The document explores the concept of tempo in dance, discussing its various forms such as adagio, moderato, and allegro, and emphasizes the importance of timing in choreography. It includes lessons and exercises for dancers to experience and manipulate different tempos, speeds, and movement styles, from slow sustained movements to quick sequences. The document highlights the significance of pacing and acceleration in both dance and music, encouraging creativity and collaboration among dancers.

1. Time: Exploring
Tempo Presented by:
KIRTH TEODOSIO
JORJA CANTILLAS
FRANCIS DAVE MORENO

2. What is Tempo?
• Tempo or speed may be described in musical terms like
adagio, moderato and allegro, or in phrases like slow
motion, medium or moderate speed, and fast or high
speed.
• Tempo can be either steady or changeable, that is
speeding up (accelerando) and/or slowing down
(ritardando).
• Many ballet movements are categorized by their
characteristic tempo. For example, slow, sustained
movements are called adage, while quick, light jumps
are called allegro.

3. LESSON I
SlowMotion: Dancing in Reverie
Motion produced without a time frame often does
not offer an accurate sense of the length of this time.
Usually, we do not notice how fast or slow we make a
movement; we simply do what we need to do. The
motivation for the movement determines a subjective
measurement of time. In dance however, the
choreographer consciously strives to control the timing
of movement ought to be danced. The manipulation of
time is an important part of dance composition

4. Warm-up
Find your pulse in your wrist or neck, begin
walking around the room in rhythm with your pulse.
Gradually begin to follow the beat of the drum so
that the footfalls are now performed in a moderate
tempo. Change the pulse so that it is quicker than
the moderate walk and continue until all footfalls
move quite fast. Revert once again to the
moderate tempo. Move back to the moderate
walking tempo.

5. Exploring a Dream
Take a minute to visualize a recent
pleasant dream. Think of the
location, the characters, and your
role. Improvising and sustained
movements only, recreate
movements in selected moments
from the dream.

6. For example:
>Perform an awakening stretch.
>Discover the arms in space, creating air
pathways around the body.
>Discover locomotion with simple movement
into space.
>Explore the floor with simple crawls and
touches.
>Rise into the space and gently push away a
cloud or drape.
>gently move throughout all four corners of the
stage/room

7. Imaginary Voyage
Imagine the space is on the moon. Get off the spaceship and
begin to move in this environment. Show weightlessness by
floating and gliding through space. Vary the size of gestures from
large to small. Use a variety of locomotor and nonlocomotor
movements such as turning, lunging, walking, and balancing as
you traverse the space from one side of the room to the other. All
territory is new and requires exploration.
During the exploration of the moon, collect four objects of
varying sizes from different parts of the moon and carry them as
souvenirs. Find a unique way each time to gather what you
choose to take with you. Place the objects in a pocket, a
knapsack, or under your arm. Remember that the objects have no
weight either.

8. Constructing a Dance Environment
In groups of 5, randomly draw an environment card
from a hat/bowl. Each group must turn the whole room into
that environment, identifying it with movement only.
Because this is the first time entering the environment,
limit the initial movement vocabulary to slow, sustained
movement unless attacked or threatened by something
that might warrant a quick change or escape.
Depending on the environment, the use of weight may
change to include slower and heavier or stronger
sustained movement as well as light floating and gliding
movement.

9. LESSON 2
Speed: Learning to Dance Quickly
Quick movement sequences provide unique technical
challenges. A dancer must be able to shift weight from foot to
foot and to new direction effortlessly and cleanly. The dancer
must coordinate all body parts efficiently so that the shape and
line of the movement is not lost in spite of the swiftness of
tempo. Creating original movement phrases in a fast tempo can
also provide unique challenges for the choreographer. Many
dancers moving quickly throughout the stage require clear
pathways in space, definite movement counts to keep them
dancing together, interweaving movement sequences that give
them enough space in which to dance, and carefully planned
locomotor movement sequences that incorporate directional
changes.

10. Soaring and Swooping
Each student must select a specific pathway. Start
anywhere offstage, but design the pathway for a stage
crossing. Reenter from somewhere else and make
another crossing. There will always be at least two
people starting from different spots offstage and
dancing on the stage at the same time. There may be
as many as eight students or even more on stage at
the same time. The image for the dance sequence
might be a flock of birds randomly flying over an open
field to escape an impending storm.

11. LESSON 3
Pacing: Combining Different Pulses
In a dance work, tempo changes are
frequent. They may denote a change of section
within the work or provide clues as to the
characters in the work. For instance, dancers
often show two different interpretations of the
tempo at the same time. In tap dance, a dancer
may set a simple tempo and then dance it in half
time (twice as slow as the pulse) or double time
(twice as fast) in order to achieve rhythmic
interest.

12. Adagio in Half Time
• Divide into two groups. The
audience half of the class will
provide the pulse by clapping
softly and the dancer half will
perform its adagio phrases in half
time.
• Switch roles.

13. Dancing Pulse Variations
In groups of three, create a Contrasting
Beat study. One dancer will dance the
pulse, one will dance half time (slower),
and one will dance double time (faster).
Dancers will perform their phases at the
same time. Dancers will improvise
movement as of their given tempo.
Dancers must connect with each other to
form a story that they must choose.

14. LESSON 4
Accelerating: How fast can it go?
When speaking, we accelerate our words when we are
excited or when we want to emphasize the content. Similarly,
we slow down our speaking in order to clarify meaning or to
soothe a young child. In music, acceleration is commonly
used to heighten emotional response. A retard, or gradual
slowing, is often used at the end of a composition to prepare
listeners for the resolution of the work. Gradual change of
tempo, whether slow or fast, is another compositional device
available to choreographers. It requires an understanding of
movement timing and of the change in the amount of time it
takes to perform the movement phrase.

15. Gaining Speed
Find a partner. Each partner must select a
sequence movement using any kind of gestures
and movement. They will find a way to connect
the movements so that they can perform in
unison. Next, add the compositional device of
accelerating. Gradually increase the speed of
the performance until the sequence is as fast as
it can go. You must end your performance in an
abstract pose doing a slow movement.

16. THE
END!!!