Dance Skill - Interest and Input

[Sayana]

Hello all, I've wanted to write up the dance skill for a while now so I thought I'd finally claim it. Below is my rough outline. I'm thinking about not only describing dance as a skill but including dance styles particular to certain races, cities, or religions. 1. Introduction 2. Purposes of Dance 2.1. Entertainment 2.2. Religious 2.3. Tradition / Communal Dancing 2.4. Storytelling 2.5. Seduction 3. Choreography vs. Improvisational 3.1. Choreography 3.2. Improvisational 4. Solo vs. Partner vs. Group 4.1. Solo 4.2. Partner 4.3. Group 5. Dance Styles 5.1. By Race 5.1.1. Semhu (Eypharians) 5.1.2. Aerial Dancing (Symenestra) 5.1.3. Charoda sea dancing 5.1.4. Myrian Tribal dance 5.1.5. Chaktawe Tribal dance 5.2. By City 5.2.1. Syliras/Mithryn Post country dancing 5.3. By Religion 5.3.1. Raindancing 5.3.2. Rhysol/The Voice - Trance dance 6. Skills that are incorporated/related 6.1. Acrobatics 6.2. Climbing 6.3. Martial Arts 6.4. Acting 6.5. Music 6.6. Seduction 7. Skill Progression I'd love to have input on the following: - Dance styles particular to races (I plan to include one for the majority of races) - Any types of dancing that your character may have done (with threads) - Any other purposes - Anything else that seems missing (the above is certainly a rough outline)

[Irriari]

I wish you the best of luck in this. I would like to see the skill fleshed out, and the addition of regional dances would be fantastic, I just fear it will be difficult to gather accurate information about each area as many places lack an ST. I ran into that (to a lesser degree) when I approached the faction/area specific intimidation styles section, which was why I decided to scrap it.

[Matthew]

Apparently I applied to develop this skill a long time ago and never followed through on it. I thought I would post the information I had so far, though mine was only a very rough draft and did not include some of what I would think should be required, such as specific moves/styles and different cultural things. You are still welcome to use as much or little of it as you wish.

Dance Dance is an artistic form using body movements to communicate emotions or stories, usually accompanied by music or chanting of some form. It can be used as a form of worship (ritualized dance), a form of self-expression (almost any sort of dance), or as a profession (dancing to entertain a crowd). Some even use it as a simple method of exercise. These certainly are not the only forms of dance that there are, but they are some of the most common ones found throughout Mizahar. Dance often focuses on movements of the body as a whole. While hips, stomach, and chest are the most common body parts used, advanced dancers can throw in subtle movements of their hands or tosses of their hair to integrate a whole new layer of meaning into the dance. While actually quite a popular skill that is used in a wide variety of ways, there aren't that many formal ways to pursue a career in dance. While schools or studio's have been discussed, not that many seem to exist in Mizahar. Regardless of the lacking mainstream form of education and training, dancers seem to pop up day by day, all seeking to express themselves in a different way. Each and every race and culture has some form of dance, used in some unique way. Prerequisites and Related Skills There are no particular Prerequisites for Dance. Related Skills include Acrobatics, which can aid a dancer in making flexible or acrobatic sorts of movements, and Seduction, for adding a sense of sultry allure to the dance. One can use Cosmetology to apply attractive make-up for a professional dance, or ritualistic make-up for a tribal dance. Often dancing is combined with other skills for a variety of reasons, such as to compliment a Martial Art, or to dance along to a Musical Instrument. Dance can alsu be used as a form of Storytelling, Acting, or accompany Singing. Learning and Training While a certain level of progress can be made on your own, after a certain amount of time, it is almost required to have a teacher or an experienced dancer to mimic. Learning is as simple as moving your body instinctively to a beat, or as advanced as taking complex instructions from a Dance master. Training is done in the form of practicing what one already knows, attempting to discover more, or taking formal training from a skilled Dancer. Skill Progression Novice (1-25) Novice Dancers have likely learned by themselves, or simply tried to mimic dancers they have seen before. They may have had a lesson or two, but not very much in the way of actual constant training. They know how to move their bodies to a beat in a way that doesn't make them feel entirely awkward or stupid, and to an onlooker, it might even look as if the dancer knows what they are doing. There isn't that much finesse or technique involved at this level, more of an instinctual knowledge of how to move. They still need a lot of training at this point, though they can be hired for jobs, but perhaps with the promise that they will continue to work hard on getting better. At this level they are probably only used to one or two types of music, and have a hard time dancing a routine to a tune they are unfamiliar with. Competent (26-50) A Competent Dancer has had a bit more training and experience, and is a lot more aware of their body than they were in the beginning. Instead of simply moving instinctually and leaving it at that, they can actually feel what muscles are used to make what movements, and will find that they have some level of hip, stomach, and chest control. They will find that their dancing can actually aid other skills in some way, from making their Martial Arts more graceful, to making their Seduction a bit more sultry. They can definitely catch some eyes if they choose to do so, and have grown accustomed to multiple types of movement and music. Expert (51-75) An Expert Dancer has reached a level where they are almost in complete control of their body. Hips can instinctively move in complex tempos and beats while the dancer also moves their hands or head in very specific ways. While they have a large amount of control over specifics parts of themselves, that control can display itself almost instinctively, making the dancer look quite stunning without even trying. Their dances can be seductive, threatening, passionate, fierce, or moving. They stand out from other dancers, and if among a crowd of lesser skilled peers, will often find that every eye favors them. At this level, a dancer will often have a single style that they are a near master of, but knows various other styles they can use skillfully if needed. Master (76-100) A Master Dancer will find that the movements of their body come without thought. They can perform a variety of dance styles as a masterful level, and are actually hypnotic to watch if they wish to be. A seductive dancer can make jaw's drop and minds lose track of time, while a tribal dancer will able to whip their fellows into a religious frenzy. They are skilled enough that if they are the dance partner to an unskilled dancer, they can manipulate their partner in such a way that the partner looks skilled as well. This is the pinnacle of dancing, and is highly sought out. A Master can invoke many an emotion in anywhere from a single onlooker to a hundred, and the skilled movements of their body are borderline supernatural.

[Sayana]

Thank you Matthew for the detailed post with your started lore. I like your introduction and how you included training. I will definitely have to think about how people learn these dances especially since there are few formal places to learn. I'm also going to post another started lore that was written by Ora. I may draw from this but I definitely will change the skill progression to be more generalized. Ora’s Article on Dance Dance is an artistic form using body movements to communicate emotions or stories, usually accompanied with music or chanting of some form. This art form is practiced across Mizahar by what most records show all races. There are a wide variety of dances which exist and a variety of dance “moves” which, when combined, can create an entirely new dance. Most dances are used as entertainment but, have also been known to be used for religious ceremonies or prayers. As stated in the previous paragraph, there are “dances” and “dance moves”. Dance moves are fractions of a whole dance, which consist of a specific movement or action. Frequently a move will be given a name.For example: a Chaines is a series of rapid turns alternating feet with progression along a straight line or circle. When you take one move, then combine it with another, you are creating a full dance sequence. All races have dance in their cultures, for cultural, entertainment or religious reasons. Each culture has unique dances and dance moves. When it comes to the dances of each race, they may vary greatly from race to race, but it appears that each one has a variety of fast dances (Quick, sudden movement, highly dramatic and energetic), slow dances (Smooth, soft, dramatic.) and everything in between. Frequently you will see dances used in the practice of martial arts, acrobatic performances and in plays or other acting performances. Pre-requisites and related skills Many skills can be associated to dance, such as: Martial arts, Music, Acrobatics, theater (acting), theology/religion, storytelling, and even singing. Theology/Religion ? In several religions, dances are preformed in a variety of ceremonies. For example: it is common for coming of age rituals to have a dance in the ceremony which shows the growth of the individual(s) whom are reaching adulthood. Acrobatics Acrobatics requires a great deal of flexibility and grace. Frequently an individual whom practices acrobatics will also practice dance. Acting In theater performances, a play could be entirely dance based, such as a ballet, or have dancing incorporated into the dance to add energy or emotion. So, for actors, knowing how to dance is very common and frequently preferred. Martial Arts Dancing is not so much a part of martial arts as does it aid in an individuals performance of the art. The smooth, balanced movements aid in the execution of moves and increase a fighter’s flexibility, balance and range of motion. Martial artists also frequently take from dance the fluid, solid movements to enhance their fighting in both speed and grace. Music Dance is usually accompanied with music, and frequently music is written for the explicit purpose of dance. In many cultures the heavy use of drums or drum like instruments are indicative of dance music. Storytelling Satu! Dancing can be used as a means of storytelling, such as Ballets. These dances can mimic real life events such as deaths, births, natural disasters and specific individuals. More often than not, these dances incorporating verse (spoken or sung), music and several elements from acting. Singing While this is not as common, singing can accompany a dance , usually in the form of chanting. Skill Progression Novice 1-25 The dancer is able to know a several moves, and the steps/motions of two full dances. While they know the steps and moves of these two dances, it is not uncommon for the sequence to become jumbled. They are able to learn moves very easily, while remembered the sequence is still difficult. They also may know bits and pieces of other dances but frequently the attempts at these dances end with a few falls and many mistakes. The dancer has better balance than most, but is by no means, graceful or proficient with their art. The suffer more injuries due to dancing than dancers whom are competent. Injuries are no worse than sprains and bruises. Competent 26-50 The dancer can perform several dances (3-4) fluidly with few to no mistakes. They have better balance and grace while moving about, even with dances with sharper more sudden movements, they seem to have control over their limbs. They are able to teach others basic dance moves, and simple dances. Competent dancers rarely are injured while dancing and usually only sustain small bruises and rarely sprain anything, they have learned how to control themselves. In small villages or towns, they would likely be seen as a very graceful and talented creature. Expert 51-75 The dancer is now able to perform much longer and complicated dances. It would not be uncommon for an expert dancer to know all the dances of their race as well as several dances from other races. The chances of a dancer getting hurt while performing have much decreased by this point, and the injuries they would sustain would be no more than bruises. They can teach others more complex and longer dances, as well as a wider variety of dances. Master 76-100 The dancer is renowned for their ability to stun and provoke emotions in their audience. The master dancer likely never injures themselves, after years of mistakes, they have learned how to land and move with their body properly. They are able to learn all the dances of Mizahar without much difficulty. They can teach anyone any style or level of dance, no matter the complexity, they have achieved complete understanding and proficiency.

[Sayana]

I wrote up sections 2, 3 & 4, so I wanted to post them. 2.0 Purposes of Dance Most dances have at least one purpose and some have multiple purposes depending on the situation. Professional dancers can be utilized in a number of ways to obtain these purposes and even the novice dancer can attempt to achieve the goals of the dance. 2.1 Religious Religious dancing uses movement and expression to pay tribute to a god or goddess. This includes the prayer and worship of a god, the celebration of a god at a festival or ceremony, the request of a god’s aid, and even the defiance of a god. Religious dances can be large group events or can be performed alone by the dancer in a very personal way. Some religious dances can only be performed after a certain level of devotion to the god or goddess and are highly frowned upon or do not achieve the desired effect if performed by someone who doesn’t meet this. Examples of religious dances include: raindancing for the goddess Makutsi, tribal war dancing for the goddess Myri, and the insanity trance for both Rhysol and The Voice. 2.2 Tribal / Community Tribal and community dances bring communities together with a common theme or purpose. Some community dances simply celebrate a special day or event. Other tribal dances might bring people together to prepare for war. These dances typically have a long history within the culture or community and are repeated every year or whenever this event occurs. They tend to be large group dances that are easy to learn or improvise to. Communities that rely heavily on working together as a community tend to have more tribal dances embedded in their culture. Professional dancers are sometimes hired to lead these dances. Examples of tribal/community dances include: the tribal war dance of the Myrians, the tribal dances of the Chaktawe, and the Charoda mating dance that occurs at the Ae’loru. 2.3 Storytelling Dance has been repeatedly used to convey stories. Such stories can include mythical legends of the gods and goddesses to simple man-made stories with the purpose expressing them through dance. For cultures that do not use writing as much and rely on oral traditions, dance can be used to pass down important stories to new generations. When attempting to convey a story, dancers often use vivid facial expressions and body language to express ideas and emotions. Examples of dances that tell stories include: the Charoda underwater sea ballet and the Akvatari ballet. 2.4 Entertainment Many dances provide a source of entertainment for the audience, the performers or both. Dances that tell a story often are used for entertainment as well, but dances don’t need to tell a story to provide entertainment. Professional dancers usually perform with the purpose of entertaining the audience. Some dances primarily focus on the entertainment of the dancers themselves. These often include celebratory dances and social dances in which people are encouraged to mix and dance with different people. Examples of Mizahar dances that provide entertainment include: the Charoda and Akvatari ballets, Svefra ditties, and Syliras country dancing. 2.5 Seduction Seductive dance can be very enticing for the viewers. Although it can be performed for large audiences, seductive dancing is usually more effective for smaller groups where the dancer can interact with the audience on a more personal level. Seductive dancing is often used by prostitutes and harlots to increase their desirability, however, it can also be used purely as a source of entertainment with no intention to pursue sexual activities after the dance. Seductive dances tend to use their body more fully by including their hips, pelvis, rear, chest, and eyes in the performance. Some skill in seduction is required to perform these dances effectively. A dancer who is not trained in seduction can still learn and perform the moves but the seductive quality of the dance is greatly lessened. Examples of seductive dances include: the concubine dances of Ahnatep, the brothel dance of Sunberth, and various strip dances found throughout Mizahar. 2.6 Training Dancing can be used to train someone’s skill in other areas. For example, dances that involve martial arts or weapon routines can better someone’s technique and balance exhibiting these skills. Dances that focus on training almost always use an incorporated skill in the dance, but occasionally their goal is simply to improve balance and flexibility. Examples of training dances include: the Eypharian Semhu, the Inarta eagle weaving, the Drykas horse dancing, and various weapon routines from different cultures. 3.0 Choreography vs. Improvisational Dancing can be choreographed, improvised or a combination of the two. These different ways of dancing require different skills for the dancer both mentally and physically. It is rare for novice dancers to be able to both improvise and learn choreographies. Some cross-over may be achieved at the competent level but mostly this happens at expert or master level. Often specific dance styles are either choreographed or improvised but some might be flexible to both methods. 3.1 Choreography Dances that are choreographed are planned, practiced, and memorized by the dancers before the performance. First a song needs to be chosen and a choreography needs to be created including all the dance moves/movements and at which time these are conducted. If there are multiple people taking part in the dance then there may be specific moves done by certain individuals. A dancer who primarily does choreographed dances must have very good memorization skills. If the dancer also creates the choreography then they must also be creative with the movements they choose and should be strong in the planning and organization of a dance (especially if it involves multiple people). Choreographed dances work well when the dancer knows the song beforehand and has time to practice and memorize a choreography. Choreographed dances often are more polished (at a given skill level) compared to improvised dances because of the planning and practice involved. 3.2 Improvisational Improvisational dances are made up on the spot and usually involve combining known moves in unique and interesting ways that fit the music. Occasionally completely new moves are invented on the spot as well but often the dancer has a repertoire of moves to draw upon. In addition to having a set of moves to draw upon, improvisational dancers often have one or two ‘fall back’ moves that they can do without thinking if their mind blanks out and they can’t come up with something interesting. This will buy them enough time to think of a move without staring blankly at the audience. Improvisational dancers require an active spontaneous mind, a sense of musicality, and a minor amount of memorization. While improvisational dancers and potentially dance to any music they are much better at music that they recognize or that is at least culturally similar to the music they know. Novice dancers may be able to improvise to music of their home city but might get completely lost with the music of a foreign city. Sometimes novice dancers can still improvise to foreign music but it may look strange because their dance style does not reflect the music. 3.3 Combination Choreographed dancing and improvisational dancing can be combined once a dancer is competent but generally only experts and masters can combine the methods effectively. An example of such a combination would be a dance that is mostly choreographed but has certain time periods in which the dancer is free to improvise. An alternative example is an improvisational dancer that strings together long sets of preplanned moves (5-10) sporadically throughout the song. 4.0 Solo vs. Partner vs. Group All dances can be categorized by the number of dancers involved. Each of the three groupings require different strengths by the dancers involved and can be more effective depending on the situation. 4.1 Solo Solo dancing consists of only one dancer at a time. As such, it does not require any coordination between dancers. However, if there is an audience then the sole dancer must fulfill the purpose of the dance without assistance from any other dancers. This can be physically and mentally challenging if, for example, a single dancer needs to entertain an audience for several hours. In cases that require a long performance and solo dances are preferred, they will be performed by a series of solo dancers to obtain the required repertoire. A solo dancer requires a strong stage presence and cannot afford to make noticeable mistakes when it comes to memorizing choreographies or improvising quickly and smoothly. The benefit of solo dancing is that as long as the dancer keeps moving, mistakes can sometimes go unnoticed by the audience, but if a dancer completely blanks out then there are no other dancers to follow to get back on track. Solo dances have the benefit of only requiring one dancer, but often this dancer has to be quite skilled to make an impression. Solo dancing can also provide a more intimate mood when there is a smaller audience. For very large audiences, only dancers with expert or master level skills can effectively engage the audience during a solo dance. 4.2 Partner Partner dancing consists of two people, often of the opposite gender. It requires coordination between the two people in the form of pre-planned moves for choreographed dancing or a leader/follower relationship for improvisational dance. For choreographed dancing, two solo dancers could memorize the same set of moves and perform it so that they were both doing the same moves at the same time. Conversely, the two dancers could each have a different set of moves that work in harmony with one another but are uniquely different between the dancers. For an improvisational dance, there is often a leader/follower relationship that requires the leader to come up with the moves and communicate them to the follower in some manner. This communication can be in the form of physically moving the follower in spins for example or could be more of a visual cue. It is entirely possible for the leader and follower to switch roles but this requires a great deal of skill. More commonly, the follower might add something flashy that doesn’t distract the leader and then the leader can choose to work with it or not. Partner dancers need to be skilled with coordinating the movement of their own body with someone else’s body. For more acrobatic dances this can involve lifts. Even when both dancers remain on the ground there is often a form of trust developed between them to complete the dance safely and successfully. For improvisational dance there is a certain degree of communication that happens silently to ensure both dancers are working together with their moves or movements. Partner dances add the element of a second person. They can sometimes be more vibrant because there are two people instead of one and there are more moves and movements available to a partnership. Movements involving momentum, lifts, holds, and different levels can be achieved in a partner dance. Additionally, dialogue and interaction can be better represented in a partner dance for dances that tell a story. For personal enjoyment, partner dancing can be more exciting and more intimate compared to a solo dance. 4.3 Group Group dancing consists of three or more dancers. Dancers need to be able to coordinate with many other people but small mistakes are less likely to ruin the effectiveness of the group. Group dances can take on several forms including: circle dances, dances in which each dancer is doing the same set of moves, dances involving several partnerships, and dances in which each dancer does unique moves that contribute to the overall impression of the performance. The majority of group dancing is choreographed due to the complexity of organizing so many people in an artistic manner. However, certain tribal and community dances can still contain a lot of personal improvisation that changes in mood or theme with a given cue, for example, a change in the drum pattern. Group dances usually require the most coordination between dancers depending on the complexity of the dance. For dances in which each member does the same set of moves there is much less need for coordination compared to a dance in which each member does a unique set of moves that blend and mix with the moves of other dancers. There can also be organizational challenges when moving large groups on and off stage. Group dances can be invigorating due to the sheer number of dancers present and they can be very effective for large audiences. They do not work well for very small audiences because it can be overwhelming and potentially expensive to hire all the dancers. Group dancing can be a great way of bringing people together in communities, particularly if the dances are easy to learn or are repeated frequently enough for people of the community to learn the dance. Group dances can also entertain an audience for long periods of time because the dancers can go on and off stage and take breaks throughout the performance.