HEALTH-OPTIMIZING PHYSICAL EDUCATION 3

Dance is a way of knowing and communicating. All societies use dance to communicate on both personal and
cultural levels and to meet physical and spiritual needs. Dance, as with all the arts, has its own language. We need to
learn this language in order to fully understand and appreciate the world of Dance.

Elements
TIME: The relationship of one movement or part of a movement to another. Includes pulse, speed (or tempo),
duration, rhythm, and phrases.
Pulse: the ongoing underlying beat
Tempo: The speed with which a movement is performed
Duration: the length of time a movement lasts: a long time, short time or something in between
Rhythm: a flow of sound or movement having regular accented beats; a movement or activity in which
some action repeats regularly; patterns made by arranging long and short sounds or strong and light
sounds
Syncopation: a temporary accenting of a normally weak beat in music to vary the rhythm
Phrasing: a grouping and articulation of a group of notes
Accent: a movement or shape performed in such a way as to give emphasis.
SPACE: the area of space occupied by the dancer’s body; includes direction, size, pathways, levels and shapes.
Direction: which way a dancer faces or moves; e.g., forward, backward, sideways, up and down
Size: magnitude of a body shape or movement; from small to large movements
Pathways: patterns made as a dancer moves through the air or on the floor (straight, vertical, horizontal,
zig-zag); can be made with locomotor or non-locomotor movements, separately or in combination.
Levels: the vertical distance from the floor. Movements take place on three levels: high, middle or low and
deep.
Shapes: the form created by the body’s position in space. Aspects of shape are open/closed,
symmetrical/asymmetrical, angular and curved.
FORCE: (energy) degree of muscular tension and use of energy while moving.
Dynamics: how a movement is done
Flow: continuity of movement (bound/free flowing)
Weight: strength (force) lightness of movement (heavy/light)
DANCE AND CULTURE
Dance to different cultures may serve for the purpose of:
1. Expressing emotions, moods or ideas; 2. Telling a story; 3. Serving religious, political, economic or social needs; or 4.
Being an experience that gives pleasure, excitement or aesthetic value to the performers and audience.
Reasons Why People Dance
1. for enjoyment, 2. As a profession, 3. As a form of ritual, praise and worship to God, or 4. For socialization.
Dance Occupation
Dance Teachers and operators of dance schools rely on reputation and marketing. For dance forms without an association
structure such as Salsa or Tango Argentino, they may not have formal training. Most dance teachers are self-employed.
Dance Sport Coaches are tournament dancers or former dance sports people, and may be recognized by a dance sport
federation.
Choreographer are generally university trained and are typically employed for a particular projects or more rarely may
work on contract as the resident choreographer for a specific dance company. Dancers may undertake their own
choreography.
Various Dance Forms
Modern Dance – also called contemporary dance, is a theatrical dance form of contemporary approach, technique or style
hence the term. The term modern should not be confused with “popular” or “pop” dance, oftentimes erroneously called
modern dance. Pop dance is strictly a mixer or recreational dance rather than a spectacular dance.
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Folk/ethnic Dance - they have ancient origins from within a community of people. These dances are also known as
traditional dances based on the fact that they are handed down from generation to generation. Folk dance are sometimes
referred to as ethnic dances, because of their being ethnic which means being characteristic of a particular group of people,
or coming from a particular place.

DANCE FUNDAMENTALS
1. Positions of the Arms
2. First Position – Arms are place in front on chest level, with elbows lifted and the hands
almost meet at the center.
Second Position – Arms are spread out to the side
in a round manner. The hands should be a little
rounded, and the elbows are carried too make the
position rounded.
Third Position – arms are extended
1
like a letter “L.” The hands should
be a little rounded and not
2 dropped, and the elbows are carried
to complete the position.
Fourth
Position -
3
The arms are separately placed
upward and in front. The arms on top
should be placed not directly above the head but a little
forward where the
performer could see the palm
above, and on a level where she/he could still see
the one beside her/him. The arm in front is placed
4 like it would, in first position.
Fifth Position – Both arms are placed upward. The
arms should be positioned not directly above the head but a little forward where the
performer could see the palms, and on a level where she/he coud still see the one beside
her/him/ shoulders should be relaxed in this position.
5
3. Positions of the feet
First Positions – The heels are joined together and the toes are pointed on the
opposite direction, 45degrees wide, or wider. The legs are straight.
1
Second Position – The legs
are placed separately at the
side, with the heels facing 2
each oother and the tooes oof
each foot facing opposite sides. The legs are kept straight.
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Third Position – One foot is placed in front of the other foot, in a ‘turned-out’ position where
3 the toes of each foot are facing the opposite sides. The heel of the foot at the front is placed at
the middle of the other foot.
Fourth Position – One leg is positioned at the front of the other leg,
approximately one foot apart. The toes of each foot
face opposite directions. The legs are kept straight 4
in this position.
Fifth Position – Like the third position, one foot is placed in front of the other
foot, in a ‘turned-out’ position where the toes of each foot are facing the opposite
sides. The heel of the foot in front is directly in contact with the toes of the back 5
foot. And the toes of the foot in front are aligned with the heel of the back foot.

BASIC FOLK DANCE STEPS

Steps in 2/4 Time
Dance Step Measures to L/R Execution by Counts
Point R/L ball (fwd/swd/bwd) (ct 1); close
Touch/Point Step 1M
R/L to L/R (ct 2)
Step R/L to any direction (ct. 1); close L/R
Close Step 1M
to R/L (ct. 2)
Cross R/L across L/R (ct 1) close L/R to R/L
Cross Step 1M
(ct 2)
Step R/L to any direction or in place (ct.
Hop Step 1M
1); hop on it (ct. 2)
Step R/L to any direction (ct. 1); close L/R
Change Step 1M
to R/L (ct. and); step R/L (ct. 2)
3/4 Time Signature
1M Step R/L to any direction (ct. 1 2); close
Close Step
L/R to R/L (ct. 3)
Step R/L (fwd, bwd/swd) (ct 1); step L/R
Waltz 1M c;oose to R/L (ct 2); step R/L in place (ct
3)
Step R/L fwd (ct. 1); Step L/R close to R/L
Waltz Balance 1M lifting heels from the floor (ct. 2; lower
heels (ct. 3)
Cross-step R/L across L/R (ct. 1); close L/R
Cross Waltz 1M
to R/L (ct. 2); step R/L in place (ct. 3)
Step R/L in any direction (ct 1); Swing L/R
Step swing 1M
across R/L (ct 2) Pause (ct 3)
Sway Balance 2M Step R/L diagonally fwd (ct. 1 2); cross-
step L/R across R/L (ct 3); step R/L bwd
(ct 1); close L/R to R/L (ct. 2 3);