Audrey T.

Berroya PathFit 3
BEEd- 2A Ms. Merrenisa E. Balato

Dance is the movement of the body in a rhythmic way, usually to music and within a
given space, for the purpose of expressing an idea or emotion, releasing energy, or
simply taking delight in the movement itself.

History of Dance

• 3300 BCE (First Dancing)

It is believed that the first people to dance were the Egyptians. Archaeologists
discovered paintings of dancing figures in rock shelters and caves.

• 1400 (Ballet comes into play)

Ballet started in Italy around the year 1400 but didn’t really become popular until
around the year 1500. Ballet gained its popularity when a lady of the arts, Catherine
de Medici, married King Henry 11 and threw festivals where they would perform ballet
dances. Ballet is believed to be the main core of every single dance style.

• 1600 (Masque Dancing)

Masque dancing started with elaborate pageants and shows in the 16th century.
Masque dancing involved intricate costuming and stage designing that also
incorporated singing and acting as well as dancing. It was often used as a court
entertainment.

• 1795 (Classical Persian Dancing)

This style of dance evolved from courtroom dancing. An era influencing Persian dance
was the Qajar Dynasty which lasted from 1795 to 1925. Dancers would perform artistic
and lively dances for the Shah. The music is usually played by a small band.
 • 1800(Tippity, Tappity time for tap)

Tap dancing originated from African tribal dancing. It is believed that tap dancing
started in the mid-1800s. Tap dancing makes percussion sounds because dancers
most commonly wear leather shoes with two pieces of metal and clip and clap against
hard floors. Tap is still very popular to this day.

• 1890 (Merengue Dancing)

Merengue was a music style that originated in the Dominican Republic before it
became a dance style. The style originated from laborers working in sugar beet fields.
It is a Caribbean dance style that involves partners holding each other in a tango-like
position and moving their hips from side to side.

• 1900(Jazz and Acro)

Jazz dance originated from Africa and puts an emphasis on rhythm and timing. Some
older styles of jazz movements include the shimmy, the Lindy hop, and the Charleston.
Acro dance is short for acrobatics. It originated in circuses such as Cirque De Soleil.
It involves doing smooth and flexible movements, and lots of back bending and tricks.
Both these styles are widely popular to this day.

• 1950(Contemporary Dance)

Contemporary dance is a style that combines jazz, ballet, and modern dance. Its said
that the first ever contemporary choreographer was Merce Cunningham.
Contemporary can be many different styles, but most of the time it is melancholy and
or intense. It involves a lot of technique usage. It is very popular among the competitive
dance scene today.

• 1970(Hip Hop Dance)

Hip-hop dance made an entrance in the 1970s. It originated from African tribe dances
but did not become popular until way after the time it was started. Hip-hop involves
sharp movements. There are many styles of hip-hop that include breaking, popping,
locking, and more.

• 2018(Dance Nowadays)
 Today's dance style has taken a turn towards more hip-hop dances. Because hip-
hop has not been around nearly as long as most dance styles, it's still the most
popular style to this day. Small and popular dances that involve hip hop and that
most everyone can achieve include the whip and nae nae, Gangnam Style (it’s a
little old), shooting, and more. Ballet, jazz, and contemporary are very popular in
dance studios, especially competitive dance studios.

Elements of Dance

No matter the case, all forms of dance can be broken down into their primary
elements: BODY, ENERGY, SPACE, and TIME. To easily remember the dance
elements, we use the acronym: B. E. S. T., which stands for BODY, ENERGY, SPACE,
and TIME.

• Space- The area covered by the dance movements.

SHAPE- The design of the body as it exists in space.

LEVEL- The distance from the floor.

PATHWAYS- Patterns that the body makes it move through space or

on the floor.

DIRECTIONS- Which way a dance faces or moves.

• Time- How fast or slow (tempo), even or uneven (beat), and long or short
(duration) the movement is.
• Body- It is the instrumental of dance and it is what, others see when they look
at the dance.
• Action- It is the movement that the dancers perform, and it is how a dancer
moves. It includes small movements like facial expressions or gestures and can
be larger movements like lifts. Movement can also be locomotor like walking
and running, and non-locomotor like in-place dancing.
• Energy- It is how we move or how the movement happens. It is the presentation
of the quality of movement that can talk about the meaning of the dance. It can
be sharp, strong, soft, powerful, or rich.
Types of Dances

• Hip- hop
Hip-hop dance is a range of street dance styles primarily performed to hip-hop
music or that have evolved as part of hip-hop culture. It is influenced by a wide
range of styles that were created in the 1970s and made popular by dance
crews in the United States.
• Ballet
Ballet is a type of performance dance that originated during the Italian
Renaissance in the fifteenth century and later developed into a concert dance
form in France and Russia. It has since become a widespread and highly
technical form of dance with its own vocabulary.
• Jass Dance
Jazz dance is a performance dance and style that arose in the United States in
the mid-20th century. Jazz dance may allude to vernacular jazz, Broadway, or
dramatic jazz. The two types expand on African-American vernacular styles of
dance that arose with jazz music.
• Cha-cha-cha

The cha-cha-cha is a dance of Cuban origin. It is danced to the music of the

same name introduced by the Cuban composer and violinist Enrique Jorrin in
the early 1950s. This rhythm was developed from the danzón-mambo.

• Modern Dance
Modern dance is a broad genre of Western concert or theatrical dance which
includes dance styles such as ballet, folk, ethnic, religious, and social dancing;
and primarily arose out of Europe and the United States in the late 19th and
early 20th centuries.