Rhythmic Activities

• Rhythmic Activities are combinations of physical movements with sounds, beat or music
• Five phases of Rhythmic Activities:

  1. Aerobics: combines rhythmic aerobics with stretching and strength training to enhance flexibility, muscular strength, and cardio-vascular fitness, and is also the foundation of dancing

  2. Break Dancing: an athletic style of dance

  3. Gymnastics: a sport that needs balance, strength, flexibility, agility, coordination, and endurance in order to execute

  4. Bending: a movement around a joint

  5. Stretching: muscles or tendons are flexed
• Fundamental Movements are a specific set of gross motor skills that involve different body parts. Dance is a combination of two natural types of movements:

  1. Locomotor: moves the body in space in any direction using the feet as the moving base (walking, running, hopping)

  2. Non-Locomotor: various parts of the body move in space with a fixed base. The base may be standing, kneeling, styling, or lying
• 
  

  D. Cultural:

  • Promotes cultural values
• Benefits of Dance and Creative Movement:

  A. Physical:

  • Develops cardiovascular and muscular endurance
  • Improves coordination, balance, flexibility, and body composition
  • Lowers the risk of cardiovascular diseases
  • Helps improve and maintain bone density, thus helps prevent osteoporosis

  B. Mental:

  • Helps keep the brain sharp
  • Decreases depressive symptoms
  • Increases self-esteem and improves body image
  • Aids in releasing emotional and physical tension

  C. Social:

  • Gives a sense of togetherness
  • Encourages positive social interaction and interpersonal relationships in a group