Exploration of Dance Techniques and Styles

Understanding Dance Techniques

Ballet: Emphasises on turnout, pointe work and high extensions. Also, it requires a sense of grace and fluidity.
Modern Dance: Breaks many of the strict rules of classical ballet, focusing instead on the expression of inner feelings. Emphasises on contractions, spirals, floorwork, and improvisation.
Jazz Dance: Synthesises techniques from both ballet and modern dance, often requiring high energy, level changes, and intricate footwork.
Tap Dance: Known for rhythmic footwork, often used to interpret the music. Dancers wear special shoes with metal taps.
Hip-Hop Dance: A street-style dance utilised in music videos and commercial shows. Components include breaking, popping and locking.
Contemporary: This style blends elements from many dance styles, focusing on unrestricted movement and personal interpretation.

Strength and Flexibility: Develop these through regular strength training and stretching. Greater flexibility and strength often result in higher jumps, better turns, and more precise movements.
Repetition: Each movement should be practiced numerous times to promote muscle memory. Repetition also leads to increased stamina and endurance.
Isolation exercises: These are used to improve the control of individual body parts. For dance styles like hip-hop, precise control over isolation is crucial.
Spatial Awareness: This is the comprehension of the dancer’s location in the space, relative to other dancers, props, and the boundaries of the stage.
Musicality: Comprehend the relationship between music and movement. Being able to listen to the music’s rhythm, mood, tempo and dynamics will improve the dancer’s interpretation.
Emotional Interpretation: Most dance styles require emotional storytelling. A successful dancer can convey, through their movements, the emotions inherent in the music and choreography.

Recognise that many movements are transferable from one style to another, using similar stances, steps, jumps or turns.
Understand when and where to apply the right technique to convey the desired artistic intention.
Learn to adapt based on the context of the piece; a tap step may need to be executed differently in a soft shoe routine than in a rhythm tap number.
Remember to consider the dancer’s role within the ensemble. The same step could be performed in a variety of ways, depending on whether the dancer is a soloist, a member of the corps de ballet, or a background dancer.

Understand that the quality of a performance is evaluated on the basis of technical skill, stylistic fidelity, emotional expression and the dancer’s relationship to the music.
Recognise that these different aspects of performance can be conscious choices made by the choreographer or dancer to serve the overall artistic goal of the piece.
Be prepared to provide constructive critique of one’s own work and the work of peers, remaining open to feedback and committed to continual personal development.
Regularly engage in a reflective practice, including self-evaluation and setting of personal development goals.