... CHOREOGRAPHY (ETYMOLOGY) khoreia: “dance” graphein: “to write” STYLE in Dance derives from 3 related sets of conventions 1. The quality with which the movement is performed (texture or quality found in movement as it is performed) Rudolph von Laban’s systematization of “quality in movement”: Space: indirect, direct Time: sustained, quick Weight: strong, light Flow: free, bound Acc. to Laban, all human movement exhibits constellations of these factors that form identifiable textures or qualities of movement. 1 2. The characteristic use of the parts of the body with their symbolic associations. Solar plexus (Duncan), lower abdomen and pelvis as an isolable area (Graham), fixed/vertical torso (ballet). Pelvis: sexual, primitive instincts and desires Chest: emotions and feelings Head: intellect, rationality, process of thinking 3. Characteristic use of “performance space”. (a three dimensional spatial grid symbolically defines the space) i.e. movements that occur in the air (jumps & lifts) or gestures towards upper space – mostly associated with the pure, heavenly, etc. movements on the flor –associations with more earthly existence. 2 THEATRE DANCE From Aristocratic Entertainments (1300-1600) to Court Spectacles (1530s-1640s) to French Court Ballet – “The Sun King” Dancing (1650-1700s) French nobility “dancing” in the entertainments and spectacles to show off their power and dignity. Spectacles organized by courts, dukedoms, etc. quickly became competitive, one...
Words: 2507 - Pages: 11
...music and dance revolution. For the first time, dancers were closer together, some were even touching, and the music was faster, more soulful, and louder than ever before. In spite of the horrors that the nation lived during this time of the Great War, the dancers took to the ground great movements in styles like the Shimmy, the Charleston, the Foxtrot, the Tango and the Waltz (study.com). The Shimmy is a kind of ragtime dance in which the whole body shakes or sways back and forth, and at the same time leaning back and forth to the beat of the music. Charleston, named for the town in South Carolina, involved turning...
Words: 606 - Pages: 3
...to complement the art of dance. Since the prehistoric era, the creation of music as well as the use of musical instruments has not only played a vital role in our society, but has also played a big part in the realm of dance specifically because the beat and rhythm or even the lyrical content of a song directly encourages the style of dance. The relationship between music and dance also plays a prominent role in a country’s culture, and therefore, is a significant role of cultural expression all across the globe. Furthermore, many dancers see...
Words: 1367 - Pages: 6
...dominated by fate or by personal choice. Shakespeare brings this question to surface, and leaves it fairly to judge and make own conclusions about whether Romeo and Juliet died because of fate or because of their personal choices. I think what Jowitt focuses mainly is on the skills and gestures, but not on the point whether the ballet can bring out this theme successfully. I think it is a quite important factor to determine whether it is a good ballet because it is based on Shakespeare’s “Romeo & Juliet” and the theme should be kept. I believe Morris did show this in the ballet. In the article, there are several things that the author uses to support her idea. Jowitt tells about Mark Morris. He had not made a ballet and was a modern-dance choreographer. He casts his dancers interestingly, and they respond with gusto. Jowitt also comments about the performance of the dancers. Two pairs of dancers alternate as the lovers. Maile Okamura, looks like a lovely changeling in this coarse society....
Words: 492 - Pages: 2
...Ballet started Ballet, as we know it today, it began during the Renaissance around the year 1500 in Italy. In fact, the term "ballet" comes from the Italian ballare, to dance. When Catherine de Medici of Italy married the French King Henry II, she introduced early dance styles into court life in France. At first, the dancers wore masks, layers upon layers of brocaded costuming, pantaloons, large headdresses and ornaments. Dance steps were composed of small hops, slides, curtsies, promenades and gentle turns. Dancing shoes had small heels and resembled formal dress shoes rather than any contemporary ballet shoe we might recognize today. The official terminology and vocabulary of ballet was gradually codified in French over the next 100 years. In the video I preformed the basic steps of ballet. First start off with good posture to avoid a strain, stand straight and have your shoulders over your hips. In the 1st position my heels touch with my toes turned out and place my arms in front of me in an oval shape. The 2nd position I move my feet apart and open my arms wide, they should be slightly rounded and in front of me. Now the 3rd position I cross one foot in front of the other, and brought one arm curved in towards me and the other arm to the side. Then the 4th position I placed one foot in front of the other with space between, raised one arm curved above my head and the other out to the side. Finally I finish off with the 5th position by placing one foot exactly in front of...
Words: 332 - Pages: 2
...A thorough look at Africans in America would not be complete without considering African-American dance. From plantation dances that enslaved Africans used to express their tragedy and triumph, to the ever-changing slick motions of modern hand dancing, black rhythmic movements are an integral weave in the fabric of American culture. Dance grew out of hardship but became entertainment. African dance has contributed a plethora of qualities to dance in America; and we can see proof of this through the dance of today. Being such a diverse country, America has the gift of consolidating unique moves from various societies to acquire an outstanding dance collection. American dance as we know it would be totally different if not for African Americans....
Words: 1213 - Pages: 5
...Aissata sow Prof. Callon Dance 2303 12/8/14 Reflection paper I came to this class expecting to stand with a group of my class mates and watch the instructor dance while we try memorizing the moves. But it was the total opposite! This class was so different in so many ways. Over the course of the semester, I have learned about different types of dances including hip hop, tap, jazz, ballet and contemporary, Bhangra, Bollywood, Latin, Zumba and much more. My definition of dance before was not what I thought of dance until I took dance appreciation. I always thought dance was using your body to dance to the beat of the music, but it is so much more to that. Dance is actually when its purpose is for dance, it has intentional rhythm, contains culturally-patterned sequences, and contains extraordinary non-verbal patterns. I liked how you were organized and how you structured the class lectures and discussions. When I walked in your class, I was somewhat disappointed because it wasn’t a dance studio, it was a class room. But after you started telling us more about it, and told us how the class lectures will be I started becoming more excited about it. What I really loved about dance 2303 was the group project we did in the middle of the school year. The group I had been paired with was amazing, and I liked how we all worked as a team. We expressed different ideas and each one of us had our own unique way of learning and teaching each other. My favorite part of the whole semester...
Words: 563 - Pages: 3
...Spanish Club president Eden Harris, junior political science major and Spanish minor, emphasized that all Samford students and faculty are welcome to Spanish Club events, especially Salsa Night. “Anybody who wants to come can come, so people invite their friends. Sometimes couples come just so they can learn how to Salsa”, Harris said. The organizations provide food such as chips and salsa, queso, and occasional catering and beverages. Salsa dancing is usually taught at the event by a professor, student, or hired choreographer and then attendees take over with what they have learned. The event is built on dancing the Salsa, but this dance was diverse and had aspects of many different cultures and dance origins....
Words: 403 - Pages: 2
...Harrison Liu 932273007 Rita Feinstein Writing 121 February 3, 2015 Aristotle once stated “man is by nature a social animal; an individual who is unsocial naturally and not accidentally is either beneath our notice or more than human. Society is something that precedes the individual.” Looking at modern society, people often choose to conform to the “group’s” opinion. People choose to discard their own personal identity to stay under the radar and avoid being labeled a misfit. This leads to the abdication of free will. In Taylor Swift’s recent music video “Shake it Off”, she uses both her lyrics, and images in the video to display to the audience how free will is discarded to obtain collectivism. When initially listening to the song, one first notices the happy and upbeat background music. Background music is often regarded as the most essential piece of a song as it is the biggest contributor in giving the audience their first impression of the song, the message. As explained in Dramas, Fields, and Metaphors: Symbolic Action in Human Society, first impressions are more than just the initial establishment of a person. First impressions create the foundation of one’s characterization of another and are the hardest to forsake in an attempt to change. Taylor Swift incorporates a very fast paced, upbeat background in her song. This generates a very positive and happy impression making the audience think of her as a cheerful buoyant person. Swift’s immediate attempt to make the...
Words: 1580 - Pages: 7
...Grass Dance Ashley Silva Humanities 281W: Human Diversity and Humanities Traditions Jeris Swanhorst July 6, 2014 As history will prove, many cultures have been immortalized through various artistic means. Many include the written word or preserved artwork. The many tribes of Native Americans choose to commemorate their history and honor their ancestors through the art of dance. One of the most popular dance styles for Native Americans known today is the ‘Grass Dance’. While its exact origins are not known, there are still several pieces of information that can be used to piece together the history. Several sources believe the dance began in the Northern region; ‘the dance was given to the Dakota by the Ponca about three hundred years ago at a place just east of the Black hills of South Dakota’ (Howard, 82). An approximation places this time frame around the year of 1860. As more participants began to experience and learn the dance style, the influence and knowledge of the dance began to spread. The dance reached the Blackfeet tribe in the 1870s, and eventually the Gros Ventre tribe around 1875-1880. From the 1920s to after World War II, an economic change in the United States had a greater impact on the nature of the grass dance. Many of the ceremonial traditions of the dance were lost during this time period and transformed into more of an entertainment form of dance. Along with these changes also came the involvement of women being able to perform the dance; for many...
Words: 1358 - Pages: 6
...CREATIVE DANCE History of Creative Dance Creative dance is perceived differently by different sectors of the education system. In many provinces, creative dance is part of the physical education curriculum. More recently, two provinces— British Columbia and Saskatchewan— have considered placing dance under the rubric of arts education. The aspect of creative dance that is emphasized reflects the position creative dance is assigned in the curriculum. When in the physical education curriculum, creative dance lessons typically focus on development of the motor skills involved, with little concern for the experience’s aesthetic potential. In arts education, the primary focus is creative dance’s aesthetic potential. Advocates view creative dance not only as having potential for developing motor skills or aesthetic sensibility, but as a means to improve students’ self-concept and as a valuable component of an integrated curriculum. Upon closer scrutiny, however, these different ways of justifying creative dance may prove contradictory. “Creative dance” is a particular form of dance. This form is typically taught in elementary schools because unlike other dance forms, it does not require years of training. Basically, creative dance involves the use of movement elements to express thoughts and feelings. Dimondstein (1974) expands on this definition when she considers dance to be “the interpretation of a child’s ideas, feelings, and sensory impressions expressed symbolically in movement...
Words: 7311 - Pages: 30
...The Theory of Odissi An analysis on the traditional dance form of Odissi; it’s history, meaning and will focus on some of the different repertoires and positions in Odissi. ------------------------------------------------- Sushrut S. Vaidya Odissi is the classical dance form of the state of Orissa, popularly known for its picturesque temples and the combination of highs and lows in its music. During the course of the performance, one can notice the dancer depicting the structure of the temples and those of the idols, which come to life through the flowing movements, and graceful poses of the dancer. History: Odissi, as a dance form, may very well be one of the oldest forms of classical dances – with caves that date back the 2nd century depicting the origins of a dance scene with the assistance of full orchestration, naturally seen in Odissi. Archaeologists and scholars of dance have dated these caves to before Bharata’s Natyashastra, in which Odissi is mentioned as a style from South India by the name of Odra Magadhi. Though these performances were made at the Jagannath temple in Puri, it was widely performed in many Shaivite, Vaishnavite and Sakta temples in Orissa. The history of this dance form only says so much, the living tradition however, shows a lot more. It has been kept alive through the generations by two clans, the Maharis and Gotipuas. Maharis were once known as the Devdasis of Orissa. The word Mahari is derived from two Sanskrit words, namely Mahan...
Words: 1630 - Pages: 7
...A dance routine is created by a choreographer. To become a choreographer many hours are spent training, planning, and practicing. Choreographers spend hours out of the day making sure that they are in the physical shape needed to fulfill the job. Most assume that this is a simple job that anyone can accomplish, but in reality choreographers must have a dancing background or this job is not for them. Working with children of all ages throughout everyday of their career can get very stale. Choreographers have to love their job or it is not worth the time and effort they put into it. Choreographers create original routines for individual or group performers. According to Portland Ballet Academy choreographers sometime specialize in one dance style. They also use a variety of styles for one or multiple dance routines. Most all choreographers create routines for dancers to perform at recitals or at competitions. Choreographers usually start their careers as dancers. While they are dancers, they study for years and learn movements and positions of various types of dance. Each dance has its own vocabulary, style, and movement. The...
Words: 1188 - Pages: 5
...word for “sauce”, the dance is aptly named for the flavor or spicy technique upon which it actually centers upon. Salsa dancing has origin from Cuba where the blending of African drum rhythms and Spanish guitar evolved into a variety of Latin American music. Out of this music came the dances we know today as: Son, Danzon, the rhythms of Carnival, Cha, cha, cha, Mambo, Tango, and Salsa. Salsa is based on Cuban styles that had developed in the ‘30s, ‘40s and ‘50s. In the ‘60s and ‘70s the salsa spread to other parts of Latin America like Colombia and Venezuela. Throughout the ‘70s, in an area in south-west Colombia called “Metropolis”, emerged as an important new center for salsa dance and music. This area was known as “the world salsa capital”. Types of Salsa Dance Salsa has been made into different forms of dance. I will briefly discuss the various types of dancing that available. Now, most of us have seen or maybe even experienced some form of Latin dance. The most popular and flashy of the salsa dancing is the L.A. Style. This form of Salsa is very flashy that uses dips and flips. L.A. Style is definitely great to watch, with the women being very sensual and the men tend do to a lot of jumps, flips and spins. Cuban Style is based of the rhythms of the music. It is also a non-partnered dance, which is optional. This style of dancing is also very male dominated because the men do more of the flashy dances than the women. The last dance that is awesome is the...
Words: 414 - Pages: 2
...concepts, perspectives and traditions of dance that I knew existed, but never understood the meaningful history behind the art of dance. Reading the chapters and watching the assigned videos opened my eyes on the impact dance has brought to many aspects of history such: segregation, women’s rights and religion. While I was doing research for our midterm, this was the moment I really began to grasp the impact dance had on our cultural society. My choreographer was Katherine Dunham; she was an African-American woman who was gradually changed the cultural standard for American women dancers and choreographers. The extent of my dance career consists of one ballet class I took when I was five years old and let’s just say one class was all I needed to take, ever. Even though I am not very graceful and will not be the next Doris Humphrey, I still find the movements of dance delightful and highly entertaining. I have always thought dance was wonderful and beautiful form of art, but something that I was not fortunate enough to gain talent in and after learning just ONE minute of a dance my thoughts were reaffirmed. I chose to learn a portion of a Hawaiian Hula Dance, a video from our week three assignments Na Hula O Kaohikukapulani hula practice on Kauai. The types of dance styles that are seen in this video are dance for spiritual connection and worship dance. These forms are a lost art in the Hawaiian Hula dance; the original purpose for the Hula dance was for spiritual connections to the...
Words: 819 - Pages: 4
