National and Global Dance Initiatives
National and Global Dance Initiatives Through various initiatives, national and global dance events have allowed people to connect to the broader dance community. These events include celebrating dance as an art form, honoring dance artists, fundraising, and spreading awareness on important issues. International Dance Day was established in 1982 by The Dance Committee of the […]
Dance Health and Wellness
Dance Health and Wellness Dance is beneficial to our health and fitness. The exercise it provides leads to a strong and toned body, the endorphins it releases contribute to an improved mental outlook, and the socialization of shared dancing offers us support and community. Public dance classes are available in traditional genres. In addition, new […]
Dance as Competition
Prior to the twentieth century, most dance was a social activity or was performance based. Dance as a competitive sport is fairly new. Competition dance today is a lucrative business for traveling dance competition companies. It is a widespread sport in which competitive teams from different dance studios or schools perform in styles such as […]
Dance and Technology
“Dancemakers have naturally gravitated toward technological innovations that enable a deeper understanding of the human body in motion. Through the use of portable computers, wearable technologies, and software apps dancers may create, design, participate and move in new modes of performance. Opportunities between dancers and choreographers inherently explore new methods out of a desire to […]
OTHER HIP-HOP DANCE STYLES
OTHER HIP-HOP DANCE STYLES Waacking Waacking was created by the LGBTQIA+ community in the 1970s disco era. Waacking uses striking arm movements, poses, and footwork, with “emphasis on expressiveness” (Wikipedia). The moves are inspired by classic Hollywood film actors/actresses, 1960s comic book heroes, and 1970s martial art films. Waacking has undergone several name changes throughout […]
Hip Hop Dance Types
Hip-Hop Dance Types The Hip-Hop movement began on the East Coast of New York City; however, it was not isolated to this location. Other street dances emerged on the West Coast in California. EAST COAST Fig. 9. B-boy Pumba (Urban Force) dancing in the cypher of Rock Steady crew 30th Anniversary – Concrete Battle (The […]
FOURTH GENERATION: Contemporary Modern Dance
FOURTH GENERATION: Contemporary Modern Dance During the mid 1970s there was a shift back to more technical-based movements with a return to the proscenium stage. We are using the term Contemporary Modern to refer to this current genre. Remember that the term Modern refers to those early choreographers who broke away from old world ballet and developed an original […]
SECOND GENERATION: Expanding the Horizons of Modern Dance
The second-generation modern dancers either continued following their predecessors’ work or went in a different direction by creating new dance techniques, styles, and unorthodox choreographic approaches. José Limón (1908-1972) José Limón, originally from Mexico, danced with Doris Humphrey and Charles Weidman. Eventually, Limón would form his own company and ask his mentor, Humphrey, to be […]
Modern Dance
“Dance is the hidden language of the soul.”-Martha Graham What is Modern Dance? In the early twentieth century, choreographers broke away from the strict traditions of ballet to develop dance as varied and rich as the American melting pot. Choreographers drew upon the styles of many cultures to create a new dance form as […]
Ballet Russes: Dance and The Avant-Garde
Ballet Russes: Dance and The Avant-Garde Sergei Diaghilev (1872-1929) Fig. 17 George Grantham Bain Collection (Library of Congress) – This image is available from the United States Library of Congress’s Prints and Photographs division under the digital ID ggbain.20797. CC Public Domain Sergei Diaghilev, a Russian art lover, organized the Ballet Russes in 1909. He […]