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Elements of Dances

This document discusses the elements of dance which are the foundational concepts and vocabulary that help students understand dance as an artistic practice. The elements are organized using the acronym BASTE which stands for Body, Action, Space, Time, and Energy. Each element is then defined and discussed in more detail with examples provided.

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MYRA BACSAFRA
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461 views21 pages

Elements of Dances

This document discusses the elements of dance which are the foundational concepts and vocabulary that help students understand dance as an artistic practice. The elements are organized using the acronym BASTE which stands for Body, Action, Space, Time, and Energy. Each element is then defined and discussed in more detail with examples provided.

Uploaded by

MYRA BACSAFRA
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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ELEMENTS OF

DANCES
GRADE 12
ELEMENTS OF DANCES

• “Existence is a movement. Action is movement. Existence


defined by the rhythm of forces in Natural balance”
• The Elements of Dance are the foundational concepts and
vocabulary that help students develop movement skills
and understand dance as an artistic practice.
THE ACRONYM BASTE HELPS STUDENTS
REMEMBER THE ELEMENTS:
BODY

• BODILY SHAPES
• This refers to how the entire body is molded in space on the configuration of body parts.
The body can be rounded, angular, or a combination of two. Other body shapes can be
from wide to narrow and from high to low. They can be symmetrical and asymmetrical.
• a. Symmetrical- balanced shape; movements are practically identical or similar on both
sides.
• b. Asymmetrical- unbalanced shape, movements of two sides of the body do not match
or completely different from each other.
• GROUP SHAPES:
• In this element, a group of dancers perform movements in
different group shapes. They are arranged in ways that are wide.
narrow, rounded, angular, symmetrical, or asymmetrical and are
viewed together as a total picture or arrangement within
ACTION

• Any human movement included in the act of dancing— it


can include dance steps, facial movements, partner lifts,
gestures, and even everyday movements such as walking.
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.
• Understanding and discussing action does not require extensive dance
terminology since movement can be categorized and described
according to its qualities. For example, while a “sashay” in American
Square Dance might be called a “chassé” in Ballet or an “undercurve” in
Modern Dance technique, we can also describe it as a “slide” since that
essential characteristic is present in all those steps.
• https://www.elementsofdance.org/body.html
SPACE

• This is the area the performers occupy and where they move. It can be divided into four
different aspects, also known as spatial elements.
• a. Direction- dance movement can travel in any direction. The performers can go forward,
side, backward, diagonal, circular and so on. They may also face any direction while
executing a single movement or several phrases.
• b. Size- movements can be varied by doing larger or smaller actions.
• c. Level- movements can be done in a high, medium, or low level.
• d. Focus- performers may change their focus by looking at different directions
TIME

• The keyword for the element of time is When? Human


movement is naturally rhythmic in the broad sense that
we alternate activity and rest. Breath and waves are
examples of rhythms in nature that repeat, but not as
consistently as in a metered rhythm.
• Rhythmic patterns may be metered or free rhythm. Much of western
music uses repeating patterns (2/4 or 3/4 for example), but concepts
of time and meter are used very differently throughout the world.
Dance movements may also 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 IN OTHER WAYS INCLUDING:

 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. A performance in a public setting may be set up to repeat
continuously between 12:00 Noon and 1:00 PM.
•  Sensed time: 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.
 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.
https://www.elementsofdance.org/body.html
ENERGY

• The movements here propelled by energy or force. A force can


either initiate or stop an action. Dance uses different energies
and a varied use of theses minimizes the monotony of the
movements in a performance. There are six qualities of dance
energies presented below.
1. Sustained- movements are done smoothly,
continuously, and with flow and control does
not have a clear beginning and ending
• 2. Percussive- movements are explosive or sharp
in contrast with sustained movement. They are
accented with thrust of energy. They have clear
beginning and ending.
•3. Vibratory- movements consists of
trembling or shaking. A faster version
or percussive movements that produce
a jittery effect. ( Minton, 2007)
• 4. Swinging- movements trace a curved line or an
arc in space. The movements are released and
giving in to gravity on the downward part of the
motion, followed by an upward application of
energy.
MAKE ME COMPLETE!
INSTRUCTIONS: COMPLETE AND
IDENTIFY THE DIFFERENT
ELEMENTS OF DANCE. WRITE YOUR
ANSWER ON A SEPARATE SHEET.
• 5. Suspended- movements are perched in
space or hanging on air, holding a raised leg
in any direction is an example of a
suspended movement.
• 6. Collapsing- movements are released in tennis
and gradually or abruptly giving in to gravity.
Letting the body descend to the floor. A slow
collapse can be described as a melting or oozing
action in a downward direction (Minton, 2007)

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