Dance TerminologyPat Miller

2Popular Types of Dance (1)

• Ballet

• Jazz

• Hip Hop

• Lyrical

• Tap

• Ballroom

3Traditional Dances (3)

• In general, most dances follow three traditional dances• Ballet• Modern Dance• Folk Dance

4Ballet (3)

• “Ballet comprises what can be called classical, or formal, dance; it is rich in tradition and rests heavily on a set of prescribed movements and actions.”

• “Ballet is a highly theatrical dance.”

5Modern Dance (3)

• “This label is given to a broad variety of highly individualized dance works limited to the twentieth century, essentially American in derivation, and antiballetic in philosophy.”

6Folk Dance (3)

• “A body of group dances performed to traditional music.”

7Popular Terms

• Rhythm- “movement or procedure with uniform or patterned recurrence of a beat, accent, or the like.”(2)

• Mimetic- “Movements associate with people or animals.” (3)

• Pantomime- “Acting out of dramatic action without words.” (3)

• Setting- “Stage designs.” (3)

8Ballet Terms (3)

• Port de bras• “The technique of moving the arms correctly.”

• Grande Seconde• “Variation on second position in which the leg is elevated in the demihauteur.”

• Demihauteur• “Half-height.”

• Ronds de jambe a terre• “Rotating the leg from knee to and including the foot in a semi-

circle.”

9Other Terms

• Most dancing terms differ depending on the type of dance. Each style of dance has their own set of terms for their positions and movements.

10Choreographer

• “A person who creates dance compositions and plans and arranges dance movements and patterns for dances and especially for ballets.” (4)

• A way for choreographers to track movement is by tracking the motions on paper. In ballet, choreographers use a short hand called Benesh Movement Notation. (5)

11Benesh Movement Notation

• “Devised by Rudolf and Joan Benesh and first published in 1956, Benesh Movement Notation (BMN) provides an accurate three-dimensional representation of ballet (and dance) movement; it’s a shorthand devised for recording ballet & dance on paper.” (5)

• Picture provided by website balletnews.co.uk. Picture is an example of the short hand.

12BMN-How to….

13How is dance taught?

• Dance is a basic movement taught through rhythm and counts. Most dancers start with basic movements to teach their body rhythm and to strengthen core muscles. Dancers are taught on an 8 count scale. This scale is repeated for each set of movements. This counting system makes it easier for dancers to align their movements so that the dance is done simultaneously.

14Summary

• Dance is a compilation of various movements that tell a story. Each movement is meant to not only give the audience a sense of pleasure but the dancer as well.

• Choreographers work hard to master a craft and then translate it through movements of others. Each choreographer has a different style but similar ways of translating each movement with a standard shorthand documentation.

15Quiz Questions

• What is the shorthand writing system called that is used by the Ballet?

• What is a variation of second position?

• Benesh Movement Notation

• Grande Seconde

• Name the 3 traditional dances• Ballet• Modern Dance• Folk Dance

16Works Cited

1. http://dance.about.com/od/typesofdance/u/DanceStyles.htm

2. http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/rhythm

3. “Perceiving the Arts.” Sporre, Dennis J. Seventh Edition

4. http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/choreographer

5. http://balletnews.co.uk/ballet-news-dancing-on-paper/

6. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EWAlQoduBjU