Deciphering Dance

Few people will pursue careers as choreographers, performers or dance critics, but most will see dance in at least some of its many forms. Each viewer will have a unique response to a dance whether performed by a professional in a theater or by a peer in the classroom. Dance has been described as the "art of the instant" and no piece of choreography, even if performed over and over again by the same dancers, will be exactly the same each time it is performed. Dance movement may seem very fast and hard to remember at first, but when you have seen many performances and learned more about this art form, it will become easier to think about and discuss. The process outlined here, which involves describing, analyzing, interpreting and evaluating, should enhance appreciation of the art of dance. It is recommended that you watch videotapes rather than live performances at first so that you can view a dance several times. This process can also be used to look at choreography created in the classroom where a dance can be performed more than once.

Description

What happened during the performance? Describe what you saw.

dancers (solo, duet, trio, quartet, male, female)
costumes (fabric, color, design)
set (dancers move around or dance on or under)
props (dancers hold and manipulate)
music (live, recorded, instrumentation)
lighting (bright, dim, spotlight, general, color)
idea, theme or story (environment, historical event,
human relationships, etc.)

Analysis

How are the dance elements of SPACE, TIME, ENERGY/FORCE, BODY, MOVEMENT and FORM seen in the work?

• How did the dancers use SPACE?
  place (general space, personal space)
  size (big, small, far, close)
  pathway (straight, curved, zigzag)
  direction (forward, backward, sideways, up, down)
  focus (at each other, at the audience, internal)
  level (low/close to ground, high/above the floor, middle/between low and high)
  
  
• How did the dancers use TIME?
  pulse/beat (regular, predictable)
  tempo (fast, slow, combination)
  music (relationship of movement to musical phrasing and dynamics)
  accent (emphasis placed on certain movements)
  pattern/rhythm (repeated sequence of slow and fast
  movement, with or without stillness)
  
  
• How did the dancers use ENERGY/FORCE?
  attack (smooth/fluid, sharp/jagged/abrupt, jiggly, and vibratory)
  weight (heavy/strong, light)
  flow (loose/free/continuous, held
  back/controlled/restrained/bound)
  
  
• How did the dancers use their BODIES?
  isolation (emphasize certain parts or use entire
  bodies)
  relationships (near/far, meeting/parting,
  alone/connected, mirroring/shadowing/echoing, etc.)
  shape/design (curved or straight, symmetrical or
  asymmetrical, use of positive and negative space) balance (on or off balance)
  
  
• What types of MOVEMENT were performed by the dancers?
  locomotor (walk, run, jump, hop, leap, gallop, slide, skip, crawl, roll or combinations of these)
  non-locomotor/axial (bend, twist, stretch, swing,
  lunge, wiggle, shake, fall, melt, sway, turn,
  etc.)
  
  
• What FORM did the dance take?
  recurring theme (theme in variation, canon, round)
  ABA (a = one phrase, b = different phrase)
  abstract (non representational)
  narrative (representational, in the form of a story)
  suite (moderate beginning, slow center and fast end, or group of three short dances)
  broken form (unrelated ideas, often used for humor)

Interpretation

• What did the dance mean to you?
  
  
• Did the dance imitate or represent a situation or event you could recognize or to which you could relate?
  
  
• If the dance was narrative in form, summarize the story or identify the theme.
  
  
• Describe your mood after watching the dance. (refreshed, thoughtful, sad, energized, angry)
  
  
• Describe the taste, smell, texture, or sound of the dance.
  
  
• Identify movements or familiar gestures (a wave, thumbs up, etc.) that contributed to the dance's meaning.
  
  
• What title or name would you give to the dance?

Evaluation

Most everyone will have an immediate and individual response to a dance whether seen on television, in the movies, on the street, or in a theater. While personal opinions are important, it is also possible to compare a particular dance to others that you have seen.

• Did the dance explore the ways the body can move and the designs it can make rather than attempt to tell a story or attempt to communicate a specific message?
  
  
• What did you learn about the choreographer? (where and when he/she worked, what was important to him/her)
  
  
• Identify other choreographers who have made dances based on similar ideas.
  
  
• Was the work in one dance style or tradition? (modern, African, tap, flamenco, jazz, ballet, folklore, Native American, etc.). If not, how did it combine movements and qualities found in several kinds of dance?
  
  
• Why was the dance created and performed? (cultural expression, social, recreation, religious, therapy, exercise, education, to communicate to an audience)
  
  
• Assess the performers. (well-trained, highly skilled, unskilled, amateur, professional, etc.)
  
  
• Who do you think would appreciate a performance of this work? (friends, parents, dancers, politicians)

  NOTE -- This process can be used to look at any type of dance. When evaluating your own work, also answer the following questions:

• What was successful about the dance? (commendations)
  
  
• How would you improve it? (recommendations)

(Adapted by Kathy Lindholm Lane from Mary Stockrocki's "Learning to Look/Looking to Learn")