Dance

A man and woman, mid-leap
Two modern dancers

Dance is an art form, often classified as a sport, consisting of sequences of body movements with aesthetic and often symbolic value, either improvised or purposefully selected.[nb 1] Dance can be categorized and described by its choreography, by its repertoire of movements or by its historical period or place of origin.[3] Dance is typically performed with musical accompaniment, and sometimes with the dancer simultaneously using a musical instrument themselves.

An important distinction is to be drawn between theatrical and participatory dance,[4] although these two categories are not always completely separate; both may have special functions, whether social, ceremonial, competitive, erotic, martial, sacred or liturgical. Other forms of human movement are sometimes said to have a dance-like quality, including martial arts, gymnastics, cheerleading, figure skating, synchronized swimming, marching bands, and many other forms of athletics. Dance is not solely restricted to performance, as dance is used as a form of exercise and occasionally training for other sports and activities. Dance has become a sport for some, with dancing competitions found across the world exhibiting various different styles and standards. Dance has an aesthetic appeal to many people.[5]

  1. ^ Sondra Horton Fraleigh (1987). Dance and the Lived Body: A Descriptive Aesthetics. University of Pittsburgh Pre. p. 49. ISBN 978-0-8229-7170-2. Archived from the original on 2023-01-12. Retrieved 2015-10-16.
  2. ^ Judith Lynne Hanna (1983). The performer-audience connection: emotion to metaphor in dance and society. University of Texas Press. ISBN 978-0-292-76478-1.
  3. ^ Foster, Susan Leigh. (2011). Choreographing empathy : kinesthesia in performance. Routledge. ISBN 978-0-415-59656-5. OCLC 963558371.
  4. ^ "Canadian National Arts Centre – Dance Forms: An Introduction". Arts Alive. Archived from the original on Apr 16, 2021.
  5. ^ Carey, Katy; Moran, Aidan; Rooney, Brendan (2019-03-01). "Learning Choreography: An Investigation of Motor Imagery, Attentional Effort, and Expertise in Modern Dance". Frontiers in Psychology. 10: 422. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2019.00422. ISSN 1664-1078. PMC 6405914. PMID 30881331.


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