OVERVIEW

Hello learner! I welcome you to our new unit: Introduction to Dance. Since we are now in the
middle of the pandemic and we avoid socializing outside, you may find it enjoyable and
engaging to learn essential things about Dance. Dance isn’t just for entertainment but it also
provides great benefits to you, not just physically but it gives holistic development to you.

In this unit, you will be able to learn the history and nature of dance, benefits of dance, phases
of dance program, purpose of dance, elements of movement space, movement qualities,
elements of rhythm, basic natural movements, basic dance positions (arms and feet), and
dance formations commonly used. We will discover more about the wide and interesting world
of dance. It might surprise you that the foundation of dance is much more than we know. Let’s
start learning!

LEARNING OUTCOMES

At the end of this module, you are able to:

a. Identify the history and nature of dance, benefits of dance, phases of dance program,
purpose of dance, elements of movement space, movement qualities, elements of rhythm,
basic natural movements, basic dance positions (arms and feet), and dance formations
commonly used; and
b. Execute the basic natural movements, basic dance positions and dance formations
commonly used in a dance routine.

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LET US EXPLORE
Activity 2.1
Let us see what you already know about the topic to be discussed in this module, answer the
following test below.

Directions: Write TRUE if the statement is correct and FALSE if it is not. Underlined the word
that makes the statement incorrect.

_______1. Move naturally, easily and comfortably.

_______2. Dance with exaggeration when needed.
_______3. Don’t say you hate dancing just because you don’t know how.
_______4. All-dancing is a form of stretching and relaxing.
_______5. You can show your feelings through dancing.
_______6. Dance is always done to music.
_______7. You always need a partner to dance.
_______8. There are 3 main purpose of Dance (Ceremonial, Recreational and
Artistic).
_______9. Dance is often used to communicate.
_______10. Movements can be labeled as locomotor and non-locomotor.

Lesson 1: History and Nature of Dance

History of Dance

From the earliest moments of known human history, dance accompanied ancient rituals,
spiritual gatherings and social events. As a conduit of trance, spiritual force, pleasure,
expression, performance and interaction, dance became infused into our nature from the
earliest moments of our existence. Without a doubt, dancing remains one of the most
expressive forms of communication that we know.

History accounts cited that the archaeological proof of dance's first existence can be traced
back to those nine thousand old paintings in caves over in India. The earliest form of structured
dances were used by Egyptian priests to create and visualize storytelling rituals both for
entertainment and religion. Dance also plays a very important role to Roman and Greek
ceremonies. As depicted in history books, dance, at whatever form, has always been a part of
a country’s culture. People from the Pre-historic Era performed ways they hoped would
appease the forces of nature or give them new powers of their own. Dance became full-blown
and was richly recorded in ancient Egypt as reflected in their wall paintings, reliefs, and in the

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literary record in hieroglyphs. Greeks also used dance to aid education in general as
philosophers such as Plato, Aristotle, and Socrates strongly supported this art as an
integration of the body and soul.

After the end of French revolution, new forms of dances emerged which focused on less
restrictive women’s clothing, and a tendency for skipping and jumping. These dances soon
became even more energetic in 1844 with the beginning of so-called "international polka
craze" which also brought us the first appearance of famous waltz. After the short period of
time when great ballroom masters created a wave of complicated dances, the era of modern
day 2 person dance started with the careers of famous ballroom dancers, Vernon and Irene
castle. After those early years of the 20th century many modern dances were invented (foxtrot,
one-step, tango, Charleston, swing, postmodern, hip-hop, breakdancing and more) and the
expansion of music brought those dances into worldwide popularity.

Nature of Dance

Dance teaches the importance of movement and fitness in a variety of ways through a
variety of disciplines. Barbara Mettler defined dance as an activity which can take many
forms and fill different needs, it can be recreation, entertainment, education, therapy, and
religion. In its purest and basic form, dance is an art of body movement. This also refers to
movement set to music where there emerges organization, structure and pattern. It is a
composition that implies arrangement of parts into a form.

Dancing means expressing of one’s emotions through movement discipline by rhythm. It is

an act of moving rhythmically and expressively to an accompaniment.

Dance and/or Dancing came from an Old German word “danson” which means to “stretch”.
Essentially, all dancing is made up of stretching and relaxing.

So, that is the history and nature of Dance. Did you learn new things about
dance? Did you find this new learning interesting? Let’s keep those thoughts
going and answer the following questions below.

Activity 2.2

1. What was your significant learning about the history and nature of dance?
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________

2. Do you think Dance made an immense change from the earliest times to the
modern times?
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________

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 ___________________________________________________________________

How was the activity? Were you able to reflect on our first lesson? If
you did then you are surely ready to proceed to our next lesson. Are
you ready? Let’s goooooooo.

Lesson 2: Benefits of Dance

The benefits of dance come from better physical and mental health to a boost in emotional
and social well-being. Moving your body to the sound of music can transform your life.

1. Improves Cardiovascular Health

The heart-pumping health benefits of dance are right in line with the Department of Health and
Human Services’ for adults. It states for health benefits, adults should do at least 150 minutes
to 300 minutes per week of moderate-intensity exercise, or 75 minutes to 150 minutes per
week of vigorous-intensity aerobic physical activity. A Professional ballroom dancer and
certified personal trainer Leon Turetsky says that all styles of dance make for great cardio
workouts since your heart rate gets challenged from executing the different moves.

2. Improves balance and strength

Professional dancer Jonathan Tylicki, the director of education for AKT, a boutique fitness
concept rooted in dance, says one of the reasons dance is such a great form of physical fitness
is because it incorporates movements on all planes of motion and from all directions.
“Movements that we typically do in our daily life, like walking, taking the stairs, and common
workouts like treadmills and cycling, occur in the sagittal plane, but dance works your body
from all planes, including lateral and rotational, which turns on and conditions all muscles,
meaning no muscle is left behind,” he said. This type of movement not only increases strength,
it also improves balance.

3. Gentle on your body

Many forms of dancing, such as ballroom, are appropriate for people with limited mobility or
chronic health issues. If you have concerns about the intensity of a class, talk with your doctor
and the instructor before starting the class. They can help you with any modifications, if
needed.

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4. Boosts cognitive performance

If you need a reason to get moving, consider this: A lot of research shows how dancing can
maintain and even boost your ability to think as you age. According to some studies, scientists
have found that the areas of the brain that control memory and skills, such as planning and
organizing, improve with exercise like dance.

5. Challenges your brain

If you’ve ever tried dancing, then you know exactly what we mean by dance challenging your
brain. Tylicki points out that the brain power you need to access for dance, specifically,
requires you to focus on both the constant changing of movement and recalling moves and
patterns.

6. It is inclusive for everyone

One of the greatest things about dance is that anyone can participate. If you’re able to move,
even if it’s only your upper body, you can dance. This equalizer is what makes dance so
popular with people who typically shy away from other forms of exercise.

7. Increase Social Improvement & Confidence

Everybody enjoys meeting new people and dancing provides a fun environment to meet
people who have the same interest as you- they want to learn how to dance! This type of
environment is perfect to either utilize your social skills if you are outgoing or to help strengthen
your social skills if you have a quiet personality. Dancing is a great way to meet new friends
and improves your social outlook while in an atmosphere where you can feel safe and
comfortable.

8. Reduce Stress

When you are dancing, your body is fully in that moment, focused on the music and your
surroundings. Being around friends or that someone special to enjoy dancing to your favorite
music can help you focus on strictly the moment you are in and aid in reducing the amount of
cortisol your brain produces (the hormone that is associated with stress), lowering your stress
and tension levels.

9. Diminish Depression

Dance can be a very therapeutic and healthy way for people to channel any feelings they may
be experiencing. If you are suffering from depression, dance can give you an outlet for your
emotions by using music or movements that you connect to while in a positive environment.
Being able to express yourself without having to talk about anything can give a sense of

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freedom both physically and physiologically. As you continue to dance, you will see how easy
dancing will become and your confidence and self-esteem will also naturally increase, both on
and off the dance floor only helping to further reduce your feelings of depression.

You see, Dance isn’t just for our physical wellness but it benefits us holistically.
The next time you dance, you now know the benefits and you can enjoy
dancing. Take a look at the activity below for a quick question before
proceeding to our next lesson.

Activity 2.3
Have you ever danced before? Share a bit of your dance experience. Write down what was
the reason, when did you dance, where it happened and who are you with.

_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________

Lesson 3: Phases of Dance Program and Purpose of Dance

Phases of Dance Program

1. Creative Rhythms

This is sometimes called fundamental rhythms or natural dances. A creative rhythm is an end
product of exploration and improvisation of movements as children learn to move the parts of
their body and to use them as instruments of expression.

2. Folk and Ethnic Dance

This is a cultural art form handed down from generation to generation. It communicates the
customs, beliefs, rituals, and occupations of the people of a region or country.

Folk dancing belongs to the people, it emanates from them. Examples of folk dances are the
rural and country dances, jotas, mazurkas, pandanggos, among others with foreign influence.

Ethnic tribes have their specific tribal art forms originated and danced by the people of the
tribe. Examples of ethnic dances are the dances of the mountain peoples of the Cordilleras,
dances of the ethnic groups in the Cagayan Valley Region and the ethnic dances in the
Mindanao Regions.

3. Social and Ballroom Dance

The setting of the social and ballroom dance is a social gathering with a more formal
atmosphere than the simple and informal parties in which the recreational dances are the

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usual forms. Social and ballroom dancing are generally held in the evenings. The participants
are usually in formal attire.

4. Recreational Dance

This includes dance mixers, square dance round and couple dances. Many of these dances
have simple patterns and combinations of walking steps, polka step and the waltz step. The
setting is usually informal gatherings and parties, reunions etc.

5. Creative Dance

This is the highest form of dance. It is the end-product of exploration and improvisation of
movements as the dancer or the choreographer expresses his feelings or emotions, ideas,
and interpretations. This is a dance with a definite form, a beginning and an ending. The
principles of art form are all observed in the composition of the dance. Examples of creative
dance are ballet, jazz, and modern or contemporary dance.

Purpose of Dance

1. Ceremonial Dance- Celebrating life events, religious rituals and other occasions reflecting
cultures or traditions.
• Culture is defined as our way of life. The tradition and norms which are important in
every culture can be represented in a way of dancing and this is what we call cultural
dance. A graceful dance, colorful props and costumes, slow movements and fast that
catches the attention of every person.
• Religious ritual- a ceremony or action performed in a customary way. As an adjective,
ritual means “conforming to religious rites,” which are the sacred customary ways of
celebrating a religion or culture.
2. Recreational Dance- Dances performed in a social setting like folk, social dancing and
aerobic dance

• Folk Dance- generally, a type of dance that is a vernacular, usually recreational,

expression of a historical or contemporary culture.
• Social Dance- recreational and usually performed with a partner and in groups or as
a community activity or fun and enjoyment.
• Aerobic dance- energetic physical exercises, often performed with a group of people
to music that make the heart, lungs and muscles.

3. Artistic Dance- Performed on a stage for an audience like ballet, modern, narrative, tap,
and lyrical.
• Ballet- classical dance form characterized by grace and precision of movement and
by elaborate formal gestures, steps, and poses.
• Modern dance- theatrical dance that began to develop in the United States and
Europe late in the 19th century.

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 • Narrative dance- a choreography structure that follows a specific story line and
intends to convey specific information through that story
• Tap dance- style of dance in which a dancer wearing shoes fitted with heel and toe
taps sounds out audible beats by rhythmically striking
• Lyrical dance- relatively recent form of dance coming from a fusion of jazz dance and
ballet.

Dance isn’t just one form but has a variety of forms. You learned the
Phases of Dance Program and the Purpose of Dance. Did you find
it interesting that there a different forms of dances and dance isn’t
just one thing? I bet you do and you also learned new things about
dance. Let’s take a break and share in our Google Meet Class a
dance that you love to show during our class.

Lesson 4: Elements of Movement Space, Movement Qualities and

Elements of Rhythm

Elements of Movement Space

Direction The line of movement taken

which may be forward,
backward, sideward,
diagonal, upward, or a
combination of these.

Level

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 Movement through space
that may be done at a high,
low, or medium level.

Range Refers to the area covered as

the body moves.

Floor Pattern The path or design that is

made while moving in
space. It may take a form of
a circle, square, straight line
or zigzag.

For a video demonstration you can visit our PSU-DPE You Tube Channel. Click the link to
proceed to the video of Elements of Movement Space:
[Link]

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Movement Qualities

Movement expression is attained through the elements of time, force and space.
Time Qualities Examples

[Link] which is fast Galloping Horse

Jet Plane

[Link] which is slow Flower Growing

Turtle

Force Qualities Examples

[Link] light movement Fairy

Bird

Butterfly

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[Link],heavy Elephant
movement
Bulldozer

[Link], jerky movement Frog

Kangaroo

Jumping Jack

[Link],sustained Airplane
movement
Fish Swimming

Space Qualities Examples

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[Link] up and down Bouncing Ball

Yo-yo

[Link] across, back Rowing Boat

and forth or around
Merry-go-round

[Link] which is low Ant

Turtle

[Link] which is high Kite

Cloud

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For a video demonstration you can visit our PSU-DPE You Tube Channel. Click the link to
proceed to the video of Movement Qualities:
[Link]
Elements of Rhythm
1. Beat- the underlying pulse of a rhythm.

2. Tempo- rate of speed of a movement.

3. Intensity- variation of stress of movement

4. Pitch- lowness or highness of a tone.

5. Accent- emphasis on certain beats

6. Meter- the regular recurrence of beats which divides a musical design into measure.

7. Phrase- measures group together.

8. Bar- in music a vertical line across a staff dividing it into equal measures of time.

9. Count- a pulse beat at time limit.

10. Note- a printed symbol of a musical tone.

11. Measure- a group of pulse beats.

12. Note pattern- refers to a note or set of notes with or without rest used for a certain dance
steps.

13. Step pattern- refers to the movement or movements done for each of the dance steps.

14. Time signature- composed of two numbers, the number above denotes the number of
beats in a measure, and the number below denotes the kind of note that receives one beat.

You learned about the Elements of Movement Space, Movement

Qualities and Elements of Rhythm in this lesson. Have you seen the
movements in the video demonstration? If yes, the n let’s test your
knowledge and understanding at this one. Follow the instruct ions
on the next page.

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Activity 2.4
a. Identify the Elements of Movement Space (Direction, Level, Range, and Floor
Pattern) in the following pictures below.

b. Categorize the Movement Qualities accordingly (Time, Force, and Space).

Galloping Horse Kangaroo Ant

Flower Growing Airplane Kite
Fairy Yo-yo Jet Plane
Bulldozer Merry-go-round

Time Force Space

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 Lesson 5: Basic Natural Movements, Basic Dance Positions (Arms
and Feet), and Dance Formations Commonly Used

Basic Natural Movements

Our body is designed to move to any possible desired positions. Movement is the basic reason
to execute our daily activities or purpose.

1. Non-Locomotor Movement- movements in which the various parts of the body move
in space with a fixed base. It may be standing, kneeling, sitting or lying.
Example: (See DPE YouTube: [Link]
Movement Description

Flexion Bending or shortening of a body

part occurring at a joint.

Extension Extending of a body part

occurring at a joint.

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Pendular Swinging or swaying of arms
forward, backward or sideward.

Percussive Striking and hitting; pushing and

pulling.

Vibratory Shaking and beating of the body.

Sustained Slow, smooth flowing movement

with a balance of movement
throughout the entire series.

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 Suspended A sharp movement followed by a
series of slow or prolonged
movements until a peak is
reached.

2. Locomotor Movement- movements that move the body in space in any direction with
the feet as the moving base.
Example: (See DPE YouTube: [Link]
Movement Description

Walking Move at a regular pace by lifting

and setting down each foot in turn,
never having both feet off the
ground at once.

Running Walking with longer strides and

there is a push-off by the foot to
suspend the body momentarily in
the air.

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Jumping Springing on one foot or both feet
and landing on both feet in any
direction.

Hopping Springing on one foot and landing

on the same foot.

Skipping Same procedure as in hopping but

bouncing lightly with alternate
steps.

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Leaping Springing on one foot and landing
on the other foot.

Galloping Moving in continuous forward or

sideward direction with one foot
leading.

Sliding Gliding the foot along the floor.

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Fundamental Dance Positions of Arms and Feet

There are five fundamental or basic positions in dance that are commonly termed as 1 st
position, 2nd position, 3rd position, 4th position, and 5th position of the feet and arms.

For a video demonstration you can visit our PSU-DPE You Tube Channel. Click the link to
proceed to the video: [Link]
1st position

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Arms: Both arms raised in a circle in front of the chest with the finger tips about an inch apart.

Feet: Heels close together, toes apart with an angle of about 45 degrees.
2nd position

Arms: Both raised sideward with a graceful curve at shoulder level.

Feet: Feet apart sideward of about a space distance.

3rd position

Arms: One arm raised in front as in 2nd position; other arm raised upward.

Feet: Heel of one foot close to in-step of other foot.

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 4th position

Arms: One arm raised in front as in 1st position; other arm raised overhead.

Feet: One foot in front of another foot of a space distance.

5th position

Arms: Both arms raised overhead.

Feet: Heel of front foot close to big toe of rear foot.

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Dance Formations Commonly Used

For a video demonstration you can visit our PSU-DPE You Tube Channel. Click the link to
proceed to the video: [Link]
Formation

Single circle facing

clockwise

Single circle facing counter

clockwise

Single circle partner facing

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Single circle facing center/
facing in

Double circle partners

facing

Double circle facing

clockwise

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Double circle facing
counter clockwise

Double circle couples

facing

Semi-circle or half moon

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Double lines partners
facing

Double lines facing front

Long open Formation

Long open formation

facing partners

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 Single line formation

Scattered formation in pair

LET US WRAP UP
Activity 2.5

In this module, I am able to learn and discover things like____________________________

_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________.
As I go through the lessons, I feel_______________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________.
And because of this, I can confidently share these learnings and ______________________
_________________________________________________________________________.

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LET US ASSESS
Amazing! You have now learned and understand our lessons about Dance. Now, it is time to
use that new knowledge to test. Are you ready? If you are then let’s start moving.

Assessment 1: Unit Test!

Test I. Multiple Choice. Read the following questions and choose the letter that corresponds
to your answer.

1. The dance element LEVEL primarily refers to the:

a. Relative height of dancers to each other
b. Downstage to upstage arrangement of dancers
c. Volume of music accompanying a dance
d. Body’s position relative to the ground
2. Which movement includes all movements that the body is able to execute while feet
remain stationary?
a. Locomotor Movement c. Soft-Light Movement
b. Non-locomotor Movement d. Strong and Jerky Movement
3. Dance came from an Old German word _________ which means “to stretch”.
a. dancon c. danson
b. dansom d. dancii
4. What is dance?
a. Moving the body
b. Rhythm
c. Masterful movement in a rhythmically coordinated and expressive way
d. Quickly changing directions
5. Which of the following is NOT a Movement Quality?
a. Time Qualities c. Force Qualities
b. Level Qualities d. Space Qualities
6. This dance element refers to the area covered as the body moves.
a. Direction c. Range
b. Level d. Floor Pattern
7. Caitlin loves to dance along to “twinkle twinkle little star” with her little hand movements.
What phase of dance program is this?
a. Creative Rhythms c. Creative Dance
b. Recreational Dance d. Social Dance

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 8. Charles expresses his feelings and emotions into a dance. He likes to lay down all his
ideas and interpretations into the dances that he makes, making it more personal and
raw. What phase of dance program is this?
a. Creative Rhythms c. Creative Dance
b. Recreational Dance d. Social Dance

9. Julian’s style of dance is like an elephant and bulldozer. What kind of Force Quality is
Julian’s style of dance?
a. Strong, jerky movement c. Smooth, sustained movement
b. Soft, light movement d. Strong, heavy movement

10. This refers to the movement/s done for each dance step.
a. Step pattern c. Count
b. Phrase d. Beat

Test II. Instruction: The following words inside the box are loco-motor and non- locomotor
movements. Transfer them to proper places below.

extension flexion galloping hopping jumping leaping

pendular percussive running skipping sliding
suspended sustained vibratory walking

LOCOMOTOR NON- LOCOMOTOR

Test III. Give five (5) benefits of Dance.

a. ____________________________________________
b. ____________________________________________
c. ____________________________________________

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 d. ____________________________________________
e. ____________________________________________

Test IV. Name the following Fundamental Dance Position and describe each movement. Write
your answer on the space provided.

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 Position:
4.
1. Arms:
Position:
Feet:
Arms:

Feet:

2.
5.
Position:
Position:

Arms:
Arms:

Feet:
Feet:

3.
Position:

Arms:

Feet:

Phew! How did you do? How was it? Did you find it easy or hard?
If you think that it was easy, then I am sure that you really
understand our lessons. And I think that you did great while
answering those questions. So, let’s test your creativity skills this
time as you proceed to your next assessment. Let’s get it!

Assessment 2: Activity Time! Dance the moves!

Instructions:

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 a. Create a simple dance routine performing the basic natural movements and
basic dance positions while using the dance formations commonly used.
b. Apply the phases of dance program in creating your dance routine together
with the elements of movements, movement qualities and elements of rhythm
in creating your routine.
c. The dance will have minimum time of 1 minute and maximum time of 5
minutes. Choose a music that is related to your chosen phase of dance
program. Wear appropriate costume for the dance.
d. You can make use of any video editor. You will submit your final outputs in
our Google Classroom and/or Google Drive Folder.

DANCE ROUTINE/PERFORMANCE RUBRIC

10 8 6 4 2
EXCELLENT PROFICIENT SATISFACTORY POOR VERY POOR
CREATIVITY Creative implementation of Somewhat creative Uninspiring Poor implementation of No implementation
modern dance implementation of modern implementation of modern modern dance of modern dance
movements. dance movements. dance movements. movements. movements.
Demonstrates excellent Demonstrates good Demonstrates Demonstrates poor Demonstrates no
understanding of dance understanding of dance understanding of dance understanding of
understanding of dance
elements. Very interesting elements and lacks elements. Not dance elements and
elements. Somewhat
and flows smoothly smooth transitions. interesting and lacked no transitions.
interesting but transitions
between movements. transitions.
need some improvement.

EXECUTION Technical elements and Technical elements and Technical elements and Technical elements and No technical
choreography were choreography were choreography were choreography lacked elements and
executed proficiently and executed proficiently but executed but lacks appropriate execution. choreography were
with precision. need some improvements. precision. executed.

QUALITY Clear attention to detail, Clear attention to the Clear attention to detail of Lacks attention to the No attention to the
and always going above detail and sometimes the dance. detail of the dance. detail of the dance.
and beyond expectations. beyond expectations.
PERFORMANCE Performed with great Performed with good Performed with confidence Performed with little Performed with no
confidence and energy all confidence and energy and energy sometimes. confidence and energy confidence and
throughout the whole most of the times in the most of the time. energy throughout
dance. dance. the whole dance.

Total

REFERENCES

Dance Facts. (n.d.) History of Dance. Retrieved

[Link] Accessed 10 August 2021.

Everyday Minerals. (2016). History of Dance. Retrieved

[Link] Accessed 17 August 2020.

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