Learning About Dance

"Tap, twirl, twist, spin! With musical, rhyming text, author Valerie Bolling shines a spotlight on dances from across the globe" --

illustrations of 9 ballroom and Latin dances. In depth history of ballroom and Latin-American dances. over 300 pictures of dancers and super star dancers plus a vast amount of information and quotes about social and competition(International style) dances. A must buy. THE WORLD'S FOREMOST AUTHORITATIVE GUIDE TO SOCIAL/BALLROOM & LATIN-AMERICAN DANCING.

This book locates the philosophy of Ubuntu as the undergirding framework for indigenous dance pedagogies in local communities in Uganda. Through critical examination of the reflections and practices of selected local dance teachers, the volume reveals how issues of inclusion, belonging, and agency are negotiated through a creatively complex interplay between individuality and communality. The analysis frames pedagogies as sites where reflective thought and kinaesthetic practice converge to facilitate ever-evolving individual imagination and community innovations.

"Undergrad text for general-education courses helps students fulfill fine arts credits. This text will help students form a connection to and appreciation for dance as both an art form and a lifetime physical activity, no matter their primary course of study or eventual career path"--

The art of ballet is interpreted and demonstrated by the renowned American Ballet Threatre as it allows the reader inside its doors to view its classes, dancers, teachers, and memorable performances, sharing secrets of the art and the discipline of the dance through vivid photographs as well as incisive commentary.

Jennifer Donohue Zakkai illuminates why and how dance is a powerful tool for learning and creativity in K-6 classrooms. In this "workshop on paper" you'll discover how to build on what you already know about movement, and implement techniques to tap into children's natural appetite for moving. Zakkai addresses the challenges of engaging students in full-bodied motion in the classroom. She focuses first on helping students become responsible movers in the space, then offers structured learning experiences that demand a high level of concentration and creativity. Through verbal prompts--not demonstrations--that involve students in creative problem-solving, students learn through discovery instead of imitation. You don't have to be a dancer to use the detailed model lessons that guide you through warm-ups, movement explorations, rich curricular integrations, culminating activities, observation and reflection. To help your students understand curriculum content, express themselves in creative ways, and learn about dance as an art form, Dance as a Way of Knowing offers a progression of strategies that will make this vibrant discipline come alive in your classroom.

Experience the raw energy and aesthetic beauty of dance as you perfect your technique with Dance Anatomy. Featuring hundreds of full-color illustrations, Dance Anatomy presents more than 100 of the most effective dance, movement, and performance exercises, each designed to promote correct alignment, improved placement, proper breathing, and prevention of common injuries. The exercises are drawn in stunning detail, capturing the dancer in motion and highlighting the active muscles associated with each movement so you can develop and strengthen different areas of the body. You will clearly see how muscular development translates into greater poise and elegance on the stage. Each chapter addresses a key principle of movement to help you improve performance, beginning with the center of the body, where dance begins. You will learn exercises to target specific areas, such as shoulders and arms, pelvis, and lower legs to enhance flexibility and ensure safety. You will also discover more efficient ways of improving your lines and technique by implementing a supplementary conditioning program that takes into account your changing cycles of classes, practices, and times of rest. Regardless of your ability level or dance style, Dance Anatomy will help you master the impeccable balance, intense muscular control, and grace to prepare you for your next leading role!

Dance Appreciation is an exciting exploration of how to understand and think about dance in all of its various contexts. This book unfolds a brief history of dance with engaging insight into the social, cultural, aesthetic, and kinetic aspects of various forms of dance. Dedicated chapters cover ballet, modern, tap, jazz, and hip-hop dance, complete with summaries, charts, timelines, discussion questions, movement prompts, and an online companion website all designed to foster awareness of and appreciation for dance in a variety of contexts. This wealth of resources helps to uncover the fascinating history that makes this art form so diverse and entertaining, and to answer the questions of why we dance and how we dance. Written for the novice dancer as well as the more experienced dance student, Dance Appreciation enables readers to learn and think critically about dance as a form of entertainment and art.

This poetic and uplifting picture book illustrated by the #1 New York Times bestselling illustrator of We Are the Gardeners by Joanna Gaines follows a young girl born with cerebral palsy as she pursues her dream of becoming a dancer. Like many young girls, Eva longs to dance. But unlike many would-be dancers, Eva has cerebral palsy. She doesn’t know what dance looks like for someone who uses a wheelchair. Then Eva learns of a place that has created a class for dancers of all abilities. Her first movements in the studio are tentative, but with the encouragement of her instructor and fellow students, Eva becomes more confident. Eva knows she’s found a place where she belongs. At last her dream of dancing has come true.

Get ready to bop, bounce, and shake with this board book edition ofthe hit picture book from the acclaimed author of Alfie and Fraidyzoo There are so many ways to dance! You can jiggle or wiggle or stomp. You can bop or bounce or go completely nuts. You can dance at the market or the bus stop, with your fingers or your face. You can dance because you’re happy or even because you’re sad. But, what’s the best way to dance? Exactly how you want to! In How Do You Dance?, award-wining author-illustrator Thyra Heder explores dance in all of its creativity, humor, and—most of all—joy, in a celebration of personal expression that will inspire young and old readers alike to get up and get moving.

Originally published as a special issue of Research in Dance Education, now with an added chapter, this text acknowledges and celebrates the increasingly diverse careers and employment networks in which dance professionals and dance educators are engaged. Addressing issues and developments relating to the workplace of dance, the text explores what it means to transcend the boundary between dance as passion, and dance as employment. Chapters explore challenges of professional practice including limitations on access, precarity, bodily risk, gender inequality, and sexual harassment, and challenge the status quo to offer readers new ways of thinking about dance, and how this might translate into professional practice and work. Ultimately celebrating the passion which motivates dancers to embark on a professional career, and highlighting the elation and joy which such employment can bring, this volume encourages dance professionals, students, and educators to imagine things differently and develop teaching approaches, curricula, work places, and communities which capitalise on the diversity and dedication of individuals in the field. This text will be of great interest to graduate and postgraduate students, researchers, academics, professionals in the field of Dance, Dance Education, Choreography and related art forms, Curriculum studies and Sociology of Education.

Describes the benefits of meditation and explains why spiritual understanding is the key to making meditation work best

It doesn't matter what you dance. Couple dance or solo, salsa, hip-hop, tango or contemporary. It doesn't matter what level you are - beginner or advanced. If you are a dancer and you want better musicality - this book is for you! Musicality can seem a bit of a mysterious art. What is it, really? In this book we break it down into nine different skills, with focus on the two core elements of musicality, perception and expression. How we hear the music and how we express it. These skills are: Dancing to the Beat Dancing to Different Tempos Finding the Dominant Feeling Expressing Specific Sounds Dancing to the Silence Prediction & Preparation Dancing to the Vocals Breathing with Musicality Putting it all Together There are exercises for each skill, but there is no silver bullet, no ready made recipe you can just follow. If you want better musicality you have to do the work. You are the one who have to interpret the music. But you get the tools. You get a lot of tips on what to listen to and how you can interpret it. Music is a universal language we all understand. And dance is just another language. We only have to practice how to translate it the best way possible. So that it keeps all its beauty.