memorable work of art.

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 ACTION

STUDY BREAK
At this point, congratulate yourself first. If you wish to review or check some of the
activities, you may. But now is the time to do some more stretching and even give yourself
some rest first for at least, ten minutes? It depends on you. We still have a lot more to
tackle so make sure to recharge! You’re doing just fine. Keep it up and see you as we
continue the discussion.

We’re done with the second element. Let’s proceed to the third: space.
Space refers to the way the dancer moves through and interacts with space. It is
about how he/she occupies the physical world. When it comes to space, you
have to consider the direction, blocking, level, size, and pathways. Direction can
be sideways, forwards, backwards, or diagonally. Blocking (or facing) refers to
how the front of the body is positioned in relation to the audience. Level is the
relationship of the body to the floor (It can be low/earth, middle/man, and
high/sky). Size is the amount of space occupied while pathways refer to the line
of travel which may be quite direct towards one or more points in space, or
indefinite/meandering.

Space may also be considered a partner in dance. Even when a dancer is

doing a solo, he/she is dynamically involved in the space of the performing arts.
How the dancer relates with the performance space, may it be big or small, tells
or enhances the story within the dance.

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 SPACE

Closely related to the element of space is the element of time. After all, a
dancer cannot move through space without moving through time as well. This
compositional element deals with the dancer's interaction with time since timing
is key to any dance (or performance, even).

Dance movements may show different timing relationships such as

simultaneous or sequential timing, brief to long duration, fast to slow speed, or
accents in predictable or unpredictable intervals.

Time may also be organized through clock time, sensed time, or event
sequence. When we say clock time, the dance is based on units of seconds,
minutes, and/or hours. For example, a certain section of a dance may be
assigned a time such as 30 seconds into which all the choreographed movement
must fit. Another example would be a performance in a public setting set up to
repeat continuously between 12:00 noon and 1:00 pm. Sensed time is used when
dancers pick up on each other's timing such as gradually increasing from a
walking tempo to a running tempo by cueing off each other rather than a music
score. Another example happens when dancers hold a group shape then
spontaneously move out of it based on the group's organic impulse. For event
sequence, an internal or external event signals a change such as repeating a
traveling phrase over and over until everyone arrives at a corner of the stage. You
also see this at sports events when a touchdown triggers a dance cheer.

Dancers may take sight cues from each other to start the next phrase or
listen for music cues. They may even take cues from an event such as a train
whistle during an outdoor dance performance. The inherent rhythms in our
movement and our aural landscape are a rich source of variation in dance. What
connects these scenarios is what we call “awareness”, which is related to
“energy”. More of this will be discussed in the next and last element of dance.

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 TIME

To complete this sub-topic, we come now to energy. Energy is about how

the movement happens. It may change in an instant, and several types of energy
may be concurrently in play. Another term for energy is “force”. It is the force at
which we express our body motions. Choices about energy include variations in
movement flow and the use of force, tension, and weight.

I remember a mentor who discussed and demonstrated about awareness

and energy during a movement theater workshop in 2018. You see, most of us
have been exposed to dance accompanied by music but there are also dances
that require no music at all. You just have to follow the energy flow in your body,
such as that in spontaneous dancing. You must be calm and relaxed, releasing
any tension there is. To do this, you have to know and strengthen your core. Your
core is found three fingers below your navel. That’s where balance and energy
emulate. When performing with others, it’s important to be aware of your co-
performers’ energy as well so you can interact and connect well with each other
while on-stage. However, the force, tension, or weight you incorporate in a
certain movement is highly dependent on the dance genre as well as the
message or story it aims to convey.

tension

ENERGY

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▪ FUNDAMENTAL DANCE POSITIONS

You were already taught the five fundamental dance positions way back
in elementary and high school. To refresh your memory, arrange the figures found
on the next page in their proper sequence. Just put numbers 1-5 on the blanks
before the letters.

___A ___B ___C ___D ___E

Now, let’s check your answers.

1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th

A B D C E
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 These are the Fundamental Dance Positions from the First Position to the
Fifth Position. Below is a close-up version of the hand and foot works together with
descriptions so you can execute them properly.

Kindly stand to imitate and execute the figures.

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 Alright! Give yourself a tap on the shoulder if you’ve successfully executed
the five fundamental dance positions. You may opt to do it again if you think you
still need some more practice.

FROM BASIC CONCEPTS TO PRACTICE

▪ CONTEMPORARY DANCE IN THE PHILIPPINE SETTING

To expose you more in the world of contemporary dance, look up on the

internet the following notable Filipino personas as well as their creative works:

Alice Reyes – She is a National Artist for Dance

and the former Artistic Director of Ballet
Philippines, one of the resident companies of the
Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP);

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Liza Macuja-Elizalde – She is a renowned Filipina
Prima Ballerina and the founder of Ballet Manila,
a resident company of CCP as well;

Douglas Nierras – He is the founder and resident

choreographer of Douglas Nierras Powerdance
(DNPD), an internationally renowned jazz and
contemporary dance company; and

Norbert de la Cruz III – He graduated from the

prestigious Juillard School in New York, and
a soloist at the Metropolitan Opera House and
other dance companies in Europe.

There are also Bicolano local artists who are active, appreciated and
awarded in the field of dance whom you must know about. Some of them are:

Ronnie B. Mirabuena – He is a native of Bacacay,

Albay who is currently affiliated with the
Cultural Center of the Philippines. He has travelled
throughout the country as trainer, resource
person, facilitator, and judge in various dance
workshops and festivals and as a delegate in
international dance conferences. Philippine folk
dances are his expertise.

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Rodrigo C. Salando, Jr. – He is a choreographer
and dance coach born in Polangui but
resides in Iriga City. He is the long-time trainer
of the MAG Dancers, an Iriga-based dance
group which has been a consistent
Cheerleading World Championship gold
winner. He dances and teaches hip-hop,
contemporary, and cheer dance.

Julio N. Mendoza – He is a teacher-artist who is

a faculty member of Bicol University
College of Arts and Letters’ Performing Arts
Department. He is a recognized theater director,
playwright, and choreographer in Bicol. Some of
his notable works are “An Ngaran Ko Daraga”
dance theater and “Sayaw Kan Tulong Bulod”
musical.

▪ BODY TALK

Since dance is a performance art and applied art, it is an interesting and

therapeutic art form. You may also watch the videos in the following links to give
you even more knowledge and feel on dance in general.

1st : Watching dance makes you dance inside.

https://youtu.be/AUZ9a06fOKg

2nd : Dance is the song of the body.

https://youtu.be/D0UZZH8qdJ8

3rd : Dance is art, not information.

https://youtu.be/BuzGb7VvlMQ

There you have it! We’re done with our discussion. How do you feel? Do you
like dance better now? I’m sure the discussions helped you understand and
appreciate dance on a deeper level. Feel free to write down on your journal
about it and start applying these learnings to practice. You can always go back
to this reading material if you need to.

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STUDY BREAK
At this point, you can choose to either review the topics discussed or take another
break before proceeding to the assessment task that awaits you. Break a leg! (That’s how
we say “Good luck” in theater.)

Assessment Task:
Choreograph and perform an original one-minute contemporary dance
piece using the composed music and incorporating the theme from the visual
artwork.

Guide for the choreography, performance, and evaluation:

1. 50 % for demonstration of quality movement, mastery, emotions, and stage

presence
2. 30 % for incorporation and execution of five or more basic efforts of action
3. 20 % for use of original music composition as well as relevance of the theme

Record the video and upload an mp4 file to Google Classroom, your folder
in Google Drive, or album in the Facebook group.

The video file name must follow this format:

Course, Year, Block_CDance_Student’s Surname,
First Name, M.I.

Example: BAComm1A_CDance_Monay, Sarah Marion D.

KEY TO CORRECTION:

Elements
EFFORTS OF ACTION
Space/Focus Time Weight Flow
Punch Direct Quick Heavy Bound
Dab Direct Quick Light Bound
Press Direct Sustained Heavy Bound
Glide Direct Sustained Light Free
Slash Indirect Quick Heavy Free
Flick Indirect Quick Light Free
Wring Indirect Sustained Heavy Bound
Float Indirect Sustained Light Free

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ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

The symbol for dance in the Philippines is a

hand with janggay gesturing a pangalay
movement.

Dance, in Filipino, is “sayaw”. When written using the

Baybayin Script, it will be like this:

SYW+ The font used is Baybayin Simple Tawbid by

John Leyson from Baybayin Buhayin, Inc.

SA YA W

REFERENCES:

Elements of Dance: Space, Time, Levels & Force retrieved from

https://study.com/academy/lesson/elements-of-dance-space-time-
levels-force.html

Five Fundamental Positions of the Arms and Feet retrieved from

http://uchsmapeh.blogspot.com/2011/01/five-fundamental-positions-of-
arms-and.html?m=1

Planet Dance. (2015, January 17). YouTube. https://youtu.be/4aeBhLakp3c

Planet Dance: Body Talk – Part 1. (2015, January 23). YouTube.

https://youtu.be/AUZ9a06fOKg

Planet Dance: Body Talk – Part 2. (2015, February 3). YouTube.

https://youtu.be/D0UZZH8qdJ8

Planet Dance: Body Talk – Part 3. (2015, February 3). YouTube.

https://youtu.be/BuzGb7VvIMQ

The Elements of Dance retrieved from https://www.elementsofdance.org

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The Elements of Dance retrieved from
https://www.nationalartsstandards.org/sites/default/files/Dance_resource
s/ElementsOfDance_organizer.pdf

The 5 Elements of Dance retrieved from http://dsc2e.weebly.com/the-5-

elements-of-dance.html

Tiongson, N.G. (1991). Tuklas Sining: Essays on the Philippine Arts. Manila:
Sentrong Pangkultura ng Pilipinas

Villaruz, B.E. S., Philippine Contemporary Dance, retrieved from

https://ncca.gov.ph/about-ncca-3/subcomissions/subcommission-on-the-
arts-sca/dance/philippine-contemporary-dance/

- END OF THE READING MATERIAL -

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