Types of relationships in Dance

Dance relationships:
Unison and Canon

by Beatriz Sánchez

To start, let's first define...

Choreography:

Is the art of creating and arranging dances. The word derives from the Greek for “dance” and for “write.” In the 17th and 18th centuries, it did indeed mean the written record of dances. (Britannica, 2025).

Multiple Choice

But that definition shifted to something else, which do you think is the proper definition for a choreography in dance?

• Choreography is the study of dance history, which we must perform before start to create and organize the movement into sequences.

• Choreography refers to the costumes used in dance performances, which help to improve the performance of the dancers during the sequences they show on stage.

• Choreography is the music played during a dance routine, which is the gathering and organization of notes into a specific order and pattern, to help the dancer perform on stage.

• Choreography is the art of designing dance movements and sequences. This means, gathering and organizing movement into order and pattern.

Multiple Choice

What do you think is a unison in dance?

• Unison in dance is when dancers perform different movements at the same time.
• Unison in dance refers to a solo performance by a single dancer.
• Unison in dance is when dancers move in opposite directions.
• Unison in dance is when dancers perform the same movements simultaneously.

Is where all the dancers in a group perform the same movement at the same time

Unison

Multiple Choice

So, what is a canon in dance?

• A canon in dance is a type of dance shoe, that helps you improve the movement by taking turns to perform.

• A canon in dance refers to a specific dance style, which is performed only by a group of dancers and it has to be greater than ten dancers.

• A canon in dance is a solo performance by a single dancer, which he or she can perform a series of movements that can be escalated into something magnificent.

• A canon in dance is a choreographic device involving staggered repetition of movements by multiple dancers.

​What is a canon in dance?

​It is a resource that makes dancers to take it in turns, to perform a movement that is then identically copied and performed by others.

​There are different types of canon.

Canon in dance is used to...

Create interest, depth and variation to either a sequence or whole section of the choreography.

​Watch the following video

​Pay attention to the sequences shown.

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/m_BiJFmzHbA?si=FPfCpmAUF8vQIBkG" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Multiple Choice

What type of relationship are they using in the majority of the choreography?

• Unison

• Canon

Open Ended

Write a sequence you remember we have included or practice the canon resourse. Explain the music, the moment and/or how have we done it.

​Reverting canon

​Dancers begin individually at the same point in a movement phrase, and they finish at different times.

Multiple Choice

Which of the following regular activities is an example of a Reverting canon?

Simultaneous Canon

​The dancers still all do the same movement phrase but they start at the same time, from a different count in the phrase.
They all end at the same time. 

Multiple Choice

Have we practiced this type of canon?

• Yes

• No

Cumulative Canon

It joins in at various stages of the movement phrase and the dancers all finish at the same time.  Only the first person does the entire phrase.  The effect of this canon is often one of force or power as each dancer adds to the emphasis of the movement.  

Multiple Choice

Have we practiced this type of canon?

• Yes

• No

Multiple Choice

Can you mix different types of canons in one choreography?

• No, you should only use one type, otherwise the choreography looks messy.

• Yes, you must include all of them, in order to make your choreography more elegant and unique for the audience.

• No, using several can confuse the audience. Is better if you don't include canons. You can only work unison to improve the performance of your dancers.

• Yes, as long as the canon sequences have the purpose to enrich the choreography.

​Loose canon

​It s the most flexible of all the canons as it can use a variety levels, directions or position in space. In this type of canon, you can add improvised material, freeze parts of the movement phrase or even change the dynamic of the movements within the phrase.  This is particularly useful when showing an intent that depicts changes over time. 

​Watch the following video

​Pay attention to the sequences shown.

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/7MmBj66_PCg?si=8naUqvbF-v9JkfMx" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Multiple Select

What type of relationship are they using?

• Unison

• Canon

Poll

Which type of canon do you find more complicated?

• Simultaneous canon

• Reverting canon

• Cumulative canon

• Loose canon

Poll

Which type of canon do you find more interesting?

• Simultaneous canon

• Reverting canon

• Cumulative canon

• Loose canon

​Watch the following videos

​Pay attention to the canon sequences shown.

​Write your thoughts, in a pragraph, about the choreographies, your opinion and what did it make you feel or think?
Then write another paragraph about its canon and unison usage in the choreographies.
Do you think the mixture of unison and canon sequences help to enrich the message and performance of the sequences?
Share your paragraphs as a private comment in the assignment, in classroom.

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<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/qqGlxdv60ks?si=MHUTCtVMwcpDZHbx" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe>