Minds On

Today’s vocabulary

Press the following tabs to access the definitions for today’s vocabulary.

Important ideas in dance, which include the following: body, energy, space, time, and relationship.

The instrument of dance. The term body may also refer to the body’s position or shape (e.g., curved, straight, angular, twisted, symmetrical, asymmetrical); also, how the body is moving (e.g., using locomotor or non-locomotor movements).

The force with which the body moves (e.g., light, strong, sustained, sudden).

The physical area in which the body moves; also, the area surrounding the body.

An element of dance involving rhythm, tempo, accent, and duration. Time can be based on measured beats, as in music, or on body rhythms, such as breath, emotions, and heartbeat.

The way in which two or more things are connected to or associated with one another (e.g., dancer to dancer, dancer to object, right arm to left arm).

Let’s get started!

Let’s begin by thinking about how movement can be used to communicate ideas and feelings in dance.

Examine the next video with a dance piece from the show So You Think You Can Dance and consider the following questions:

  • What do you think is happening in this dance piece?
  • What feelings do you think the dancers are trying to communicate to the audience?

Record your ideas digitally, orally, or in print.

Action

Get ready, get set…

Seven students stand with their legs apart, bent forward at the waist, and arms crossed in front of them, practice dance moves in a studio.

Dancing to communicate ideas and feelings

The language of dance is just like any other type of language. It is meant to communicate an idea or feeling using the body.

Think of it as having a conversation.

Sometimes a person will change the rise and fall of their voice to communicate an emotion.

The same is true in dance, but usually, a dancer will use the elements of dance instead of their voice.

Check out the following examples:

  • A dancer using quick, light, bouncy movements might be sharing a feeling of happiness.
  • A dancer using slow, heavy, low to the floor movements might be sharing a feeling of sadness.

The elements of dance are:

  • body
  • space
  • time
  • energy
  • relationship

Examine the video from the Minds On section a second time.

This time consider how the elements of dance are used to communicate the idea/feeling of the dance.

Press the ‘Elements of Dance’ button to access the reference guide to help you.

Elements of Dance

Body

What is the dancer’s body doing?

Consider the following questions:

  • What different body bases is the dancer using to create shapes with their body?
  • What different body parts is the dancer using?
  • How many different locomotor and non-locomotor movements are used in the dance?
  • Is the dancer creating symmetry or asymmetry with their body?
  • What kinds of angular shapes are being used (e.g., angular, geometric, curved, organic)?

Space

Where is the dancer’s body moving?

Consider the following questions:

  • Is the dancer moving at a high, middle, or low level?
  • What different pathways are being used in the dance piece (straight, zigzag, backward)?
  • If there are multiple dancers, are they dancing close together or far apart?
  • What formation are they dancing in (e.g., a line, circle, scattered formation, etc.)?

Time

When is the dancer’s body moving? (In relation to time)

Consider the following questions:

  • What speed is the dancer moving at (e.g., fast, medium, slow)?
  • Is the dancer dancing to music?
  • What kind of music (e.g., a solo drummer, instrumental music, a popular song, etc.)?
  • Did the dancer use a pause, freeze, or a moment of stillness in their piece?

Energy

How is the dancer’s body moving?

Consider the following questions:

  • How was the dancer moving (e.g., lightly as if they were a balloon floating through the sky or heavy as if they were pushing a big piece of furniture across the floor)?
  • Did the dancer use sudden movements?
  • Did the dancer sustain movements?

Relationship

Who or what is the dancer’s body moving with?

Consider the following questions:

  • If there is more than one dancer in a piece, how are the dancers interacting with each other (e.g., do they meet and part, are they moving in unison, etc.)?
  • How did the dancer use emotions or facial expressions to enhance their movements?
  • Was the dancer using props in their piece?

Check out the following video with a dance piece from the show So You Think You Can Dance one more time.

Once you have examined the video from the Minds On section, answer the following questions. Select the correct answer, then press the ‘Check Answer’ button to find out how you did.

Now, let’s use the elements of dance to explain how we know what the idea and feeling of the dance from the video is.

Use the Elements of Dance reference guide to help you.

Press the ‘Elements of Dance’ button to access a chart with descriptions of the elements of dance.

Body

What is the dancer’s body doing?

Consider the following questions:

  • What different body bases is the dancer using to create shapes with their body?
  • What different body parts is the dancer using?
  • How many different locomotor and non-locomotor movements are used in the dance?
  • Is the dancer creating symmetry or asymmetry with their body?
  • What kinds of angular shapes are being used (e.g., angular, geometric, curved, organic)?

Space

Where is the dancer’s body moving?

Consider the following questions:

  • Is the dancer moving at a high, middle, or low level?
  • What different pathways are being used in the dance piece (straight, zigzag, backward)?
  • If there are multiple dancers, are they dancing close together or far apart?
  • What formation are they dancing in (e.g., a line, circle, scattered formation, etc.)?

Time

When is the dancer’s body moving? (In relation to time)

Consider the following questions:

  • What speed is the dancer moving at (e.g., fast, medium, slow)?
  • Is the dancer dancing to music?
  • What kind of music (e.g., a solo drummer, instrumental music, a popular song, etc.)?
  • Did the dancer use a pause, freeze, or a moment of stillness in their piece?

Energy

How is the dancer’s body moving?

Consider the following questions:

  • How was the dancer moving (e.g., lightly as if they were a balloon floating through the sky or heavy as if they were pushing a big piece of furniture across the floor)?
  • Did the dancer use sudden movements?
  • Did the dancer sustain movements?

Relationship

Who or what is the dancer’s body moving with?

Consider the following questions:

  • If there is more than one dancer in a piece, how are the dancers interacting with each other (e.g., do they meet and part, are they moving in unison, etc.)?
  • How did the dancer use emotions or facial expressions to enhance their movements?
  • Was the dancer using props in their piece?

Portfolio

Portfolio

Two dancers wearing baseball uniforms, standing on a stage indoors, pretend to hold a baseball bat in their hands and are ready to swing.

Complete the Communicating Ideas and Feelings in Dance graphic organizer in your notebook or using the following fillable and printable document to explain how the elements of dance help communicate ideas and feelings in the video you examined. If you would like, you can use speech-to-text or audio recording tools to record your thoughts. Consider adding your work to your portfolio.

Communicating Ideas and Feelings in Dance

Use the following organizer to record your ideas on how the elements of dance can be used to communicate ideas and feelings in dance.

Idea and/or feeling:

Elements of dance

Describe the movements used…

Body

Space

Time

Energy

Relationship

Press the ‘Activity’ button to access Communicating Ideas and Feelings in Dance. 

Activity(Open PDF in a new window)

Once you have completed your graphic organizer, press the ‘Sample Answer’ button to check out some possible answers.

Communicating Ideas and Feelings in Dance

Idea and/or feeling:

Two dancers playing a baseball game.

The feelings the dancers are trying to communicate might be excitement and enjoyment.

Elements of Dance

Describe the movements used…

Body

Gesture of sliding across floor to show ‘safe,’ swinging a baseball bat to hit a baseball.

Space

Floor and air pathways such as the curved shape while swinging a baseball bat, a lot of turns and movements across the floor in straight and diagonal pathways.

Time

Fast-paced movements.

Energy

Bouncy, light movements as well as strong, explosive movements.

Relationship

Dancers meet for a partner movement where one partner stands, and the other partner grasps their hands and does a jump using their partner as a base.

Dancers part to do some movements including swinging the baseball bat to show playing in the game.

They dance the same movements at the same time to show teamwork.

Go!

Explore the next video with another dance piece from the show So You Think You Can Dance and complete the following activity.

Using what you learned from the ‘Get ready, get set…’ section you just reviewed, explain how the elements of dance help to communicate the idea and feeling of this dance piece.

Choose at least two elements.

Use the “Elements of Dance” reference guide to help you.

Press the ‘Elements of Dance’ button to access a chart with descriptions of the elements of dance.

Body

What is the dancer’s body doing?

Consider the following questions:

  • What different body bases is the dancer using to create shapes with their body?
  • What different body parts is the dancer using?
  • How many different locomotor and non-locomotor movements are used in the dance?
  • Is the dancer creating symmetry or asymmetry with their body?
  • What kinds of angular shapes are being used (e.g., angular, geometric, curved, organic)?

Space

Where is the dancer’s body moving?

Consider the following questions:

  • Is the dancer moving at a high, middle, or low level?
  • What different pathways are being used in the dance piece (straight, zigzag, backward)?
  • If there are multiple dancers, are they dancing close together or far apart?
  • What formation are they dancing in (e.g., a line, circle, scattered formation, etc.)?

Time

When is the dancer’s body moving? (In relation to time)

Consider the following questions:

  • What speed is the dancer moving at (e.g., fast, medium, slow)?
  • Is the dancer dancing to music?
  • What kind of music (e.g., a solo drummer, instrumental music, a popular song, etc.)?
  • Did the dancer use a pause, freeze, or a moment of stillness in their piece?

Energy

How is the dancer’s body moving?

Consider the following questions:

  • How was the dancer moving (e.g., lightly as if they were a balloon floating through the sky or heavy as if they were pushing a big piece of furniture across the floor)?
  • Did the dancer use sudden movements?
  • Did the dancer sustain movements?

Relationship

Who or what is the dancer’s body moving with?

Consider the following questions:

  • If there is more than one dancer in a piece, how are the dancers interacting with each other (e.g., do they meet and part, are they moving in unison, etc.)?
  • How did the dancer use emotions or facial expressions to enhance their movements?
  • Was the dancer using props in their piece?

Access the following video with another dance piece from the show So You Think You Can Dance.

Portfolio

Portfolio

Complete the Communicating Ideas and Feelings in Dance graphic organizer in your notebook or using the following fillable and printable document to explain how the elements of dance help communicate ideas and feelings in the video you examined. Choose at least two elements of dance. If you would like, you can use speech-to-text or audio recording tools to record your thoughts. Consider adding your work to your portfolio.

Communicating Ideas and Feelings in Dance

Idea and/or feeling:

Elements of Dance
(Choose at least two)

Describe the movements used…

Body

Space

Time

Energy

Relationship

Press the ‘Activity’ button to access Communicating Ideas and Feelings in Dance. 

Activity(Open PDF in a new window)
On a stage, 1 dancer runs forward, and 1 dancer kneels beside them on 1 leg, 1 arm raised and the other arm pointed at the other dancer.

Consolidation

Putting it all together

A young person wearing casual clothes jumps into the air with their legs spread apart and their arms held out at shoulder height.

Think of an idea and/or feeling for a possible dance piece.

How might the elements of dance help to communicate your idea and feeling for the dance piece? Choose at least two elements of dance:

  • body
  • space
  • time
  • energy
  • relationship

Record your ideas using the following graphic organizer provided or using another method of your choice.

Portfolio

Portfolio

Complete the My Dance Piece graphic organizer in your notebook or using the following fillable and printable document to explain how the elements of dance help communicate the idea and feeling of the dance piece you just examined. If you would like, you can use speech-to-text or audio recording tools to record your thoughts. Consider adding your work to your portfolio.

My Dance Piece

Use the following organizer to record your ideas on how the elements of dance can be used to communicate ideas and feelings in dance. Choose at least two elements of dance.

Idea and/or feeling:

Elements of Dance
(Choose at least two)

Describe the movements that could be used…

Body

Space

Time

Energy

Relationship

Press the ‘Activity’ button to access My Dance Piece. 

Activity(Open PDF in a new window)

Reflection

As you read through these descriptions, which sentence best describes how you are feeling about your understanding of this learning activity? Press the button that is beside this sentence.

I feel…

Now, record your ideas using a voice recorder, speech-to-text, or writing tool.