Learning About Dance Dance As An Art Form And Entertainment

Learning about Dance: Dance as an Art Form and Entertainment

Learning about Dance: Dance as an Art Form and Entertainment

Dance Appreciation is an exciting exploration of how to understand and think about dance in all of its various contexts. This book unfolds a brief history of dance with engaging insight into the social, cultural, aesthetic, and kinetic aspects of various forms of dance. Dedicated chapters cover ballet, modern, tap, jazz, and hip-hop dance, complete with summaries, charts, timelines, discussion questions, movement prompts, and an online companion website all designed to foster awareness of and appreciation for dance in a variety of contexts. This wealth of resources helps to uncover the fascinating history that makes this art form so diverse and entertaining, and to answer the questions of why we dance and how we dance. Written for the novice dancer as well as the more experienced dance student, Dance Appreciation enables readers to learn and think critically about dance as a form of entertainment and art.

Discovering Dance is the ideal introductory text for students with little to no dance experience. Teachers can adapt this course to meet students where they are, whether they are new to dance or already have some dance experience. The material helps students consider where movement comes from and why humans are compelled to move, grasp the foundational concepts of dance, and explore movement activities from the perspectives of a dancer, a choreographer, and an observer. The result is a well-rounded educational experience for students to build on, whether they want to further explore dance or choreography or otherwise factor dance into college or career goals. Discovering Dance will help students in these ways: • Meet national and state standards in dance education and learn from a pedagogically sound scope and sequence that allow them to address 21st-century learning goals. • Discover dance through creating, performing, analyzing, understanding, responding to, connecting to, and evaluating dance and dance forms. • Step into a flexible dance curriculum that is appropriate for one or more years of instruction. • Build on their dance experience, whether they want to further explore dance or choreography or otherwise factor dance into college or career goals. • Use student web resources to enhance their learning. The book is divided into four parts and 16 chapters. Part I focuses on the foundational concepts of dance and art processes, wellness, safety, dance elements, and composition. Part II delves into societal facets of dance, including historical, social, folk, and cultural dance. In part III, students explore dance on stage, including ballet, modern dance, jazz dance, and tap dance, and also examine aspects of performance and production. Part IV rounds out the course by preparing students for dance in college or as a career and throughout life. Each chapter helps students • discover new dance genres; • explore dance genres through its history, artists, vocabulary, and significant works; • apply dance concepts through movement, written, oral, visual, technology, and multimedia assignments, thus deepening their knowledge and abilities; • enhance learning by completing in each chapter a portfolio assignment; and • use the Did You Know and Spotlight elements to expand on the chapter content and gain more insight into dance artists, companies, and events. Learning objectives, vocabulary terms, and an essential question at the beginning of each chapter prepare students for their learning experience. Students then move through the chapter, engaging in a variety of movement discovery, exploration, response, and research activities. The activities and assignments meet the needs of visual, auditory, and kinesthetic learners and help students explore dance through vocabulary, history, culture, creation, performance, and choreography. This personal discovery is greatly aided by technology—including learning experiences that require taking photos; watching or creating short videos of dancers’ performances; creating timelines, graphs, drawings, and diagrams; and creating soundscapes. Chapters conclude with a portfolio assignment or project and a chapter review quiz. A comprehensive glossary further facilitates learning. In addition, some chapters contain Explore More elements, which trigger students to investigate selected dance styles on the web resource. These sections offer students insight into various dance genres and styles; for example, in the chapter on cultural dance, students can explore more about street dances, Mexican folkloric dance, African dance, Indian dance, and Japanese dance. The online components further strengthen the book and enrich the students’ learning experience. These resources also help teachers to prepare for and manage their classes. Here is an overview of the resources: Teacher Web Resource • Learning objectives • Extended learning activities • Handouts and assignments that students can complete, save, and print to turn in • Explore More sections of selected chapters to introduce students to additional social, folk, cultural, and contemporary dance styles • Chapter glossary terms both with and without the definitions • Chapter PowerPoint presentations • Information on assessment tools • Interactive chapter review quizzes • Answer keys for handouts, assignment sheets, and quizzes • Unit exams and answer sheets • Video and audio clips for selected dance genres • Web links and web search terms for resources to enhance the learning • Additional teacher resources to support and extend the teaching and learning process (these resources include chapter learning objectives, enduring understanding and essential questions, chapter quotes, teacher-directed information to support teaching specific activities, and web links) Student Web Resource • Handouts and assignments that students can complete, save, and print to turn in • Explore More sections of selected chapters to introduce students to additional social, folk, cultural, and contemporary dance styles • Chapter glossary terms both with and without the definitions so students can test their knowledge • Information on assessment tools • Interactive chapter review quizzes • Video and audio clips for selected dance genres • Web links and web search terms for resources to enhance the learning

“Lively and enlightening.”—Sarah L. Kaufman, Washington Post “[A] zippy guide to better health.”—Publisher’s Weekly STARRED Review Discover why humans were designed for dancing—and learn how to boogie for better health—with two neuroscientists as your guide. Dancing is one of the best things we can do for our health. In this groundbreaking and fun-to-read book, two neuroscientists (who are also competitive dancers) draw on their cutting-edge research to reveal why humans are hardwired for dance show how to achieve optimal health through dancing Taking readers on an in-depth exploration of movement and music, from early humans up until today, the authors show the proven benefits of dance for our heart, lungs, bones, nervous system, and brain. Readers will come away with a wide range of dances to try and a scientific understanding of how dance benefits almost every aspect of our lives. Dance prevents and manages illness and pain: such as Diabetes, arthritis, back pain, and Parkinson’s. Dance can be as effective as high intensity interval training: but without the strain on your joints and heart. Dance boosts immunity and lowers stress: it also helps reduce inflammation. Dance positively impacts the microbiome: and aids in digestion, weight loss, and digestive issues such as IBS. Dance bolsters the mind-body connection: helping us get in tune with our bodies for better overall health. We’re lucky that one of the best things we can do for our health is also one of the most fun. And the best part: dance is something anyone can do. Old or young, injured or experiencing chronic pain, dance is for everyone, everywhere. So, let’s dance! Types of dance featured in the book: Partner dance (salsa, swing dancing, waltz) Ballet Hip hop Modern Jazz Line dancing Tap dancing And more!

Driven by exacting methods and hard data, this volume reveals gender dynamics within the dance world in the twenty-first century. It provides concrete evidence about how gender impacts the daily lives of dancers, choreographers, directors, educators, and students through surveys, interviews, analyses of data from institutional sources, and action research studies. Dancers, dance artists, and dance scholars from the United States, Australia, and Canada discuss equity in three areas: concert dance, the studio, and higher education. The chapters provide evidence of bias, stereotyping, and other behaviors that are often invisible to those involved, as well as to audiences. The contributors answer incisive questions about the role of gender in various aspects of the field, including physical expression and body image, classroom experiences and pedagogy, and performance and funding opportunities. The findings reveal how inequitable practices combined with societal pressures can create environments that hinder health, happiness, and success. At the same time, they highlight the individuals working to eliminate discrimination and open up new possibilities for expression and achievement in studios, choreography, performance venues, and institutions of higher education. The dance community can strive to eliminate discrimination, but first it must understand the status quo for gender in the dance world. Wendy Oliver, professor of dance at Providence College, is coeditor of Jazz Dance: A History of the Roots and Branches. Doug Risner, professor of dance at Wayne State University, is coeditor of Hybrid Lives of Teaching Artists in Dance and Theatre Arts: A Critical Reader. Contributors: Gareth Belling | Karen Bond | Carolyn Hebert | Eliza Larson | Pamela S. Musil | Wendy Oliver | Katherine Polasek | Doug Risner | Emily Roper | Karen Schupp | Jan Van Dyke