Elements of Dance

Elements of Dance
The Elements of Dance are the foundational concepts and vocabulary that help students develop
movement skills and understand dance as an artistic practice.
The acronym BASTE helps students remember the elements:

BODY
BODILY SHAPES
This refers to how the entire body is molded in space on the configuration of body parts. The body can
be rounded, angular, or a combination of two. Other body shapes can be from wide to narrow and from high to
low. They can be symmetrical and asymmetrical.
a. Symmetrical- balanced shape; movements are practically identical or similar on both sides.
b. Asymmetrical- unbalanced shape, movements of two sides of the body do not match or completely
different from each other.
GROUP SHAPES:
In this element, a group of dancers perform movements in different group shapes. They are arranged in
ways that are wide. narrow, rounded, angular, symmetrical, or asymmetrical and are viewed together as a total
picture or arrangement within.
ACTION
Any human movement included in the act of dancing— it can include dance steps, facial movements,
partner lifts, gestures, and even everyday movements such as walking. Dance is made up of streams of
movement and pauses, so action refers not only to steps and sequences, but also to pauses and moments of
relative stillness.
Dancers may use movements that have been choreographed or traditional dances taught by others
who know the dances. Depending on the dance style or the choreographer's decision, dancers may also revise
or embellish movement they have learned from others.
Movement can also be improvised, meaning that the dancers make it up "on the spot" as they
spontaneously dance. Movement that travels through space is broadly called locomotor movement in contrast
to axial movement, which occurs in one spot.
Understanding and discussing action does not require extensive dance terminology since movement
can be categorized and described according to its qualities. For example, while a “sashay” in American Square
Dance might be called a “chassé” in Ballet or an “undercurve” in Modern Dance technique, we can also
describe it as a “slide” since that essential characteristic is present in all those steps.
SPACE
This is the area the performers occupy and where they move. It can be divided into four different aspects,
also known as spatial elements.
a. Direction- dance movement can travel in any direction. The performers can go forward, side, backward,
diagonal, circular and so on. They may also face any direction while executing a single movement or
several phrases.
b. Size- movements can be varied by doing larger or smaller actions.
c. Level- movements can be done in a high, medium, or low level.
d. Focus- performers may change their focus by looking at different directions.
TIME
The keyword for the element of time is When? Human movement is naturally rhythmic in the broad
sense that we alternate activity and rest. Breath and waves are examples of rhythms in nature that repeat, but
not as consistently as in a metered rhythm.
Spoken word and conversation also have rhythm and dynamics, but these timing patterns are
characteristically more inconsistent and unpredictable. Rhythmic patterns may be metered or free rhythm.
Much of western music uses repeating patterns (2/4 or 3/4 for example), but concepts of time and meter are
used very differently throughout the world. Dance movements may also show different timing relationships
such as simultaneous or sequential timing, brief to long duration, fast to slow speed, or accents in predictable
or unpredictable intervals.
Time may also be organized in other ways including:
 Clock time: The dance is based on units of seconds, minutes, and/or hours. For example, a certain section
of a dance may be assigned a time such as 30 seconds into which all the choreographed movement must fit. A
performance in a public setting may be set up to repeat continuously between 12:00 Noon and 1:00 PM.
 Sensed time: Dancers pick up on each other's timing such as gradually increasing from a walking tempo to a
running tempo by cueing off each other rather than a music score. Another example happens when dancers
hold a group shape then spontaneously move out of it based on the group's organic impulse.
 Event-sequence: An internal or external event signals a change such as repeating a traveling phrase over
and over until everyone arrives at a corner of the stage. You also see this at sports events when a touchdown
triggers a dance cheer.
ENERGY
The movements here propelled by energy or force. A force can either initiate or stop an action. Dance uses
different energies and a varied use of theses minimizes the monotony of the movements in a performance.
There are six qualities of dance energies presented below.
1. Sustained- movements are done smoothly, continuously, and with flow and control does not have a
clear beginning and ending.
2. Percussive- movements are explosive or sharp in contrast with sustained movement. They are
accented with thrust of energy. They have clear beginning and ending.
3. Vibratory- movements consists of trembling or shaking. A faster version or percussive movements that
produce a jittery effect. (Minton, 2007)
4. Swinging- movements trace a curved line or an arc in space. The movements are released and giving
in to gravity on the downward part of the motion, followed by an upward application of energy.
5. Suspended- movements are perched in space or hanging on air, holding a raised leg in any direction is
an example of a suspended movement.
6. Collapsing- movements are released in tennis and gradually or abruptly giving in to gravity. Letting the
body descend to the floor. A slow collapse can be described as a melting or oozing action in a
downward direction (Minton, 2007)

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Elements of Dance

The acronym BASTE helps students remember the elements:

Time may also be organized in other ways including:

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