Even if it is sometimes considered, by dancers, a “boring” exercise, Plies are one of the fundamental movements in ballet. The term Plies comes from the French language and means “bent”. It is an action that is made by the knees, followed by the hip joint and ankle. Show
It is a fundamental move not only for ballet technique, but also for other dance styles. Plies are so important, because they are used to start and finish jumps and turns, to provide spring and absorb shocks, and as an exercise to develop balance and to loosen muscles. Everything in ballet has plié and everything that a dancer performs starts and finishes with it. Even if it is just a “simple” movement, the plié needs to be executed in the correct way, considering also the dancer’s ability. It is executed holding the spine completely vertical above the legs and the hips facing forward while in a turned out position, engaging the gluteus muscles. During the execution it is so important to focus on the alignment of the legs turned-out from the hip, the knees usually above the second toe of the foot. It is a powerful movement that helps dancers to protect their body from injury . A very common mistake, in fact, is to force the feet into an unnatural position, over turnout, with the arch of the foot flat on the floor and the bodyweight on the big toe only. Pliés can be in the form of demi-plié, executed with heels on the floor, and grand-plié, where the bending action is deeper, so is executed, except in second position, with the heels rising. The action of demi-plié at the barre is also important because it helps the dancer to develop a proper technique. It increases the softness and the flexibility of the joints and muscles and also makes the tendons elastic. It is also important for the development of balance, to find the inner center line. It increase muscle memory to execute an accurate, clean and not dangerous jump. Practicing it in all the five positions of the feet helps the dancer to create a better connection between steps in the center or while performing on stage. All ballet classes end with a reverence, with curtsies at the end; so pliés accompany dancers basically from the beginning of the barre to the end of class. Therefore plié is so important not only to build stronger muscle and technique. It is also good for the dancer’s mind. The coordination of arms, eye movement and breath during plié begins the process of mental focus and concentration. It is usually the exercise where the dancer can perform a little bit and show her/his musicality, because listening to music can help to make the movement soft and smooth. It can help the dancer to become a very good and talented artist. It prepares the body, mind and spirit from the barre until the bowse to the audience. Bianca Delli Priscoli
By Sabine Howe, Physical Education Specialist Learning, thought, creativity, and intelligence don’t just come from the brain alone, but from the entire body. Movement combinations increase memory, order, and sequencing skills. Creating dances also increases self-esteem which is so very important to learning. We already witness the need for children to move throughout the day. Having experienced first hand the positive effects that music and dance have on students’ development, I feel it is important for dance to be included in all elementary (and secondary) curricula. There are so many reasons why dance is important to the health and development of our young people. Above all, children need to move! Any way to get kids moving on their feet is a must (especially in a digital era). Dance burns calories, strengthens muscles, improves balance, increases flexibility, and gives the heart a good workout. Dance has also been proven to increase cognitive development. Current research documents the importance of exercise on the brain and supports what dancers have always known – the body and mind are connected in vital ways. Utilizing dance in academics also helps children develop skills that are necessary for learning such as creativity, communication, critical thinking, and collaboration. Through the creative process, students are encouraged to use their imagination, collaborate with their peers to solve problems, and discover multiple solutions to challenges. It is because of these reasons that I have chosen to incorporate music and dance into every PE program here at MCS. The elders are so happy to hear fun music and move their bodies! I have found that they learn steps and rhythms extremely quickly. By the time the children get to Lower Elementary, Upper Elementary, and then to the Adolescent Community, although their taste in music might change, they are still incredibly happy to move their feet. Also, their repertoire of dance numbers is quite amazing! Some children chose to create their own dances, and this is always a joy to watch. My hope is that all of our children and young adults never lose their desire to play music and just dance!
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This is a big article about dance, because dance is a big subject. You can use this article for:
(Here are more details about using these free dance materials .) This free dancing guide offers many helpful explanations, descriptions, and lots of other positive words, for creating notes and other content for effective, inspirational understanding, teaching and promotion of dancing. Here's the main index of this dance article . (The index is also repeated after each main subject.) Dancing is on this website because.. Dancing maintains and improves our quality of life more than any other human activity:
If you can think of any physical activity that offers as many benefits for human existence as dancing, then please tell me . Dancing and learning to dance, and inspiring and teaching others to dance, also connect strongly with the many life/work/organizational development concepts on this website, for example: This article explains dance and dancing from many important exciting perspectives: For example:
This dance article explains the following main subjects, and this list is also a summary of the many major benefits and opportunities that dance and dancing offer:
This article aims to be a leading free online introduction and guide to dance and dancing. If you want to suggest ways to improve it, then please tell me . This article has been written with help from City Academy , the London-based creative and performing arts training company, and the Dance Generation dance school , also of London, which is gratefully acknowledged. I am open to further suggestions and contributions. 1. Main Index - Dance and DancingThis index also appears after each main subject. 2. Introduction to Dance and Dancing.. from Africa to Salsa, from Waltz to Bhangra, and Bollywood to Zumba®..(This guide is written also to offer material to teachers/trainers/writers, so you can cut and paste from this content for your own study or training materials, subject to the terms of the Businessballs website . Hence there's a lot of content here.) Dancing is fundamental in life. Since people have walked, people have danced. Human beings are born to dance - we have dancing in our genes, which means you do too. Dancing improves quality of our lives, and the health of societies. Ancient civilisations knew about the amazing powers of dance and dancing, and increasingly the modern world is re-discovering how important dance is for living happily and healthily and long, and how dancing can transform people in so many ways Besides being great fun, dance delivers benefits that will amaze you. This extends to people you might teach or train or entertain or manage - or the children and the young people that you parent or care for. For many thousands of years, across all cultures, nations and peoples, dancing has been vital to human life. Dancing is in our genes. The urge to dance - and to watch others dance - is deeply rooted in all of us. Dance is immensely significant in our health, wellbeing and overall happiness. Dancing enriches us, and enriches our communities. Dancing is truly global and its benefits and joys are infinite. Dance is far more beneficial and potent than we might imagine - as a way of living a happy good life, and helping others to be happy and healthy too. While experienced passionate brilliant dancers and dance teachers recognise and understand the wonderful powers that dancing gives people - of all ages - many people have yet to realise what dancing can do and enable. Dance promotes incredible benefits, and brings dramatic improvements, in motivation, and personal development too. Dancing offers fabulous ways to motivate people towards brilliant achievements. Dancing also diffuses stress, and fosters wellbeing - really like nothing else can - in individuals and groups, and bigger communities and societies. Dancing is deeply embedded within us all. If the origins of humankind first appeared in Africa, then dancing first happened in Africa too, and this was at least 150,000 years ago. If instead the emergence of humankind is considered to be at least six million years ago, when humans separated from apes.. then we have been dancing for six million years. For those who believe that humankind was created with the world itself, then this is 14 billion years ago, and we have been dancing for 14 billion years. From most perspectives, Africa usually represents the oldest origins of dance - dancing for joy, for work, for play, for pleasure, for rain, for mating, for child-rearing, for ceremony and ritual, for a happy body - dancing for whatever was meaningful. Dance is as old as people's existence on Earth, and arguably before - like we see many animal species 'dancing' - bobbing, swaying, nodding, jumping, soaring, moving and shaping, in response to the rhythms of nature - the wind in the trees - the ebb of the tide - the fall of the rain. And in modern times - after millions of years of dancing - we are still dancing.. We are dancing our most basic human ways, and in our most innovative modern ways. We are dancing traditional dances and modern dances and folk dances and street dances. Our dancing is increasingly and excitingly fused into countless different dance styles, reflecting the fabulous rhythmic diversity and creativity of people and cultures on our planet. Variations of dancing styles grow ever more astoundingly, particularly accelerated now by the globalized digitally and socially-connected video-sharing age.. and by young people more empowered, inspired, educated and confident than any previous generation. Dance styles are borrowed, blended, invented, and combined from every imaginable dance type - in amazing ways - From Jazz and Jive, Bollywood and Bhangra, Samba and Zumba®, Waltzing and Quickstepping, Disco and Dancehall, to Ballet and Tap, Flamenco and Folk, Breakdance and Swing, Belly and Burlesque, Hip-hop and Street.. Wherever there is humanity, there will be dance and dancers dancing. 3. About this dance article and how to use itThis is a big article about dance, so here's an explanation of its aims and how to use it.. This article intends to cover every main aspect of the subject of dance and dancing. Firstly - please understand that this article is a basic easy introduction to dancing and its history, theory, terminology, etc - this is not a highly technical or complex explanation of dancing and how to dance. The article aims to be accessible and easy to understand, especially for young people. It is written in a relaxed non-technical way, so that people who are not experts in dance - or dance language - can understand it quickly and enjoyably. That said, while the article is not academically complex, it certainly aims to be academically useful and reliable, as a basic introduction and guide to the subject of dance, for example for people beginning to study dance , or considering careers in dancing , or who might want to start a dance business of some sort. This article also aims to be a useful and reliable reference resource for people researching dance - or different types of dances, or what dancing can do for people. Another main aim of this article is to explain the considerable and varied things that dancing can enable , that are seemingly quite unrelated to dance, but which dancing can influence and improve enormously in one way or another. For example, how dance can improve people's health and happiness - in life, and at work too - and extending this point, how dance is a wonderful activity to use in work and group situations as a means of motivating people, of building relationships, and for improving wellbeing and fitness and mental attitude. This article also seeks to explain how dancing can transform the lives and feelings of young people . This article also offers lots of definitions and descriptions for dances and dancing , and a glossary of dancing terminology - so that the reader gains a solid platform for understanding the subject of dance, on which further studies, research, work, and skills can be planned and built. This article aims to offer a fabulous free introduction to the subject of dance, enabling further development or use of dance for every imaginable direction and purpose. The main index above will help you see in detail what this article covers . 4. Origins of dance - dancing in human historySince humans first began living together in small tribes over 100,000 years ago, and probably millions of years before this, people have enjoyed dancing and used dance in a variety of ways. Our ancient ancestors began to dance as part of play and social interaction, and then later in worshipping their gods, and also as an important rite of passage to various life stages . Dance has for thousands of years been a part of growing up and entering new life stages - from children to teenagers, to adults, to parenthood, to being wise elders. Since people have lived in groups, dance has been used in rituals and celebrations and festivals of all sorts:
It is difficult to suggest a single aspect of human existence and experience that is not connected to dancing. Everything that exists is at some time or place touched, celebrated, asked for, feared and defended, or otherwise the subject of a dance. These dances might be performed by a single person for a few seconds, or these dances might be performed by millions of people for thousands of years. And these dances might be private, or unseen, or might be watched by millions, or billions. And everything in between these extremes. Throughout the development of human history, dance has developed too, in parallel, reflecting humanity and civilisation, in terms of:
The earliest dancing, like the earliest singing, music and cooking, was instinctive, intuitive, experimental, and taught personally by demonstration and observation, shown person to person, tribe to tribe, and passed down from generation to generation - thousands or millions of years before books and writing. This type of dancing, after evolving to varying degrees, persists as folk dancing, as it is commonly technically called. For tens of thousands of years, dance in this most basic form was accompanied by people's voices, and the most rudimentary of musical and percussive instruments, Later, when humans had evolved more and could make better tools, about 100,000 years ago, dance became more commonly accompanied by percussion - basically wooden things (hollow logs, blocks, etc) that people would strike with smaller wooden things (sticks essentially). Various shakers made from seeds and husks and shells, or sand/seeds in shells etc., would also have been used in prehistoric times around the world. Incidentally the drum (with skin membrane stretched over a wooden shell) was invented in Chinese Neolithic culture around 5500BC (over 7,500 years ago). Shakers in natural forms (certain dried seeds in husks/outer coverings) such as the rainstick, and dried seaweeds, animal bones and teeth, or other naturally occurring shakable percussive objects, certainly existed before the membrane drum, and were used as part of ceremonial activities along with smoke and fire and water, etc., at the most basic times of human (homo sapiens) evolution. We know this from ancient archeological evidence, and more particularly from studying 'lost' tribes (especially in recent South America), whose cultures have not been touched or altered for many thousands of years. And this happened for hundreds of thousands of years relatively unchanged, until humankind developed the capability to write and draw on paper - to record and transfer knowledge - and to make more sophisticated musical instruments and music. And so around 500 years ago, like most other human activities, dance interpretation and performance (in celebrations and ceremonies, and socially and as audience entertainment) exploded into far greater complexity and variety - because people were able to build new ideas on previous dance concepts/movements, and share expertise and creativity. As part of this growth and development, in both cause and result, dancing became more formalised and structured - with descriptions, and types and styles, and standards and rules, and all sorts of variations that could be recorded, and shared and taught and learned by everyone. This stage of dance development coincided with the beginnings of the modern age and globalization, which dramatically influenced the evolution of dance. Humankind began to travel and communicate like never before. Social and political structures became more organized around the world, and ideas and customs were shared and spread and blended, which is reflected in the development of dancing. The age of the European colonial powers (mainly 14th-19th centuries) increasingly exported European rule and people and ideas into Africa, Asia and the Americas, and also moved ideas and people from these regions back into Europe and elsewhere, especially from Africa to the Americas, through the appalling slave trade, and use of slavery particularly in the Americas and Caribbean. North America especially became a vast laboratory for the importing and blending of dances. All over the world, early tribal and folk dances were preserved and clung to by people who were oppressed, relocated or disenfranchised. This is particularly significant in South and North America, where slaves, stripped of everything, and randomly mixed together from different tribal origins, having no common languages, used percussion and song and dance as a way to bond, relate, and maintain and reform communities and social groups. Slave owners typically banned drums and other attempts to create music. Slaves were largely treated far worse than animals. Think about it.. Through generations, millions of African people were forced to work and live in the most desperate living conditions imaginable, having only their voices for singing, and their bodies for dancing, and it is from these roots that much 'Western' and 'Latin' dancing grew, becoming absorbed and adopted into new national cultures and identities as slavery declined and ceased, and the new countries of the Americas were formed. And all the time, these developments were imported back to Europe, often adapted, and then spread further, including back to where they'd been first found. This is a very broad overview of the Africa-Americas dance history that can be regarded as an example of a major aspect of dance history internationally. Similar evolution of dance, alongside massive social and demographic movements, has always happened in other parts of the world. Dance is a mirror of civilizations and societies, whether in the Americas, or the Far East, or the Russian Empire, or the Arab world, or India or Australasia. Dance grows and spreads and blends with the changing world, especially when people are forced to live in very basic ways. Across the globe, dance has been a central feature of human behaviour and culture for all religions, creeds, societies and ethnic groups. We know from records, stories and rituals as well as from modern day observations of tribal rituals that dance - alongside music, singing, cooking and eating - has played a pivotal role in group bonding and identity. We dance to teach - children especially - but also young people so they learn about relationships and love and mating and socialising. We dance to tell stories, and dancing is in all sorts of storytelling. Dancing is in customs all over the world, and dancing helps groups and communities stay and work together - to communicate, to bond and to feel part of the whole. We dance for our worship and our churches and or Gods and our beliefs. We dance to play, to rejoice, to entertain and be entertained. We dance because it is part of our human make-up. Dancing is as much a part of being human as eating and drinking, as walking, seeing, singing, smiling, loving, and laughing. If we do not dance, then we do not fully live. However the significance of dance and dancing is not widely and fully appreciated. Millions of people simply do not dance - just as millions of people do not eat fresh fruit or vegetables, or walk, or smile, or love or truly seek to be happy. So part of the purpose of this article is to encourage, enable, and facilitate more people to dance, and to use our minds and bodies more naturally, as they are made to be used. This article's purpose is also to encourage people to teach children to dance - especially those who will benefit most from doing so - just as we want people and especially our children to live more happily and healthily. So please take what you can from this article - vast sections of content - of just a simple single sentence or phrase or maxim - and dance for yourself a little more joy and wellbeing - or a lot - or help in some way in teaching others about dance and encourage others to dance - and bring a little more dance into our world - or a lot if you are so inspired - because doing so will surely make this world a better place. 5. Definitions of dance - dance word origins, history... what is dance?In the conventional sense, the word 'dance' basically means moving one's body , in some sort of rhythmical way, usually to the accompaniment of music. However, the degree to which 'the accompaniment of music' and 'rhythmical' must feature in any definition of dance is matter of interpretation and opinion (especially in terms of technical language, and/or in terms of dance context). Strictly speaking (no pun intended - the word 'Strictly' has become synonymous with dance due to the TV series 'Strictly Come Dancing') dance does not necessarily require music , and plenty of formal definitions do not require that music be part of any activity which legitimately can be called 'dance'. The matter of 'rhythm' or 'rhythmical' being an essential aspect of dance is also debatable, since plenty of legitimate actual forms of dance do not entail moving to a rhythm as such, especially when we consider conventional definitions of 'rhythm', which generally include the movement criteria of regular, repeated, systematic, measured, and sequential. If we apply 'rhythm' and/or 'to the accompaniment of music' absolutely to the definition of dance, then a completely improvised 'dance' (that is irregular, non-repeatable, unmeasured, unsystematic, and non-sequential) to the sound of ocean waves, or the wind through the trees, or to complete silence, would not qualify to be called a 'dance', when by all reasonable appreciation it most certainly would be regarded as dance. So we must be careful not to define 'dance' too rigidly, or we begin to exclude many activities that correctly should be called dance. Now as regards more formal definitions and language, the word 'dance' is extraordinary for a number of reasons. Firstly the word 'dance' is both a noun and a verb : A dance is a thing - a noun . And dance is an action - a verb (a 'doing word'). Also the word 'dance' alone does not need the word 'a' in front of it, in which case it's a rather bigger sort of noun - like 'life' has a big meaning of 'life' (e.g., 'life on earth') as well as meaning your life or my life or a person's life. So 'dance' is a noun meaning a single dance 'a movement to rhythm', and it's also a noun meaning the concept or entire subject of dance. Let's look first at 'dance' as a noun.. Definitions of the noun 'dance': These dictionary definitions are offered here with the warning, explained above, that we should not define 'dance' too rigidly, and especially we should be flexible in the notion that dance be rhythmic and accompanied by music.. The Oxford English Dictionary main definition of dance, the noun, is: “Dance (noun) - A series of steps and movements that match the speed and rhythm of a piece of music...” Interestingly the definition from the 1922 OED is more flexible than the above modern definition, because it does not say that music is essential: "Dance (noun) - A rhythmical skipping and stepping, with regular turnings and movements of the limbs and body, usually to the accompaniment of music..." Websters Dictionary (an important USA dictionary) defines dance as: "Dance - To move the body and feet rhythmically, especially to music..." Definitions of the verb 'dance': The Oxford English Dictionary definition of dance, the verb, is: "Dance (verb) - Move rhythmically to music, typically following a set sequence of steps..." The 1922 OED definition of dance, the verb, is: "Dance" (verb) - To leap, skip, hop, or glide, with measured steps and rhythmical movement of the body, usually to a musical accompaniment..." Samuel Johnson's 1755 English dictionary - the first dictionary of common English - says that dance (verb) means: "... To move in measure; to move with steps correspondent to the sound of instruments.." Thesaurus words for dance, dancing, dancer A thesaurus is a dictionary-type of book that offers synonyms - words of equivalent meanings - and similar and related alternatives to words - rather than strict definitions. The equivalent/similar/related words offered by a thesaurus aid the appreciation of the meaning and range of the word dance, and its associated forms, such as dancing and dancer. Here are some of the main alternatives and variations that a thesaurus offers for the word 'dance' and 'dancing' (from the 1982 thesaurus published by Penguin, UK). Thesaurus alternatives for 'dance' and dancing (noun): ball, masquerade, 'the dansant', tea dance, ceilidh (Irish pronounced 'kay-lee'), square dance, hoe-down' hop, jam session, disco, ballet, old time dance, folk dancing; country dance, Scottish dance, sequence dancing, ballroom dancing, Terpsichore, war dance, sword dance, corroboree, shuffle, soft-shoe, cake-walk, pas seul, clog dance, step dance, tap dance, fan dance, toe dance, dance of the seven veils, hula-hula, high kicks, cancan, belly dance, gipsy dance, flamenco, morris dance, barn dance, hay, hornpipe, keel row, polonaise, mazurka, fling, Highland fling, reel, Strathspey, Gay Gordons, strip the willow, Dashing White Sergeant, tarantella, bolero, fandango, cotillion, galliard, ecossaise, gavotte, quadrille, minuet, pavane, saraband, schottische, polka, waltz, valeta, lancers, foxtrot, quickstep, Charleston, black bottom, two-step, pasa-doble, tango. rumba, samba, mambo, bossa nova, habanero, beguine, conga, cha-cha, hokey-cokey, Palais Glide, stomp, shimmy, jive, rock'n'roll, twist, Paul Jones, snowball, corps de ballet, jitterbug, choreography, modern dance, solo, pas de deux, chasse, glissade, arabesque, fouette, plie, pirouette, rotation, entrechat, jete... Those are just the main synonyms and words which might equate to a dance and dancing, and mainly from a British angle. There are hundreds more synonyms and alternative possible words meaning dance and dancing, especially when we consider more recent or informal or international words, that might not be included in official dictionaries and thesaurus books yet.. A similarly long list of alternatives would be shown by a thesaurus for the word 'dancer'. Besides illustrating the depth and variety of words that exist for the concept of dance, a thesaurus perspective also demonstrates the vast cultural implications of dance, which is a different matter compared to the strict definitions of dance offered by a standard dictionary. Other interesting points about the word dance... A word that is both a noun - (especially where it is a single limited individual thing, and also an entire concept) - and a verb can be powerful, and this this is certainly the case with 'dance'. Some profound fundamental words do not have these qualities - for example 'food', 'life', 'song', 'birth', and 'death', all of which have rather different verb forms. Dance is in a special group of words - which are both noun and verb, and fundamental to human existence - for example 'love', 'drink', 'talk', 'walk', and 'rain'. Moreover there are few words - in the same form - that refer to an entire universal concept ('dance' as a concept), and to a single example within the concept ('a dance'), and to a verb ('to dance').
So besides its more complex meanings and interpretations, the word dance is grammatically quite unusual. A definition of dance/dancing according to its characteristics.. When a big concept can mean different things it is difficult to define it in a short sentence. For example, a 'hatpin' is easy to define in a short sentence. There is absolutely no doubt what a hatpin is from the short definition, i.e., "Hatpin (noun) - a long pin with a large ornamental head, that holds a woman's hat in position by securing it to her hair." If we try to define bigger concepts such as love or life or death or air - or dance - in a short sentence then we can confuse and complicate matters, either by offering a definition that is too vague, or by trying to cover all possible interpretations, in which case the definition becomes a big description containing mostly unhelpful information for a given single perspective. So another helpful way to define a big concept like dance is to offer the main defining characteristics - some of all of which might apply to any particular example. Here is a list of characterizing or qualifying characteristics for 'dance'. This can be regarded as another way to help to define dance. This is not an official list, it is created for this webpage by the author. You can devise your own characteristics if you wish, or adapt this. Remember some or all of these might apply, in order for something to be considered a form of 'dance' or 'dancing':
Origins of the word dance.. Origins of words offer information as to their meanings and history. Chambers Etymological Dictionary (of word origins) suggests that dance came into English from French about 1300, firstly as dauncer, from Old French dancier, and before this either from Frankish dintjan (like Middle Dutch deinsen, and densen, to shrink back), or from Vulgar Latin deanteare, from Late Latin deante, meaning 'in front of', from de and ante. Cassells etymological dictionary is certain that dance came into English from Old French dancer, to dance, 12-14thC, and which also became the modern French word 'danser' meaning to dance, and that these words came from Frankish dintjan, which is of uncertain origin. Cassells also explains that the Old English word for dance is sealtian, from/related to Latin saltare, dance, in turn from salire, to leap, and which is the same Latin root as that of the saltarello, a Spanish/Italian dance for one couple, characterized by leaps and skips. Samuel Johnson's 1755 English dictionary - the first English dictionary for common words - says that dance is from French, danser, and dancar, Spanish, and thought by some to derive from tanza, in the 'Arabick' language (meaning Arabic). Interestingly the origins of the word dance via Latin through French became confused because there was a religious ban on dancing in the Middle Ages, which affected the evolution of the word. Significant in 'dance word history' is that dance was such a powerful concept that religious authorities in France decided to ban dancing altogether. English culture and language is substantially influenced by French (about 50% of English language is basically from French), mainly due to the Norman Conquest invasion (1066) and subsequent French governance, and widescale occupation and conversion of English society and national identity. The word dance is heavily influenced by this aspect of Anglo-French history. We 'dance' because the French (notably the Norman French) invaded and colonized England. Had the Romans or Vikings been similarly colonial, and left more of their culture after invading England, then our word for dance might be 'danza' (Italian) or similar, or 'danzleikr' (old Norse) or similar. Or if the Normans had not invaded, then given the prevalence of Germanic words in English, conceivably 'dance' would today instead be closer to the German dance noun/verb 'tanz' and 'tenzen'. Within this brief overview of dance etymology and its main European equivalents, we also see similarities in the words for dance in the different languages, suggesting a very old word from a very old root, way back in time when European language was first developing from 'Indo-European' and similar ancient languages, prior to western civilisation itself, in the prehistoric times of hunter-gatherers. This was before the need to have words beyond the most basic in life - before paper and books and pencils and writing. This would be in the days when people's language vocabularies were spoken only, and included just essential words like food and drink, and run and sleep and sun and sky... and dance. The word 'dance' in other languages... This is delightful and interesting. This is not a full list of all the international words for dance. If you want to add one, please tell me . This is the noun 'dance'..
The use of dance and dancer and dancing in historical language, slang, expressions, etc.. The words dance, dancing, and dancer feature strongly in English sayings, slang and colloquial (informal common) language. These expressions and descriptions of dance imagery are part of the cultural history of dance - and life - and illustrate the richly textured relationships between people and societies, with dance and dancing. The varied ways that dance/dancing features in metaphors and common expressions emphasise that dance/dancing has been a deeply symbolic concept for hundreds of years in the English language, and therefore life. Dance/dancing metaphors and expressions and slang feature widely in other national languages and cultures, so these English language examples below are just a tiny fraction of the extent of dance imagery, in language and communications to convey feelings and ideas, all over the world. Eric Partridge's famous Dictionary of Slang and Unconventional English first published in 1937 offers several fascinating uses of the word dance. These examples are interesting because they reflect society and language of the 1800s and early 1900s:
Brewer's 1870 dictionary of Phrase and Fable says of dance: "Dance. The Spanish danza was a grave and courtly dance. Those of the seventeenth century were called the Turdion, Pabasna, Madama Orleans, Piedelgiba'o, El Rey Don Alonzo, and El Caballer'o. Most of the names were taken from the ballad-music to which they were danced. The light dances were called Bayle..." Brewer continues, and offers a list of the 'National Dances', which gives us a perspective of national dances as perceived in 1800s England:
Brewer significantly also offers a list of 'Religious Dances', for example:
Note that Brewer asserted in 1870 that the oldest of all dances are military dances, and he basically positions this assertion with Roman mythology about the beginning of time. This is not a modern scientifically robust argument. Sayings and expressions including dance/dancing references:
Quotes about dance and dancing.. There are thousands of sayings and quotes about dance and dancing. Many appear in books and songs and poetry and other literary works. Many others are part of our social history and have no known origins - they just exist, and are used, because dance and dancing is so fundamental to life. Here are a few of the most popular sayings and expressions about dance and dancing, and some other rarer quotes. Quotations are helpful for people studying dance, especially from a sociological and literary or dramatic standpoint, and also they help us appreciate the countless dimensions of dance and dancing, and how dance can mean so many different things to different people, depending on culture, mood, season, and the purpose of dance, etc. "Dance and the whole world dances with you.." (Anonymous) "Let's face the music and dance.." (Irving Berlin) "We get it on most every night.. when that moon is big and bright. It’s a supernatural delight, everybody’s dancing in the moonlight. Dancing in the moonlight, everybody’s feeling warm and bright. It’s such a fine and natural sight, everybody’s dancing in the moonlight.." (Sherman Kelly) "Dancing in the moonlight, it's caught me in it's spotlight, it's alright, it's alright.." (Phil Lynott) "I danced in the morning when the world was begun, and I danced in the moon and the stars and the sun, and I came down from heaven and I danced in the earth - at Bethlehem I had my birth. Dance then wherever you may be, I am the Lord of the Dance said he, And I'll lead you all, wherever you may be, and I'll lead you all in the dance, said he.." (Sydney Carter, 1967) "They that dance must pay the fiddler.." (Anon.) "He dances well to whom fortune pipes.." (Anon.) "If I could get another chance.. Another walk, another dance with him. I'd play a song that would never, ever end. How I'd love my mother to dance with my father again.." (Luther Vandross & Richard Marx) "Just wanna dance the night away, with senoritas who can sway. Right now tomorrow’s lookin’ bright, just like the sunny mornin’ light.." (Raul Malo) Busy, busy and ever busy, I dance up and down till I am dizzy.." (John Skelton) "Dance, dance, dance, little lady! Leave tomorrow behind.." (Noel Coward) "Dance on the sands, and yet no footing seen.." (William Shakespeare) "It is sweet to dance to violins when love and life are fair, to dance to flutes, to dance to lutes is delicate and rare, but it is not sweet with nimble feet to dance upon the air.." (Oscar Wilde) "Spring the sweet spring, is the year's pleasant king, then blooms each thing, maids dance in a ring.." (Thomas Nashe) "Buffalo gals, won't you come out tonight, and dance by the night of the moon?.." (Anon.) "Dance with me, I want to be your partner, can't you see? The music is just starting, night is falling, and I am calling, dance with me.." (John Hall/Johanna Hall) "Dance me to your beauty With a burning violin. Dance me through the panic till I'm gathered safely in. Touch me with your naked hand or touch me with your glove. Dance me to the end of love. Dance me to the end of love. Let me see your beauty when the witnesses are gone. Let me feel you moving like they do in Babylon. Show me slowly what I only know the limits of. Dance me to the end of love. Dance me to the end of love. Dance me to the wedding now, dance me on and on. Dance me very tenderly and dance me very long. We're both of us beneath our love we're both of us above. Dance me to the end of love. Dance me to the end of love. Dance me to the children who are asking to be born. Dance me through the curtains that our kisses have outworn. Raise a tent of shelter now though every thread is torn. Dance me to the end of love. Dance me to the end of love." (from Dance Me to the End of Love, 1984, by Leonard Cohen, 1934-2016 - Cohen reportedly said the song 'Dance Me to the End of Love' was initially inspired by the Holocaust, and the death camps and crematoria, and the story of a Jewish string quartet forced to play while the horrors happened. It became a love song. Dance is the central theme for this profoundly moving work, in ways that few other concepts could be. Please note that such a large extract is substantially beyond normal definitions of a 'quote', and you should seek permission from the author's publisher for any reproduction application that is outside of 'fair use' for educational/study/research purposes. Incidentally Cohen wrote lots of verses for this song, such is the evocative nature of the dance theme. Most of his verses were not used for his recordings and performances of the song, nor in versions by other artists.) "We dance round in a ring and suppose, but the secret sits in the middle and knows.." (Robert Frost) "All paths lead to the same goal: to convey to others what we are. And we must pass through solitude and difficulty, isolation and silence, in order to reach forth to the enchanted place where we can sing and dance our clumsy dance and sing our sorrowful song - but in this dance or in this song there are fulfilled the most ancient rites of our conscience in the awareness of being human and of believing in a common destiny.." (Pablo Neruda, on receiving his Nobel Prize, 1971) "His feelings were made visible in medicine bundles and dance rhythms for rain, and all of his religious rites and land attitudes savored the inseparable world of nature and God, the master of life.." (Stewart Lee udall, about the native American peoples, 1963) "...The delirium of flesh, the lovely dance that ends in nakedness.." (George Seferis/Sefiriades) "A dance to the music of time.." (Anthony Powell) "Praise him with the timbrel and dance.. " (Holy Bible, Psalms 150:3-6) "On with the dance! Let joy be unconfined.." (Lord Byron) "True ease in writing comes from art, not chance, as those move easiest who have learned to dance.." (Alexander Pope) "Oh I should worry and fret, death and I will coquette, there's dance in the old dame yet.."(Donald Marquis) "Dance mehitabel dance, caper and shake a leg.." (Donald Marquis) "Will you, won't you, will you, won't you, will you join the dance?.." (Lewis Carroll/Charles Luttwidge Dodgson) "Then turn not to pale, beloved snail, but come and join the dance.." (Lewis Carroll/Charles Luttwidge Dodgson) "Advance twice, set to partners, change lobsters and dance.." (Lewis Carroll/Charles Luttwidge Dodgson) "O body swayed to music, O brightening glance, how can we know the dancer from the dance?.." (William Butler Yeats) "When I play on my fiddle in Dooney, folk dance like a wave on the sea.." (William Butler Yeats) "Oh you New York girls, can't you dance the polka?.." (Anon.) "The one red leaf, the last of its clan, that dances as often as dance it can.." (Samuel Taylor Coleridge) "For I dance and drink and sing, till some blind hand shall brush my wing.." (William Blake) This is a tiny collection of dance quotes. There are hundreds more, so please suggest others if you wish. 6. Benefits of DanceThere is a lot of content here about the benefits of dance and dancing... This is because there are so many extraordinary, deep, exciting, and wide-ranging benefits from dance... and also I like to offer a big choice of materials for trainers and teachers (for your own learning materials). Everyone can benefit from dancing - actually regardless or how well people can actually dance (of which more later) - and increasingly adaptable, inclusive, and accessible in different ways to people with physical or mental disability. Dance offers benefits of one sort or another to every person living, and also to every community, and group, and organization. Why is this true? What makes dance so empowering and beneficial? Consider first that people dance for different reasons, and these reasons naturally point to the benefits that arise from dance, and that are available to everyone. So this list of reasons for people enjoying dancing gives several good examples of the main benefits and positive outcomes of dancing. Reasons people enjoy dancing...
The benefits of dancing from a more scientific and factual viewpoint are given below in sections:
Physical benefits of dancing Dancing is increasingly understood and proven to produce extraordinary physical benefits. Much of this understanding is from recently developed technologies and science, that are enabling new sophisticated physiological analysis of how the human body reacts to dance. This in turn has encouraged and enabled new research and study initiatives into the science of dance and exercise and wellbeing, etc., especially in universities, all around the world. At a basic level, dancing improves physical condition in two main ways, and this has been known for a century or more:
More modern research has now extended this understanding to the following broader and more detailed benefits. Dancing tends to:
Mental and emotional benefits of dance Besides the range of physical benefits that dancing brings, dancing also brings powerful mental and psychological benefits. This includes improvements to:
Here's how and why dancing can help these psychological issues and aspects of mind, mood, and attitude..
As with other enablers of emotional wellbeing, positivity, etc., dancing tends to motivate people to explore additional ways of improving your health and wellbeing. This is because you become more aware of your body, and you naturally then become more interested and drawn to other ways of improving how you live and feel, and how you take care of your mind and body and spiritual wellbeing. Typically when people start dancing, especially on a regular basis, they become attracted and often explore ways to improve aspects of life such as and via:
So in terms of mental and psychological health, and in many other ways, dancing encourages people to widen their view of living more healthily and happily, and trying new beneficial experiences. Dancing opens doors in the mind, and windows to the world, through which we can see and explore lots of life-improving things. Dancing can help manage stress and anxiety. Given the challenges of modern life, and the shocking degree to which mental problems can affect anyone - from simple mild stress to far more serious or even life-threatening emotional difficulties, it is appropriate to comment further and more specifically about how dancing can alleviate or resolve problems of stress and anxiety or worse. As a therapeutic device, dance has been shown to be a powerful tool in the treatment of severe and chronic mental health conditions from depression to bipolar disorder, from eating disorders to obsessive compulsive disorder. Dance is frequently proven in studies and personal stories to help manage stresses of all sorts. Dancing can do this because of the variety of positive effects it produces in the mind and body, and in terms of stress or emotional difficulty this might be because: Dancing unlocks or releases suppressed feelings which can hurt us or stop us recovering if the feelings are 'bottled up' or denied. Dancing aids the processing of toxins in the body, which under stress become blocked. There is long-standing and widely held opinion that distress in the mind is directly related to bodily ailments. Massage, reflexology, reiki , and yoga are examples of healing our minds by touching or moving or using our bodies. Dancing is another way to move the body and thereby heal or care for our mind. We do not necessarily need to understand how and why this relationship exists, or how doing things with our body actually results in improvements for our mind, for these processes to work. They just do, and so we can consider using these connections. Benefits of dancing for workplaces and organizations - for motivation and wellbeing, etc The benefits of dance for workplace situations - notably for the motivation and development of groups and teams - naturally extend from the benefits already discussed. The main outcomes of dancing that impact positively on workplaces are:
The process of learning a specific dance routine is both an artistic endeavour as it is a memory exercise. It therefore involves mental and physical discipline: structure, agility, strength and flexibility, particularly when we dance with others. When we dance with others there are substantial relevant benefits for the workplace, in terms of:
Dancing helps develop attention and concentration. It can boost ability to multi-task because dancing is more than just moving. When you dance you have to move of course, but you also have to be in control of your balance and posture, be aware of who or what’s around you (even if to avoid collisions), respond to the beat and rhythm of the music, respond to the lyrics, and follow the steps, or create your own interpretation. For example, learning a dance routine requires that you:
Dance is a fusion of movement, music, space, communication and awareness. Dancing improves physical and mental health and wellbeing, which in turn boosts personal and team productivity. When people feel good, and feel better about themselves, people generally work better too. Dancing is different from typical work tasks - Dancing tends to be very absorbing, requiring a level of movement and concentration and control that shifts our minds away from our normal 'stuck' or habitual thinking patterns and opinions and stresses. Dancing - because it is radically different from normal 'work' - can open new possibilities for problem-solving, creativity, decision-making, and action. All of these things are crucial for effective working. N. B. Emergent Knowledge offers interesting ideas and explanation as to how changing our position and what we are doing, changes so dramatically how we think and feel , and consequently how we then behave and perform and relate to others and the world. When we dance our motivation increases, because as already explained, our bodies produce positive 'feel-good' energising chemicals when we start to exercise. Dancing produces lots of these chemicals, and generates particularly strong emotional feelings. Motivation is vital for being productive and cooperative in work situations, and also for improving our job and career prospects. See the materials about motivation for more information and ideas about what motivates people and why it's helpful to do so. Dancing makes us more alert, more creative, and more driven to succeed, or to overcome challenges. Dancing makes us healthier and fitter, which helps performance, and reduces absenteeism. Dancing also enables better awareness and understanding of non-verbal communication: ' body language ' - our own and other people's body language - all of those hand gestures, facial expressions and body movements - that make up so much of what we say and communicate. By dancing, people can discover skills they never realized they had, that can open new and unexplored career pathways. People who dance are also more likely to be open to new possibilities (because they feel happier, safer and less vulnerable) and so are more likely to find new opportunities - directly by meeting new people and embracing new skills that dancing regularly brings, or by approaching external situations with a more open mind and greater confidence. Group dancing is an excellent teambuilding activity. Learning a dance routine as a team helps build team relationships as the group works towards a common goal. Dance help people get to know each other in a fun and non-threatening manner, and so helps remove professional barriers between team members that often get in the way of cooperation. If a work group dances, then their collective creativity, motivation and work ethic all tends to improve. Relationships and trust improve as people dance together. People dance tend to work harder, better, and smarter. Dance is a tool for social change.. Dance has been an aid and driver of social change for thousands of years - and especially the past 500 years. In more recent times - assisted by social networking platforms on the web - dance is increasingly recognised and used more proactively and directly to advocate and achieve social changes on a relatively bigger quicker scale. Two notable examples, whose efforts to prompt highly positive social change have reached audiences of millions of people, are Matt Harding ('Where the heck is Matt'), and Peter Sharp (founder of The Liberators organization). Matt Harding and Peter Sharp have each innovated some wonderfully powerful ideas, using dance, with flash-mobs and street activities, leveraged by social networking - and achieved vast followings, to promote improvements in societal attitudes. We can expect this sort of use of dance to grow, because it is irresistible to millions of people seeking inspiration and purpose, and this is further evidence of the extraordinary power of dance to generate good positive outcomes for people and our wider world. The benefits of dancing In summary.. Dance offers amazing benefits for human wellbeing - physical and emotional, extending to reducing serious stress and psychological pressures. Dancing, especially as part of a group, is highly motivational. It brings people together to share experiences, and builds friendships, bonds, and is often the beginning of marriages and families. Dancing in various ways improves virtually every aspect human existence, for individuals and groups. In an age of incredible technology and gadgetry, online social networking, fast-food, fast pressurised lifestyles, fashion, celebrity culture, materialism and artificial constructs, dancing offers some of the simplest easiest ways to feel good - that money simply cannot buy. 7. Who can dance? Everyone can dance...Put simply, Everyone can dance. Really, anyone can dance. Regardless of shape, size, age, race or religion, ability and disability, anyone can experience and delight in dance, and enjoy its benefits. This is because dancing takes so many forms - there is a type of dance for everyone - and because each of us has dancing inside us. If you doubt this, take a few minutes to read about Multiple Intelligences Theory - you can even do a free self-test to indicate your own 'multiple intelligence profile' - and the degree to which music and body movement feature in your own personality. We all possess musical and body movement capabilities - some more than others - but it's basically impossible for a human being to exist who has none. Besides this many people are drawn to dance for its artistic and spatial and social/interpersonal qualities, and these are also separate multiple intelligence aspects that every person tends to possess to a lesser of greater degree. Dance at its simplest is self-expression - so ability is irrelevant. Self-expression is utterly separate from, and and not dependent on skill. If you have natural talent and passion for dance, learning to dance might be easier. Also some dance styles are easier to enjoy and perform when learning begins at a young age (ballet, for example). Nevertheless people can dance, and learn to dance better, at all ages. Moreover, certain types of dancing are much easier to learn when older. The variations of dance also make dancing accessible to people of all physical conditions - and mental conditions. Disability is not an obstacle to dancing. So ability and age and physical ability are not relevant. And we have already discussed the substantial benefits that can be derived from dancing by people with all sorts of mental challenges and conditions. We know that human beings have been dancing for millennia. We are genetically ‘hard-wired’ to move in rhythm and we are programmed to respond when other people dance. The global TV phenomena of Strictly Come Dancing and Dancing With The Stars are clear proof of the universal appeal of dance - competing alongside the most popular sports and dramatic entertainment - for what people choose to follow on TV and other media. Nevertheless, there is a wide belief that only a few people can really dance, and that many people can’t dance at all. Yet dancing is in all of us to varying degrees. When we are young we naturally move to music as soon as we hear it. We tap our feet and nod our heads spontaneously, automatically, intuitively, instinctively. We dance at events, discos, functions and weddings, in front of the mirror, with friends, with our children and grandchildren, drunk or sober, in groups of tens of thousands (at festivals and sports grounds), and alone when no-one is looking. We can all dance, but, of course, many of us do not. Many of use choose not to dance; convincing ourselves that we are not good enough or we will embarrass ourselves. or we might think we are not a ‘dancer’. Just as everyone can boil a kettle and make a sandwich, and plant a seed, and hum a tune, so each of us can dance if we choose to. Dancing is for everyone, and everyone can dance. Dancing and disabilityIt is important to note that dance is accessible in various forms to people of different disabilities - temporary or permanent. Wheelchair dancing or Wheelchair DanceSport, which is well established in over 40 countries, and as an international competitive form of dance, is a wonderful example of the increasing adaptability and accessibility of dance for people who are not as physically able as the majority of dancers. There are also types of dance for people who have visual impairment, and other forms of sensory disability. Dance is increasingly used as a social, therapeutic, healing, and fitness activity for people suffering from mental challenges of one sort or another. Dancing is also a hugely helpful activity for people who suffer from illness and disease of some sort, whether temporary, or permanent, or even terminal. Specialist dance classes and groups exist now, and continue to grow, all around the world, for people of all ages who are impaired or challenged in some way. Research is discovering more and more ways that dance can help treat, soothe, heal or comfort people who are battling physical or mental adversity. Teaching and learning dance for dancers who have a disability of some sort logically requires specialist knowledge and methods, but the basic principles of teaching and learning are the same as for able-bodied dancers - particularly the concept that the needs of the dancers must be understood before learning/teaching commences . In this respect dancing for people with disabilities is much like dancing for everyone else:
Dancing for disabled people, and people howsoever challenged or impaired physically or mentally, is an aspect of dancing that offers unlimited potential for good - for societies and communities everywhere. Much of this potential has yet to be identified, and new ideas and methods are emerging all the time. If you have an interest in this area of dance please follow your passion, because so much good can be achieved. The benefits of dance, for people who are physically or mentally disadvantaged, are powerful medicine indeed. So as you read more of this article - remember that with a little adaptation and imagination - dance really is for everyone. 8. How to learn to dance. How to teach dance. Tips and principles.Anyone can learn to dance, whether you teach yourself, or join a dance class. If you join a dance class, having a good teacher is important too. You perhaps already understand how you prefer to learn new things. If not, here are some helpful references: Tips about how we learn, and how best to teach others.. These principles apply to all sorts of learning - and certainly to learning and teaching dance. As mentioned at the introduction to this article, people learn in different ways. This is a simple concept, and extremely worthwhile considering and applying. By understanding these different ways or styles of learning/teaching, and the natural preferences of the learners - and our own preferences - we can design or follow learning that best suits our needs. From a teaching standpoint it is important to understand our own natural preferences and strengths too (including Multiple Intelligence profiling ), so that we know how best to adjust our own natural style/preferences/strengths to fit the needs of learners. For example, if a teacher has a strong preference for physical involvement and demonstration (kinesthetic and experiential), and is teaching a student who has strong visual and reading preferences for learning, then the teacher must adapt the teaching style accordingly. Conversely if we try to teach a kinesthetic learner using only verbal instructions and written notes, then the learner will struggle. Many learners will naturally prefer a learning style that is the natural preference or way of the teacher, and to a great extent dance requires and implies that much of the learning will be kinesthetic (experience, or doing it, rather than seeing/reading/listening to instructions); nevertheless the teacher must always ensure that teaching style/method is matched sufficiently well with the learner's preferences . It cannot be a perfect match all the time, and in group class situations, where there is usually a mix of preferences, it is impossible to please everyone at all times - moreover it is generally good for learners to experience all styles of learning, because that's good for growth too - so it's a matter of optimizing learning style as far as reasonably possible, rather than teaching/learning 'blind' and in total ignorance of the importance of learning styles and preferences. In summary, whether we are teaching ourselves, or teaching others, it is helpful to:
An additional way to see this is that we must guide the learner (even if the learner is ourself) through the stages of learning (see Conscious Competence theory ) in ways that as far as possible match the learning style preferences of the learner. Tips about learning how to dance.. The first step (excuse the pun) is deciding what kind of dance style you want to learn. Then decide whether to teach yourself or join a local dance class. Or a mixture of the two. Tips for self-learners If you want to learn to dance without going to a dance school or classes, then first decide which dance style is for you. There are many dance styles - from ballet to belly dancing, from tap to salsa. Each style is different. Tap dancing’s fast beats are different to the sharper movements of hip-hop. Some dance styles ideally or absolutely require a partner or group; other dance styles are more solitary. To discover what you like, watch videos of the different dances online, and see what moves you most. Look at the basics of each style to see what suits and does not suit you. Maybe you like the way your hips would move in salsa. Perhaps you like the staccato and percussion of tap. Maybe you like the social organized flow of line-dancing. Perhaps you would be thrilled by the sparkle and elegance of ballroom. Maybe you seek the work-out and high energy of Zumba® (note that Zumba® is a trademarked protected style with licensed teachers and class leaders). Perhaps you prefer the challenge and edginess of burlesque. Selecting a dance genre to pursue is partly a matter of the dance itself (its physicality), and partly a matter of the style and dress and situations within which the dance happens. The music might be specifically defined by the dance style, as in Latin ballroom, or Lindy Hop or Swing. Or the music might be much less specifically defined or implied by the dance style, as with modern line-dancing, which is choreographed nowadays popularly to many types of music besides its origins in traditional US/Nashville country music. Explore dance magazines, dancing websites and videos, and dance books. Look for ways to understand the basics of each dance style, so you have a good idea of what to expect, and can learn about any specialist equipment you might need, for example different types of dance shoes. Watch professional dancers and dance shows and other dance entertainment for inspiration - seek to discover styles of dance that are new to you, because these could hold more even more appeal for you than dance styles that are already familiar to you. Many dance schools/classes offer free 'taster' classes that enable you to experience different dance styles to help you decide which you enjoy most. When you decide which style of dance to learn, the process for teaching yourself to dance is basically as follows:
When/if you decide to go to dance class or school, it's important to select the level best suited to your ability. If you’ve never danced before naturally go to beginner classes. If you have some experience in your chosen dance style, then a more advanced class might suit you. Talk to the class provider or dance teacher to establish which level, or class, is best for you. How to choose a dance class or dance school .. In choosing a dance class and teacher, consider your lifestyle and budget, and your aims, for example:
When you choose the perfect dance teacher and dance school or class for you, and continue learning to dance, again take your time - expect for improvements to come in stages when you ar ready, not immediately and overnight. Ask for lots of advice and feedback from your teacher. Teachers generally love to help students who are enthusiastic, positive, and love the subject, and ask lots of questions. Definitely ensure you ask for help with any problems that you encounter. To progress faster, practise in your own time what you learn at school - at home and at dance clubs and other venues. Learning a new skill is a mixture of absorbing knowledge, being inspired by mentors and teachers and other great students, learning the skills and techniques, and then importantly practising the skills and techniques . The more you practise, the more brilliant you will become. Tips for dance teachers If you are an experienced dancer, then you might be attracted to teaching other people to dance. You might want to become a dance teacher even before you can dance brilliantly yourself. You might want to teach dance more than become a great dancer yourself.. This is perfectly ok too. Teaching is a skill in itself. Not all teachers have to be brilliant at actually doing what they teach. It's helpful to be good at what you teach, but it's not essential to be brilliant. This is rather like the fact that some of the greatest football coaches were not actually great footballers. Teaching is a special capability, quite different to dancing. Of course you will need a good level of dancing ability and good dance knowledge to be a dance teacher, but to be a great dance teacher you do not necessarily need to be a great dancer. Conversely there are plenty of great dancers - or specialists/artists in other disciplines - who do not make good teachers. Being a dance teacher can be approached as a hobby, or part-time job, or as a full-time career. If you are interested in teaching people to dance, then you will need to consider the following:
Setting up your own dance class or dance school - starting your own business Here are some guidelines for setting up your own dance class or dance school venture. This is effectively setting up a small business, even though it might begin with just a single hour-long lesson, once a week. It's still a little business, and you must follow some simple rules:
If you are establishing your own class or dance school, here are some of the things you must consider:
When you’ve started teaching:
Teaching adults to dance can be fun and extremely rewarding. For many people, teaching children and young people to dance can be even more rewarding. Teaching children and young people however involves additional responsibilities and considerations, and this places extra demands on the teacher.. Tips for teaching children to dance Teaching children to dance can be exhilarating and frustrating. As well as observing the relevant tips above, you will need to plan your lessons methodically, be prepared for the unexpected and also you have additionally to manage the students' parents, which is a separate and quite different skill. In many countries to work with children and young people, you must be approved by statutory authority as being safe and free of any past criminal conviction that would be deemed unsafe for children. This generally entail suitable administration and evidence, plus a fee and documentation. Only then can you start to actually teach. Here are some things to consider for teaching dance to children:
Teaching young children can be particularly challenging. So designing a dance classes to suit their specific needs might include:
Teaching non-dancers, and people who are not necessarily excited by dance, notably as part of a team-building exercise in a corporate or organizational situation, requires a different approach compared to teaching people who want to learn how to dance. Tips for using dance for team-building Teambuilding is an exciting area of use and great potential for dance activities of all sorts. Teambuilding - (or team-building, or team building) aims to bring people together and encourage them to act cooperatively as a group, rather than as a collection of individual people with their own interests and barriers to group-working. Successful teambuilding transforms any business or organization, and there are many ways to make it happen. Teambuilding comes with many obstacles and challenges, and these tend to vary greatly according to situation. The benefits of teambuilding for any organisation large or small include:
A lot more about teambuilding and its benefits and methods are on the teambuilding pages of this website. Dancing - in many different formats and types of exercises - is one of many activities that can help to foster good teambuilding. If you are planning on using dance as a teambuilding tool, then as for any teambuilding activity you must plan your sessions well. Designing and delivering dance classes and activities for teambuilding entails factors quite unlike dance classes for enthusiastic dance students. Here are some of the major differences and considerations:
Other things to consider in running dance-based team-building activities, events and services:
Here are the major considerations for the quality and content of the actual dance-based team-building activities themselves:
There is a lot more guidance for managing successful teambuilding activities, and all sorts of motivational concepts and leadership theory on this website. Much of this guidance and information is not required until you have quite a big operation under way, although if this sort of work thrills you, then you will become a wonderful and extremely sought-after provider if you learn about these aspects of managing people and business relationships, alongside learning about dance and teaching others how to dance. Since dance evolved thousands of years ago from play, through ritual and worship and celebration, dancing has exploded into hundreds of different styles. This happened mainly in the 20th to 21st centuries, when people around the world were able to learn and share ideas via books, and later through TV and more recently computerised and web media, especially online videos. Today, new dance styles emerge anywhere and everywhere as new musical trends develop, tastes change, new moves are innovated, old dance styles are revisited and revitalised, and styles are blended and mixed in ever-increasing ways.. Globalization has encouraged and enabled a fusion in all sorts of creative forms, especially in music and dance. This fusion of cultural and international styles in creative and performance art (as in cooking and fashion, etc) has produced truly infinite variety in all art forms, and this has certainly happened in dance, and the variety will continue to expand. For this reason it is impossible to be very specific or absolute in listing and defining dance forms. terminology can mean different things; dances change, and new dances are given new names. Dancing is an extremely fluid range of types and styles, unlike animal or plant species, or chemical elements and scientific compounds, which by comparison to dance have relatively fixed unchanging names and organizational structure or hierarchy - technically called a taxonomy. So the 'taxonomy' of dances, or dancing styles, is not a fixed structure. We might attempt to put all dances into boxes and levels within a 'family' structure, but it would not be certain or agreed, and other than some broad definitions, for example that a Waltz is generally a partner dance to the timing of '1-2-3 | 1-2-3...etc', or a Ballet is a classical theatrical dance form, or Linedancing is a group dance performed in unison. To illustrate how things change, Linedancing used to be exclusively performed to country music, but into the 21st century lots of choreographers began choreographing Linedancing to pop music, or Latin music. Linedancers largely welcomed this trend and now only a proportion of Linedancing is performed to traditional country music. Bollywood dancing was once limited to India, but now Bollywood dancing is everywhere. We increasingly see Bollywood dancing in all sorts of dance styles and dance shows, so that by the early 2000s Bollywood dancing had become mainstream internationally, and as such, along with other developments this is reflected in formal qualifications and standards, and in the accreditation of dance teachers. Many countries and cultures have at least one form of traditional or folk dance. These traditional dances might even be 'national' dances, and/or they might have officially defined heritage and status (such as Salsa in Brazil). Such dances are deeply embedded in national and cultural history and identity. Examples of such dances are the Ceili (dance) and Ceilidh (dance gathering - pronounced 'kay-lee') in Scotland and Ireland; the Hora dance in the Balkans; the Setswana dance in Botswana; and the Kachina dance performed by Native Americans. Traditional 'folk' dance styles are for many millions of people a deeply defining part of what it means to be human, and a human of a particular nationality or race or ethnicity. The tradition is not limited to dance - it naturally extends and links strongly to music, to costume, and often to food, and important ceremonies, celebrations, festivals, religions and entire lifestyles, for example the lifestyle embodied by Brazilian Salsa, or by Flamenco of the Spanish Romani, and certainly personified by the Linedancing and country music heritage found across vast regions of the USA. As cultures and economies developed through the late 1800s and especially the 1900s, dance soon become a hugely popular form of entertainment. The entertainment-driven popularity of modern dancing ('modern' being since the start of the industrialised and computer ages) has led to the creation and spread of many of the dance styles now widely known and enjoyed - as participative and social dancing, and dances to learn and teach - as well as entertainment dance for audiences. In fact participative dance has now eclipsed entertainment/audience/theatrical dancing for many of these styles. Many dances were 'formalised' during the 1900s, which enables:
It's helpful also that the leading dance institutions/bodies generally categorize the major different styles of dance, broadly as follows: How dance types are typically structured by official dance training institutionsThis structural example of main dance types is used by the IDTA (International Dance Teachers Association), one of the world's leading and largest dance teaching/accreditation organizations. Dances are typically grouped into three categories, and these three main dance categories are:
(Note that many 'National/Folk/Speciality dances' are excluded from this Western qualifications structure, and are explained and examples given later.) Typically three main categories contain the major internationally standardized/taught dances, as follows: 1. Ballroom and Latin
2. Theatre
3. Freestyle
If you want to become professionally qualified in dance and/or dance teaching (in the Western world, or according to Western world 'international' standards) then it is likely that you would become so according to the above framework, by choosing a main category, which would tend to require you to become knowledgeable and skilled in performing the dances within the main category. Please note however that there are many dances - and some hugely popular and recognizable - that are not generally included in the above framework (although arguably anything might be included within 'Freestyle', given the flexibility of the genre). For the purposes of this article therefore we might imagine there to be a fourth main category of dances called 'National dances' or 'Folk dances' or 'Speciality dances ', and which could include for example:
The above list of 'National/Folk/Speciality dances' extends to many tens of thousands of dances and variations around the world. Some of the above dances are related/similar to dance styles that are included in the main Western formal educational/teaching framework (Ballroom/Theatre/Freestyle), or are dances that are commonly included in that framework, for example Belly Dance is certainly referenced by the IDTA as falling within the Freestyle category. Bollywood is increasingly referenced/used in Freestyle. Lambada is a fusion of styles arguably sub-genres of Latin ballroom. This complexity of classification demonstrates that it is actually impossible to present a definitive fixed classification of dance styles, and therefore great care should be taken when working with dance names, descriptions, definitions and categorizations. Do not assume that everyone understands Rock and Roll to be the same thing, or Freestyle, or Latin.. If you use dance style terminology so that its interpretation is very important, then ensure that you agree/clarify meanings to avoid misunderstandings. How to classify dance types in other ways..This section is useful for people seeking to be qualified in dance, or teaching others to dance. It's not especially relevant for everyone else, although it is fascinating. There are some other important ways by which we can classify dance types, and which to a degree help indicate which branch of formal dance teaching and qualification they could be positioned. Being able to make such judgments is useful for people deciding what formal dance qualifications to pursue, or for teachers and dance mentors who help less experienced learners make decisions about their chosen dance learning and qualifications, etc. For example, a young person seeking to become a dance teacher might imagine that he/she should pursue qualifications in Freestyle dance, because it offers flexibility to learn and teach modern dance styles, but if the person's main passions are for partner dancing , then perhaps Ballroom/Latin would be a more appropriate qualification. Similarly, a young person might imagine that formal Ballroom/Latin is his/her best qualifications direction (perhaps because of the allure of Strictly Come Dancing or dancing with The Stars on TV), but if he/she has a strong passion for performance and stage dancing - to an audience, under lights and dancing alone and/or in a show situation - then Theatrical dance training might be more appropriate. It is therefore useful to consider that dancing can be categorized loosely according to rather different factors than the typical dance qualifications structure shown above. Here are some of the other main characteristics of dance types that can help suggest a dance's genre and formal dance classification in terms of considering the dance's classification, and choosing direction for learning and qualifications, etc. Using several of the perspectives below - rather than just one - can help when trying to position or understand or explain how different dances or dance preferences relate to formal dance classifications, and qualifications/teaching direction and decisions.
The issue of dance classification can be important for people seeking a career in dance, because professional dancing and teaching tends to require (initially, and progressively) decisions about which formal dance category or branch to study, learn, and in which to become qualified. For everyone else - i.e., people simply seeking to dance for fun or fitness or personal fulfilment, etc - the issue of dance classification is largely irrelevant, although it is interesting and to many people extremely fascinating. It is fabulous to dance, and it's also wonderful to understand more about dance from a technical, historical and cultural viewpoint. Here are more detailed descriptions of some of the main dance styles, including the dances which are included in many standard teaching classifications. Summary descriptions of popular dance styles, genres, dance events.This listing is more than a simple collection of popular technical dance forms and dance styles - it's a broader presentation of significant dance styles and dance activities, illustrating how dance reflects and influences our world - notably human lifestyles, societies, attitudes, behaviours - and the relationship between art and civilization. This means that some entries in this listing are not technical or formal dance styles (as would be defined by fixed choreographed steps, etc) - for example 'Baroque', 'Rave', 'Ice Dance', 'Roller Dance', and 'Wheelchair Dancing' - instead, entries like this may represent wider cultural aspects of dance, and which may contain a number of formal or informal dance styles. Several other broader or more vaguely defined dance genres and dance styles are featured in the Glossary of interesting and significant dance-related terms and people below. Note also that where reference is made here to formal dance qualifications and teaching classifications, this is based on the modern structure developed by the IDTA (International Dance Teachers Association), which is a world-leading dance institute, with a global reach and membership. For clarity in this listing, capital letters are generally used at the beginning of the names of the dances and dance genres, especially in connection with 'proper nouns' and names. Normally 'proper' nouns/names, e.g., placenames such as Charleston, and 'brands' such as Bollywood and Zumba®, require the first letters to be capitalized. For clarity and emphasis in this article terms such as 'Classical Ballet' are also generally capitalized. If you excerpt from this article to produce your own writing about dance please decide for yourself a capitalization format to suit your situation. Note that dance names are open to considerable interpretation. Here below are brief introductory descriptions of the dances, and where appropriate some interesting background information. This listing does not offer precise technical definitions of each dance form, for which you should consult suitably detailed dance reference materials (for example provided by a good qualified dance teacher) for each dance concerned. This is not an exhaustive list of dances. It's a list of some of the most common and popularly known dance forms, together with a few other dance types that are fascinating or interesting in other ways.
Please note that this is not intended to be an exhaustive list of all known dance styles - it's just some of the main dance forms, plus some broader dance genres that for various reasons illustrate the fascinating connections and influences between dance and life on Earth. If you feel strongly that a major dance form or dance-related activity is omitted from this listing please contact me . All of the dance styles and activities above - in fact all forms of dance - have multiple benefits and uses including:
For many people any of the above dance styles/activities serve as:
Dance is everywhere. Dancing features in films, theatre, adverts, pop videos, showcases, exhibitions, cabarets, television, flash-mobs, all around the world…. There are hugely popular shows devoted to dance, most obviously Strictly Come Dancing, Dancing with the Stars, and Let's Dance. There are scores of Broadway and West End productions, from The King and I, to Cats and The Lion King. There is the classical excellence of the Bolshoi Ballet to the irresistible rhythms and wonder of Bollywood cinema. There are countless national and international dance competitions, dance schools and dance companies. Hollywood to Bollywood (again) and Limbo to the Chinese Dragon dance - there as many forms of dance as there are forms of life. For some dance styles you can dance alone or individually, such as ballet, breakdance, dance hall, burlesque and belly dance. Other dance styles usually require a partner - either leading or following - such as in the Waltz, Rumba and Tango. And many dance styles are best performed as a group or troupe, for example Cheerleading or Street dance, or Linedancing, or Zumba®, or traditional Irish/Scottish dancing at Ceilidh. Dance is high art and street cool. Kids learning and having fun. Teens dating. Grown-ups smooching, Elders making new friends and staying young. Everyone staying fit and healthy, grounded and rounded, mind and body and soul. Dancing appeals to people of all ages, men and women, across all creeds and cultures. Anyone can learn to dance, and anyone can learn to be a better dancer. If you have a particular love or ability for dancing then you can make a career of it, be a dance teacher, run a dance fitness class, start a bigger dance business, or become a truly expert brilliant captivating dancer, and perhaps dance on stage in front of thousands or millions of people. Dancing can be as easy as one-step, two-step and repeat; or as complex as Swan Lake. Dancing can be a laugh, or extremely dramatic - fast or slow - barefoot on the lawn, or sparkling leading the parade - for yourself, with your friends, or for others to watch in awe. Dance can be delicate and graceful, or sensational and acrobatic. Loud, quiet, soft or strong. Dance is all encompassing and all-inclusive. Dance is everything and anything imaginable. So go imagine - go dream and go dancing. 10. Choreography - dance choreography and dance notation..Every subject has a technical design aspect, and choreography is the technical design aspect of dancing. Choreography refers to the process/method/skill of designing dances and dance routines. A choreographer is someone who does this. Understanding basic dance choreography is much easier than the word might suggest. While brilliant performance choreography requires great skills and experience, starting to be a choreographer is very easy. In fact choreography is instinctive and natural for anyone who loves dancing. Choreography is the language of dance design. It enables a dance to be designed and described and communicated to dancers, and teachers, directors, etc. Usually the choreography 'score' or 'notation' (or simply 'the choreography') will be matched to a piece of music, although many choreographed dances can be used for different pieces of music. The main elements of choreography - and the language of choreography - are basically:
These choreographed elements of a dance are recorded in different ways depending mainly on:
There are no universal rules for choreography. Each dance form tends to have its own terminology, especially names for the steps and movements, although many of these names can be the same or similar from one type of dance to another. Some dance forms such as ballet commonly use choreography notation that is coded and diagrammatical. Other dance forms use choreography expressed as very simple language. And some choreography uses just a video demonstration. A few dance terms (notably for steps/movements) are universal across all dance forms - that is to say, a street dancer and a ballet dancer and an exercise dancer would understand the term as meaning the same thing. Many dance terms are specific to a broad dance genre (such applying to all Latin Ballroom, or to all Freestyle Dance), and many dance terms are specific to just one or a small number of dance forms. It's important therefore that when creating choreography the choreographer understands and clarifies the dance form and terminology on which the choreography is based. Rules of choreography vary too across different dance forms. An acceptable choreography format in one dance form might be very unacceptable in a different dance form. For example the type of choreography notation used for Linedance or Street Dance (both different choreography formats), is inappropriate for Ballet or Ballroom dancing, or Flamenco or Bollywood (again all different choreography terminology and formats). The choreography for many dance forms is increasingly recorded using video demonstration - avoiding any traditional text/written/diagram notes - both to make a record of the choreography, and to convey/share the choreography among dancers, teachers, etc. This is especially common in informal non-classical forms of dance, and particularly where routines are developed and taught quickly, and entail fun/social/exercise dancing activities rather than more serious professional or classical dance performance for a paying audience. Definitions and origins of the word 'choreography'..The Oxford English Dictionary definition of choreography is: "Choreography - the sequence of steps and movements in dance or figure skating, especially in a ballet or other staged dance..." and "...the art or practice of designing such sequences..." The word choreography also refers to the choreographed dance. A choreographed dance could be called 'a choreography'. The word choreography is derived from the Greek words for dance (khoreia, 'dancing in unison', in turn from choros/khoros, meaning chorus) and write (graphia/graphein, to draw or write). Before 1789 in English the word was recorded and in use as 'choregraphy', prior to which it came from the French 'choregraphie', in turn from the Greek words above. Dance choreography is sometimes called 'dance composition'. The broader technical methodology of dance choreography, especially referring to its language and recorded formatting, is called 'Dance notation'. Dance notation covers several different dance/body-movement recording systems. Dance notation can generally include all methods of creating and recording dance choreography for teaching and performance, and also extends to the recording and analysis of dance movements for scientific and historic study, ergonomics, and anatomical research, etc. A dance that is represented in a format using a dance notation system is called a 'dance score'. It's no coincidence that several dance notation systems use a five-line stave as one would see in a 'music score', and this reflects the integral relationship between music and dance - and between musicians and dancers, and composers and choreographers. Music prompts dance, and dance generally needs music. The word choreography now extends beyond dancing - to the planning or arranging of other physical movements, for example at an organized human gathering, or a formal meeting, or parade or ceremony, or the movement of troops on display or training or even on a battlefield. For this reason we increasingly see the term 'dance choreography' (technically a tautology ), because the meaning of choreography is no longer limited to dance. Wikipedia includes the following in a list of things that are subject to choreography: "...musical theatre, cheerleading, cinematography, gymnastics, fashion shows, ice skating, marching bands, show choirs, theatre, synchronized swimming, video game production and animated art..." In this article generally the term 'choreography' refers to 'dance choreography'. The word choreographer is first recorded in English in 1886, and the variant choreographist emerged in 1923, which has now largely been replaced by the word choreographer. In dance teaching (among teachers - not generally addressing students) and the dance profession, choreography is sometimes abbreviated to 'choreo'. Choreography overview and history...At a basic level, choreography can be simple and natural and informal, which anyone can do (even little children), and which humans have been doing for thousands of years. Prehistoric humans 'choreographed' their dances - even if the 'writing' of the moves might have been scratched in sand, or mapped in someone's head first and demonstrated, rather than recorded permanently by drawing on paper or notating in a computer file. More usually nowadays choreography refers to quite a moderate or high level of technical and theoretical skill, so that potentially very complex dance compositions can be designed, and recorded in descriptive and/or diagrammatic form, and conveyed to other people who then learn and perform the dance. The importance and professionalism of a dance performance is typically reflected in the seriousness and formality of the choreography methods used to record and teach it. Formal classical and academic choreography began with Baroque dance of the 1700s, and became established across Europe firstly in ballet in the late 1700s, starting in Russia, which enabled the great Russian ballets by Marius Petipa (e.g., Don Quixote and The Sleeping Beauty, the Nutcracker, etc) to be choreographed and recorded and exported to Europe. Ballet dance remained the driving force for the development of several highly sophisticated Dance Notation systems, some using staves (as for music), with symbols and diagrammatic patterns that require extensive learning, and which are applied to other forms of dance, and other studies of body movement. Some forms of professional choreography - for example the stadium displays performed at the opening of the Olympic Games involving many hundreds of dancers - are extremely sophisticated and become vast productions. Other professional performance choreography might involve a single dancer for a few seconds, and is far less complicated and challenging, and yet will require quite a formal degree of notation. In film and theatre and other big productions, a 'movement director' is often responsible for dance choreography, and it is within this wider discipline of 'movement direction' that dance choreography tends to be encompassed. Some dance choreographers would regard the job of 'movement director' to be a logical progression, especially if their interests and skills extend outside of dance to other aspects of human/performer movement. Crucially as with any form of design, much of the choreographer's skill is in creating dance steps and routines that fit the needs and abilities of the dancers, and potentially the audience too. This is especially so in dance teaching, and more so in teaching young people and children to dance. Brilliant choreography is not necessarily the creation of brilliant dancing - brilliant choreography is the enabling of dancing that thrills and motivates the dancers, and delights an audience where appropriate. The most highly qualified choreographer, for example able to choreograph world-class ballet or contemporary dance on the greatest stages, might not be able to choreograph effectively for a small group of seven-year-olds for a local dance show, or for a group of elderly people wanting to socialise and exercise. Effective choreography must primarily understand and respond to the needs and abilities of the dancers and the audience, just as the design of anything else must be 'fit for purpose', and not necessarily the exhibition of the designer's entire technical command of the subject. Choreography is an absolutely fundamental aspect of dance, and especially the teaching of dance, the staging of dance performance, and the use of dance in any entertainment or dance show situation. It could be said that: "Choreography is to dance, what songwriting is to pop music, and composition is to classical music and opera." Without choreography there would be very little dancing. Choreography basic theory...Choreography consists of planning and arranging the steps, movements, positioning and patterns of a dance. As previously explained, choreography is the language of dance design, enabling a dance to be composed, recorded, and conveyed/shared in a common 'code' or language to dancers, teachers, and anyone else needing to know. Choreography is typically created (technically 'scored' or 'notated') to match a particular song or piece of music. Many choreographed dances can be used for different pieces of music. And certain types of dance - for example African dance, and Contemporary and Theatrical dance, may be choreographed to drums, or percussion, or other sounds, or the spoken word, or even silence. If we think of choreography as a language, it contains different elements, in the same way that written/spoken language has grammar and structure. The elements of choreography - and the language of choreography - are basically:
These elements of a choreographed dance may be noted (technically 'notated') in a variety of ways depending on the dance genre, and to a degree the working preferences of the choreographer and dancers, etc. The rules applying to choreography vary according to the dance forms. For example choreography for formal Ballroom/Latin styles or Line Dancing or Ballet must be created according to rules (movements, use of the dance-floor etc) of the particular dance form; whereas the choreography for other forms of dance can be a lot more free from rules and structures, for example Modern Dance or Freestyle or Breakdance. The choreography for certain dance genres is increasingly produced into a video demonstration, straight from the 'head', or from physical experimentation/development by the choreographer. There are different ways to define the different types of choreography. Choreography is not a precise science like chemistry or mathematics, although certain forms of 'dance notation' (by which choreography and dance movements are recorded) are extremely scientific and can be based very much on mathematics and science. Dance notation is however not the same as choreography.. Here's one way simple way to look at choreography: Choreography can be used in dance with varying degrees of rigidity, here shown as three main approaches:
Wikipedia prefers a simpler presentation: "Dances are designed by applying one or both of these fundamental choreographic methods: Improvisation , in which a choreographer provides dancers with a 'score' (i.e., generalized directives) that serves as guidelines for improvised movement and form. For example, a score might direct one dancer to withdraw from another dancer, who in turn is directed to avoid the withdrawal, or it might specify a sequence of movements that are to be executed in an improvised manner over the course of a musical phrase, as in contra dance choreography. Improvisational scores typically offer wide latitude for personal interpretation by the dancer. Planned choreography , in which a choreographer dictates motion and form in detail, leaving little or no opportunity for the dancer to exercise personal interpretation.
Essential to any performance or show, choreography determines the potential quality of a dance. It could be argued that choreography often determines actual quality too, because choreography should in many cases anticipate the skill level of the dancers. Choreographers are so important to dance that many have become celebrities, for example, Bob Fosse, Martha Graham, Savion Glover, Jerome Robbins, Paula Abdul, Twyla Tharp, Michael Kidd, Siobhan Davies and Robert Joffrey. Dance choreography is an essential skill within virtually all dance teaching qualifications. This means that dancers need to know sufficient dance theory before they can begin to teach others, and this is generally more than the theory that is required to learn how to dance. How to choreograph a dance..Here are some very simple flexible tips for teaching yourself how to choreograph dance:
Choreography examples.. Here are some examples of choreography, in this case Line Dance choreography 'step sheets'. (The choreography is by Maria Hennings Hunt, and the use of these choreography examples in this article is gratefully acknowledged.)
Notice that the beats are numbered in the left column. Notice that there is a structure, and this structure matches the song. It's interesting that in these examples of Line Dancing 'step sheets' the choreography language is relatively simple. This is especially so for 'Red Dress' because the choreography is for beginners. Choreography language is extremely varied - some is simple and some complex. Line Dancing is a dance form that generally does not demand particularly complex language, especially at a beginner's level. That said, actually creating and writing (choreographing) a dance that is simple and easy to follow for dancers (as these example illustrate) is not a simple easy thing to do. Often great expertise is required to produce a simple design, and a simple set of instructions. Dance Notation'Dance notation' is a more technical method (and terminology) for recording dance choreography, especially for dance in classical, historic, and academic situations - especially ballet. A person who 'scores' a dance using dance notation is called a notator. Video is increasingly used for recording choreography, and for teaching and directing all forms of dancing, including classical dance such as ballet. However as a teaching/directional aid, video is not as accurate as dance notation, because video is a recording of the dancer's/teacher's demonstration, or interpretation or performance. Video is not necessarily, and is arguably never, a 100% reliable representation of how the dance was originally choreographed. This is because every physical performance of a dance is subject to some variation, and lots of dance demonstrations/performances may be subject to quite serious inconsistency when compared to the original choreography. So just as a recording of a song or musical performance can never be a 100% reliable representation of what was originally written in a musical score, so a video of a dance is not a reliable version of an original choreography. In most dance situations this is not a real risk or problem, but it could easily be a problem if you were attempting to direct Swan Lake at Covent Garden, or to cascade dance teaching - and invite feedback and development of the dance - through a number of teachers to many students, so that everyone could reliably understand every movement from every angle, and understand the feedback and proposed changes, etc. Therefore dance notation is likely remain the most scientifically reliable way to record and communicate a choreographed dance to students, teachers, academics, etc. Dance notation is alternatively called 'choreology'. The word 'choreology' is strongly associated with and perhaps popularly derived from the Benesh Movement Notation system (BMN), one of the most popular and long-standing international dance notation systems. Benesh Movement Notation is actually sometimes called Choreology. Wikipedia says: "Dance Notation ... is the symbolic representation of human dance movement and form, using methods such as graphic symbols and figures, path mapping, numerical systems, and letter and word notations. Several dance notation systems have been invented, many of which are designed to document specific types of dance. Recorded dance notation that describes a dance is known as a dance score... The primary uses of dance notation are historical dance preservation through documentation, and analysis or reconstruction of choreography, dance forms, and technical exercises. In ethnochoreology, dance notation is used to document dance for study. The two systems most often used in Western culture are Labanotation (also known as Kinetography Laban) and Benesh Movement Notation. Two other systems, Eshkol-Wachman Movement Notation and [Sutton] DanceWriting, are used to a lesser extent..." (Wikipedia 2016) Dance notation was pioneered by Frenchman Pierre Beauchamp firstly for Baroque dance. This became the Beauchamp-Feuillet notation method, published in 1700 by Raoul-Auger Feuillet. This earliest formal notation method used symbols, and enabled formal recording of dances through the 1700s. Later Vladimir Ivanovich Stepanov (a lovely punning name), a dancer at Saint Petersburg's Imperial Ballet (now the Kirov/Mariinsky Ballet) devised what became the Stepanov notation, which recorded and exported the great Russian ballets such as Sleeping Berauty, Swan Lake, Nutcracker, etc., in the late 1800s to early 1900s. The French-Russian ballet dancer and choreographer Marius Petipa (1818-1910) is regarded as the most influential 'ballet master' and choreographer in ballet history, and his recorded choreography of classic Russian ballets - and elsewhere in Europe (he was prolific) - using the Stepanov notation are central in the Sergeyev Collection, since 1969 at Harvard University Library, and which is seminal in the history of classical ballet and related theatrical areas. Dance notation is a wider concept than dance choreography and importantly refers to the many different dance/body-movement notation 'languages' and formats, especially the various sophisticated diagrammatical coded 'dance notation' systems used in classic dance genres such as ballet. Here are some of the common dance notation systems: Benesh Movement Notation (BMN) - Benesh Movement Notation is one of the most popular and widely used systems of formal/classical dance notation. BMN is also known as Benesh notation or 'Choreology'. Fundamentally BMN uses a five-line stave and positional symbols for:
BMN employs additional symbols to indicate movement quality/dimension, and direction of dancer. Benesh Movement Notation is a dance notation system originally designed to document dance movements, and subsequently developed to record other types of human movement. BMN was devised by Rudolf and Joan Benesh in the late 1940s. Rudolf was a Czech/Ango-Italian mathematician, and his wife Joan was a ballerina at London's Sadler's Wells company (experiencing difficulties with choreographed instructions apparently, so Rudolf - a non-dancer - then quickly devised what became a world leading dance notation system..). The Benesh system uses abstract symbols (vertical/horizontal lines, dots, etc) representing the human body, plotted on a five-line stave, and this system soon developed to be an 'industry standard' for top-quality dance choreography, and physical therapies too. BMN is used by the Royal Academy of Dance to teach ballet, and since 1990 has also been a computerized system. The Benesh notation system's five-line stave is respectively for head, shoulders, waist, knees and feet, (top-to-bottom, obviously), showing a rear view of the body. Extra symbols notate dimensions/qualities of movements. One full dancer view is called a frame. Short horizontal/vertical lines and dots represent hand/foot positions relative to the body. A line in the top space indicates a new head position. Direction change is indicated below the stave. Sutton Dancewriting - Sutton Dancewriting, or simply 'Dancewriting', is a beautifully simple dance notation system. It's part of a series of notation systems developed by the American writer/creative genius, Valerie Sutton. 'Dancewriting' was originated by Valerie in 1974 initially as fine pen and ink drawings, and (as the Dancewriting website explains) "... is a way to read and write any kind of dance movement. A stick figure is written on a five-lined staff. Each line of the staff represents a specific level. The bottom line of the staff is called the Foot Line. It represents the ground. The next line up is the Knee Line, which is at knee level, when the stick figure stands straight. The next line up is the Hip Line, and after that, the Shoulder Line: When the figure bends its knees or jumps in the air, it is lowered or raised accordingly on the staff. The five-lined staff acts as a level guide. Figures and symbols are written from left to right, notating movement position by position, as if stopping a film frame by frame..." This system has a spirit and quality like no other. It's beautiful. Action Stroke Dance Notation (ASDN) - A dance notation system enabling fast writing, invented by Iver Cooper, based on five movement sections:
And three main types of 'action strokes' or 'gestures':
Labanotation (or Kinetography Laban) - A movement/dance notation system originated by Hungarian dancer/theorist Rudolf Laban first in his work Schrifttanz (Written Dance), 1928, developed by Ann Hutchinson Guest and others, also used for Laban Movement Analysis, robotics and human movement simulation. Labanotation uses abstract symbols to define:
Motif Description/Notation - A less formal and less detailed system of Labonotation, developed by Ann Hutchinson Guest (b.1918), an American movement/dance academic and world-leading authority on dance notation. Motif Notation is designed to convey a sense and shape of general movement rather than highly specific movement record instruction as enabled by Labonotation. Eshkol-Wachman Movement Notation (EWMN) - EWMN is a highly complex and sophisticated yet brilliantly innovative movement notation system, conceived for paper (nowadays computerized too), created in Israel in the 1950s by dance theorist Noa Eshkol and architecture professor Avraham Wachman. EWMN is used beyond dance, for example in physical therapy, autism diagnosis, and animal study. It is substantially different and more flexible than many other notation systems, based on a human stick-figure representation and adaptable grid layout. The Eshkol-Wachman Movement Notation methodology basically works like this: The stick-figure body is divided at its joints. Each line between two joints is a 'line segment' (a limb or part-limb). The relationship between limbs is recorded/indicated using a 'three-dimensional' spherical code system. A limb in fixed position equates to centre of sphere, and the radius (line from centre to the edge of the sphere) is the limb length. Position of the free end of the limb (or part-limb) is fixed by two values on the surface of the sphere, like latitude and longitude on a globe. Positions are written as vertical number over the horizontal number. Brackets/parentheses indicate whether the position is relative to an adjacent limb or an external reference point, e.g., a stage. Eshkol-Wachman Movement Notation dance scores are written on grids: Each horizontal row represents position/movement of a single limb, and each vertical column represents a unit of time. Movements are therefore shown as transitions between starting and ending values, equating to positions. Phew.. DOM - DOM was the first computerized dance notation system. The software was developed for an Apple computer by American video game designer/producer Eddie Dombrower (b.1957). DOM designed/launched 1981/2, and enables dance movements to be plotted into the program using simple codes, and then for the dance to be shown 'performed' by a dancer on screen. This listing and summary of dance notation systems is not exhaustive, and is open to more ideas. Please send a brief summary of suggested additions, together with any other improvements for this free dance guide. This is a special glossary of dance and dancing terms. It's not a full technical dance glossary. It's intended to illustrate that dance touches every aspect of life , and thereby to help teachers, and to inspire students to enjoy the rich joyful cultural and human aspects of dancing, beyond conventional theory. There are already many big technical glossaries of dancing terms, so this one is a bit different, and as with other materials on this website, it adds something new, rather than replicates what's already out there. This glossary includes some basic dance terminology if it's interesting in some way, and other more unusual fascinating dance terms that you might never use, except to enthuse to other people about the words and meanings, and the wonder of dancing. This is a glossary of dance words - and definitions and origins - that are curious, fascinating, funny and interesting or inspiring - to excite and and entertain people, and to encourage wonderment about dance - to realise how deeply connected dancing is to life on earth, and to the sun and moon and stars, and whatever God or universal force rocks and rolls your universe. I'm open to suggestions of fascinating and entertaining additions, thank you. Abstract dance - A technical term for theatrical/ballet dances without a plot or storyline. Academic dance - An alternative technical term for classical ballet. The name reflects the seriousness, and 'academic' nature, of the theoretical and technical 'school' teaching associated with the ballet dance genre. L'Academie Royale de Dance - Founded in Paris in 1661 by Louis XIV, L'Academie Royale de Dance (The Royal Academy of Dance) was the first dance institution of the western world. Thirteen selected 'dancing masters' were tasked to produce standards of perfection in and codification for 'court and character' dances, and to offer examination and and qualifications to dance teachers. L'Academie Royale de Dance closed at the fall of the French monarchy in 1789 and was the first official dance institute, and the first body of standards and qualifications for 'western' classical dance. It briefly re-opened 1856-66 as a ballroom dance school: Societe Academie de Prefesseurs Artistes du Theatre de l'Opera. Air, en l' (En l'Air) - This is French for 'in the air' and is fundamental to many forms of dance, especially ballet, referring to steps performed while jumping, or when the working leg (rather than the supporting leg) is positioned in the air, rather than on the ground. Incidentally the classical dance term, also French, for a step/leg on the ground is 'Par Terre' - on ground). Angelina Ballerina - Angelina Ballerina is a cartoon mouse featuring in a globally popular children's book and TV series, whose first book was first published in 1983. More than 20 books have been translated into 15 languages. The Angelina Ballerina character was created by US author Katharine Holabird and English illustrator Helen Craig, and has grown into a substantial brand and business franchise, beloved by generations of children all around the world, extending to a touring ballet and lots of merchandise. Angelina Ballerina is an example of dance being interpreted into fantasy characters and stories, media and products, that can drive consumer interest on a truly vast scale. Bachata - A Latinesque music and dance style from the Dominican Republic, the word is Caribbean Spanish, meaning 'a party, a good time'. Bagnolet - One of the major dance choreography competitions in the world, established 1969 in the Bagnolet suburb of Paris. This is just one example of a huge number of dance-related competitions across all dance genres and styles, all around the world. If you can think of a dance style, or a dance-related capability, then somewhere there will be a competition for it. Dance is many things to many people, detailed at length in this article - Competition is an important aspect, that drives development and innovation and lots else. Ballet - A classical Western form of performance dance, established in Renaissance Italy and defined later in France in the 1800s. Like the dance origins, the word ballet is French, taken from Italian 'ballo' meaning a dance, from earlier Latin, ballare, to dance. Ballet can be regarded as the beginnings of most types of formalized theatre dance. Ballets de cour - This is a fundamental entry for lots of dance history... The Ballets de cour (Court ballets) were the earliest French ballets, of the 1500-1600s, performed in the French royal court. Key figures besides patron King Louis XIV were composer Jean-Baptiste Lully, and dancer/theorist Pierre Beauchamp, who was tasked to develop ballet as a high art form, worthy of the music. Beauchamp, head of Académie Royale de Danse, codified 'the five positions' (of the feet), specified costumes, footwear, female dancers, and long dance sequences so that ballet was basically defined by 1700. Pierre Rameau further developed Beauchamp's work (1725) detailing body/steps and positions. The first ballet de cour was performed 15 Oct 1581, and thereafter at festivals and weddings. Louis XIII presided over later richer developments. The ballets de cour evolved into into 'comedie-ballet' and 'opera-ballet' during 1700s. Jean-Philippe Rameau is cited by some as creating work (c.1735) that began social/ballroom dance, as a separate form, out of ballet, and the original Ballets de cour. Ballo - Standard Italian dances of the 1400-1500s, from which the word ballet is derived, specifically from the diminutive word form 'balleto'. In this single definition we see the beginnings of classical modern dance. Barre - The Anglicized-French word for the waist-height wooden bar attached to walls of ballet studio to assist dancers in balance and stretching, etc. It would not be normal to put your drinks or packed-lunch on this type of bar, although I bet some people do it. Battement/Batterie - Ballet terms for beating movements of the leg or legs, respectively one bent/stretched leg, and both legs against each other while in the air. The latter especially is somewhat limited in its application to other dance forms (line dancing, disco, etc), and these terms are examples of movements in ballet that tend to be restricted to ballet. Berkeley - Busby Berkeley - Busby Berkeley (1896-1976) was a hugely successful US director and choreographer, famous for his extravagant Hollywood 1930s musicals, notably intricately designed dance sequences, involving very many dancers, often filmed overhead, to produce dramatic and frequent kaleidoscopic effects. His work was decades ahead of its time, and was also daring in containing much sexual innuendo. Significantly Berkeley had no formal dance training, and this is perhaps an example or lesson that even in extremely demanding technical disciplines, creativity can be most brilliant when it is not constrained by 'taught' (and therefore typically unavoidably) technique. Bolshoi Ballet - The Russian ballet school and company in Moscow, arguably the most famous in the world, is generally agreed to have been established in 1776. The strength and quality, and size and influence of The Bolshoi fluctuated through the 1800s with the movements of Russian socio-political history, strengthening and stabilizing during the 20th century after The Russian revolutionary turmoil, and then declining again from the 1990s after the breakdown of Russian communism when the Bolshoi was forced to become independently viable. Like the Russian Kirov Ballet, the Bolshoi is directly connected with the history of the Russian Imperial Ballet. Can-can - The can-can (French originally cancan) is an energetic and physically challenging show dance which peaked in French music hall dancing in the 1840s. In the French language 'can-can' may be translated to mean scandal, or scandalous gossip - and in its early years the Can-can was certainly scandalous, as dancers wore open-crotched pantalettes (long-legged knickers). The Can-can remains popular in cabaret-style shows in France, and to a lesser extent internationally (mainly US, UK). The Can-can was originally danced by men and women, and then by prostitutes, until the entertainment attracted bigger fee-paying audiences, upon which the Can-can became the familiar modern 'chorus line' of highly skilled professional female dancers. The Can-can evolved international variations, and a fixed routine (ostensibly for 'tourist' audiences) emerged in France in the 1900s. Many composers have created Can-can music. And many artists, notably Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, have painted can-can dancers. The most famous accompanying music for the Can-can is the Infernal Galop from Orpheus in the Underworld, composed by Jacques Offenbach. The Can-can, danced to this music, has been featured in many films, notably mid-1900s US movies about cowboys and the Wild West. The 1900s and modern Can-can dance typically entails lush multi-petticoated dresses, stockings, high kicks and 'rond de jambe en l'air' moves (lower leg circles in the air) exposing frilly knickers, with splits and cartwheels. The Can-can's modern formats have encouraged progressively more impressive acrobatics performed by dancers individually in turn. There is also much screaming and shrieking by the dancers, to maximise the sensory assault. The Can-can is strongly linked to the Moulin Rouge nightclub in Paris. Charles Mazurier, a French acrobatic entertainer of the 1820s is considered a primary innovator of the Can-can. Cabaret - Cabaret dancing is an adult style of performance or show dance featuring in Cabaret nightclubs and similar venues, particularly illustrated and popularized by the 1972 US musical film Cabaret (about 1930s Germany during the growth of Nazism), directed by Bob Fosse, starring Liza Minnelli. The film drew from the 1966 Broadway musical Cabaret (by Kander and Ebb), in turn adapted from the 1939 novel The Berlin Stories (by Christopher Isherwood). Cabaret in this sense combines several forms of flamboyant ironic highly suggestive song, dance and entertainment, including Burlesque, Striptease, comedy, etc., typically watched by small audiences in intimate clubs, with dining/drinking by candlelight, generally at small tables for couples or small groups. The Cabaret genre has in more recent times been embraced and developed substantially and tremendously enjoyably and entertainingly by the transgender communities across Europe and beyond. The word cabaret emerged in France c.1650, meaning a 'small inn', from Middle Dutch/Old Picard language camberet, little room. Chasse - The chasse (originally, and also chassé - pronounced 'shassay') is a widely choreographed and used dance step - often called a type of 'triple-step' - essentially where one foot displaces or 'chases' the other. We can imagine the timing like a child 'galloping' as if pretending to be/ride a horse. The chasse is originally from ballet, and is found in many other dance forms in several variations (gliding. smooth, staccato, etc). Chassé means 'chased' or 'hunted' in French (as if one foot chases the other). The word chasse - especially in past tense 'chasséed' has crossed over into mainstream language with a wider informal meaning and reference to a person walking somewhat flamboyantly across a floor, as if to draw attention to themselves. Covent Garden/The Royal Opera House - This is London's premier opera venue and home to the Royal Ballet since it moved there from Sadler's Wells in 1946. Cunningham - Merce Cunningham - American dancer and choreographer Mercier Philip 'Merce' Cunningham (1919-2009) was a major force in modern dance and avant-garde art from the 1940s to the early 2000s. Besides this he pioneered computerized choreography, starting in the 1970s. Cunningham trained originally in tap, ballroom and folk dance, and thereafter shifted his talents to modern dance, collaborating for decades with composer and life-partner John Cage. Dai Ailian - Dai Ailian (Chinese, Tai Ai-lien, 1916-2006) was a Chinese dancer, choreographer and educationalist. Born in Trinidad, she became a dancer, choreographer, teacher, and then during the 1940s-50s worked increasingly in China, where she transformed Chinese modern dance - through choreography, education, diplomacy, and by leading the development of Chinese dance administration, and dance teaching infrastructure. Dai Ailian is therefore a seminal character in Chinese dance, and is considered directly responsible for enabling China to build its first generations of modern dancers, choreographers, teachers and institutional dance educators and officials. Dai Ailian is often called the 'Mother of Chinese Modern Dance'. Dance notation - See the Choreography and Notation section - Dance notation refers to the technical method (and terminology) for recording dance choreography, especially for dance in classical, historic, and academic situations, particularly ballet. Dance notation in this glossary because of the following fascinating point: that prior to the invention of sufficiently accurate dance notation methods, considered to have begun with Labanotation, first explained and published in 1926, the reliable recording of any dance - and significantly all ballets prior to 1926 - was actually impossible. Dance earlier could best be recorded and conveyed by personal physical demonstration and memory. We might wonder therefore what dances prior to the 20th century have been distorted or lost altogether. Dancing With The Stars - See 'Strictly Come Dancing'. Strictly Come Dancing is the original UK BBC TV show name for the international licensed version of the dance show called Dancing With The Stars. Danse d'ecole - (French, meaning 'school dance) - Danse d'ecole refers to the pure academic style of classical ballet. This is typically defined further as being ballet founded on principles defined by Beauchamp, Blasis and later teachers. Danse macabre - This French term refers to ancient dance interpretations, and popular in the presumably very miserable late medieval centuries, 1300s and 1400s, where a dancer represents death exhorting humankind to destruction. The danse macabre genre is no longer a mainstream entertainment. Deboulé - Another entertaining French term, referring here to a fast series of half turns, reflecting the literal translation 'suddenly running away'. Diaghilev - Sergei Diaghilev - Sergei Diaghilev (1872-1929) was a highly influential Russian impressario. He was a keen and creative and passionate supporter of the arts - especially ballet - also a businessman, and one of the most important people in re-building Russian Ballet for the 20th century. He was particularly skilled in spotting and nurturing talent, and in facilitating and maintaining collaborations between the most brilliant composers, choreographers and dancers, and the necessary systemic considerations, to create world-leading ballets, many of which survive today. Dirty Dancing - Dirty Dancing, a low-budget 1987 US Latin dance movie, starring unknowns Patrick Swayze and Jennifer Grey, became a global phenomenon. It was the first film to sell more than a million copies on home video, and the Dirty Dancing soundtrack produced two multi-platinum albums and multiple singles, notably '(I've Had) The Time of My Life', winning the Golden Globe, and Academy Award, for Best Original Song, and a Grammy Award for best duet. Dirty Dancing became a sell-out stage show, and encouraged huge new interest in Latin dance styles, and related genres. The film featured lots of Salsa dancing, and blended styles combining Merengue and Cha cha cha. It was choreographed by American producer and choreographer Kenny Ortega, who also designed dances for Michael Jackson, and directed the series of High School Musical films. Disability and dance - Dance and other performing arts are accessible to people who have disabilities. There are many extraordinary organizations around the world which run schools, classes, teaching, therapies, and personal development of various sorts, to make dance accessible for people who are visually impaired or blind (to use the traditional term), or sensorily or physically impaired in some other way. The AMICI Dance Theatre Company (founded by pioneer Wolfgang Stange in 1980), based at London Hammersmith's Lyric Theatre is one example. The AMICI dance theatre company mixes able-bodied and disabled artists and performers, and is noted for staging radical moving productions. Duncan - Isadora Duncan - Californian-born Angela Isadora Duncan (1877/8-1927) was and remains one of the most famous dancers of the early 20th century. She performed modern and contemporary dance to serious adulation across Europe having left the USA to develop her dancing in what she considered to be the centres of excellence. She was a choreographer and teacher, and a highly significant dance celebrity and role model, in the days before mass media. She is additionally and tragically notable for having luckily changed plans late to travel on the doomed RMS Lusitania in 1915 (a German U-boat attack that helped bring the USA into the First World War) but then died prematurely age 49/50, when she was strangled by her scarf, caught in her car wheel. Eurythmics - A system of movement theories and practice originating in the Renaissance period (14-16thC) developed, defined and taught by Swiss composer and educationalist Emile Jacques-Dalcroze (1865-1950), so that music is learned through body movement; i.e., dance - and a very free form of dance. The concept, (also called Eurythmie, French), was taught by Jacques-Dalcroze in the early 1900s until the start of the First World War in 1914. Eurythmics became popular in western (especially British) schools later in the 20th century, and more widely as a fundamental reference and application theory for dance and music. Jacques-Dalcroze's full concept aimed to teach the body to act and respond like a musical instrument, integrating two additional elements: teaching/awareness/response of musical note pitch; and improvisation, with the Eurythmics principle of body movement. The word is from Greek, 'eurhythmia' meaning 'rhythmic order and graceful motion'. Extension - A dance term generally meaning that an arm or leg is straightened to its maximum, i.e., 180 degrees, or in ballet dance, extension refers more technically to a dancer's ability to lift one straightened leg high and sustain the position. The other leg remains on the floor, obviously, or the dancer would fall over. At the highest level of physical dance prowess, dancers, typically female, aim to be able to achieve the 'half-past midnight' position, whereby the leg is raised high enough to brush the dancer's own ear. Do not try this at home unless you are very supple and have created a soft landing area around you. Fall-recovery - This is one of the most fundamental elements of dance, and of many dance forms, especially modern dance. Put simply, fall-recovery (or fall-and-recovery) is the blending of three phases actually, a falling movement, a recovery, and a suspension, so that two opposing types of movement are balanced. We could liken the effect to a child on a swing, falling, recovering/rising, and for a brief moment being still or in suspension before falling again. Walking is in fact a series of fall and recovery movements. The sense of gravity in all 'fall-recover' movements is significant. So is the dancer's breathing. The timings and movement relationships between the phases are infinitely variable, and the successful dancer produces these movements in sympathy with the music so that the whole effect is balanced and harmonious, and joyful to see. Fall-recovery is a simple deeply connected and meaningful concept as to how humans sense and appreciate beautiful dancing movements. Doris Humphrey (1895-1958) the American dancer, choreographer, author and educationalist, is credited with the codification of the 'fall-and-recovery' principle in her 1958 book, The Art of Making Dances. Fall-recovery is correlated to similar theories, notably Martha Graham's 'contraction-release', and Rudolf Laban's 'Anspannung-Abspannung' (tension-release). Fandango - A lively Spanish-originating folk dance for two people, typically accompanied by castanets and tambourine. The word fandango has long been a metaphor for an unnecessarily complicated process, which is an allusion to the complexities of the dance. Fantasia - Walt Disney's seminal 1940 cartoon film Fantasia was the first and perhaps most spectacular and successful production of animated choreography, in which plants and animals dance to classical ballet/musical works, performed and recorded to brilliant standards, including The Pastoral Symphony, The Sorcerer's Apprentice and The Nutcracker Suite. The film - employing more than 1,000 artists and over 500 cartoon characters - is a supreme example of artistic genius and choreographic innovation on a vast and unprecedented scale, for which Disney's team also made intense studies of real dancers of the times, such as Baranova and Riabouchinska, to enable the creation of fabulous dance by entirely fantastic characters, using tens of thousands of individually drawn pictures for the frame-by-frame animation. The Five Positions - The Classical Ballet term 'five positions' refers to the five classic positions of the feet defined by French ballet master Pierre Beauchamps in the Ballets de Cour during the late 1600s, being the first codification of classical ballet. These remain the five classic feet positions for modern classical ballet. So Pierre Beauchamps did a very good job. 6th and 7th positions were later defined (by Lifar) and are included below. Here are Wikipedia's descriptions (2016). I'm open to improvements, thank you: "...The first basic position requires the feet to be flat on the floor and turned out (pointing in opposite directions as a result of rotating the legs at the hips).
Folk dance - A folk dance is a dance that develops and is learned in a community organically, rather than a dance created by a choreographer or teacher. The term is significant because it refers to the dances of the peasant classes, compared to the ballroom dances of the upper classes that first emerged in the 1400s. Folk dance reminds us that dancing became and remained to a degree a reflection of social class and division. Since the first separation of dance according to social class, and increasingly in modern times, folk dances have influenced and integrated with other styles of dance, blurring the separations, especially theatre and social dancing. Where folk dances survive close to their original form they tend to do so for historic interest or academic reasons, or as tourist attractions. Folies Bergère - Folies Bergère is the famous Paris music hall founded in 1869, originally as the Folies Trévise opera house, featuring light operatic-related entertainment, It became the Folies Bergère in 1872, peaking in popularity in the 1890s. The institution remains noted for lavish and controversial erotic dance performances, including much female semi-nudity and nudity, outrageous costumes, and circus-type acts and cabaret-style singing and dancing. Bergère is simply a nearby street; it means shepherdess. The Folies Bergère is iconic in Parisien and French culture, and also in the history and imagery of dance. Fonteyn - Dame Margot Fonteyn - British ballerina, born Peggy Hookham (1919-91), Margot Fonteyn became the most famous dancer globally of her time - basically 1930s-70s. From 1961 she danced with Russian ballet superstar Rudolf Nureyev, which became the most famous dance pairing in ballet history. Fosse - Bob Fosse - One of the most influential dance choreographers in history, Chicago-born Bob Fosse (1927-87) began dancing in burlesque shows age 13. He became a Broadway dancer in 1950, and was choreographing professionally soon after for theatre and films. He later directed and choreographed major musical/dance films, innovating dance radically, notably in Sweet Charity (1966), Cabaret, (the movie, 1971), and Chicago (1975). Fosse changed dance for ever, and influenced and inspired countless thousands of choreographers, dancers, designers, and entertainers. His work continues to entertain and bring joy to millions, probably actually billions of people. Gangnam Style - In 2012 'Gangnam Style', by the South Korean musician Psy, became the most successful song and dance video in history. Released 15 July 2012, within two weeks the Gangnam Style YouTube video 'went viral'. If you do not know the internet, 'went viral' means it achieved vast popularity rapidly via social media - and 'social media' is rather like everyone in the world knowing and seeing and hearing what everyone else is doing, and being able to send practically anyone anything, except touch and smell, which will happen before long. On 21 December 2012 Gangnam Style was the first YouTube video to be seen a billion times. Given that there are only about 8billion people in the whole world, that's a lot of views, even if some people did see it more than once, or actually more than fifty times. Gangnam Style combined a clever song and funny dance, a bit like pretending to ride a horse, that appealed globally and influenced (especially young) people and makers of entertainment everywhere. Gangnam Style filled dancefloors everywhere with people pretending to ride a horse. The crazy success of Gangnam Style would have been impossible five years earlier, because the world then was not connected adequately by social media. Arguably the world was not ready for the Gangnam Style song and dance then either. Gangnam Style - which means something quite different to horse-riding, in fact a reference to an up-market district called Gangnam in Seoul, South Korea, meaning 'south of the river' - is an example of how the huge popularity of any dance depends on more than artistic dance creation - it depends on novelty, fun, music and song, lyrics, costume, and crucially society and technology too. Where these elements combine harmoniously and relevantly, then creative art - especially song and dance - can achieve popularity beyond imaginings. The digitally connected world of the 21st century will enable future song and dance phenomena of even more mind-blowing proportions and speed and impact, that we simply cannot conceive until they happen. How exciting. Glissade - French meaning slide/glide, this is a common ballet/dance for a gliding movement, any direction, usually as a linking step. Like many ballet terms it is similar to a musical term, in this case glissando, referring to a playing a sliding transition between two notes. Graham - Martha Graham - US dancer Martha Graham (1894-1991), also prolific choreographer, teacher, and businesswoman, is considered the most significant and influential person in the history of American modern dance. Her family were Presbyterian and non-dancers, and her father was an 'alienist' (an early form of psychiatry). Martha Graham's own dance education (from c.1915) and early career was unremarkable, but after about ten years (1926/7) she established her own dance school/company and quickly became an extraordinary innovator and collaborator. Martha Graham innovated new dance ideas for theatre/concert and dramatic performance far beyond and despite classical ballet convention, and transformed the teaching of modern dance internationally. Her New York dance school and company, The Martha Graham School of Contemporary Dance, founded in 1926/7, was the leading modern dance institute globally, and remains the oldest continuing dance company in the world, renamed and grant-funded 2005, as the Martha Graham Center of Contemporary Dance. Martha Graham, whose 'trademark' teaching method is called the 'Graham technique', pioneered systems of dance teaching emphasizing the use of lower back and pelvis in generating movement, with the importance of breathing, and the fundamental principles of contraction-and-release. She was still performing at age 74. Martha Graham choreographed for Fonteyn and Nureyev, collaborated with leading fashion designers, was the first dancer to perform at the White House, built a sizeable dance corporation, became a US cultural ambassador, and received the Presidential Medal of Freedom (the highest US civilian award). We can therefore regard Martha Graham as among the first dance professionals to successfully combine dance, innovation, education, business and diplomacy, on a serious international scale. Humphrey - Doris Humphrey - US dancer, choreographer, teacher, Doris Humphrey (1895-1958) is regarded as a fundamental influencing figure in the development of American modern dance. Humphrey devised the concept of fall-and-recovery, and emphasized the importance and use of gravity, self-expression and emotion especially in her work and teachings. She referred to 'dancing from the inside out'; to the transition between balance and being off-balance, and to dance existing in 'the arc between two deaths', i.e., which is interpreted as between standing and lying prone. Ice dancing - Ice dance has a longer history than one might imagine.. An early social pairing is recorded as having been London diarist Samuel Pepys and actress Nell Gwyn (mistress of King Charles II), on the River Thames in the big freeze of 1683. In more recent times Ice Dance has occasionally become a global audience phenomenon, for example Torvill and Dean's Bolero routine at the 1984 Winter Olympics. During the 1990s ice dance shows became extremely popular. Imperiale Regia Academia di Ballo - The foremost early Italian classical dance school and standards institute, established in 1812 in Milan. India and Indian dance forms - India and Pakistan have a richly diverse history and tradition of dance. For example Hindu belief is that Shiva, the Lord of the Dance, created heaven and earth when he danced the Dance of Creation. Ancient guidelines for music, drama and dance are proposed in the classical texts of Bharata's Natya Shastra, dated between 200BC and 300AD. Major dance forms include Kathakali, Manipuri, Odissi and Kathak. Sadly much traditional dance was suppressed by colonial British rule. Happily the transition towards independence during the 1900s enabled India to experience a major resurgence of its native dances, in performance, popularity, teaching and wider education and study. In the late 1900s classical Indian dance began to spread around the world, alongside the development of new dance styles, fuelled by improving economic prosperity, liberation, modernization, education, infrastructure, and technology. By the end of the 1900s the Bollywood movie industry was the biggest in the world, and the Bollywood style of music and dance had become among the most popular, if not actually the most popular dance form on Earth. The depth and sophistication of India's art, culture, philosophy, and people, guarantees that all sorts of dance in and emanating from India will continue to develop in amazing wonderful ways. Isolation - This is virtually a universal dance term, referring to the movement of one part of the body independently of the other parts of the body, while these other parts of the body remain still. In certain forms of dance, good isolation skills are essential, and hugely affect the quality of the dance; in other dance forms, isolation is less significant. Certain isolation is easy, for example a simple movement of one hand or leg. Other isolation abilities are far more challenging, for example, many hip movements, or moving a shoulder in a specific way, or in some body positions moving the head, or the stomach muscle control in belly dancing. Note that the body might be in an unusual position while trying to isolate the movement of a particular body part, which might also present challenges. And of course movement must be appropriately artistic and sympathetic for the music and mood, and expression, etc. This can be so challenging that it's impossible to do it well without substantial training and practice, and considerable levels of fitness and muscle control too. So isolation in dance is quite an involved subject. Isolation is both a matter of muscular and skeletal quality and control, as well as brain/neurological control. jig - A jig is a very old British folk dance, which emphasizes lots of quick footwork and jumping or hopping movements. There are many jig variations. Jigs are particularly associated with Irish dance and music, and the fiddle (violin). Generally a jig is a fast solo dance. The word is thought by some to be derived from French 'gigue' and/or Italian 'giga'. Kabuki - Kabuki is a Japanese form of dance theatre, dating from the 1500s, which helps illustrate that dance has formal beginnings in different parts of the world, as far back as the earliest formalisation of 'western' classic dance. Kabuki began as an all-female blend of prayer dance, folk dance, and erotic dance, with added comic mime. Women played the parts of men as well as women. Due to the erotic content and changing Japanese attitudes, women were banned from dancing in Kabuki from 1629, and replaced by boys. Then boys were banned in 1652, which gave rise to the male 'omnagata' female impersonator in Kabuki, subsequently becoming an honoured profession for which boys were trained from childhood. Kabuki later split into theatre and dance genres, each full of vivid storytelling, and women were re-admitted to Kabuki performance. The three Japanese kanji characters for the word Kabuki represent 'sing', 'dance', and 'skill', and this helps explain the original ethos of Kabuki as a dance form. The whole word Kabuki in Japanese separately means 'shocking/bizarre/strange' which additionally reflects the design and contextual approach of the Kabuki entertainment. Kinesiology - Kinesiology is the study of human movement - both its mechanical action, and anatomical structure, i.e., how the body moves. Related term is 'kinesics', meaning the study of body movements and gestures as non-verbal communications. These are from Greek 'kinesis', meaning motion. An interesting related term is 'kinesthetic', which appears in the VAK learning model , (applicable for all sorts of learning) and refers to the 'touching and doing' method of learning, alongside 'visual' and 'audio' (seeing/reading, and listening/talking). Kirov/Maryinsky Ballet - The Kirov/Maryinsky (or Mariinsky) ballet of St Petersburg is one of the most influential ballet schools/companies in history. Like the Bolshoi Ballet of Moscow, the Kirov/Maryinsky of St Petersburg was fundamental for ballet and dance in Russia, and with the major early ballet schools and companies of France, Italy, and the UK, helped define and standardize ballet, and provide a platform for the development of concert dance and other classical forms of theatre dance around the world. The beginnings of the Kirov Ballet were the Russian court dancers trained at the Empress Anna Ivanovna's dance school, which evolved initially into the Russian Imperial Ballet, reflecting its royal patronage. After the Russian Revolution it became the Soviet Ballet, and then Kirov Ballet (named after the assassination of Bolshevik revolutionary Sergey Kirov in 1934). The Kirov/Maryinsky Ballet has been through many changes since its 1773 origins in the Russian royal court. In more recent times the Mariinsky Ballet is the official name, linked to the school, now known as the Vaganova Ballet Academy. Laban - Rudolf von Laban - Laban (1879-1958) was a Hungarian dancer, choreographer, ballet master, and dance theorist. He became a specialist in the analysis of human movement - its dynamics and expression Laban is mainly noted (excuse the pun) for developing his system of dance notation, called initially 'Kinetographie Laban', published 1926, which was later named Labanotation, which is a major dance notation system internationally. See dance notation in the Dance Choreography and Notation section . Leotard - The iconic popular stretchy one-piece gymwear garment, worn by dancers the world over, is named after its inventor, French acrobat Jules Leotard (1830-70). Jules Leotard more impressively developed the art of trapeze acrobatics and became an international entertainer and celebrity. Interestingly he was also the inspiration for the 1867 song by George Leybourne, and its popular refrain, "...He'd fly through the air with the greatest of ease, That daring young man on the flying trapeze...." Maillot - Appropriately near to the leotard entry, maillot is a classical dance word for dancer's tights. Maillot also means a leotard or similarly designed swimsuit. Any maillot interpretation tends to entail stretchy fabric. Dictionaries vary as to origins. The Oxford Dictionary of Dance says maillot is named after a 19th century costumier at the Paris Opera. Wikipedia says maillot is of French origin meaning swaddling clothes, and that it's mainly a swimsuit or cyclist's shirt, for example the leader of the Tor de France wears the 'maillot jaune' (yellow jersey). The Oxford English Dictionary says maillot is all three: dancer's tights, a ladies swimsuit, and a cyclist's top, and that the origin is French. Masque - Theatrical entertainment of the English royal court, in the 1500-1600s, performed by nobility, equivalent to the 'Ballets de cour', the earliest 'court ballets' of the French royal court. Ballet was adopted in the English royal court rather later than in France. The masque performance - which was also an entertainment for commoners - derived from masked processions and medieval 'mummers plays' (mummers, from older language meanings of mask, Greek mommos, or silence, as in 'mum' Old English). Masque entertainment comprised music, songs, dances, and strong literary content, sometimes by famous writers such as Ben Johnson and John Milton. In masque we see the early development of formal dance for the upper classes. Masque is French for mask. French, and progressively Anglo-French, was the language of the English court and nobility for hundreds of years after the Norman invasion of 1066. The English language retained its Anglo-French nature permanently thereafter, and so, unsurprisingly, this is reflected in the history of dance and its terminology. Masked entertainment is fascinating and is found deep in human culture and entertainment everywhere. Mime - Mime is an ancient art form and entertainment, and is central to many forms of dance - because Mime is basically the use of body-language to convey meaning, usually to an audience. In more detail, Mime refers to conveying a story, event, situation, mood, character, feeling, word(s), joke, or any other concept, by using non-verbal communications such as body movements, gestures, facial expressions, costume, make-up, masks, and potentially other props too. The word Mime is from Ancient Greek mimos, and later Latin mimus, which meant actor or imitator, or mimic (hence the word mimic). Mime was first standardized as an entertainment by the Ancient Greeks and then the Romans, when it included strong elements of farce and comedy. It's not surprising that Mime developed in this way, given the challenges of conveying stories and meanings to large audiences before microphones, PA systems, printed notes, and books, etc. Mime continued to feature in the development of dance for more than two thousand years, as it still does today in most dance forms, to a small or substantial degree. Mime was central to the earliest forms of classical dance and ballet, notably 'Ballet de cour', 'masques', 'mummers' plays, and to the development countless styles of folk and tribal dances, all around the world. Mime also exists as a significant and popular theatrical and street art form in its own right, quite separately from dance. Mime was the principal component in the beginnings of the movie industry, in silent films, and Mime survives today and lends itself to adaptation for all sorts of entertainment and new media, including large-scale film animations, and moving graphics extending even to logos and emoticons, used and seen by billions of people, billions of times every day, on modern smartphones, computers and digital devices. Mudra - Mudra is an Indian Dance and yoga gesture found in Hindu dancing. The term Mudra is included in this glossary to illustrate that the meaning of dance is subject to varying interpretations between different cultures. According to the Oxford Dictionary of Dance, the Mudra gesture is described (Lama Anagarika - Foundations of Tibetan Mysticism) as a: "...bodily gesture, especially of hands, which accent the ritual act and the mantric word, as well as the inner attitude..." Full appreciation of this gesture is therefore quite different to understanding typical movements in most western dances, or African or Latin dances, or Disco or Rock and Roll, or Irish folk dancing - instead full appreciation of the Mudra gesture - and therefore the dances which feature it - requires an understanding of a spiritual philosophy, beyond dance. To emphasise this point, here's the Wikipedia definition (2016) of Mudra.. "A mudra is a symbolic or ritual gesture in Hinduism and Buddhism. While some mudras involve the entire body, most are performed with the hands and fingers. A mudra is a spiritual gesture and an energetic seal of authenticity employed in the iconography and spiritual practice of Indian religions. One hundred and eight mudras are used in regular Tantric rituals. In yoga, mudras are used in conjunction with pranayama (yogic breathing exercises), generally while seated in Padmasana, Sukhasana or Vajrasana pose, to stimulate different parts of the body involved with breathing and to affect the flow of prana in the body..." This is not a part of dance that would be readily comprehended by students, or even advanced teachers, of 'western' dance. Here, in the case of Mudra and Hindu dance, dancers must also understand Buddhism or Hinduism. Nijinsky - Vaslav Nijinsky - Russian ballet dancer and choreographer Vaslav Nijinsky (1889-1950) is one of the most famous dancers in the history of dance globally, regardless of genre, such was his reputation and celebrity. Nijinsky was born into a Polish dancing family, and after training with the Russian Imperial Ballet School, became central in the development and pre-eminence of the Russian ballet in the early 1900s. Nijinsky's physical, technical and charismatic prowess was unequalled. He could do things, and dared to do things, that nobody else could. Nijinsky's influence extended later to choreographic and dance innovation that shocked and thrilled audiences, and changed the entire world of ballet - in terms of dance interpretation, eroticism, and technique. Sadly Njinsky's life after a spectacular early career went into a catastrophic decline, heavily affected by mental illness. His last public performance was in 1919, age just 29. Nureyev - Rudolf Nureyev - Russian ballet dancer Rudolf Nureyev (1938-93), also choreographer and ballet director, changed ballet, and dance too. After initial training in folk dance and ballet, in 1955 Nureyev moved to the Leningrad Choreographic School (Kirov School) at age 17. He became a soloist with the Kirov Ballet three years later in 1958. By the early 1960s Rudolf Nureyev was a global celebrity beyond the appreciation of dance, boosted in 1961 by becoming the first dancer to defect from Soviet Russia, after a dramatic stand-off in Paris between his KGB minders and French police, at which Nureyev successfully appealed for political asylum. Nureyev lived and worked from then in the western world. Soon after his defection Margot Fonteyn invited Nureyev to dance in London, and this began one of the most famous dance partnerships in history. Like Nijinsky before him, Nureyev's unique dancing talents and virtuosity - together with his technical brilliance, and physical and charismatic qualities - transcended all. Nureyev's success, at the beginning of the globalized multi-media televised world, was unparalleled in ballet, and dance and celebrity more widely, particularly in his dancing with Margot Fonteyn. Nureyev was a pioneer and innovator too, and the first major ballet star to work with leaders and choreographers of Modern Dance, notably Martha Graham. He appeared in many films, and directed and danced in world-leading shows on Broadway and touring productions, and was artistic director of the Paris Opera Ballet from 1983-89. At age 51 Nureyev returned for the first time since defecting to perform at the Kirov ballet, in St Petersburg's Maryinsky Theatre, in 1989. Towards the end of his life Nureyev also became an orchestral conductor. He died from an Aids-related illness age 54, ending prematurely one of the most extraordinary careers in the history of dance and entertainment. Opera Ballet - Opera Ballet is a significant historical 17-18th centuries genre of theatrical and classical dance, combining the implied singing and dancing styles of the times. Opera Ballet emerged most significantly and became defined in late-1600s France, and remaining popular more widely into the early 1700s. Stagings and stylings were opulent and rich, contrasting somewhat with generally light dramatic content. The Opera Ballet genre and its influences spread around European cities, notably the evolving ballet capitals and major cities, which explains why many ballet schools and companies and theatrical institutes refer to Opera Ballet in their older names, and in some surviving names. Opera Ballet remains a marginal niche, attracting little attention from mainstream or popular dance choreographers, dancers, composers, audiences, etc. Pantomime - Traditionally and internationally the term Pantomime, which derives from Greek 'pantomimus', meaning originally 'imitator of all', refers to a theatrical show without words or songs. Mime originally 2,000 years ago referred to an actor or imitator, and panto means all. In Britain, from the early 1700s, the term Pantomime developed more a specific meaning, for a Christmas theatrical entertainment, combining songs, dancing, comedy, extravagant costumes, usually with traditional 'fixed' characters and storylines. British pantomimes are usually based on fairy tales, such as Aladdin, Goldilocks, Cinderella, etc., and are extremely light-hearted, with lots of audience participation in well known dialogue patterns, for example... Actor: "Oh yes we are.." Audience: "Oh no you're not..." and Audience: "He's behind you...". Much dance in pantomimes is very simple, because the entertainment is aimed at children/families, and performers are commonly from entertainment genres different to dance, and in some cases have very little dancing ability indeed. Nevertheless accessibility and joyful entertainment value is high. The origins of mime - from Ancient Greek and Roman cultures - are also the earliest beginnings of Pantomime, whether considered from the UK or from wider global perspectives. Pas - Pas is French for step, and is therefore a common term in Ballet dancing, notably in longer terms, including terms in which 'pas' means dance, such as 'pas de deux', and pas de trois', meaning a dance for two people (a duet), and dance for three, etc. A step example, is 'pas de chat', referring to a light sideways foot-to-other-foot step, literally 'step of a cat' or 'cat-step'. Pavlova - Anna Pavlova - Russian prima ballerina Anna Pavlova (1881-1931) was during her career the most famous female dancer in the world, in any dance genre. She trained from 1891 age 10 at The Imperial Ballet School in St Petersburg with the leading Russian teachers and choreographers, notably Marius Pepita, with whom she later collaborated and choreographed, and in whose productions she innovated and performed some of the most breathtakingly beautiful and significant dance sequences in history. She graduated in 1899 and by 1906 was prima ballerina at the Maryinsky Theatre in St Petersburg. In 1911 Pavlova formed her own touring company, based in London, where from 1912 she taught at her home. Pavlova took her ballet productions all around the world, including places that had not seen ballet before, and in this respect Pavlova was directly responsible for building the increasing global awareness and popularity of ballet in the early 20th century. Pavlova gave her final performance in London in 1930, and died prematurely age 50 from pneumonia in 1931. Her dancing excellence, and legacy as a ballet dancer, choreographer, and global popularizer for ballet is comparable with that of Nureyev and Nijinsky. Pepita - Marius Pepita - French-Russian Marius Pepita (1818-1910) is widely considered the most significant choreographer in the history of Classical Ballet. Born in France, Pepita trained as a ballet dancer with his father in Brussels, and then danced largely unknown in European cities through the 1830s. Pepita's influence began to grow seriously age 30, after moving to St Petersburg and Russia in 1847. There he choreographed his iconic productions of The Nutcracker, The Sleeping Beauty, and a remake of Swan Lake, all working with composer Pyotr Tchaichovsky. it is thought that due to Pepita's illness, the Nutcracker was choreographed by his assistant Lev Ivanov, under Pepita's guidance. Pepita's role in creating these ballets extended to giving very detailed instructions to Tchaichovsky - even concerning timings and beats, as well as mood and story. Basically Pepita provided the musical specification to Tchaichovsky, which is a remarkable additional dimension of capability and command of his art form. Try to imagine the level of brilliance required to specify a musical composition to Tchaichovsky... Pepita is regarded as the main force behind the establishment of Russia's Imperial Ballet as the global centre of Classical Ballet excellence in the late 1800s. Pepita is an example of using diverse cultural experience to achieve amazing innovation - namely the world-leading technical skills and knowledge he learned in French and Italian Ballet, blended with the grand influences and ambitions of Russia's Tsarist system and philosophy. Pepita danced in and created ballets for France and Russia which toured the world and continue to provided the basis for productions around the world in modern times. Marius Pepita held the most senior creative and administrative position in Russian Ballet for over 30 years until he was 85 years old, from 1871 until 1903, while Russian Ballet (notably The Imperial Ballet, later the Kirov/Maryinsky Ballet) led the world in the Classical Ballet art form. Pepita retired in 1903, and died age 92 in 1910. Picasso - Pablo Picasso - Spanish genius Pablo Picasso (1881-1973), better known as a painter, was also deeply connected to the world of Classical Ballet. Picasso designed world-leading ballet sets and backdrops in the 1910-60s, notably for the influential and powerful Russian impressario Sergei Diaghilev. Picasso's sketches of ballet dancers are iconic - a small one would now equate to the value of a moderately-sized country. Picasso also married a ballet dancer, Olga Kokhlova. Really. Pirouette - A pirouette (French originally meaning a 'spinning top') is a dance turn on one foot that is common in many forms of dance, and gymnastics too, with variations according to dance type. In Classical Ballet the pirouette pose and movement resembles the 'spinning top' meaning. The dancer is turned by the partner, standing on one leg tip-toe, with the other leg bent, with the foot fixed at the supporting knee. In ballet a pirouette is en pointe (on tip-toe) with legs rotated outward at hips (called 'turnout'). Generally in other dance forms and gymnastics the legs are not turned out at the hips, and the turn would not usually be on tip-toe, and would commonly be a solo move, which obviously enables fewer revolutions before repeating propulsion. In Ice Dance, a pirouette, aided by much-reduced friction, and a technique of retracting the extending leg, and arms, a pirouette can attain seriously dizzying acceleration and speeds. Plié - Plié (from French, bent) is a basic Classical Ballet dance movement of slowly bending the knees, with legs turned out, feet pointing outwards, heels grounded. Plié is fundamental in ballet teaching and classes as a warm up exercise, typically at the wall and barre, before moving into the centre of the floor. A Plié may be one-legged. The Plié is also fundamental to many ballet moves and steps, for example, most jumps start and end with a plié, and most turns start and end with standing leg in a plié; also plié is a common transitory step; it's vital for toning the muscles, and for maximising the effortless appearance of movement. Pointe - Point (French, point) is a fundamental classical ballet term referring to dancing on tip-toes, or 'en pointe'. Ballet shoes are called pointe shoes. Generally female dancers dance en pointe; and men do not, although there are exceptions, notably the Bottom character in Sir Frederick Ashton's Ballet, The Dream, for comic effect. Pointe dancing in ballet began in the early 1800s and was defined and standardized, beyond an occasional device to a common style, by Marie Taglioni, in the 1830s, by which time basic technology had been developed to make pointe shoes. One of the major deviations of Modern Dance away from Classical Ballet is the rejection of pointe dancing and pointe shoes, instead to dancing on the balls of the bare feet. The Royal Academy of Dancing - Founded in London, 1920, The Royal Academy of Dancing (abbreviated commonly to RAD) was the UK's first major dance institute and formal teaching school for ballet. Originally called the Association of Operatic Dancing in Great Britain, RAD grew to become the world's largest examinations and training body for ballet. In 1997 the RAD amalgamated with the Benesh Institute, extending its offerings of dance degree qualifications to notators (classical choreographers and dance analysts) and dance teachers. Royal Ballets - Companies, Theatres, Schools, Academies, etc - Across Europe, and to a lesser extent in other continents too, there are many academies, companies, and schools of dance and opera that are named 'Royal'. This is due to the strong historical associations between power and dance, and also the traditional patronage by Kings, Queens, Tsars, and ruling dynasties of dance as a high 'classical' art form. This is for complex reasons and is fascinating. Many royal patrons of course have held a genuine fondness arts such as dance, but also, dance and power have long been linked for less positive reasons. We see examples everywhere - even in ancient tribal rituals. We see the connection between dance and power in ceremonies of all sorts - especially religious and military ceremonies - where dance symbolises aspects of human power in life and its organization - virility, ownership and possession, fear and superstition, obedience, loyalty, affirmation and conformity, fighting and battle, life and death, mourning and grief, etc. Also dance is a form of beauty and high art. It satisfies powerful people's needs for high spiritual purpose and legacy, for academia and recognition, and to be part of groups of highly talented admired sought-after artists, and natural leaders and innovators - and also celebrities whom powerful people think are loved. And this taps into a basic human need, not least of powerful people - to be loved and accepted, and to be seen alongside brilliant creatives. Dance is indeed beautiful and fulfilling and wonderful in many accessible ordinary human ways, but dance, like other art forms, may also be presented or perceived mainly as a highly aspirational and egotistical concept, which is not so wonderful. The many historical associations between 'Royalty' and dance prompt us to consider that dance can be used for good, to benefit everyone, or instead dance may be appropriated and protected and kept for the enjoyment of a privileged elite. The patronage and support of powerful people for anything is to be valued, and without it much artistic creation would not exist; however dance is most importantly an open accessible powerful force for good, for everyone, and this must be the primary purpose for anyone's involvement in it. Ring a Ring o'Roses/Ring Around the Rosie - Across the UK and USA, and in many other nations, this is a popular nursery rhyme, typically sung to the same tune, and danced in basically the same patterns and movements by small children, in a circle, holding hands, and curtsying, or sitting or collapsing to the ground at the final line of the song: "Ring-a-ring o' roses, A pocket full of posies, A-tishoo! A-tishoo! We all fall down." The American version is generally: "Ring-a-round the rosie, A pocket full of posies, Ashes! Ashes! We all fall down." There are minor variations of the song and dance in the UK and more so in the US, and adaptations or similar versions of the song and dance in other countries. The song and dance together are remarkable because small children have loved it for over 200 years, perhaps longer, and seem naturally to learn it and perform it more than any other infants' choreographed dance. The Ring a Ring o'Roses song was first published in 1881 in the UK but was reportedly performed in its modern format earlier (1840s USA, and 1790s UK). Common belief is that the song and actions refer to and derive from the Great Plague (London 1665-66) or the Black Death (Europe, 1346-53), or the Plague pandemic outbreaks generally affecting the known world (at 6th, 14th, and 19th centuries), however experts tend to reject this notion because there was no suggested connection of Ring a Ring o'Roses to any plague before the 20th century, and despite popular myth, the actions and allusions of the song (e.g., sneezing, carrying flowers in the pockets) do not actually reflect the characteristics of the plagues. Competing theories of origin suggest the song and dance have roots in paganism, but really, nobody knows. The song/dance is amazing nevertheless because it has endured for so long completely organically, and almost seems part of the DNA or genetic programming in little children. Rise and fall/Rises and Falls - Rise and Fall refers technically to the quality of important Ballroom Dance movements where the dancer's body position moves up and down ('Rise and Fall') by bending knees and/or ankles and feet. Rises and Falls feature significantly, and are a major aspect of excellence, in dances such as the Waltz, Viennese Waltz, Foxtrot, Quickstep, and American Smooth variations. Other dances such as the Tango inherently demand much less Rise and Fall, or in basic form seek to avoid Rises and Falls, being described as 'level' or 'flat' dance forms. The technical term/feature Rise and Fall tends not to be found in theatrical and classical dance forms such as Ballet, although of course in these dance styles the body's up and down movements are technically just as crucial, and are defined/assessed in different ways. Whatever, clarification of Rise and Fall meaning is required where confusion could arise because Rise and Fall may be interpreted less technically in Ballroom, Latin, Freestyle, etc., or from the standpoint of the body's centre/center of gravity rising and falling instead of the dancer's 'body'. There are other perspectives, for example, beyond normal technical definition of Rise and Fall, a dancer's body rises and falls due to hip action in many Latin dances and falls of the body. A dancer's body may also rise and fall simply by straightening the spine or stance, or tightening the body's 'core', or by lifting the torso and shoulders.In many other dances where technical precision is being judged, a degree of rise and fall might be encouraged or prohibited, so again clarification depending on the situation is necessary. Rise and fall does not refer to being lifted by a dancing partner. Saturday Night Fever - The 1977 film Saturday Night Fever changed popular dancing more than any other film. It changed lots else too: music, the entertainment industry, market-design, an entire generation of people, etc). Saturday Night Fever starred John Travolta as Tony Manero, a young man in Brooklyn NYC, and Karen Lynn Gorney as Stephanie Mangano his dance partner. Both have a passionate ability for Disco Dance. Travolta's character especially regards dance as an utterly crucial escape; his quest for purpose, value, recognition, etc., beyond the desperate difficulties of his day-to-day life. Millions of young people could identify with what dance means to Travolta's character - a way to be brilliant as a person, and to find meaning. To achieve and be the best. You will see illustrations of most classical motivational theory in Travolta's character (see Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs , for example). The film revolutionized Disco Dance and also provided the foundations on which wider Freestyle Dance was developed, defined, taught, and adopted globally. This is explained in the sections about Disco Dance and Freestyle Dance. The broad Freestyle Dance category, and the Freestyle Dance form itself, grew from the Disco Dance that the music and choreography in Saturday Night Fever inspired. Specifically the film Saturday Night Fever was the catalyst for Disco Dancing to be standardized and choreographed using a system of steps, movements, principles, in ways that already applied to traditional formal genres of dance such as Ballroom, Latin, Ballet and Tap, etc. Before Saturday Night Fever, Disco Dancing was not considered a serious structured dance form. Disco Dance was not taught in dance academies, nor were there any teaching qualifications for Disco Dance, or standards, or competitions, or famous dancers who were noted for dancing in the Disco Dance style. The film Saturday Night Fever was an enormous global success. The soundtrack album, and many Disco singles from it - largely featuring Disco songs written by the Gibbs brothers (The Bee-Gees) - became massively successful in their own right, and effectively defined the standard for Disco music in the late 1970s, and into the 1980s and beyond this too. Disco music became absolutely integral to Disco Dance and Disco lifestyle and fashion. Disco music also became totally oriented for discotheques and nightclubs - designed to promote dancing in a very different way from the much looser and ill-defined 'beat' dancing of the 1960s and early-mid 1970s. Disco music was/is characterized by: 'hooky' (accessible, unforgettable) melodies and choruses, slick smooth production, a big emphasis on hypnotic repetitive powerful bass, and percussion (bass drum/snare/high-hat) beat , multi-layered electric guitars and synthesizers/keyboards, usually with highly acrobatic and clinically clean vocals, usually multi-tracked and given lots of compression treatment. The sound of Disco music is radically more polished and sumptuous than other popular rougher and earthier styles of the times, for example rock, punk, blues, soul, reggae, ska, etc. Disco was a new lifestyle, as well as a fundamentally new dance form, and it was embraced globally - more enthusiastically and widely than any other dance/lifestyle genre in history. As such, Disco was the first dance style to benefit from mass media and rampant consumerism, enabling a new approach to market-design by the big entertainment corporations, so that they could successfully 'manufacture' a music and dance concept, to a sophisticated formula, and which was quickly supported and sustained by a heavily commercialised industry of discotheques and related lifestyle products (drinks, fashionwear notably). Saturday Night Fever was the start of all this - the globalization of entertainment and lifestyle - which grows ever more powerful, and continues to re-invent itself into the 21st century, and likely indefinitely beyond. Singin' in the Rain - Singin' in the Rain - the 1952 US musical film, and song and dance scene - provides one of the best examples of an globally famous dance sequence. It's up there with the Beatles and Bob Dylan, Mount Everest and Coca-Cola. Dance has the potential to touch all of humanity. In fact most people would know Gene Kelly's splashing dance in the rainy street and the phrase 'Singin' in the Rain' more than knowing it's from the film of the same name. Smooch - A smooch is a very popular British-originating term for an intimate slow dance between two people. The smooch 'style' of dancing is heavily biased towards close full-body contact, hardly any movement, hardly any floor coverage, with plenty of eye-contact, plus optional hair-smelling and stroking and the occasional proposal of marriage. Kissing is common in a smooch, especially late-night when the music slows down, after plenty of alcohol. The term emerged in the 1930s, initially as a reference to kissing and cuddling (smooching), and then naturally extended to refer to the slow non-choreographed smooch dancing. Newly-wed couples commonly begin the dancing with a smooch. Soft Shoe Dance - This is related to tap dance, but as implied is performed with soft-soled shoes without metal taps. The style is also abbreviated to Soft Shoe, or called a Soft Shoe Shuffle, and may also be performed on a scattering of sand on the dance floor surface, so that the dancer can create a 'sweeping' percussive effect similar to a drummer using brushes. Spotting - Spotting is a technique in many different dance styles - whereby essentially a spinning dancer fixes gaze and head position on a point in the room until the last possible split-second, and then quickly turns the head 360 degrees to 'spot' the same point again. The technique reduces dizziness risks, and also encourages precision, balance and clean tidy shape in controlling movement of head, and body, while spinning. Step Dance - Step dancing is a narrow genre of folk dances from the UK and US, typically solo, accompanied by traditional fiddle or accordion or similar folk music, entailing precise fast footwork, often in heavy percussive shoes or clogs. There is little hip movement or swaying. The torso remains generally rigid. Most movement is legs and feet/ankles. Head and arm movements tend to be minimal and 'snapped' into positions, and dances often have quite an angular staccato feel. There are similarities with many leg/feet movements in Tap Dance. The theatrical show Riverdance extended Irish Step Dancing to be a big stage formation dance production for multiple-dancers. Strictly Come Dancing and Dancing With The Stars (and Strictly Ballroom , and Come Dancing ...) - Strictly Come Dancing (often abbreviated to 'Strictly') is the famous 'celebrity' dance competition BBC TV show. In the early 2000s, the Strictly Come Dancing show transcended globally the popularity of all other 'reality' and 'celebrity' competition shows, and in certain years has been globally the most popular TV programme of any genre. This is a clear and astonishing illustration of the popularity of dancing - interestingly Ballroom and Latin dance styles - as an audience entertainment. Strictly Come Dancing launched on BBC1 (UK) 15 May 2004, and soon became one of the UK's most popular TV shows. Dancing With The Stars (often abbreviated to DWTS) is the international name for many licensed versions of the 'Strictly Come Dancing' show, produced and shown in over 40 other countries, notably USA, China, India, Russia, Japan, Turkey, Ukraine, Australia, Indonesia, and Pakistan. The 'Strictly Come Dancing' dance show is produced with different names in other countries, such as Germany, Spain, Brazil, Poland, Romania, France, Italy, Israel, and Mexico. International versions vary in format. In 2006 and 2007 the 'Strictly Come Dancing' dance show in its different international versions (mainly Strictly Come Dancing and Dancing With The Stars) became the most popular TV program globally, and the show was in the top ten TV programs in 17 countries. The TV show format is a ballroom dance competition between dance pairings. Each pairing is a professional dancer (males and females, world-champion standard) and celebrity (males and females, drawn from sport, media, politics, entertainment, music, etc). The early UK seasons/series of shows featured 8-10 pairings, soon increasing to 15 or 16 pairings as the popularity and funding and production extravagance of the show grew quickly. Each pairing learns a different ballroom dance each week, choreographed by the respective professional dance partner. Each professional dancer is responsible for teaching his/her celebrity partner, and the choreography. Many couples form intense relationships, and despite the show's light entertainment approach, some genuine touching stories of human motivation and personal growth emerge, offering further proof of the powerful effects of dance, even on celebrity contestants who have never danced seriously, and do not expect to be affected at all. Production treatment varies internationally, not least because cultures do too, but internationally by any assessment, the 'Strictly' dance show is an completely unprecedented entertainment phenomenon. Each week (commonly Saturday nights) the show features the pairs dancing to a live dance band, in front of a live audience (each dance is about 90 seconds). Blended with and between the actual dancing performances is film footage of each couple's practising during the week 'on location', often to a theme, plus comments and reactions from the celebrities - rather oddly scripted, perhaps to appeal to extremely young children as well as adults - as they struggle with and/or relish the challenges of the dance style and choreography, or ride donkeys on a beach, or dress as clowns in a circus. This is not a universally popular part of the show, and deters many dance enthusiasts from watching the show, but it is perhaps necessary to keep astronomical production costs to a justifiable level. During the show performances a panel of (typically) four dance-expert judges award points for each dance. The judges also offer criticism and/or plaudits to the celebrities. The judges' scores and comments have little influence on the ensuing public voting. One couple is eliminated weekly from the show (commonly Sunday nights), from a shortlist of the two pairs polling the lowest public votes by TV audience phone/online voting, and ultimately by the panel of judges, after a 'dance-off' between the two pairings. Public voting is not always based on dance ability and performance - instead often on personality and popularity or novelty - although the judges do apply genuinely expert objective assessment, and generally the best dancer wins the competition at the end of each season/series, which happens in the final show, when all but two or three couples have been eliminated. The name of the original BBC 'Strictly Come Dancing' version of the TV show was derived as a combination and reference to BBC TV's serious 1960s ballroom dance show 'Come Dancing', and more meaningfully to an Australian comedy-drama about ballroom dancing - a 1984 play and later the popular 1992 film, both directed by Baz Luhrmann, called 'Strictly Ballroom'. The play/film 'Strictly Ballroom' provides another wonderful illustration of how dance and its development relates to life: 'Strictly Ballroom' tells a story about a small dance school and its human history, its politics and passions. Central to the story, the leading male character Scott Hastings (played by Paul Mercurio) dares to innovate new interpretations of dance that are 'not strictly ballroom' in striving for greatness and becoming a dance champion. Specifically he is inspired by his novice Spanish partner Fran (played by Tara Morice), and her family, to incorporate traditional Paso Doble movements into their choreographed routine. It is appropriate that the 'Strictly Ballroom' play/film - which is the origin of the 'Strictly' term that is now synonymous with dance all around the world - so poignantly and aptly reflects the relevance of dance to life, and life to dance. Tarantella - The Tarantella is an good example of dance reflecting and being influenced by human culture: The Tarantella is a very lively whirling dance of Southern Italy, originating in the late 1700s in the historic sea port of Taranto. The dance was named after 'tarantism' - in Italian 'tarantismo' - a psychological illness prevalent in Southern Italy from the 15th to 17th centuries (named from the port Taranto), characterized by an extreme compulsion to dance wildly and whirlingly, thought caused by the bite of the large black wolf spider of the region, in turn named the tarantula, which is also the derivation of the name of the different tarantula (bird-eating) spider species of the tropical Americas. During the 1600s the Tarantella dance was believed to be a cure (as well as confusingly a symptom) for the tarantism illness, presumably because victims would eventually slump into a rest, having danced themselves to exhaustion. Tchaikovsky - Pyotr Tchaikovsky - Russian composer Tchaikovsky (1840-93) is the most famous and significant composer of Classical Ballet music of the 19th century. Tchaikovsky wrote the three most popular Ballet music scores (musical accompaniments) of all time, and this achievement will probably never be eclipsed. The Ballets are: Swan Lake, The Sleeping Beauty, and The Nutcracker. Even people who know nothing about ballet and Tchaikovsky will recognise some of the the music from these ballets, and sections of these musical works are among the best known classical music in history; in fact among the best known music of any genre, in history. Tchaikovsky worked on the the Sleeping Beauty and The Nutcracker under very tight instruction from choreographer Marius Pepita. Pepita also gave instruction to Tchaikovsky revise the score for the remaking of the Swan Lake Ballet, which is the version most commonly performed. Tchaikovsky composed music for very many other famous and popularly performed ballets, and music that has retrospectively been used for ballet. Tchaikovsky was a prolific composer of other hugely popular classical music too, quite aside from ballet. Tchaikovsky's died suddenly age 53 in 1893, mostly thought to be from cholera. Travestie - En Travestie - Travestie is from Greek, referring to a man playing a woman's role in a play or dance. The Travestie concept in dance offers lessons, and opens realisations and discussions, about gender and equality, in deeply meaningful ways. The root words 'tra' and 'vest' essentially mean across and dress, similar to the term 'cross-dressing'. En Travestie refers in Classical Ballet to a man playing the part of, and dressing, as a woman. The history of this is fascinating: Ancient Greece was an early example of a civilization which prohibited women appearing on stage. Incidentally women were also banned from the original Olympic Games in Greece, so this was not just a stage policy, and as we all know, men have subjugated and abused women in all sorts of shockingly bad and shameful ways throughout time everywhere, and continue to do so in many ways. Other societies through the ages - notably Japan - see Kabuki Dance, and Western Europe - adopted similar attitudes and laws as the Ancient Greeks, so that the tradition of female impersonation in entertainment became normal. The Christian Church in Europe was a major force in establishing these female bans. In Shakespeare's plays for example men commonly played the parts of women. We see the custom continuing - albeit for entirely ironic and comedic effect - in UK Pantomime theatre in modern times. Burlesque and parody have for hundreds of years been common aspects in the use of Travestie. Travestie shows in modern times feature transgender artists and female impersonators in Germany, and other parts of Europe where the entertainment is replicated/exported. The English word transvestite is from exactly this German etymological (word history) origin. The English word travesty (absurd, especially an injustice), originally in the 1600s meant 'dressed to appear ridiculous', later evolving to mean a false or distorted nonsense, and then much later an absurd (decision, injustice, etc), and again the word travesty is from the same 'cross-dress' Greek origin. In modern times the Travestie concept/terminology also applies to reversal of gender, i.e., women playing the parts, and dressing as, males. Fascinating huh... It's all in dance.. all of human life - you name it, and you will find lessons and stories about it in dance. Unitard - An all-in-one leotard and tights, worn by some dancers. I want one. Fluorescent yellow with purple spots. The Wave/Mexican Wave - This modern phenomenon of human movement is included because by traditional dance definitions 'The Wave' is not a dance, but by more sophisticated criteria The Wave is a dance. The Wave (outside the USA, 'Mexican Wave', or Spanish 'La Ola') is a coordinated movement - technically a metachronal rhythm or metachronal wave - of thousands of people in an audience at an all-seater stadium - so that people in vertical sections of the crowd stand, arms lifted, and then sit again, so that a wave effect travels around the stadium. The Wave effect was first seen in US sports stadiums in the 1970s, and reached a global audience when seen in TV coverage of the 1986 FIFA World Cup tournament in Mexico, hence the Mexican Wave name outside USA. There is no musical accompaniment, but The Wave is certainly a highly coordinated cooperative choreographed bodily movement, which produces a very pleasing sensual effect for participants and observers. There may additionally be a vocalized synchronized sound accompaniment from the participating crowd. So The Wave meets most qualifying definitions of a dance. Interestingly a successful Wave has involved a crowd up to 210,000 participants. Waves are typically about 15 seats (deep) and move clockwise at c.12m/s (40ft/s), equating to c.22 seats/second. Y.M.C.A. - The 1970s YMCA hit song produced one of the most popular and enduring dances in history. The YMCA dance simply uses the arms to shape the letters of the 'Y-M-C-A' song chorus parts. The YMCA arm movements can be performed seated, which adds to the dance's popularity, notably at sports/stadium events. It's also a dance that even tiny children can learn, conceivably before they can walk. It is perhaps possible that a monkey could be taught this dance. It is that easy and accessible. Commonly dancers exhibit all manner of accompanying body/leg movements, especially dads and grandads at weddings. The song YMCA (technically Y.M.C.A.) was released in 1978 by US disco group Village People, reaching US number 2 and UK number 1 in early 1979. YMCA is one of fewer than forty songs to sell over 10million physical copies globally - and probably for ever, given 21st century digitized music downloading/streaming. Interestingly the original YMCA TV video features the band dancing in their trademark costumes (Native American Indian, biker, construction worker, etc) but significantly not the famous YMCA arm gestures routine that soon exploded onto dancefloors everywhere, and remains one of the most danced movements globally. In fact it might be the most danced movement ever. The YMCA arm gestures dance is said to have arisen 'accidentally' on Dick Clark's American Bandstand TV show, 6 January 1979. This is a good example of the organic social nature of dance development: Reportedly while Village People performed the song on the show, Dick Clark pointed lead-singer/co-writer Victor Willis to the audience using the YMCA arm gestures. Various sources suggest that Clark asked Willis, "Victor, think you can work this dance into your routine?" And Willis replied, "I think we're gonna have to." The group's previous choreographed dance, which also featured in the video, showed the group merely clapping above their heads during the chorus. Ironically the original TV video gave little attention to the band dancing in the chorus, instead it showed lots of a YMCA sign, and certainly made no attempt to promote a dance during the chorus. A credible explanation by some commentators/analysts for the audience's innovation of the arm gestures is that the group's initial movement in preparation for clapping above the heads resembles a 'Y' shape, and the audience took their lead from this. Whatever, it's certain that the YMCA arm gestures dance was not devised by the group or a choreographer - instead it developed organically, among ordinary people, responding to the words and music. This is extraordinary, considering how quickly and deeply embedded and widespread the dance became. Incidentally the YMCA dance was listed in the Guinness World Book of Records when over 44,000 people danced to a live performance of the song by Village People at the 2008 Sun Bowl game in El Paso, Texas. 12. AcknowledgementsThis free guide to dance article has been produced with the help of City Academy , the London-based creative and performing arts training company, and from Maria Hennings Hunt, founder of the Dance Generation dance school, also of London, and this help is gratefully acknowledged. I am open to comments, suggestions and contributions as we continue to develop this introductory guide to dance. City AcademyCity Academy is a highly innovative London-based creative and performing arts training company founded in 2007. City Academy offers courses and training in performing arts, especially dance, in many of London's most famous theatres. They specialise in the use of performing arts as a teambuilding and motivational activity in organizations, and continue to pioneer research in the benefits of dance in life and work. City Academy's help in producing this dance article is gratefully acknowledged. Dance GenerationMaria Hennings Hunt began teaching dance in 1997 after a successful career in publishing. She was initially taught by the famous Peggy Spencer MBE, before qualifying as a dance teacher with the IDTA. She founded the popular London-based Dance Generation dance school in 2003. Maria is an internationally renowned choreographer, and besides running her own dance school, has been a teacher for Len Goodman (Goodman Dance Academy) since 2004. Her help in producing this free guide to dance is greatly appreciated. Dance AssociationsInternational Dance Teachers Association (IDTA) Brighton, UK - www.idta.co.uk The International Dance Teachers' Association is a leading global dance institute for dance standards and accreditations, and a primary qualifications awarding body and membership association for professional dance teachers, covering all main dance forms. Imperial Society of Teachers of Dancing (ISTD) London, UK - www.istd.org The Imperial Society of Teachers of Dancing is a world leading organization for dance standards, qualifications, examinations and membership, across all the main dance forms. One Dance UK London, UK - www.onedanceuk.org One Dance UK is the national body for dance in the UK. British Dance Council London, UK - www.bdconline.org The British Dance Council is the governing body for all forms of Ballroom, Latin American, and Disco and freestyle dancing throughout the UK, specializing in formulating and administering the rules for competition dancing. All competitions in Great Britain are governed by these rules. Royal Academy of Dance London, UK - https://www.royalacademyofdance.org/ The Royal Academy of Dance is one of the world’s most influential dance education and professional membership organizations. The RAD sets global standards for exams in classical ballet, teacher training and Continuing Professional Development for dance. British Association of Teachers of Dancing Glasgow, Scotland, UK - www.batd.co.uk The British Association of Teachers of Dance is a UK-based dance examination board. World Dance Council Marchtrenk, Austria - www.wdcdance.com The WDC is the world authority for Professional Dancing incorporating Professional Competitive Dancing, Dance Schools and Dance Teachers. International Dance Council c/o UNESCO, Paris, France - www.cid-portal.org CID is the official umbrella organization for all forms of dance in all countries of the world. Wheelchair Dance Sport Association Watford, Herts, UK - www.wdsauk.co.uk The UK organization for development, standards, competition, membership, etc., for wheelchair dancing and DanceSport. Dance USA Washington, USA - www.danceusa.org Dance USA is a membership organization serving hundreds of US dance companies and related organizations. International Dance Organization Web: https://www.ido-dance.com The International Dance Organization (IDO), is a World Dance- and Dancesport Federation with a membership of over 90 nations, representing more than 250,000 dancers across all continents. International Dance Federation Web: https://www.idfdance.com The International Dance Federation is a non-profit making organisation aimed at supporting various forms of dance and dance sport at international level. World Dance Sport Federation Sant Cugat, Spain - www.worlddancesport.org The World Dance Sport Federation is the world governing body for DanceSport. Experts/dance schools contributors to this free dance guideCity Academy City Academy, London - www.city-academy.com City Academy is an innovative developer and provider of performing arts training and services. They are specialists in many aspects of dance - for individuals, groups and corporate situations. Dance Generation Dance Generation, London - www.dancegeneration.co.uk Dance Generation was founded by Maria Hennings Hunt in in 2003. Maria's dance school provides expert, friendly, and highly personal dance classes and teaching, including dance teacher training and qualifications. Related Materials
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