2. Introduction
• Have you ever tried watching a dance routine
without understanding what is happening in
the performance?
• Have you completed a whole dance show and
could not even remember a thing or two about
it?
• How can a dance become a good dance?
3. Introduction
• When a certain dance performance has poor
dance choreography, it is difficult for it to be
understood and appreciated.
• When a dance fails to communicate its intended
meaning or if it does not have a meaning or
significance at all, it is hard for the audience to
grasp the content of the performance.
4. What makes a good dance?
- It displays a significant meaning or conveys a
message.
- It portrays life experiences.
- It may be presented abstractly and symbolically but
still convey emotion and meaning.
- It lifts and transports the audience from their seats
during the performance.
5. What makes a good dance?
- It has a beginning, middle and end/conclusion.
- The beginning of a dance may come in a form of
shape, a pose, or an entrance.
- The middle consists of a development or the
exploration of the main idea.
- The ending/conclusion should be clear and may be in
a form of a shape, a pose or an exit.
6. What makes a good dance?
- Whether it is sports, music, or dance, dance must
have a form brought to their elements by means
of orderly arrangement, meaning and purpose.
- There must be a sense of direction.
- It must have a shape or form for its choreography
to be effective.
7. What is a form?
- It is the instrument by which ideas and elements are
arranged or combined into a logical sequence which
results in unity and consistency, and by means of
which the content or idea can be expressed and
communicated.
- It is the organizing factor of any work or dance
composition.
8. What is a form?
- It should progresses through time from
the beginning to the end of the
choreography. Each section is composed
of several units that are smoothly
connected to each other. These units are
called phrases.
9. What is a phrase?
- It is the smallest unit of dance. When you
combine one movement with several others,
they form a unit. When units are pieced
together, they make up a sections together to
form a whole dance. Choreographers and
dancers use movement phrasing when
working on dances.
10. What is a motif?
- It is a theme to be able to convey its meaning or
intention to the audience.
- a good dance uses a motif in which the
movements are repeated, varied and developed
by manipulating the movement components or
elements.
11. Characteristics of a Good Dance
1. Unity
• the interconnected phrases of the dance are
coherent and flow smoothly together.
• It is crucial for a dance to have unity to effectively
make the audience understand as a whole. It also
attracts and holds the audience’s attention
(Minton,2007).
12. Characteristics of a Good Dance
2. Continuity and Development
• the phrases of the dance that are organized
progressively, making each movement phrase
move naturally into the next.
13. Characteristics of a Good Dance
3. Variety and Contrast
• making one or several variations that highlight
the facet of the motif.
• It introduces new material, which is
noticeably different from anything so far seen
in the dance.
• It add excitement and flavor in dance.
14. Characteristics of a Good Dance
4. Transition
this is the link between movements, phrases, and
sections of the dance. It makes the logical progression of
the dance flow smoothly. Also, it is vital because it keeps
the unity and continuity of the dance. Transitions may
vary from length and complexity. They may be long or
short, gradual or abrupt. They may also be simple or
involving an entire phrase of movement.
15. Characteristics of a Good Dance
5. Repetition
• it emphasizes movements and phrases that are important
to the dance and gives a feeling of closure to a work.
• Some phrases need to be repeated in choreography so
that the audience see those movements again and
identify its significance. Usually, when a certain phrase or
a section of choreography is repeated, it is the main
message of the dance.
16. Characteristics of a Good Dance
6. Climax
• this is where the apex of energy in the dance
is reached.
• It may be a fast and enraged blast of energy
of action, or it could fade away to a gentle
and quiet exit that marks the end of a
particular story.
17. Evaluating a Good Dance
1. Choreographers – they will evaluate a
part ofan ongoing processof developing a
personal style which is both spontaneous and
organized.
2. Dancers – they will evaluate according to the
specific demands that the performance places on
them.
3. Audiences – they will evaluate according to the
particular context of the dance.
18. Stages in Assessing a Dance
Critique
1. Description – involves close observation of all elements,
characteristics, and components of a dance.
2. Interpretation – involves an appreciation of the ideas,
content, images and style contained within the dance.
3. Evaluation – takes into consideration how effectively the
features and the context of the dance have been
utilized in the actual performance of the dancers to
portray the content and the quality of the dance.
19. Activity Critic this contemporary dance according
to the characteristic of a good dance.
