DANCE APPRECIATION LECTURE OUTLINE – WEEK ONEImportant to Mark Calendars Now for Mandatory Performances Submit Athletic Department Schedules ImmediatelyNote that posting of lecture outlines on blackboard will be made by the weekend prior to the scheduled week of classes. Save these to use as study guides for exams and quizzes.General Stage/Theatre Information- Proscenium Stage- wall with cutout; audience on an incline- Arena Stage-audience on incline (raking); circular- Stage Directions – From Perspective of Performers – Downstage, Upstage, Stage Right, Stage Left, Center Stage, Gradation of Stage Directions- Apron-in front of wall (proscenium arch)- Cyclorama (cyc)- reusable; opaque; dancers cross behind it; white and used to reflect- Scrim- reusable; black; can see through it- Backdrops- often painted; loosely woven fabric- Raking of the Stage or the Audience Space- Wings - Legs- defined by curtains - Borders- at the top- Batons- metal pole; lighting instruments are hung from them - Trees- poles off to the side in the wings; lighting instruments screwed in (provide side lighting)- Orchestra Pit- on a lift; below the stage- Light Booth- in the very back of the “house”- “Spot” for Dancers- red circle (gelled light); used for spotting - Lighting: o Front Light- flattens you out o Back Lighto Side Light- most often used; most flattering; gives dimensiono Overhead Lighto Directional Light o Spotlighto Specialso Coloro Gelso Gobos- Color of Lights Indicates Mood, Time of Day, Location- Live Music versus Recorded Music- Set Pieces – Props- Artistic Collaborators:o Lighting Designer, Costume Designer, Set and Scenic Designer, Composers and Musicians, Other CollaborationsPrimitive Period – Up to 3,000 B.C.- Dances of: o Imitationo Celebration o Initiationo Medicineo Commerationo Spiritual Connection - Imitation Often of Nature (wind, water, fire, rain, earth, etc.) or Living Creatures (birds, wolves, bears, etc.) - Primitive Music – chanting, bells, rattles, early variations on drums and reed instruments- Costumes or Clothing often animal skins, hides and fur, feathers- Dancers were predominately male- Patterns were often circular- Movements or steps were natural, not technical, and included running, hopping, skipping, jumping, leaping, twirling, tumbling, walking, rocking, undulating, swaying, etc.- Celebration Dances include those to honor births, deaths, marriages, coming of age, etc.- Medicine Dances performed to appease the gods, ward off evil spirits and protect individuals or groups from danger or disease- Dances with Spiritual Significance also done to honor or appease the gods and to give thanks for rain, sun, a good harvest, a good hunt, etc.- DANCE WAS A WAY TO COMMUNICATE before the advent of spoken language- Proof that dance existed in primitive cultures is found in a series of rock (cave) paintings from the Paleolithic Age (30,000-10,000 B.C.E.) – a painting in a tomb depicted a harvest dance- Dances were often ritualistic and passed down or taught in the absence of a common verbal language – the movement of the body could express thoughts and feeling- No narrative in the early dances of the primitive periodTHE ANCIENT PERIOD – 3,000 B.C. to 400 A.D.- Periods or Eras overlapped with aesthetic sensibilities permeating each successiveera- Civilizations began to develop: spoken language, written language, organized religion, centralized governments, class systems, artistic advancements in theater, literature, music, visual arts and dance- Greece – Apollonian dance and Dionysian dance; a pyrrhiche or pyrrhic tradition- Rome – Mime, Pantomime, pyrrhic tradition- China – Court Dance, Dragon dance, Lion dance, the Silk Road- “Bharata Natyam” – an ancient temple dance still practiced today that required grace, skill and stamina – known for exact head and eye gestures, intricate footwork and symbolism- 1940s – Temple dance approved for secular viewing – academia and in the theatre- Areas of Ancient Civilization included the Middle East, Asia, Africa, the Mediterranean, Greece and Rome- Dancers often were women- Dances often geometrical and symmetrical – representing a balance between soul,body and mind and a balance in the cosmos- Dance still honoring or paying homage to the gods and consistently being used to communicateText:Part l – The Art of Dance – Chapter 1 – “Dance as an Art Form”Part 4 – Related Topics – Chapter 11 – “Dance Production: Behind the Scenes of a Dance Concert”VideoDancing: The Power of DanceAmerican Indian Dance TheatreClassical Indian