Time

Dance is a Time art; movement develops and reveals itself in Time. Adding a rhythmic sense to movement helps transform ordinary movement into dance and informs when the dancer moves.

Pulse: The basic pulse or underlying beat
Speed (tempo): Fast, moderate, slow
Rhythm Pattern: A grouping of long or short beats, accents or silences
Natural Rhythm: Timing which comes from the rhythms of the breath, the heartbeat, or natural sources like the wind or the ocean.
Syncopation: Accents the off-beat in a musical phrase.

Compare the different uses of Time in the two videos below.

In the first video, the dancers have no musical accompaniment and use their breath to initiate movement and cue each other for the timing. Their movement is also slow to moderate tempo and imitates the natural rhythm of the ocean.

Watch This

Excerpt from Modern Dance choreographer Doris Humphrey’s Water Study. In this video, the dancers have no musical accompaniment and use their breath to initiate movement and cue each other for the timing. Their movement is also slow to moderate tempo and imitates the natural rhythm of the ocean.

Promo clip of Step Afrika!, the dancers are creating rhythm patterns with body percussion. There is an emphasis on syncopation and varying tempos with accents.