Year 7 Dance · Responding — Analyse and Evaluate · 8m read

The Elements of Dance — Body, Energy, Space, Time

All dance — ballet, hip hop or traditional — uses the same building blocks: body, energy, space and time.

Learning objective: Identify and use the elements of dance (BEST).

By the end of this lesson you can:

• I can name the elements of dance.
• I can vary movement using the elements.
• I can describe dance using dance terms.

BEST is a recipe. Body, Energy, Space and Time are the four ingredients of every dance. Change the amount of one — more energy, less space, faster time — and you bake a completely different dance.

BEST

BODY:
• Body parts, shapes (curved, angular, twisted), actions (travel, turn, jump, gesture, stillness, fall).

ENERGY (dynamics):
• Sustained, sudden, percussive, swinging, suspended, collapsing; heavy/light.

SPACE:
• Levels (high, medium, low), directions, pathways (straight, curved, zigzag), personal and general space.

TIME:
• Tempo (fast/slow), rhythm, accent, duration, stillness.

| Element | Includes | Example words |
|---|---|---|
| Body | Body parts, actions, shapes | Twist, jump, curved, angular |
| Energy | Force and flow | Sharp, smooth, heavy, light, sustained |
| Space | Levels, directions, pathways, size | High, low, zigzag, forward, big |
| Time | Speed, rhythm, duration | Fast, slow, accent, pause |

Key ideas at a glance

• Remember BEST: Body, Energy, Space, Time.
• Describe with dance words: Not "cool" — say "sharp" or "sustained".
• Change one element: Creates variety.
• Link to meaning: Why that choice?

Worked example (Easy)

Change "walk forward" using the elements.

1. Space. Walk in a zigzag pathway at a low level.
2. Energy. Make it sudden and sharp.
3. Time. Speed up then pause.

Answer: Vary pathway, level, energy and tempo.

Worked example (Medium)

Change a simple walk into "a robot" using BEST.

1. Body. Stiff, angular arms.
2. Energy. Sharp, sudden stops.
3. Space. Straight pathways, 90° turns.
4. Time. Steady beat, freezes.

Answer: Angular body, sharp energy, straight pathways and steady timing.

Common mistakes

• Repeating the same energy Dance becomes flat. Fix: Contrast sudden and sustained.
• Only describing body actions Misses energy, space and time. Fix: Use all four BEST elements.

The six basic actions

Many dance teachers group movement into six basic actions: travel, turn, jump (elevation), gesture, stillness and transfer of weight.

Almost any dance phrase can be described using combinations of these, plus BEST qualities.

Practice questions

1. Moving slowly and smoothly is which energy quality?

   1. Percussive
   2. Sustained
   3. Sudden
   4. Collapsing

   (1 marks)

2. Name three levels in dance.

   (2 marks)

3. Which element includes levels and pathways?

   1. Body
   2. Energy
   3. Space
   4. Time

   (1 marks)

4. "Sustained" describes:

   1. Time only
   2. Energy — smooth and continuous
   3. A pathway
   4. A body part

   (1 marks)

5. Describe a movement using all four BEST elements.

   (2 marks)

Summary

• Body, energy, space, time.
• Vary elements for interest.
• Use dance vocabulary.
• BEST: Body, Energy, Space, Time.