Pathfit 3 series of dances

1. SERIES OF DANCES
Pathfit 3

2. Brief history of Dance
• Dance does not leave behind clearly identifiable physical artifacts
such as stone tools, hunting implements or cave painting. It is not
possible to say when dance became part of human culture.
• Dance has certainly been an important part of a ceremony, rituals,
celebrations and entertainment even before the birth of the earliest
human civilizations.
• Archeology delivers traces of dances from prehistoric times such as
Egyptian tomb paintings depicting dancing figures from circa 3300 B.C
and the Rock Shelters of Bhimbetka paintings in India.

3. • One of the earliest structured uses of dance may have been in the
performance and telling myths. Before the introduction of written
languages, dance was one of the methods of passing these stories
down from generation to generation.
• It is known when people began to dance, so it is possible that dance
developed along with the evolution of our species. Written and visual
evidence of dance has survived from ancient Mideterranean and
Middle Eastern civilizations.
• Dance often occurs at rites of passage, or ceremonies performed
when an individual passes from one role to another. Dance may also
be a part of courtship, worship or work.

4. Dance and Music
• It is unlikely that any human society during the primitive times has
denied itself the excitement and pleasure of dancing.
• Rhythm, indispensable in dancing, is also a basic element of music.
• It is natural to beat out the rhythm of the dance with sticks.
• It is natural to accompany the movement of the dance with rhythmic
chanting.
• Dance and music begin as partners in the service of ritual.

5. Dance as Ritual
• In most ancient civilizations, dancing before their gods is an important
element in temple ritual.
• In Egypt, the priests and priestesses, accompanied by harps and
pipes, perform stately movements which mime significant eventsin
the the story of a god, or imitate cosmic patterns such as the rhythm
of night and day. At Egyptian funerals, women dance to express the
grief of the mourners.

6. Dance as Ritual
• Sacred occasions in Greek shrines, such as the games at Olympia from the
8th century BC, are inaugurated with dancing by the temple virgins.
• The choros originally just a dance, performed in a circle in honor of a god.
• In the 6th century, it became the centerpiece of Greek theater.
• In India, the formalized hand movements of the priestesses in Hindu
temples are described in documents from as early as the 1st century A.D.
• Each precise gesture is of subtle significance. A form of classical dance
based upon them – known as Bharata Nhatyam – is still performed by
highly skilled practiotioners today.

7. Dance as Ecstasy
• Any sufficient uninhibited society knows that anxious dancing, in a
mood heightened by pounding rhythm and flowing alcohol, will set
the pulse racing and induce a mood of such hyperactives.
• This is exemplified in the Dionysiac dances of ancient Greece.
Villagers, after harvesting the grapes, celebrate the occasion with a
drunken orgy in honor of Dionysus, god of wine.
• Their stomping makes a favorite scene on Greek vases, and dancing
women of this kind, whose fury even sweeps them into an act of
murder, are immortalized in a tragedy.

8. Dance as Entertainment, Dance as Display
• Egyptian paintings, from as early as about 1400 BC, depict another
eternal appeal of dancing. Scantily clad girls, accompanied by seated
musicians, cavort enticingly on the walls of tombs.
• They will delight the male occupant during his residence in the next
world. But dancing girls are for this world too. From princely banquet
to backstreets strip club, they require no explanation.
• Entertainment and closely related theme of display, underlies the
story of public dance. In the courts of Europe, spectacles of this kind
lead eventually to ballet.

9. Basic Course on Dance and Rhythm
Rhythm
Rhythm is the measure of movement or variation characterized
by the regular recurrence or alternation of elements or features as
sounds, beats, patterns.
In sounds, rhythm is present in songs, musical instruments and
the like. In beats, rhythm is present through dance, as dancers pve in
accordance with the rhythm of the music.
In patterns, rhythm can be observed in the visual arts like
painting, architectural designs, sculpture, etc.

10. Rhythm
• C.T Andin and P.L Minas (2004) defeined rhythm as “a term which
denotes an aspect of a quality of movement that is sometimes
thought of as dance.
• They also denoted that “when an individual moves in response to a
particular rhythm or music, we call the movements as rhythmic
movement rhythms.
• Rhythms are simple body movements in response to music like
tapping of the feet, hands, snapping, and movement of the head.

11. Dance
•Dance refers to the rhythmic succession of body
movements usually to the accompaniment of
music and is used as a form.
•Dance pertains to a definite set of movements
performed on a definite music.

12. Dancing
• Dancing denotes the total body movements where there is a
proper projection of the face to involve the emotion required
by the dance.
• The expression of the dancers/ face should complete the
whole dance.

13. Characteristics of the Dance
• Dance makes the body as a medium to convey what one feels or a
means of expressing emotions. Dance therefore becomes a form of
non-verbal communication.
• Dance has rhythm of body movements in succession or flow.
• Dance may be accompanied by music. This means that most dances
have some form of musical accompaniment.

14. Movement
• Movements is the act or an instance of moving wherein
there is a change in place or position.
• It refers to the dance steps and basic body movements
required of a particular dance.

15. Elements of Dance
1. Theme
2. Movements
3. Technique
4. Choreography
5. Music
6. Accessories, Costume and Properties
7. Scenery
8. Design

16. 9. Gravity
10. Balance
11. Posture
12. Gesture
13. Rhythm
14. Moving Space
15. Breathing

17. Answer the following: (Write your answers on
your notes)
1. What is the difference between rhythm and rhythms?
2. Between dance and dancing?
3. How did dance begin?

18. Agreement
• What are the dance Education program in the Philippines?
• Read about the brief history of dance education in the Philippines.