applause
people clapping to show
they liked a performance.
artistic dance
dance created mainly to
convey ideas or feelings.
audience
people who watch a
performance.
ballet
a type of dance invented in
France in the 1600s; its
dancers use formal and
specific positions and
movements.
beat
a repeated steady pulse.
call and
response
a dance in which the
movements of one dancer
or group are responded to
or echoed by another
dancer or group.
ceremonial dance
a dance done as part of a
cultural custom or
religion.
choreographer
a person who creates an
artistic dance by deciding
how the movements will
be arranged.
dance
the art of human
movement; using
movement to convey
ideas, thoughts, and
feelings.
dancer
a person who performs a
dance.
direction
which way a dancer faces
or moves—forward,
backward, right, left, up,
or down.
elements of
dance
the basic ingredients that
make up a dance; time (the
speed of movement), space
(the shape and direction of
movement), and force (the
quality of movement).
force
whether a movement is
sharp or smooth, heavy or
light, loose or tight.
general space
the space shared by
everyone in the
dance area.
level
whether a movement is
low and close to the
ground, medium and
standing, or high off
the ground.
locomotor
movement
a movement in which you
go from one location to
another; examples are
walking, running, skipping,
and galloping.
movement
phrase
the way movements
follow one another.
non-locomotor
movement
a movement made while
standing in one place;
examples are bending,
stretching, twisting.
pathway
patterns (such as a
straight line, zigzag line, or
curved line) made as a
dancer moves through the
air or on the floor.
performance
a show.
personal space
each person’s space, an
arm’s length (in a
circle); the space you can
reach while standing still.
prop
an object used in a dance
other than scenery or
a costume.
purposes for
dance
the reasons for dance:
recreational, ceremonial,
and artistic.
recreational
dance
a dance done for fun
and exercise.
rhythm
the beat pattern of the
music or dance made by
arranging long and short
beats or strong and
light beats.
shape
the form created by
putting the body in a
certain position.
space
the area that the dancer
uses.
stage
the place where dancers
perform for an audience.
tap dance
a dance where the
dancers have metal taps
on the bottoms of their
shoes to make sounds as
their feet move.
tempo
how fast or slow a
movement is made.
time
how movements in a
dance relate to each other
in terms of speed
and length.
warm up
special exercises to get
the body ready to dance.