DANCE

I. PRELIMINARY ACTIVITY

WATCH THE DANCE PRESENTATIONA. WHAT IS IT THAT DANCERS ARE TRYING TO TELL THE AUDIENCE?B. MAKE A COMMENT ON HOW THE DANCERS PRESENT THE MESSAGE..C. ARE THE DANCERS GRACEFUL ENOUGH IN THEIR MOVEMENT? DESCRIBE

THEIR BODY MOVEMENTS.D. ARE MOVEMENTS OF DANCERS IN HARMONY WITH THE BEATING OF MUSIC?E. CHOREOGRAPHY. DO YOU THINK THE DANCERS ARE PREPARED ENOUGH FOR

THE PRESENTATION? HOW MANY FORMATIONS DO THEY HAVE? WHAT ARE THEIR HAND MOVEMENTS?

F. DO THE COSTUME AND SCENERY CONFORM THE TYPE OF DANCE BEING PRESENTED? DESCRIBE THE COSTUME AND SCENERY OF THE DANCE

PRESENTATION

DANCE

Dance is patterned and rhythmic

bodily movements, usually

performed to music, that serve as a form of communication or

expression. Human beings express themselves naturally through

movement.

DANCE AND THE HUMAN BODY

DDANCE AND THE HUMAN BODY

The body can perform such actions as

rotating, bending, stretching, jumping, and turning. By varying these physical actions and using different dynamics, human beings can devise an infinite number of body movements. Out of the range of movements that the body is capable of performing, every culture emphasizes certain features in its dance styles.

The ordinary potential of the body can beexpanded in dance, usually through longperiods of specialized training. In ballet, forexample, the dancer exercises to rotate, orturn out, the legs at the hips, making itpossible to lift the leg high. In India, somedancers learn to choreograph their eyeballsand eyebrows. Costuming can extend thebody's capabilities. Toe or pointedshoes, stilts, and flying harnesses are a few ofthe artificial aids employed by dancers.

The primary elements of dance include

1. THEME

THE MESSAGE BEING PORTRAYED BY THE DANCERS

2. DESIGN

REFERS TO THE SKETCH HOW THE MESSAGE IS TO BE

PRESENTED BY THE DANCERS. THIS INCLUDES

MOVEMENT, RHYTHM, BEAT, TIME AND SPACE.

3. MOVEMENT

4. TECHNIQUE

THIS IS THE ACTION OF THE DANCERS, THE MOTION OF THEFEET, THE SWINGING OF THE ARMS, TURNING OF THE HEADAND EVEN FACIAL EXPRESSION AND GESTURES TO INDICATE

FEELING SUCH AS ANGER, HAPPINESS AND OTHERS.

THE MASTERY OF THE DANCERS IN PERFORMING THE MOVEMENTMASTERY INCLUDES THE KEEPING OF THE GRACE IN DOING THE ACTIONS, WHICH IS ALWAYS GOVERNED BY THE THEME

OF THE DANCE.

5. MUSIC

6. COSTUME AND PROPERTIES

THIS SERVES AS THE BACKGROUND OF THE DANCERS TO ADDBEAUTY OF THE PRESENTATION. IT SERVES AS GUIDE OR

MOTIVATION OF THE DANCERS.

COSTUME HELPS THE AUDIENCE INTERPRET THE MESSAGEOF THE DANCE. THIS INCLUDES WEAPONS SUCH AS SPEAR AND

SHIELD, WHICH MAY SIGNIFY PERIODS AND REGIONS.

7. CHOREOGRAPHY

Choreography, the art of composing dances; also, the movements and patterns of a dance composition. Choreography can refer to the anonymously created patterns

of folk dance and non-Western classical dance; most typically the term refers to

specially composed theatrical dance.

A choreographer must accommodate therequirements ofmusic, costume, decor, and sometimes thechoice of dancers. Sometimes preexistingmusic is used; sometimes music is newlycommissioned, in which case thechoreographer may choose to work closelywith the composer.Similarly, choreographers may becomedeeply involved with creating thestory, designing decor and costumes, andplanning lighting.

• Choreographers must know the technique andmovements of their dance idiom. Familiarity withother dance styles is useful; for example, a balletchoreographer is aided by having a knowledge ofvarious folk dances, historical dance, andelements of modern dance and jazz dance.Knowing other kinds of body movement is alsohelpful, such as acrobatics, pantomime andgesture, motions of fighting, and athletics.Historically, choreographers learned their artthrough long apprenticeship. In the 20th centurysuch apprenticeship is sometimes supplementedby the formal study of dance composition.

Dance and the Human Mind

Besides giving physical pleasure, dancing canhave psychological effects. Feelings and ideascan be expressed and communicated; sharingrhythms and movements can make a groupfeel unified. In some societies, dancing oftenleads to trance or other altered states ofconsciousness. These states can be interpretedas signaling possession by spirits, or they maybe sought as a means to emotional release.

A state of trance may enable peopleto perform remarkable feats ofstrength, endurance, or danger, such asdancing through hot coals. In somesocieties shamans dance in trance in orderto heal others physically or emotionally.The modern field of dance therapydeveloped as a means to help peopleexpress themselves and relate to others.

KINDS OF DANCE

1.) dances forparticipation, which do notneed spectators; and2.) dances forpresentation, which aredesigned for an audience.

Presentational dances are often performedin royal courts,temples, or theaters;the dancers may beprofessionals, andthe dance may beconsidered art. Themovements tend tobe relatively difficultand requirespecialized training.

Dances for participationinclude work dances, someforms of religiousdance, and recreationaldances such as folk dancesand popular, orsocial, dances. To ensurethat everyone in acommunity can take part inthem, such dances oftenconsist of repetitive steppatterns that are easy tolearn.

Dance often occurs at rites of passage, orceremonies performed when an individualpasses from one role to another.Thus, birth, initiation, graduation, marriage, succession to political office, and death may bemarked by dancing. Dance may also be a partof courtship. In some societies dances may bethe only events at which young people ofdifferent sexes can meet. In contemporarysociety, dances also provide importantoccasions for young people to socialize.

Dance and Society

Work too may be in the form ofdance. Rhythmic movements maymake the work go more quickly andefficiently, as in Japanese rice-plantingdances. Dance is an art form in somecultures, and in the 20th century somedances that originated as elaboratereligious rituals or courtentertainments have been adapted tothe theater.

HISTORY OF DANCE

The Greeks admired dancing, including it among the activities fostered by their art, religion, and philosophy. Greek warrior or pyrrhic dances were part of military training. Religious dances, especially those honoring Dionysus, the god of wine, are belThe ancient Romans are known especially for their development of pantomime. Although professional Roman dancers, pantomimists, jugglers, and acrobats worked as traveling entertainers, dance degenerated under the Romans, some of whom saw it as immoral.Written as well as visual evidence of dance has survived from the ancient civilizations of the Mediterranean region and the Middle East. Egyptian tombs depict people who seem to be dancers, often in acrobatic positions such as backbends; these figures probably represent professional entertainers

who were slaves. Dancing was essential to agricultural and religious festivals such as the dance-rituals enacting the cyclic death and rebirth of the god Osiris (symbolizing the seasonal cycle of the Nile).

The Greeks admired dancing, including it among the activities fostered by their art, religion, and philosophy. Greek warrior or pyrrhic dances were part of military training. Religious dances, especially those honoring Dionysus, the god of wine, are believed to be the origin of the dance in Greek drama. In tragedy, the chorus used symbolic gestures and dance steps to accompanythe spoken or sung verse.

The ancient Romans are known especially for their development of pantomime. Although professional Roman dancers, pantomimists, jugglers, and acrobats worked as traveling entertainers, dance degenerated under the Romans, some of whom saw it as immoral.

MEDIEVAL EUROPEThe Christian church, which dominated the European Middle Ages, disapproved of dancing. Dancing continued among the people, however, both in communal festivals and as entertainment. Variations of medieval peasant dances continue today as folk dances. Some peasant dances, taken over and adapted by the aristocracy, became courtly social dances that in turn evolved into ballet.

BALLET AND MODERN DANCE

• Ballet originated in the courts of Italy and France during the Renaissance, becoming primarily a professional discipline by the late 17th century. Since that time, even though its style and subject matter continue to evolve, it has remained a major art form of Western culture. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries the American dancers Isadora Duncan and Ruth St. Denis rebelled against ballet. In Europe the Swiss educator Émile Jaques-Dalcroze, the Hungarian dancer Rudolf von Laban, and the German dancer Mary Wigman also experimented with new ways of expression. The work of these modern dance pioneers led to the development of important new dance idiom.

• Modern Dance, tradition of theatricaldance unique to the 20th century.Modern dance flourished in areasthat lacked strong ballettraditions, such as in the UnitedStates where ballet companies wereimported from Europe. Althoughmodern dance originated inEurope, by 1930 the United Stateshad become the center for danceexperimentation. Many early moderndances were miniatures—solos ofhighly compressed effect. They wereunlike anything known, for dance atthat time was dominated by late19th-century ballets, which werecharacterized by large casts, a greatvariety of dance numbers, andspectacular scenic effects. But balletitself was not always so monumentalin scale, and just as ballet hasevolved over the centuries as achanging tradition, so also hasmodern dance during its shorterperiod of existence.

FOLK DANCE• A participatory dance form, folk dance is usually

traditional and performed by members of a community. Although not easy to define, the term seems best to fit those dances originated by agricultural peoples for secular and sometimes ritual purposes, in countries that also have an art form of dance. The Balkan kolo, English morris dance, and North American square dance (see Kolo; Morris Dance; Square Dance) are examples, as are Maypole dances and the different kinds of sword dance. Folk dances are usually group forms that are passed from one generation to another. Some folk dances, however, are not traditional; many Israeli folk dances, for example, were choreographed in the 20th century in the style of European folk dances, to serve similar purposes (see Hora). Today, folk dances are frequently performed onstage, for which they are usually adapted for presentation to an audience.

POPULAR OR SOCIAL DANCESome recreational dance forms, especially inindustrialized societies, are termed populardances or social dances. In that they are forparticipation, are relatively easy to learn, andgenerally originate from the people rather thanfrom a choreographer, they resemble folkdances. Unlike most folk dances, these socialdances tend to be couple dances and arepopular only for a short time.The social dances of the nobility in the MiddleAges, Renaissance, and baroque eras werederived from folk dances. In the late 18th and19th centuries, with the growth of the middleclass, social dancing expanded beyond thearistocracy and, as ballroom dance, becamepopular in Europe and North America. Thewaltz and polka of the peasants, like dances ofearlier eras, became transformed into socialdances.

THEATRICAL DANCE• The 20th-century social dances, as well as the

innovations in ballet and moderndance, influenced the growth of dance inmotion pictures and musicals. In Hollywoodthe American choreographer Busby Berkeleycreated elaborate group productionnumbers, and the American dancers FredAstaire and Ginger Rogers combined ballroomand tap dancing. The groundbreaking dancesequences in Oklahoma! (1943), in whichAmerican choreographer Agnes de Milleintegrated dance into the plot, inspired othersto create a larger role for dance in musicals. InWest Side Story (1957), choreographed by theAmerican ballet master Jerome Robbins, dancewas for the first time the vehicle throughwhich much of the musical's plot wasexpressed. In the 1970s dance became evenmore important on Broadway in shows such asA Chorus Line (1975) and Dancin' (1978). Seealso Jazz Dance; Musical or Musical Comedy.

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ASIAN CLASSICAL DANCE

• Drama, music, and dance are closelyinterrelated in Asia. Frequently relying onsymbolic gestures, masks or elaboratemakeup, and magnificent costumes, Asiandances often narrate stories based onmythology, historical events, and legends.Performances may last for many hours.

INDIA• In India, classical dance forms that

almost disappeared have beenrevived on the basis of oldmanuscript descriptions and oftemple carvings depicting dancepositions. Dance-dramas and solodance forms based on the Hinduepics draw on symbolic handgestures called mudras. Many ofIndia's folk dances share specificcharacteristics with the morerefined classical dances. See alsoIndian Dance.

JAPAN• Japan is rich in folk dances,

many of them of a religious nature. In addition, Japan possesses two major forms of dance-drama, nō and kabuki.nō, about 500 years old, is an extremely slow-paced dance and opera form full of symbolic meanings. Kabuki, developed in the 17th century, is a more popular form in which many theatrical devices are used. See also Japanese Music; Japanese Drama.

CHINA• Peking opera is the best-known

genre of Chinese dance-drama.Developed in the mid-19thcentury from earlier varieties ofChinese opera, it includesspectacular acrobatics as animportant part of the action. Inthe 1950s the Chinesegovernment began promotingproductions based on Europeanballet and emphasizing themesrelevant to China's contemporarypolitical and social environment.See also Chinese Music.

INDONESIA• In Indonesia, especially

in Java, graceful femaledancers formerlyentertained royalty withrefined forms of courtdance; they lived atcourt, and their danceswere not seen by thepublic. In Bali, maskeddramas with kings andclowns, wardances, and spirit-possession dancesremain a part of villagelife. See also IndonesianDance.

FILIPINO DANCES

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• The following are examples of popular Philippine folk dances:

• Binasuan - Originated in PangasinanProvince “meaning with the use of drinking glasses”, this vibrant dance basically shows off balancing skill of the performers. Glasses filled with rice wine are placed on the head and on each hand carefully maneuvered with graceful movements. This dance is common in weddings, fiestas and special occasions.

• Pandanggo sa Ilaw - The word pandanggocomes from the Spanish dance “fandango”characterized with lively steps and clapping while following a varying ¾ beat. Pandanggo requires excellent balancing skill to maintain the stability of three tinggoy, or oil lamps, placed on head and at the back of each hand. This famous dance of grace and balance originated from Lubang Island, Mindoro.

• Rigodon - Originated from Spain, this dance is commonly performed at formal affairs like inaugural balls where prominent members of the government participate and enjoy.

• Maria Clara - Maria Clara is the main female character in Jose Rizal’s Noli Me Tangere -a literary piece that features the colonial situation of the Filipinos during the Spanish regime. She was characterized as a Filipina woman of virtue and nobility. This dance is a mix of Spanish gracefulness and customized native props, such as bamboo castanets and Asian fan. Female dancers wear Maria Clara dress that typifies the European style, while men are in barong tagalog, a traditional Filipino embroidered long-sleeve shirt made of pineapple fiber.

• Cariñosa - Cariñosa is a word that describes an affectionate, friendly and lovable woman. This dance is performed in flirtatious manner with fans and handkerchiefs to assist the dancers’ hide-and-seek movements.

• Maglalatik - Originally performed in Binan, Laguna as a mock-war dance that demonstrates a fight between the Moros and the Christians over the prized latik or coconut meat during the Spanish rule, this dance is also shown to pay tribute to the town’s patron saint, San Isidro Labrador. It has a four-part performance such as the palipasan and the baligtaranshowing the intense battle, the paseo and the escaramusa- the reconciliation. Moro dancers wear read trousers while the Christian dancers show up in blue. All dancers are male; with harnesses of coconut shells attached on their chests, backs, thighs and hips.

• Tinikling - Tinnikling is considered the national folkdance with a pair of dancers hopping between two bamboo poles held just above the ground and struck together in time to music. Originated from Leyte Province, this dance is in fact a mimic movement of “tiklingbirds” hopping over trees, grass stems or over bamboo traps set by farmers. Dancers perform this dance with remarkable grace and speed jumping between bamboo poles.

• La Jota Manileña - It is adance named after thecapital city of thePhilippines, Manila, where an adaptation ofCastilian Jota afloatswith the clacking ofbamboo castanetsplayed by the dancersthemselves. Thecostume and thegraceful movements ofthe performersnoticeably inspired bySpanish Culture.

• PasiginOrigin: Pasig

• A dance interpreting toil in the life of the fishermen in the river called Pasig. Manifesting the native means of catching the fish.

• Sublian - The term “subli” is from two tagalog words “subsub” meaning falling on head and “bali”, which means broken. Hence, the dancers appear to be lame and crooked throughout the dance. This version is originally a ritual dance of the natives of Bauan, Batangas, which is shown during fiestas as a ceremonial worship dance to the town’s icon, the holy cross.

• Itik-itik - According to history of this dance, a young woman named Kanang (short for Cayetana) happened to be the best performer in the province of Surigao del Norte. At one baptismal reception, she was asked to dance the Sibay, and began improvising her steps in the middle of her performance imitating the movements of an “itik”, a duck, as it walks with choppy steps and splashes water on its back while attracting its mate. Because of its unusual steps and fascinating interpretation, the audience began imitating her.

• Pantomina - Meaning "Dance of the Doves", this dance is the highlight of Sorsogon’sKasanggayahan Festival every third week of October. Groups of participants, mainly elderly in colourfulcostumes, dance to the tune of Pantomina song. It is a courtship dance originated from immitating the courtship and lovemaking of doves that then showed during the dance where men attempt to please the women.

• Sakuting - Originated in Abra, this dance interprets a mock fight between IlokanoChristians and non-Christians with training sticks as props. It is traditionally performed during Christmas at the town plaza or from house-to-house as a caroling show. As a return, the dancers receive presents or money locally known as “aguinaldo”.

• Jota ManileñaOrigin: Manila

• A dance that originated in the capital city around the 19th century. Like the other Jotas in Philippine folk dances, this is an adaptation of the Castillian Jota, but the castanets are made of bamboo and are only held, not fastened, to the fingers. It is recognizably Iberian in flavor.

• DugsoTribe: TalaindigOrigin: Bukidnon

• A dance of thanksgiving.

• Bagobo Rice Cycle

• This Bagobo tribal dance protraysthe cycle of planting and harvesting of rice.

BinaylanTribe: HigaononOrigin: Agusan

The Bagobo tribe from the central uplands of Mindanao originated this dance which imitates the movement of a

hen, her banog, or baby chicks, and a hawk. The hawk

is sacred, and it is believed that the hawk has the power

over the well-being of the tribe. The hawk tries to

capture one of the chicks and is killed by the hunters.

• Kadal Tahaw - Tibolidance- south cotabato A tribal dance performed by Tiboli tribe, this dance that mimics the hopping and flying behavior of Tahaw bird is performed to celebrate good harvest.

• Kuratsa - Commonly performed during festivals in Bohol and other Visayan towns, this dance portrays a young playful couple’s attempt to get each other’s attention. It is performed in a moderate waltz style.

• Pangalay-Zamboanga Del Sur A muslim dance. Originally performed by wealthy families during a wedding celebration, this fingernail dance is now a popular festival dance in Sulu.

•

• BangaTribe: Kalinga

"Banga" literally mean pots. The Banga or pot dance is a contemporary performance of Kalinga of the Mountain Province in the Philippines. This dance illustrate the languid grace of a tribe otherwise known as fierce warriors. Heavy earthen pots, as many as seven or eight at a time, are balanced on the heads of maidens as they trudge to the beat of the "gangsa" or wind chimes displaying their stamina and strength as they go about their daily task of fetching water and balancing the banga.

• Salisid - Kalinga, Cordillera This is a courtship dance that symbolizes a rooster trying to attract the attention of a hen. This is performed and portrayed by both male and female dancers as the rooster and hen respectively. The dance starts when each of them are given a piece of cloth known as "ayob" or "allap".

WATCH A DANCE PRESENTATION

• APPRECIATE THE DANCE BY ANSWERING THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS:

A. THEME. WHAT IS IT THAT DANCERS ARE TRYING TO TELL THE AUDIENCE?

B. DESIGN. MAKE A COMMENT ON HOW THE DANCERS PRESENT THE MESSAGE.

C. TECHNIQUE. ARE THE DANCERS GRACEFUL ENOUGH IN THEIR MOVEMENT? DESCRIBE THEIR BODY MOVEMENTS.

D. ARE MOVEMENTS OF DANCERS IN HARMONY WITH THE BEATING OF MUSIC?

E. CHOREOGRAPHY. DO YOU THINK THE DANCERS ARE PREPARED ENOUGH FOR THE PRESENTATION? HOW MANY FORMATIONS DO THEY HAVE? WHAT ARE THEIR HAND MOVEMENTS?

F. DO THE COSTUME AND SCENERY CONFORM THE TYPE OF DANCE BEING PRESENTED?

DESCRIBE THE COSTUME AND SCENERY OF THE DANCE PRESENTATION.

Other Philippine Ethnic Dances:

• Banog - Cordillera In this dance, performers portray hunters shielding their chickens from the famishing hawk. The hawk ends up entrapped and dies in the hands of hunters.

• Palok - Kalinga, Cordillera - A tribal dance. The natives of Kalinga perform this dance in most of their social events. Male dancers hold gangsa or gong- a percussion instrument made of copper, and beat it with wooden stick.

• Lumagen - Kalinga, Cordillera A tribal dance. This is a traditional thanksgiving dance by the Kalinga tribe performed to celebrate good harvest and events such as birth of first-born child, victory in battles and weddings.

• Idudu- Abra, Cordillera A tribal dance. This dance stages a common family life in the Itneg or Tinguian society. It illustrates the family as the main foundation of the tribe’s community. Several traits of an ordinary family are shown. It depicts a father plowing the field while the mother caring for the children. But as soon as the father finishes work, the mother takes over on planting, sowing and all the remaining chores to do in the field. At this time the father is left to take care of the kids. During the dance a Local singer breaks into an Idudu or lullaby to put the baby to sleep. Idudu, a dance taken from Idudu lullaby, obviously portrays the different roles in a Tinguian family

• Dinuyya - Cordillera Ifugao dance Famous in the Ifugao region, this dance is regularly staged during festivals in Lagawe. Three kinds of gong instruments such as, ordinary gongs, tobtob- a brass gong played by beating with open palms and, hibat, a kind of gong played by beating the inner surface with a softwood are used in this dance.

• Bendayan - Benguet This dance, which is more known as Bendian, is performed to commemorate the arrival of headhunters in their district. Performers dance in a circle and show off their lively traditional steps.

• Binaylan - Agusan This is a ritual dance, which originated from the Bagobotribe living in the central uplands of Mindanao, imitating the movements of a hen, her banog or baby chicks, and a hawk. The hawk is sacred and is believed that it has the power over the well being of the tribe. The hawk tries to capture one of the baby chicks and is killed by the hunters.

• Malakas at maganda - Leyte A Tribal dance. This dance depicts the birth of the first man and woman who came out of a bamboo tree. It has been said that the woman named “maganda” (beautiful) and the first man “malakas” (strong) are the parents of the whole community in the island. The dance demonstrates how a bird discovered the noise coming from the inside of the bamboo and perched until it opened. A man and a woman came out of the big bamboo tree and, the birth of this legendary couple is amusingly interpreted in this dance.

• Burung-Talo - Sulu The dance is a unique fighting dance in a form of martial arts by the Tausugtribe. Performers demonstrate a battle between hawk and a cat. With their acrobatic movements and tough facial expressions, this dance is highlighted with the accompanying energetic beat of drums and gongs.

• Kadal-Blelah- South Cotabato A tribal dance where in the dancers perform simulation of movements of birds.

• Sayaw sa Cuyo - Palawan Cuyo is a small island and capital of Palawan. There, the feast day of St. Augustin is traditionally celebrated with parades, processions and small performances by groups coming from all over Cuyo Island and the nearby islets. Island dances, blended with strong Old Cuyo ethnicity and Spanish-influenced steps, are all brought out when Cuyo celebrates its festivals. Today, pretty young girls daintily swirl hats to the waltz and other European steps designed to bring out the freshness and glow of the performers.

• Karatong - Palawan A Muslim dance. During the festival of San Agustine in the island of Cuyo, the celebration also includes the blossoming of mango trees. The parade starts from the church patio and ends at the town plaza with ladies waving their colorful props “Bunga mangga” that symbolize the flowers of mango tree, while men lively strike their karatong instruments; creating a scene of joy among reveling towns folk.

• Dugso - Bukidnon A thanksgiving dance from the talaindig tribe.

• Gayong-gayong - Capiz -A Muslim dance. In rural gatherings, this dance offers much fun. Gayong is a pet name for Leodegario. According to the legend and to the words of the song, Gayong and Masiong (pet name for Dalmacio) once attended a feast commemorating the death of a townsman. While eating, Masiong choked on a piece of Adobo so he called, "Gayong! Gayong!" to ask for help to dislodge a bone from the Adobo meal from his throat. In this dance, Masiong’s liking for feasts and the consequence of his gluttony are held up to playful ridicule.

• Kapa Malong-Malong - Cotabato A Muslim dance. This Maranao dance is performed with women wearing malong and shawl, mantle or head piece, whereas men wear sash or waist band, shorts or bahag and head gear or turban traditionally worn in the fields.

• Pagapir - Lanao del Sur This dance is usually performed to commence an important affair. Dancers of this dance are usually from the royal court or high society group of Lanao Province. They use apir or fan to coordinate with their small steps called kini-kini, which symbolizes their good manners and prominent family background.