Dance is the art of human movement—using movement to convey
ideas, thoughts, and feelings. Another term you will hear in the
Art to Heart series is creative movement (sometimes called
creative dance). It refers to movement activities and strategies
to help children develop their physical skills, explore
different types of movements, express ideas using body
movements, and promote creative thinking. Two general categories
of movement are used in dance and creative movement. Locomotor
movements are movements in which the body travels from one
location to another. Examples include walking, running, hopping,
jumping, skipping, leaping, galloping, and sliding. Non-
locomotor movements are movements performed around the axis of
the body while the person stays in one place. Examples include
bending, pushing or pulling, rising or sinking, shaking,
stretching, swinging, swaying, twisting, and turning. The
building blocks, or elements, of dance are space, time, and
force. Space is the element of dance that has to do wit