Understanding Rhythm in Dance and Music

Rhythm and Dance

• Rhythm is the regular recurrence of accented and unaccented beats that can be thought of as dance
• Rhythmic activities are the physical manifestations of the mental and emotional response of the individual to rhythm

Elements of Rhythm

• Beat: the underlying pulse of a rhythm
• Tempo: rate of speed of a movement
• Intensity: variation of stress of movement
• Pitch: lowness or highness of a tone
• Accent: emphasis on certain beats
• Meter: regular recurrence of beats that divides a musical design into measures
• Phrase: measures grouped together
• Bar: a vertical line across a staff dividing it into equal measures of time
• Count: a pulse beat, a time limit
• Note: a printed symbol of a musical tone
• Measure: a group of pulse beats
• Note pattern: a note or set of notes with or without rest used for a certain dance step
• Step pattern: the movement of movement

Elements of Movement Space

• Direction: the line of movement taken (forward, backward, sideward, diagonal, upward, or a combination)
• Level: movement through space at high, low, or medium level
• Range: the area covered as the body moves
• Floor pattern: the path or design made while moving in space

Movement Qualities

• Time qualities:
  • Fast movements (e.g. galloping horse, jet plane)
  • Slow movements (e.g. turtle, flower growing)
• Force qualities:
  • Soft and light movements (e.g. fairies, birds, butterflies)
  • Strong and heavy movements (e.g. elephant, bulldozer)
  • Strong and jerky movements (e.g. frog, jumping jack)
  • Smooth and sustained movements (e.g. airplane, fish swimming)
• Space qualities:
  • Up and down movements (e.g. bouncing ball, yo-yo)
  • Across, back and forth, or around movements (e.g. rowing boat)
  • Low movements (e.g. ants, turtles)
  • High movements (e.g. kites)

Types of Dance

• Creative rhythms: fundamental rhythms or natural dances
• Folk/ethnic dance: a cultural art form handed down from generation to generation (e.g. rural and country dances, jotas, mazurkas, pandanggos)
• Social and ballroom dance: held in the evenings, participants in formal attire
• Recreational dance: informal gatherings and parties, simple patterns and combinations of walking steps, polka step, and waltz step
• Creative dance: the highest form of dance, an end-product of exploration and improvisation of movements, expressing feelings or emotions, ideas, and interpretations (e.g. ballet, jazz, modern or contemporary dance)

Formations in Rhythmic Activities

• Single Circle, Facing In
• Single Circle, Facing Clockwise
• Single Circle, Facing Counterclockwise