Concert dance (also known as
performance dance or
theatre dance in the United Kingdom) is performed for an audience and is not participative, though it need not necessarily be performed in a concert or theatre setting. By contrast,
social danceSocial dance is a major category or classification of danceforms or dance styles, where sociability and socializing are the primary focuses of the dancing. Social dances can be danced with a variety of partners and still be lead and followed in a relaxed, easy atmosphere.This compares to other...
and
participation danceParticipation dance, also known as group-participation dance or audience participation dance, is a major category or classification of dance forms or dance styles based on purpose. The purpose of this type of dance is to actively encourage dancing in a group...
may be performed without an audience. Usually concert dance performances are
choreographedChoreography is the art of designing sequences of movements in which motion, form, or both are specified. Choreography may also refer to the design itself, which is sometimes expressed by means of dance notation. The word choreography literally means "dance-writing" from the Greek words "χορεία" ...
to set music, whereas social dances tend not to be choreographed and are danced to changing music.
Concert dance (also known as
performance dance or
theatre dance in the United Kingdom) is performed for an audience and is not participative, though it need not necessarily be performed in a concert or theatre setting. By contrast,
social danceSocial dance is a major category or classification of danceforms or dance styles, where sociability and socializing are the primary focuses of the dancing. Social dances can be danced with a variety of partners and still be lead and followed in a relaxed, easy atmosphere.This compares to other...
and
participation danceParticipation dance, also known as group-participation dance or audience participation dance, is a major category or classification of dance forms or dance styles based on purpose. The purpose of this type of dance is to actively encourage dancing in a group...
may be performed without an audience. Usually concert dance performances are
choreographedChoreography is the art of designing sequences of movements in which motion, form, or both are specified. Choreography may also refer to the design itself, which is sometimes expressed by means of dance notation. The word choreography literally means "dance-writing" from the Greek words "χορεία" ...
to set music, whereas social dances tend not to be choreographed and are danced to changing music. Exceptions include non-standardized social dances such as the
argentine tangoTango is a musical genre and its associated dance forms that originated in Buenos Aires, Argentina and Montevideo, Uruguay, and spread to the rest of the world soon after.Early tango was known as tango criollo, or simply tango...
, the
salsaSalsa is a dance for Salsa music created by Spanish-speaking people from the Caribbean. Salsa dancing mixes African and European dance influences through the music and dance fusions that are the roots of Salsa: Son, Guaguancó, Rumba, Boogaloo, Pachanga, Guaracha, Plena, Bomba.Salsa is normally a...
and the
swingThe term "swing dance" commonly refers to a group of dances that developed concurrently with the swing style of jazz music in the 1920s, '30s and '40s, although the earliest of these dance forms predate swing jazz music. The best known of these dances is the Lindy Hop, a popular partner dance that...
.
Some
ceremonial danceCeremonial dance is a major category or classification of dance forms or dance styles, where the purpose is ceremonial or ritualistic.This compares to other major dance categories based on purpose:* Celebration dance** Festival dance...
s,
baroque danceBaroque dance is dance of the Baroque era in Europe , closely linked with Baroque music, theatre and opera.- English country dance :...
s and erotic dances are dances that blend social and concert dance; here participants assume the roles of performer or audience at different moments.
Concert dance hybrid-genre performances have a significant element of
dramatic enactmentDrama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance. The term comes from a Greek word meaning "action" , which is derived from "to do" . The enactment of drama in theatre, performed by actors on a stage before an audience, presupposes collaborative modes of production and a collective...
or may be dramas with significant concert dance content.
Dance Theatre is performed before an audience at a theatre or other public venue. The terms
dance-drama,
dance-theatre and
theatre-dance are interchangeable. Among others,
balletBallet is a formalized type of performance dance, which originated in sixteenth- and seventeenth-century French courts, and which was further developed in England, Italy, and Russia as a concert dance form...
, the Persian classical courtroom dances, and the temple dances of India exist primarily as theatre dance.
Concert dance forms
Styles traditionally considered concert dance:
- Acro dance
Acro dance is a style of dance that combines classical dance technique with precision acrobatic elements. It is defined by its athletic character, its unique choreography, which seamlessly blends dance and acrobatics, and its use of acrobatics in a dance context. It is a popular dance style in...
- Ballet
Ballet is a formalized type of performance dance, which originated in sixteenth- and seventeenth-century French courts, and which was further developed in England, Italy, and Russia as a concert dance form...
- Belly dance
Belly dance is a Western term for a traditional Arab dance genre known as raqs sharqi or sometimes raqs baladi...
- Bharatanatyam
Bharatanatyam is a classical Indian dance form originating in Tamil Nadu. This dance form denotes various 19th and 20th century reconstructions of Cathir, the art of temple dancers. Cathir in turn, is derived from ancient dance forms. Bharatanatyam is usually accompanied by the classical music...
- Cabaret
Cabaret is a form of entertainment featuring comedy, song, dance, and theatre, distinguished mainly by the performance venue—a restaurant or nightclub with a stage for performances and the audience sitting at tables watching the performance being introduced by a master of ceremonies, or MC.Cabaret...
- Character dance
Character Dance is a specific subdivision of Classical Dance. It is the stylised representation of a traditional folk or national dance, normally from a European country, and uses movements and music which have been adapted for the theatre....
- Eurythmy
Eurythmy is an expressive movement art originated by Rudolf Steiner in conjunction with Marie von Sivers in the early 20th century. Primarily a performance art, it is also used in education—especially in Waldorf education and as a movement therapy....
- Hip hop
Hip-hop dance refers to social or choreographed dance styles primarily danced to hip-hop music or that have evolved as part of hip-hop culture. This includes a wide range of styles notably breaking, locking, and popping which were developed in the 1970s by Black and Latino Americans...
- Historical dance
Historical dance in a collective term covering a wide variety of dance types from the past as they are danced in the present....
- Jazz
- Modern dance
Modern dance is a dance form developed in the early 20th century. Although the term Modern dance has also been applied to a category of 20th Century broom dances, Modern dance as a term usually refers to 20th century concert dance.-Origins:...
- Musical theatre
Musical theatre is a form of theatre combining music, songs, spoken dialogue and dance. The emotional content of the piece – humor, pathos, love, anger – as well as the story itself, is communicated through the words, music, movement and technical aspects of the entertainment as an...
- Pole dance
Pole dancing is a form of performing art, a combination of dancing and gymnastics. It involves dancing sensually with a vertical pole and is often used in strip clubs and gentlemen's clubs, although more recently artistic pole dancing is used in cabaret/circus and stage performance in a...
- Striptease
A striptease is an erotic or exotic dance in which the performer gradually undresses, either partly or completely, in a seductive and sexually suggestive manner...
- Tap dance
Tap dance is a form of dance characterized by a tapping sound that is created from metal plates that are attached to both the ball and heel of the dancer's shoe...
Ballet
This courtroom dance originated in Italy, then flourished in France and Russia before spreading across Europe and abroad. Ballet became an academic discipline taught in schools and institutions. Amateur and professional troupes formed: ballet came to the theatre from the courts and flourished as a full-fledged dance theatre.
Acro dance
Acrobatic dance emerged in the United States and Canada in the early 1900s as one of the types of acts performed in vaudeville. Acro dance has evolved significantly since then, with dance movements now founded in ballet technique and a commensurate precision of form and movement that was absent in vaudeville acrobatic dance.
Temple dances of India
The origin of dance in India was in temples. The six dances of India — namely
KathakKathak is one of the eight forms of Indian classical dances, originated from northern India. This dance form traces its origins to the nomadic bards of ancient northern India, known as Kathaks, or story tellers...
,
KathakaliKathakali is a highly stylised classical Indian dance-drama noted for its attractive make-up of characters, their elaborate costumes, detailed gestures and well-defined body movements presented in tune with the anchor playback music and complementary percussion...
,
ManipuriManipuri dance is one of the major Indian classical dance forms. It originates from Manipur, a state in north-eastern India on the border with Myanmar . In Manipur, surrounded by mountains and geographically isolated at the meeting point of the orient and mainland India, the form developed its own...
,
BharatanatyamBharatanatyam is a classical Indian dance form originating in Tamil Nadu. This dance form denotes various 19th and 20th century reconstructions of Cathir, the art of temple dancers. Cathir in turn, is derived from ancient dance forms. Bharatanatyam is usually accompanied by the classical music...
,
Odissithumb|right|Sharmila Biswas performing Odissi in a dance festival in keralaOdissi is one of the eight classical dance forms of India. It originates from the state of Orissa, in eastern India....
and
KuchipudiKuchipudi is a Classical Indian dance form from Andhra Pradesh, a state of South India. Kuchipudi is the name of a small village in the Divi Taluq of Krishna district that borders the Bay of Bengal and with resident Brahmins practising this traditional dance form, it acquired the present...
— were performed by the
devadasiDevadasi is originally described a Hindu religious practice in which girls were "married" and dedicated to a deity , although in practice, they are also subject to providing sexual favours to the clergy...
s with the exception of Kathak, which was the only male dance of India. In India, dance instruction was traditionally oral under the
guruA guru is one who is regarded as having great knowledge, wisdom and authority in a certain area, and who uses it to guide others . As a principle for the development of consciousness it leads the creation from unreality to reality, from the darkness of ignorance to the light of knowledge...
Shishya Parampara. After Independence, the institution of devadasis (regarded as being akin to
prostitutionProstitution is the act or practice of engaging in sex acts for hire. In most cultures, prostitution is viewed by many as a deviant profession, either illegal or socially discouraged...
) became banned
Thereafter dance developed as a university subject and dance schools and institutions with
curriculumIn formal education, a curriculum is the set of courses, and their content, offered at a school or university. As an idea, curriculum stems from the Latin word for race course, referring to the course of deeds and experiences through which children grow to become mature adults...
s and examinations came into being. People from respectable families came to perform these dances publicly on stage leading to emergence of the dance-drama.
Classical Persian Court Dance
An important era influencing Persian dance was the Qadjar dynasty which reigned from 1795 to 1925. In this period, that dance began to be called "classical Persian dance". Dancers performed artistic dances in the court of the
ShahShah is a Persian term for a king that has been adopted in many other languages.-Word history:"Shāh" was the title of Iranian kings including the Achaemenid dynasty which unified Persia and created a vast intercontinental empire...
for entertainment purposes such as
coronationA coronation is a ceremony marking the investiture of a monarch or their consort with regal power, specifically involving the placement of a crown upon his or her head, and the presentation of other items of regalia...
s,
marriageMarriage is a social union or legal contract between individuals that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged by a variety of ways, depending on the culture or demographic...
celebrations, and
NorouzNowrūz , meaning 'New Day') is the traditional Iranian new year ceremony.Nowruz is celebrated and observed by Iranian peoples and the related cultural continent and has spread in many other parts of the world, including parts of Central Asia, South Asia, Northwestern China, the Crimea, Somalia,...
celebrations (
IranIran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran is a country in Western Asia. The name Iran has been in use natively since the Sassanid period and came into international use from 1935, before which the country was known internationally as Persia...
ian new year). The rise of the Qadjars liberalizes people's attitudes toward dancing, although it remained in the royal court and among the elite and bourgeois families. The court dancers elevated respect for dance to an art form.
Costuming generally consisted of loosely-fitted long dress with long sleeves, worn with a jacket. The jacket extended over the sides of the hips and was either worn open or closed. The Qadjar dancers wore pants under the dress. A purely Persian pant was cut narrow and cuffed and loose at the bottom. Sometimes a Turkish harem pant was worn, extremely full and gathered tight at the ankles. The fabrics were bright in color and flowered. The Shah rewarded performers with jewels, so many costumes had elaborate gold
embroideryEmbroidery is the art or handicraft of decorating fabric or other materials with needle and thread or yarn. Embroidery may also incorporate other materials such as metal strips, pearls, beads, quills, and sequins....
, pearl beading and gemstones. Upon the head was worn an egret, a small
paisleyPaisley or Paisley pattern is a droplet-shaped vegetable motif of Persian origin, similar to half of the Yin yang symbol. The pattern is sometimes called "Persian pickles" by American traditionalists, especially quiltmakers,[The Persian Pickle Club, Sandra Dallas. St. Martin's...]
-shaped hat adorned with jewels, pearls and a feather. Hair was worn long and elaborate, with side locks and bangs fashioned into shapes.
Traditionally, the music was played by a small band with one or two melodic instruments and a drum. In the 20th century, the music came to be orchestrated and dance movement and costuming gained a modernistic orientation to the West. In 1928, ballet came to Iran and impacted dance performance, adding a feeling of lightness and more delicate
footworkFootwork refers to dance technique aspects related to feet: foot position and foot action.The following aspects of footwork may be considered:*Dance technique: a proper footwork may be vital for proper posture and movement of a dancer....
. The jacket was flared more fully at the hips much like a
tutuA ballet tutu is a skirt worn as a costume in a ballet performance, often with attached bodice. It might be single layer, hanging down, or multiple layers starched and strutting out. It tends to add a floating motion when ballerinas dance in them....
, and the dance form became more modern in outlook and flourished as a performing art.
Theatre dance in the United Kingdom
In the United Kingdom,
theatre dance is often used as an umbrella term to encompass a range of performance dance disciplines, especially in reference to the teaching of dance to children. The UK has a number of specialist dance training and examination boards, most having a separate branch dedicated to theatre dance, with codified syllabi in each technique. Worldwide, many dance teachers and schools prepare their pupils for dance examinations and qualifications with a UK based organisation, most notably with the
Royal Academy of DanceThe Royal Academy of Dance is a leading International dance examination board specialising in Classical Ballet. This Academy was established in London, England in 1920 and received its Royal Charter in 1936...
and the
International Dance Teachers AssociationThe International Dance Teachers Association is a leading dance examination board based in Brighton, England. Operating internationally, the IDTA is one of the largest dance teaching organisations in the world and currently has 7000 active teachers operating in 55 countries...
. All United Kingdom theatre dance organisations are consistent in offering
classical balletClassical Ballet is the most formal of the ballet styles, it adheres to traditional ballet technique. There are variations relating to area of origin, such as Russian ballet, French ballet, British ballet and Italian ballet...
,
tapTap dance is a form of dance characterized by a tapping sound that is created from metal plates that are attached to both the ball and heel of the dancer's shoe...
and
modernModern dance is a dance form developed in the early 20th century. Although the term Modern dance has also been applied to a category of 20th Century broom dances, Modern dance as a term usually refers to 20th century concert dance.-Origins:...
or
modern jazzJazz dance is an umbrella term that can refer to several related dance styles. All of them are connected via common roots, namely tap, ballet, jazz music, and African-American rhythms and dance.-History:...
as their core theatre branch subjects. Many also offer 'theatre craft' or 'stage dance', which is devised to reflect the choreography seen in
musical theatreMusical theatre is a form of theatre combining music, songs, spoken dialogue and dance. The emotional content of the piece – humor, pathos, love, anger – as well as the story itself, is communicated through the words, music, movement and technical aspects of the entertainment as an...
.
Organisations
Prominent UK dance training/examination organisations are:
- British Association of Teachers of Dance
The British Association of Teachers of Dance is a UK based dance examination board, with its Head Office in Glasgow, Scotland. The officially recognised date for the formation of the society is 30 November 1892, making it the first professional dance organisation of its kind in the United...
(BATD)
- British Ballet Organisation
The British Ballet Organisation is a dance examination board based in London, England.- Overview :The British Ballet Organisation was founded in England in 1930 by Edouard Espinosa and Louise Kay, both noted dance teachers. It was established as a dance teaching society and developed a syllabus...
(BBO)
- Imperial Society of Teachers of Dancing
The Imperial Society of Teachers of Dancing is an international dance examination board, based in London, England. The ISTD was established as the Imperial Society of Dance Teachers on 25 July 1904, changing to its current name in 1925 and was later incorporated in the United Kingdom...
(ISTD)
- International Dance Teachers Association
The International Dance Teachers Association is a leading dance examination board based in Brighton, England. Operating internationally, the IDTA is one of the largest dance teaching organisations in the world and currently has 7000 active teachers operating in 55 countries...
(IDTA)
- Royal Academy of Dance
The Royal Academy of Dance is a leading International dance examination board specialising in Classical Ballet. This Academy was established in London, England in 1920 and received its Royal Charter in 1936...
(RAD) - (Exclusively Ballet, but also works in partnership with IDTA)
See also
- 20th century concert dance
20th century concert dance is the name given to a category of dance forms that include:* Free dance* Modern dance* Expressionist dance* Postmodern dance* Dance improvisation* Contemporary dance* Dance theatre* Dance for camera...
- Ceremonial dance
Ceremonial dance is a major category or classification of dance forms or dance styles, where the purpose is ceremonial or ritualistic.This compares to other major dance categories based on purpose:* Celebration dance** Festival dance...
- Competitive dance
Competitive dance is a popular, widespread activity in which competitors perform dances in any of several permitted dance styles—such as acro, ballet, jazz, hip-hop, lyrical, and tap—before a common group of judges...
- Erotic dance
- Ethnochoreology
Ethnochoreology is the study of dance through the application of a number of disciplines such as Anthropology, Musicology, Ethnography, etc. The word, itself, is relatively recent and means, literally, “the study of folk dance”, as opposed to, say, the formalized entertainment of classical ballet...
- Participation dance
Participation dance, also known as group-participation dance or audience participation dance, is a major category or classification of dance forms or dance styles based on purpose. The purpose of this type of dance is to actively encourage dancing in a group...
- Social dance
Social dance is a major category or classification of danceforms or dance styles, where sociability and socializing are the primary focuses of the dancing. Social dances can be danced with a variety of partners and still be lead and followed in a relaxed, easy atmosphere.This compares to other...
- Tanztheater
The German Tanztheater grew out of German expressionist dance. The term first appears around 1927 to identify a particular style of dance emerging from within the new forms of 'expressionist dance' developing in Central Europe since 1917. Its main exponents include Rudolf Laban, Kurt Jooss, and...
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