Dance - Drama, Expression, Movement

dance

Table of Contents

Introduction
The aesthetics of dance
- Basic motives: self-expression and physical release
- Problems in defining dance
  - Defining according to function
  - Distinguishing dance from other patterned movement
  - Defining according to intent
- Dance as dramatic expression or abstract form
  - The debate in the West
  - Dance as a nonverbal language
- Changes in attitude toward dance
Components of the dance
- The dancer
  - Physical requirements
  - The importance of training
  - Differences among dancers
  - From amateur to professional
- Basic steps and formations
  - Ballet and modern dance
  - Folk dance
  - Social dance
- Choreography
  - Choreographers’ motives and methods
  - The three-phase choreographic process
    - Gathering the movement material
    - Developing movements into phrases
    - Creating the final structure
- Dance notation
  - Prominent notation methods
  - Difficulties of notation
- Theatrical elements
  - Rhythm
  - Music
  - Set and design
  - Costume and stage sets in Western theatre dance
  - Drama
    - Cultural distinction between dramatic and formal dance
    - Drama in Western theatre dance
Types of dance
- Theatre dance
  - Ballet
    - Basic characteristics
    - Innovations in the 20th century
  - Modern dance
    - Expressionism
    - Merce Cunningham
    - Postmodernism
    - The musical
  - Indian classical dance
- Tribal and world dance
  - Tribal dance
  - World dance
- Folk dance
- Social dance

References & Edit History Related Topics

Images & Videos

Edgar Degas: The Dance Foyer at the Opera on the Rue Le Peletier

For Students

dance summary

Read Next

Odissi Indian classical female dancer on white background. (Indian dancer; classical dancer; Indian dance)

6 Classical Dances of India

Discover

The Death of Shakespeare

Vietnam War. U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson awards the Distinguished Service Cross to First Lieutenant Marty A. Hammer, during a visit to military personnel, Cam Ranh Bay, South Vietnam, October 26, 1966. President Johnson

Vietnam War Timeline

Flags of the countries of the world (flagpoles).

How Many Countries Are There in the World?

Encyclopaedia Britannica First Edition: Volume 1, Plate XXXVIII, Figure 2, Ark, Ark of the Covenant, a small chest, coffer, contains Aaron's rod, manna pot, tables of covenant, Schechinah, Divine Presence, oracle, shittim-wood, acacia tree

Where Is the Ark of the Covenant?

Several red apples with cut apple in the foreground.

Can Apple Seeds Kill You?

Queen Elizabeth II addresses at opening of Parliament. (Date unknown on photo, but may be 1958, the first time the opening of Parliament was filmed.)

All 119 References in “We Didn’t Start the Fire,” Explained

The Battle of New Orleans, by E. Percy Moran, c. 1910. Andrew Jackson, War of 1812.

26 Decade-Defining Events in U.S. History

Throughout history there has been a rough division between dramatic dance, which expresses or imitates emotion, character, and narrative action, and purely formal dance, which stresses the lines and patterns of movement itself (see above Dance as dramatic expression or abstract form). The type and function of dramatic dance vary considerably, including full-length theatrical works (in which dance is used to tell a story and present specific characters), hunting dances (in which the dancers’ movements imitate those of a particular animal), and courtship dances (which may contain only a few pantomimic gestures, such as a lift, a curtsy, or a ...(100 of 23177 words)

Access the full article

Help support true facts by becoming a member.