17.1 Fundamental Elements of Dance, Choreographic Principles, and Cultural Styles

17.1 Fundamental Elements of Dance, Choreographic Principles, and Cultural Styles

CSET Focus: The California Subject Examinations for Teachers (CSET) Multiple Subjects Subtest III evaluates your theoretical mastery and pedagogical application of the Visual and Performing Arts: Dance content standards. Credential candidates must demonstrate proficiency in analyzing dance through the BASTE framework, identifying choreographic forms, contrasting historical and contemporary dance genres, interpreting global cultural traditions, and structuring developmentally sound K–8 movement instruction.

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1. The BASTE Framework: Core Elements of Dance

Dance is the art of human movement channeled through space, time, and dynamic energy. The universal analytical taxonomy for dance education is the BASTE Framework, an acronym representing Body, Action, Space, Time, and Energy (Force).

                                    THE BASTE FRAMEWORK
          ┌──────────────────┬──────────────────┼──────────────────┬──────────────────┐
        BODY               ACTION             SPACE              TIME              ENERGY
   • Body Parts       • Locomotor        • Personal vs.     • Beat & Pulse     • Weight (Heavy/Light)
   • Shapes:            (Walk, Leap,       General Space    • Tempo (Speed)    • Flow: Bound vs. Free
     Symmetric/         Skip, Gallop)    • Levels (Low,     • Rhythm & Meter   • Attack: Percussive,
     Asymmetric       • Non-Locomotor      Med, High)       • Syncopation &      Sustained, Suspended,
   • Base of Support    (Bend, Twist)    • Pathways & Dir.    Accents            Swinging, Collapsing

1. Body (The Instrument of Dance)

The body is the physical medium of expression. Dancers isolate specific body parts or engage the entire somatic structure to communicate meaning:

• Body Parts & Initiation: Movement may be initiated from the core (torso, pelvis), extremities (fingers, toes), or distal joints (elbows, knees).
• Body Shapes: Shapes can be curved, angular, twisted, wide, narrow, stretched, or crouched. Shapes are further categorized into:
  • Symmetrical Shapes: Both sides of the body mirror each other along a central sagittal plane, communicating stability, balance, and classical harmony.
  • Asymmetrical Shapes: Opposing sides of the body display contrasting positions or lines, conveying dynamic tension, instability, or naturalistic expression.
• Bases of Support: The specific body parts contacting the floor to maintain equilibrium (e.g., two feet, one foot, knees, hips, or hands).
• Body Alignment: Proper skeletal positioning that allows efficient weight distribution, joint safety, and balance over the base of support.

2. Action (What the Body Does)

Action encompasses all human movement within dance, divided into two fundamental operational categories:

• Locomotor Movements: Actions where the body travels through space from one physical location to another:
  • Walk & Run: Alternating weight transfers; running incorporates an airborne flight phase.
  • Hop: Springing from one foot and landing on the same foot.
  • Jump: Propelling into the air from one or two feet and landing simultaneously on two feet.
  • Leap: An elongated, airborne stride taking off from one foot and landing on the opposite foot.
  • Gallop: An uneven forward step-together-step pattern where the lead foot always stays in front.
  • Slide: An uneven lateral (sideways) step-together-step movement.
  • Skip: A compound, alternating step-hop pattern ($L_{\text{step}}-L_{\text{hop}}, R_{\text{step}}-R_{\text{hop}}$).
• Non-Locomotor (Axial) Movements: Actions executed around the body's stationary axis where the base of support remains anchored:
  • Bending, Stretching, Twisting, Turning, Swinging, Swaying, Shaking, Rising, Sinking, and Collapsing.

3. Space (Where the Action Takes Place)

Space describes the environment through which the dancer navigates:

• Location:
  • Personal Space (Kinesphere): The three-dimensional spherical bubble immediately surrounding the body in all directions without moving the base of support.
  • General Space: The total shared room, stage, or gym through which dancers travel.
• Levels:
  • Low Level: Movements close to the floor (e.g., crawling, rolling, floor lunges, kneeling).
  • Medium Level: Movements executed at waist to standing shoulder height (e.g., walking, bending).
  • High Level: Movements elevated in the air or reaching upward (e.g., leaping, jumping, tiptoe extensions).
• Pathways: The floor or aerial lines traced by movement:
  • Floor Pathways: Straight, curved, zigzag, spiral, or circular paths navigated across the floor.
  • Aerial Pathways: Geometric shapes traced in the air with limbs (e.g., high arcs, slicing diagonals).
• Directions & Extensions: Navigating forward, backward, sideways, diagonally, up, and down; extension refers to the spatial reach of limbs (condensed/near vs. expanded/far).

4. Time (When the Action Happens)

Time governs the temporal structure and rhythmic cadence of movement:

• Beat / Pulse: The underlying steady, continuous measurement of time in music or dance.
• Tempo: The rate of speed of movement (e.g., largo, andante, allegro, accelerando, ritardando).
• Rhythm & Meter: Organized patterns of stressed and unstressed beats (e.g., $2/4$ duple march, $3/4$ triple waltz).
• Accent: A distinct physical emphasis or sharp force applied to a specific beat or movement.
• Syncopation: Accenting unexpected weak beats or off-beats, creating rhythmic surprise and dynamic groove.
• Duration: The relative length of time an action or frozen shape is sustained.

5. Energy and Force (How the Action is Performed)

Energy refers to the physical force, weight, and dynamic attack of movement:

• Weight / Force: Strong / Heavy (grounded, forceful, high muscular recruitment) vs. Light / Gentle (buoyant, delicate, minimal resistance).
• Flow:
  • Bound Flow: Restrained, tight, stoppable on command, high muscular tension (e.g., robotic freezes).
  • Free Flow: Continuous, fluid, momentum-driven, difficult to halt abruptly (e.g., spinning down a hill).
• Attack / Movement Qualities:
  • Sustained: Smooth, continuous, unhurried, even release of energy.
  • Percussive: Sharp, sudden, aggressive, explosive bursts of force.
  • Suspended: The momentary breathless pause at the peak of an upward movement defying gravity.
  • Swinging: Pendular release of weight falling with gravity and rebounding upward.
  • Vibratory: Rapid, trembling, shaking, percussive pulsations.
  • Collapsing: Complete release of tension and yielding to gravity.

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2. BASTE Elements Matrix

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3. Choreographic Principles and Compositional Structures

Choreography is the art of structuring movement phrases into a cohesive dance work. Movement phrases are created through manipulation of motifs and formal structures.

                                CHOREOGRAPHIC STRUCTURES
  ┌────────────────────┬────────────────────┬────────────────────┬────────────────────┐
     BINARY (AB)          TERNARY (ABA)         RONDO (ABACA)      CANON & ROUND
  • Two contrasting    • Statement (A),     • Recurring theme    • Single phrase
    sections             Contrast (B),        (A) alternates with  performed with
  • Question & Answer    Return to A          contrasting B & C    staggered entries

Choreographic Forms

1. Binary Form ($AB$): Consists of two contrasting movement sections. Section $A$ establishes a movement theme, and Section $B$ presents a distinctly different movement phrase in terms of tempo, energy, or space.
2. Ternary Form ($ABA$): A three-part choreographic structure consisting of an initial statement ($A$), a contrasting middle section ($B$), and a return to the original theme ($A$).
3. Rondo Form ($ABACA$ or $ABACABA$): A primary recurring theme ($A$) alternates with contrasting developmental episodes ($B, C, D$).
4. Theme and Variations ($A, A_1, A_2, A_3$): A core thematic movement phrase ($A$) is stated and subsequently modified in each variation through systematic alterations of space, time, or energy.
5. Canon: A compositional device in which dancers execute the identical movement phrase sequentially with staggered start times (analogous to a musical round like "Row, Row, Row Your Boat").
6. Call and Response: A conversational choreographic structure where a soloist or lead group initiates a movement phrase ("the call") and the remaining ensemble answers with a complementary or identical phrase ("the response").
7. Improvisation & Chance Dance: Spontaneous, unscripted movement exploration driven by sensory prompts, scores, or chance operations (championed by Merce Cunningham).

Choreographic Principles of Design

• Unity & Variety: Maintaining a cohesive aesthetic theme while introducing variations in levels, tempo, and dynamics to maintain visual interest.
• Contrast: Placing opposing movement qualities side-by-side (e.g., sharp percussive cuts immediately followed by sustained fluid floating).
• Repetition: Re-stating thematic phrases to reinforce meaning and visual recognition for the audience.
• Climax: The dramatic peak or point of maximum kinetic energy and emotional intensity in a dance.
• Transitions: Seamless physical links connecting distinct movement phrases or stage formations.

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4. Choreographic Structures Reference Table

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5. Major Dance Genres and Global Cultural Traditions

Classical Ballet

Originating in the Italian Renaissance courts and formalized in 17th-century France under King Louis XIV (who established the Académie Royale de Danse in 1661), ballet emphasizes:

• Turnout: Outward rotation of the legs from the hip sockets.
• Five Codified Foot & Arm Positions: The structural baseline for all classical movement.
• Ethereal Verticality: Upright spine, elevated carriage, pointe work, and defying gravity.
• Historical Eras: Romantic Ballet (19th century, Giselle, emotional narratives, ethereal tutus) and Classical Ballet (late 19th century, Petipa, Swan Lake, The Nutcracker, technical virtuosity).

Modern and Contemporary Dance

Emerging in the early 20th century as a direct rebellion against classical ballet's strict rules, artificiality, and rigid verticality. Modern dance emphasizes floor work, bare feet, natural movement, and emotional expression.

• Isadora Duncan (1877–1927): Pioneer of modern dance inspired by ancient Greek art and nature; discarded ballet slippers and corsets in favor of bare feet and flowing tunics.
• Martha Graham (1894–1991): Developed the foundational Contraction and Release technique based on the natural cycle of breathing, pelvic muscular contraction, and raw visceral emotional expression.
• Doris Humphrey (1895–1958) & Charles Weidman: Formulated the Fall and Recovery technique based on the body's constant struggle against and surrender to the pull of gravity.
• Katherine Dunham & Pearl Primus: Infused Afro-Caribbean rituals, polyrhythmic isolations, and cultural anthropology into modern concert dance.

Global Cultural Dance Traditions

                               GLOBAL CULTURAL DANCE TRADITIONS
  ┌────────────────────┬────────────────────┬────────────────────┬────────────────────┐
  BALLET FOLKLÓRICO     NATIVE AMERICAN      IRISH STEP DANCE     POLYNESIAN HULA
  • Regional Mexico    • Sacred Powwow      • Rigid upper body   • Hula Kahiko (ancient)
  • Zapateado footwork • Nature mimicry     • Rapid percussive     & Hula 'Auana (modern)
  • Vibrant swirling   • Circular sacred      shoe rhythms       • Expressive hand
    tiered skirts        pathways           • Hard & soft shoes    gestures / chant

1. Ballet Folklórico (Mexico): Traditional Mexican folk dances that fuse indigenous rituals with Spanish flamenco and European ballroom styles. Characterized by Zapateado (intricate rhythmic heel-and-toe stamping) and dramatic Manipulation of faldas (vibrant swirling tiered skirts) that create kinetic visual waves.
2. Native American Ceremonial Dance: Sacred communal dances performed during powwows, seasonal harvest ceremonies, and healing rituals (e.g., Hoop Dance, Grass Dance, Eagle Dance). Emphasizes deep spiritual connection to Mother Earth, grounded footwork, circular floor pathways, and symbolic animal mimicry accompanied by drums and chants.
3. Irish Step Dance: Traditional Celtic dance featuring an ultra-rigid, stationary upper torso and arms held firmly at the sides, paired with lightning-fast, highly intricate foot percussion. Divided into hard shoe (percussive rhythms) and soft shoe (airy leaps).
4. Polynesian Hula (Hawaii): Sacred dance tradition categorized into Hula Kahiko (ancient, accompanied by pahu drums and chants) and Hula 'Auana (modern, melodic, accompanied by ukulele and guitar). Dancers use expressive hand and arm gestures to tell detailed narrative stories describing natural phenomena (ocean waves, volcanic fire, palm trees, wind) and ancestral mythology.

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6. Developmental K–8 Dance Pedagogy