BACKGROUND AND HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE
THE WORLD OF DANCE - SPHERES - ELEMENTS - FORMS
1. SPHERES
One possibility for the categorization of dance as it appears in all its various representations, aroundthe world and through time, is a theory of overlapping spheres of dance influence. In this consideration there are three spheres of dance experience. Each sphere represents dance in a particular venue. Eachsphere has recognizable traits, particularly in how the dance is passed on from generation to generation andhow the dance evolves and changes through time.
In the first sphere of dance, we find the rural, village, or closed community dance.
Communal Recreational Dance exists in a small, constant social setting made up of a homogeneouspopulation. Though the culture does change, it usually does so at a very slow pace. A rural community isthe typical one for this sphere, but a somewhat urban setting is possible if the community resists outside influence, retains its own cultural integrity and remains separate from its neighbors. The most important factis that the dance is performed for recreation by the culture that created it.
Urban Recreational Dance. In a more cosmopolitan setting different social groups make contact and oftenexchange cultural information. This society changes more readily than the isolated rural community. Change in this culture reflects the political, economic and social vagaries of a large community.
Presentational Dance The third classification sphere is the Classical, Ceremonial, Theatrical or Artistic Dance. This setting is one for a select and specific group to perform and can exist in rural or urbanareas. The material follows a distinct discipline and is danced according to strict dictates of artistic principlesand aesthetics.
Sphere I - Communal Recreational Dance: This is the oldest, and longest-lived form of dance. This typeof dance, though it does change, is very slow to do so. In Sphere I the dancing is almost always learnedby imitation. The usual way people learn is that they are included in the dances at a very young age and learn by imitating what they see. Often, they dance in a simplified version, eventually mastering the dance as a young adult. In some dance situations a young person only observes certain dances until they reachan age of maturity, at which point entrance into the dance will serve as part of a “rite of passage” to announce the young person’s inclusion as an adult member of the greater social unit.
Sphere II - Urban Recreational Dance: Dancing here can either be learned through imitation or underthe tutelage of a DANCING MASTER. This form of dance changes as it reflects the social, political, andeconomic changes of the society in which it is performed. In societies that change quickly, this form ofdance changes quickly; societies that resist change will inhibit the rate of change of dance done.
Sphere III - Presentational Dance: This category of dance is almost always learned from a DancingMaster or accepted authority on the dance and its traditions. This area of dance is based on practicedtechnique and discipline. This sphere is where dance as a shared art form exists. This art form can take the stage as a creative expression in a particular discipline or genre of dance or might be an expression of religious or ceremonial art within a culture.
As in any art form there are artistic principles to be understood, followed, or purposefully broken. These artistic principles have practitioners that carefully preserve them, faithfully passing on the dance style to successive generations. These masters of the style and execution of dance style also pass on a“taste” for what the dance should look and feel like. These aesthetics are part of the distinct flavor of aparticular dance theater or performance. There are also creative pioneers that use the artistic principles as astepping off point for original, creative expression. They often test the established aesthetics and expandthe boundaries of the art form. Whether the dance is in a time-honored school of thought or in a creative extension of a particular genre, careful attention is paid to the historical and cultural context of the material and aesthetics.
The rate of change or evolution for this sphere of dance is unnatural. That is, it can either be veryfast, often preceding social, political and economic changes in a culture; or, it can be very slow, almost to be unchanging. An unchanging dance type would be one whose style and artistry is strictly dictated byceremony or history. Often part of a religious or ceremonial observance, these forms require a commitmentto dance as a display of reverence and demand consistent technical execution. In its presentational form,major emphasis is placed on Artistic, Aesthetic, Historical, and Creative facets of dance.
The dances being presented in this text are of Sphere II. Many of the dances are taken from Sphere Ibut there are several facts that preclude their being considered Sphere I:
· They are taught. Sphere I dance is almost always learned by imitation.
· They are being presented outside of the culture that created them.
· They are presented of a diverse population.
THE WORLD OF DANCE - SPHERES - ELEMENTS - FORMS
1. SPHERES
One possibility for the categorization of dance as it appears in all its various representations, aroundthe world and through time, is a theory of overlapping spheres of dance influence. In this consideration there are three spheres of dance experience. Each sphere represents dance in a particular venue. Eachsphere has recognizable traits, particularly in how the dance is passed on from generation to generation andhow the dance evolves and changes through time.
In the first sphere of dance, we find the rural, village, or closed community dance.
Communal Recreational Dance exists in a small, constant social setting made up of a homogeneouspopulation. Though the culture does change, it usually does so at a very slow pace. A rural community isthe typical one for this sphere, but a somewhat urban setting is possible if the community resists outside influence, retains its own cultural integrity and remains separate from its neighbors. The most important factis that the dance is performed for recreation by the culture that created it.
Urban Recreational Dance. In a more cosmopolitan setting different social groups make contact and oftenexchange cultural information. This society changes more readily than the isolated rural community. Change in this culture reflects the political, economic and social vagaries of a large community.
Presentational Dance The third classification sphere is the Classical, Ceremonial, Theatrical or Artistic Dance. This setting is one for a select and specific group to perform and can exist in rural or urbanareas. The material follows a distinct discipline and is danced according to strict dictates of artistic principlesand aesthetics.
Sphere I - Communal Recreational Dance: This is the oldest, and longest-lived form of dance. This typeof dance, though it does change, is very slow to do so. In Sphere I the dancing is almost always learnedby imitation. The usual way people learn is that they are included in the dances at a very young age and learn by imitating what they see. Often, they dance in a simplified version, eventually mastering the dance as a young adult. In some dance situations a young person only observes certain dances until they reachan age of maturity, at which point entrance into the dance will serve as part of a “rite of passage” to announce the young person’s inclusion as an adult member of the greater social unit.
Sphere II - Urban Recreational Dance: Dancing here can either be learned through imitation or underthe tutelage of a DANCING MASTER. This form of dance changes as it reflects the social, political, andeconomic changes of the society in which it is performed. In societies that change quickly, this form ofdance changes quickly; societies that resist change will inhibit the rate of change of dance done.
Sphere III - Presentational Dance: This category of dance is almost always learned from a DancingMaster or accepted authority on the dance and its traditions. This area of dance is based on practicedtechnique and discipline. This sphere is where dance as a shared art form exists. This art form can take the stage as a creative expression in a particular discipline or genre of dance or might be an expression of religious or ceremonial art within a culture.
As in any art form there are artistic principles to be understood, followed, or purposefully broken. These artistic principles have practitioners that carefully preserve them, faithfully passing on the dance style to successive generations. These masters of the style and execution of dance style also pass on a“taste” for what the dance should look and feel like. These aesthetics are part of the distinct flavor of aparticular dance theater or performance. There are also creative pioneers that use the artistic principles as astepping off point for original, creative expression. They often test the established aesthetics and expandthe boundaries of the art form. Whether the dance is in a time-honored school of thought or in a creative extension of a particular genre, careful attention is paid to the historical and cultural context of the material and aesthetics.
The rate of change or evolution for this sphere of dance is unnatural. That is, it can either be veryfast, often preceding social, political and economic changes in a culture; or, it can be very slow, almost to be unchanging. An unchanging dance type would be one whose style and artistry is strictly dictated byceremony or history. Often part of a religious or ceremonial observance, these forms require a commitmentto dance as a display of reverence and demand consistent technical execution. In its presentational form,major emphasis is placed on Artistic, Aesthetic, Historical, and Creative facets of dance.
The dances being presented in this text are of Sphere II. Many of the dances are taken from Sphere Ibut there are several facts that preclude their being considered Sphere I:
· They are taught. Sphere I dance is almost always learned by imitation.
· They are being presented outside of the culture that created them.
· They are presented of a diverse population.
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