What does body tension mean in dance?

In dance, body tension refers to the way in which muscles of the body are engaged, released, or tensed in order to convey emotions, create patterns of movement, and produce particular dance styles. Different movements and styles require specific tension patterns in different parts of the body, such as a relaxed upper body but strong feet to support the dancer in pirouettes and grand allegro steps in ballet, or fluid pelvic tension combined with controlled torso and limb tension in belly dance. Proper control and manipulation of bodily tension allows dancers to produce precise, powerful, flexible or emotive body language to execute choreography effectively and enhance expressivity or clarity during a routine. Tension may relate to muscular use/strength, elasticity, or physical/emotional expression for various types of dances from lyrical and contemporary, to breakdance and ballroom.