Dance.

DANCE
Dorling Kindersley
First published 1998 by Dorling Kindersley Limited.

We had a task to read a book about an art form, and then quote it in our blog. As you can see, I chose a Dance book because I'm very interested in dance.

'Every human society practises dance, either solo, in couples, or in groups. People around the world use dance to express their bodies. In this way, dance can be a celebration of the emotional, mental or physical human self.'

I like this because I think it pretty much sums up what dance is about. Many cultures do use it for celebration. Some dances have been lost as new dances took place, and when we are happy we often feel a small need to dance. Some religions such as hindu use dance as a way of worship.

'We all have a sense of ourselves and of other people through space and time. In dancers, this sense is highly developed.'

This small statement reminded me of the exercise the did the other week with Mr Truscott. We all knew when to go, even with our eyes closed.

I always liked dance because it contains almost all the art forms. You dance to music, you perform, and you choreograph. All art forms are used in each other. But the next quote almost seperates it from drama and theatre.

'Dance does not always simple tell a story. It may be used to bring people together, by reinforcing their shared beliefs about their place in the world and their relationship.'
I love my majorettes, because I met many of my best friends there. Most of us share similar intrests, but even if we don't we all have at least one intrest, and that's our dancing. We also spend alot of time together at competitions and training. So this statement means alot to me.

But on the next page, it goes from saying not all of them don't, to alot of them do. It lists ways such as facial expressions, miming, and movements that have specific meanings, similar to drama.

A part I found really interesting was the make-up and costume design. Did you know that in Kathakali, a special seed called the chundapoo is washed, cut and inserted into the eye to make it go red just for costume?

'Dance costumes enhance the performance in a wide variety of ways. For example, in traditions where there are no stage sets, costumes help the audience make sense of what is going on.'
Some dancers use masks, even though a dancers face is the most expressive part of the body. Apparently, this is so performers can let go of their own identity and devote themselves completely to their dance.