By Danielle Pierce-Master, MA Dance / Edited by Samantha Bellerose, B.Ed, Dip.Dance(Performing Arts)
The BrainDance is not a dance style, but a “flexible framework” that was developed by Anne Green Gilbert and heavily informed by Bartenieff Fundamentals. It is a somatic exercise that can be performed in a myriad of ways.
The BrainDance consists of eight developmental movement patterns that most typically developing humans go through in their first year of life. The BrainDance includes the following patterns: Breath, Tactile, Core/Distal, Head/Tail, Upper/Lower, Body/Side, Cross-Lateral, and Vestibular. It is typically used as a warm-up in classes taught using Brain-Compatible Dance Education.
Brain-Compatible Dance Pedagogy involves a conceptual approach to teaching, an emphasis on the social nature of learning, and collaborative exploration. You can learn more about this at Move Dance Learn or at Creative Dance Center.
This page is just one of hundreds of definitions of the many styles and genres of dance. This library is being continually added to by the writers and contributors of Dance Parent 101!