The Benefits of Traditional Dance

It is important to enable children to move with ease and enjoy themselves, which means they relax and become less self-conscious. A good way to achieve this is through learning one basic movement pattern. I always start teaching simple side by side (keeping the feet parallel or with a natural turnout to each other) Pas de Basque’s – but I just call them 123s. This movement enables the dancer to dance on the spot, from side to side to side, and moving forwards or backwards. It can be applied in waltz, jig, reel, hornpipe, polka, and also in strathspey time if needs be. When the learner acquires this one movement without the pressure of dancing in a particular style with perfect technique, they start to enjoy the sensation of moving with the music.

I then move on to applying the step in a socially inclusive dance where all are active (nobody stands out or is being perceived to be watched and judged) like the Circassian Circle (round the room circle version). Once the children have got used to this dance, I suggest adding the progressive element of the partners swapping position. This makes the dance more interactive, as you meet many partners. The sense of good achievement and personal and group fulfilment is always strong.

The next basic movement I would teach is the waltz turn. Again using 123s but this time interacting with a partner. I make sure the child’s concentration is on a firm hold of the arms and dancing from the core of the body. I worry less about the feet to begin with. Initially, taking the emphasis away from the foot work and concentrating on the arm hold and the helpful interaction from your partner to turn, enables couples to move with each other and listen to the music when applying the 123s learned previously. If waltzing is enabled, then you can start to dance sequence waltzes (St Bernard’s etc), but also doing the same turning in jig, reel, march and polka timing as in Two-steps, Three-steps and marches (Boston, Military, Eva, Gay Gordons etc.) because you have had the turn at the end of these dances made simple.  

People think folk dances are important because they help keep a culture alive.  People have been doing folk dances for hundreds of years, and there value keeping that tradition alive.

Folk dances are important because they preserve the Philippine culture and pass it on to the next generation. They are a uniting force to the Philippine people.    

Folk Dance An International Hobby

While most cultural dances are limited to a certain area of the world, folk dancing has enjoyed wide exposure and popularity internationally. In fact, International Folk Dance itself is a wonderful fusion of multiple ethnic groups performing various dances as one. To participate in International Folk Dance, you do not have to be a certain nationality, as the dances are derived from different regions all over the world, providing a melting pot of movement that is beautiful and impressive to watch. The history of folk dancing is rooted in the aspirations of early 20th century American immigrants, namely the Lithuanians who emphasized the importance of dance within a community and began the joining together of cultures and interests. Today, international competitions and festivals are held all over the globe, and there are dance clubs focusing on International Folk Dance in Europe, Japan, Australia, Canada and the U.S.Many dance camps are provided to young people over the summer months to further promote this dance form's unique styling and technique.
While most cultural dances are limited to a certain area of the world, folk dancing has enjoyed wide exposure and popularity internationally. In fact, International Folk Dance itself is a wonderful fusion of multiple ethnic groups performing various dances as one.In modern times, Bollywood has dominated the dancing trends of this Asian country, much as how Hollywood has directed America toward hip hop dancing and social dance. While the mainstream dances of today's Western culture can be found throughout India, this country has succeeded well at holding onto its original classical dance forms.

 There are eight distinct styles of Indian dance, and these can all be traced back to a specific people group or region.The Philippines has many popular folk dances which have evolved and changed as they have been passed down from generation to generation. Although a particular dance might be performed slightly differently from one region to the next, its remains true to its roots. Here are some of the most popular dances from the region.

Importance Of Cultural Dance

Culture is defined as our way of life.
The tradition and norms which is important in every culture
can be represent in a way of dancing and this is what we called cultural dance.A graceful dance, colorful props and costumes, slow movements and fast that catches the attention of every people. Cultural dancers can story tellers, tells the story in every movements and sequence of their dance.

The art and appreciation of Cultural Dance. Is it really matter in this generation? Some people didn’t really appreciate the Cultural dance because of the instrumet,are you familiar with this instrument like agong, gandingan, kulintang, barel, tam tam, these are the example. Why don’t you try to dance, it is good and make you fell happy. Some of them today prefer the hip hop dance because of it’s music that make you move and dance

Cultural Dance is really important, this is our way to tell other people on what are the things that they need to know about our culture. It is also the way that other people could have respect, knowledge and give importance to our traditions and norms. Let other culture tell what are the story behind their dance.

Cultural dances are so precious to many civilizations, as they often contain pieces of their history and livelihood that would otherwise be lost. The American Indians are an example of this, as many tribes have looked to dance in the past as a way to convey joy, mourning, and even times of battle and war. The same is true at the roots of many people groups, as dance is a common language that unites us all on some level. Below are just a few of the cultural dances that are still in existence around the world today.All cultural dances have experienced an evolution, where traditional standards were either upheld or given up to more modern style choices. No matter what direction they have taken, cultural dances continue to hold our history, our livelihood, and our passions as a people.