Essays on Dance

“Don Quixote,” is a popular dance that excites people and brings happiness to sad souls. I find it quite interesting because it coordinates dances from a diversity of places and backgrounds. The dance takes place in a series of days and most of the time the audience comes out of the auditorium with jubilation and excitement. The dance is always successful because of the intense preparations by the gifted and well-experienced managers, choreographers, artistic directors, and artists. When all these people work in harmony, the audience feels the magnitude and the quality of the work produced.
Looking at the Continue reading...

Introduction

Alvin Ailey proved he was gifted in more than one way. Raised by a young single mother, life was far from easy for him. He rose from poverty to become a figure that greatly influenced the 20th century modern dance. Alvin Ailey’s rise from poverty all the way to the top and finally succumbing to AIDs is an interesting story. He certainly had his weaknesses, but Alvin Ailey is an individual who will forever remain in the hearts of dance lovers (Ailey & Bailey 1995).

Discussion

Alvin was born in 1931 in Texas. Being born to a teenage mother (17 Continue reading...

Mikhail Baryshnikov was born on 27th January, 1948 in Riga, Latvia. He is famous for dancing throughout the world. His dance is the sublime vision. Mikhail Nikolaevitch Baryshnikov began his ballet studies in 1960. He studied in Vaganova School the then Leningrad with Aleksander Pushkin. He won the top prize in the junior division of the international Varna Competition. His teacher described him as “the most perfect dancer I have ever seen”.
He made his debut at Maryinsky theatre where he danced the ‘peasant’ pas de deux in Giselle, in the group Kirov Ballet. A new instrument unique for Continue reading...

Our college leadership normally organizes dancing competition events for the students from different faculties in the college. The major activity is usually dancing. This week, the student leadership organized an event for students, which involved dancing over the night. The event was held in the university auditorium from 11 pm to 6am in the morning. The attendees were mostly students from within the university though youths from the surrounding community were also invited . Male and female dancers compete on stage motivated by various rewards that they receive after winning. As such, they were expected to dress up to the Continue reading...

A rite of passage is a very important part of an individual’s life in many cultures. Most typically represent when the individual comes of age in the culture. Young Jewish children have a Bat Mitzvah or Bar Mitzvah, depending on their genders, to express when they become adults. The Satere Mawe tribe in the Amazon are forced to wear gloves filled with bullet ants for several hours to show that they have the strength to face adulthood. In rites of passage such as these, sometimes the participants die. In less serious, more celebratory rites of passage, the participants Continue reading...

The dance class has a total of seven dancers including the dance instructor. There are two dancers at the front. Two are at the center and two others at the back with the instructor stationed at the center of the two dancers at the front. All the seven together form a triangular shape structure that allows for free movement of all dancers and coordination of different dance moves. The arrangement is spacious creating room for the development of the routine. Dancers do not change positions throughout the routine though there are some few instances when the whole team moves Continue reading...

The production I watched on YouTube was a modern interpretation of the classic Swan Lake ballet by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky written circa 1875–1876. I searched in the site for more information regarding where this particular production took place, the name of the city or theater but I could not find it. There was no mention of the name of the ballet company or the names of the principal dancers. As would be expected, this dearth of information extended to the orchestra and its conductor. No credit was given to lighting, sound or set design as well. In this Continue reading...

The Little Fourteen–Year–Old Dancer is an adored impressionist piece sculptured by Edgar Degas. Degas presented the piece at the sixth impressionist exhibition in the spring of 1881, and public exhibition he ever did. Originally named by the artist, Petite Danseuse de Quatorze Ans, the piece has become one of the most acclaimed artworks of well-known bronze casts produced after the artist’s death. She did not attract much admiration in her first appearance. Many know Degas as an artist of dance, and some critics originally dismissed his sculptures, claiming that lacked the quality of good art. Most Continue reading...

Musical Theater and Musical shows have been around for centuries. In the beginning, a musical show was the “integration of narrative, song, and dance characteristics” that “glorified beautiful women and surrounded them with comedian, singers, and dancers” (Reynolds and McCormik). From the early 1900 to 1930’s, the theater supporter was charmed by Minstrel shows, Variety Shows, and Follies which led to musicals with dramatic action. As the theater progressed, dance numbers became more a part of the entire show. Over the next 30-40 years Broadway Musicals would hit their highs and lows, but it was all too evident Continue reading...

The Winter Olympic Games is an international sporting event that is usually held once in every four calendar year. These games were first held in 1924 in Chamonix, France. The first original sports of this event included curling, bobsleigh, ice hockey, military patrol, Nordic skiing, and skating. Following the Second World War, the Olympics games were interrupted and later returned in 1948 under the management of the International Olympic Committee. This paper gives detailed information about iceberg skating, and specifically ice dancing as a Winter Olympic Sport.
However, the Olympic Games have undergone stages of evolution, and has currently Continue reading...

Introduction

In a catchy and rather humorous chapter titled “Courting” Helen Fisher bares basic yet essential truths on how people court. Jeff Abugov’s 1999 Mock documentary titled “The Mating Habits of the Earthbound Human” mirrors entirely all of Fisher’s assertions. A narrator tells the story of Billy (Mackenzie Austin), a shy young man who goes out looking for a date at a nightclub. He meets a beautiful girl named Jenny Smith (Carmen Electra). Billy gets Jenny’s phone number but loses it. He searches for the number frantically, finally resorting to calling all people named Jenny Smith from Continue reading...

Harp music is the type of music that is usually played by the use of a stringed instrument known as the harp. The harp has a number of individual strings running at angles to its soundboard which are usually played as one plucks them with his fingers. Native American music is the music whose use is found among the Native Americans in the U.S.A. It is the traditional music by the Native American groups. Some Native American groups with a specific kind of native music include the Lakota, Shoshone and the Choctaw (Swisher & AnCita 122). In this paper; I Continue reading...

The swing era was marked by the introduction of jazz to the world. This genre of music started for the Southern states of the US. New Orleans in Louisiana is particularly considered to be the home of jazz music. During the swing era, this genre of music started to be acknowledged not only throughout the country but throughout the world. It was so influential that even some composers of classical music started borrowing some components from it.
In the 1940’, there emerged a new sub-genre of jazz music that was referred to as Bebop. Jazz had been increasing developing Continue reading...

The aim of the paper is to provide an analysis on the different artist’s production that negotiates the medium of the photography. The main focus of this paper will remain on the photography that how it has served as model and anti-model for the modern artists. In addition, the new approaches will enable the hybrid media with inventions. A much narrowed concept in the modern times can be the usage of photo editing software. In the present times, it was merely acceptable but the development in the idea of using such software caused a lot of change and Continue reading...

Smokey Robinson has an impressive resume. He’s been inducted into both the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the Songwriters Hall of Fame, among many other honors. Words like “visionary” and “pioneer” get thrown around a lot when talking about artists, but these words do truly apply to Robinson. He has helped define the motown sound since its inception.
Robinson actually started the entire motown scene when he was in high school. He started the group The Miracles while there, and the group included Berry Gordy. Gordy, encouraged by Robinson, would go on to found Motown Records, Continue reading...

- What is Bikini Atoll? Where is it at? How was it formed? Why should we care?
The Bikini atoll is one of the 29 atolls and 5 islands that form the Marshal islands in the United States of America. The atoll was formed through the growth of corals over a long period. The Bikini atoll was used by the Americans for testing nuclear bombs damaging the ecosystem and the general environment of the atoll. The nuclear radiations had negative effects on the fauna in that it caused mutations of the star fish, sponges, and other marine life.
- What Continue reading...

Have people ever thought why do they do sports or anything that favors to them? Would one be surprised if he knew that person’s will in a strange way had disappeared if his actions were paid for?
In psychology such notion is called overjustification effect, and it may seriously influence one’s motivation or line of behavior. The effect emerges when additional stimulus reduces intrinsic motivation of a person to perform any action. The notion is broadly discussed by David Mayers in his book “Social psychology”. Conducted research has shown that the reward (money or other material values) Continue reading...

Indian’s populist film industry, known often by its colloquial term Bollywood, often uses song and dance not only as a work of spectacle within the body of the film, but as a way to significantly discuss the narrative and characters of the film itself. Songs and dance sequences provide opportunities for the characters to explore their jubilation, sorrow or consternation, among a plethora of other emotions, and offered significant platforms for the stardom of Indian film stars, who would often also be significant presences in the film and culture scene in India. One of the most significant Bollywood Continue reading...

Musicals are theatrical performances that feature dance, spoken words, art, singing, play, and dialogue. The content of a musical can be original ideas, or founded on a film, play, other books, or novels. The themes and emotions of the musicals such as love and humor are usually communicated to the audience through live performances of music, word and actions. Musical theatres have gained popularity and have become integrated with the popular culture of many societies. Musical performances have long been combined with theatrical presentations in the early days, but the contemporary musical theatres especially the American musical, bear their Continue reading...

Stravinsky was no stranger to pushing boundaries when he premiered the Rite of Spring in 1913. He had had immense success the previous year with his reimagining of the Russian folk tale of Petrushka. In that piece, as well, Stravinsky took liberties with his writing and the plot of the story. However, the liberties taken in the music for The Rite of Spring were far greater and more surprising than past compositions by him, or any other mainstream composer of the time. Coupled with the unusual choreography by Nijinsky, the event was understandably shocking to an audience unaccustomed to Continue reading...

(Institute Affiliation)
The Oxford English Dictionary defines Bollywood as, “a name for the Indian popular film industry, based in Mumbai (Bombay).” (Simpson and Weiner, Oxford English Dictionary, Oxford University Press, United Kingdom; 1989) The term was coined in the 1970’s as is a portmanteau of the words Hollywood and Bombay (name changed to Mumbai). The history of Bollywood is believed to date back to 1913 but Pamela Hutchinson in her article The Birth of India’s Film Industry: How the Movies Came to Mumbai states that it was Harishchandra Sakharam Bhatavdedar, a local photographer of Mumbai, who shot Continue reading...

Introduction

“Without art, the crudeness of reality would make the world unbearable”- George Bernard Shaw. The above quote by the famous Irish playwright makes an absolute sense as the reality of the world is unbearable indeed and it is an art that offers the much needed solace to mankind. Art as a form of expression of emotions has the power to evoke strong feelings like joy, sorrow, disgust, love, horror, devotion and many more to say. Many look upon the universe as a work of art by the omnipresent God as the beauty that lies in the nature is Continue reading...

Introduction

Deidre Sklar published her commentary “Five Premises for a Culturally Sensitive Approach to Dance” to provide premises as to why dance, as a form of art, is imbued with cultural values. The five premises include the following: “movement knowledge is a kind of cultural knowledgeis conceptual and emotional as well as kinesthetic,” and “intertwined with other kinds of cultural knowledge,” getting the meaning of dance requires looking “beyond movement,” and “movement is always an immediate corporeal experience” (Sklar). It is important to note said premises in further understanding the cultural significance of any given kind of dance. This study, Continue reading...

This essay will explore the compositional method and the harmonic innovations that Stravinsky used in his ballet “The Rite of Spring.” In order to capture all the ideas the essay will have three parts; the first part will be linked to the observation for the piece as a whole, the second part will be an analysis of the strategically features with examples from the score and the third part will be a cogent summary of the analysis that will imply the interpretation of the piece.
“The Rite of Spring” by Igor Stravinsky was premiered in 29 May 1913 at Continue reading...

Argentina is a country that is rich in Immigrants from all angles of life. For five decades, it has been on the verge of receiving foreign settlements and had over 20% of immigrants in its total population. As a result, the nation looks at itself as an ethnically diverse nation, second to the United States. It is the ultimate melting pot of the Spanish world and showcases its national identity through citizenship, as opposed to ethnicity like other countries around it. The immigrants in the country are not referred to as ethnic groups, as in countries such as the Continue reading...

Prevalently, music forms an integral part of each and every religious ceremony. Evidently, almost all the dominations have espoused the imperativeness of music in various religious functions. A notable fact is that despite various denominations agree on the pivotal role of music, the nature and type of music each denomination play has a complete variation. The primary reason for the mentioned variation is the fact that each religious group has distinct principles that govern the usage of music. Similarly, a myriad number of the religious group has totally different perspective when it comes to religious music. As a result Continue reading...

“Shall we Dance” is an American film that takes after a 1996 Japanese film. The film creates a perfect world for John, a world distant from the usual routine of going to the office, practicing law and going back to his family. Through music and dance the film both the American and the Japanese version revolve around the issues of urban environment, urban density and culture, urban isolation and family network, family values and support, oriented urban development and western dancing. The movie also shows the importance of dance in personal liberation through the life of John.
The movie Continue reading...

Establishment

Tango is one of the most mysterious dances in the world, because it reflects the characters, the straightness of lines and unbridled naked passion at the same time. Argentine tango is a mixture of styles, directions and types of national folk dance rhythms with a touch of European and even African destinations.
It is believed that the prototype of all styles of tango was the Argentine dance for couples, which, initially, people had danced in South America. However, some sources, in particular the French scientists, argue that the first Tango appeared in Spain. They consider that the founders of Continue reading...

Both bebop and cool jazz emerged in the middle of 20th century; bebop was formed as a reaction to the mass development of trendy jazz dance orchestras in the early 1940s and cool jazz, in its turn, originated from the bebop in the late 1940s. Although both of these jazz styles arose in the same period and cool jazz as such is considered to be a modification of bebop, there are several fundamental differences between them. These differences lie in the mood of the music, expressivity of sound, causes of styles emergence and purposes of each style.
Developed in Continue reading...

‘Instructor’s Name’

‘Subject’
The Opposing Emotions Found in Roethke's "My Papa's Waltz"
Roethke's "My Papa's Waltz" is a very brief poem, but one filled with powerful verses and a plethora of emotions. It is a poem that talks about a bedtime dance performed by a father-son duo. The poem has given birth to multiple interpretations over the years, regarding the speaker’s emotion towards his father. While some argue that the poem is about a father physically controlling or even abusing his son, some see it as an expression of love by a clumsy and rough, yet, affectionate father. However, familial Continue reading...

One unique thing about this exhibition is that it’s more than admiring. Just imagine beautiful costumes on the mannequin showing how diverse costume design could be, how they are connected to the performance, designer’s emotions, and the characteristics of different time periods. All the designers have something in common - their appreciation of the elegance, and athleticism of the body’s movement. A good dancing performance is made by good dancers; every dancer is unique and has his own soul, which makes every performance unique, because the time, setting and emotions of each performance can never be Continue reading...

Ballet dance at its inception was developed as a performance dance in the fifteen century. With time, however, music and choreography was incorporated and the dance itself became popular as a concert dance. In the contemporary times, the Ballet dance has since developed to a level where companies with professional composers and orchestras are trained to perform this kind of dance. On the other hand, Jazz dance was developed many years subsequent to the invention of Ballet dance. Particularly, this dance was developed in the 1900s as a vernacular dance that was performed by the African Americans who were Continue reading...

The movie analyzed is titled ‘Shall We Dance?” (Sharu wi Dansu? in Japanese). The objective of the analysis is to explore the how social and work related stress as well as the lack of happiness may lead to infidelity in marriage. The movie is a romantic piece in which a jaded, exploited accountant, Shohei Sugiyama, decides to join a ballroom dancing classes. It is based on 1960s Japanese culture where the society expected the woman to be housewife while the men fetch for the families. The decision by Shohei Sugiyama, however, was not informed by the need to deal Continue reading...

While a culture exists for a country, it can also exist for almost any organized and ongoing situations. Mostly a teacher governs culture in a class. They set the rules and the environment, but a class culture emerges independently of a particular teacher and students, and area of study affect the outcome of a class culture. This essay looks at the cultures of three of my class and compares and contrasts the differences of various classes. Names identifying the teachers of the classes have been changed for their protection.
The teacher did not laydown any formal rules for the Continue reading...

I had the pleasure of seeing a live performance of Mamma Mia! by Catherine Johnson at the Fox Theatre on September 30th, 2014. Performed by the show’s touring company, this “jukebox musical” arranges several hit songs by the band ABBA throughout a story involving young bride-to-be Sophie, who concocts a scheme to bring her three prospective fathers home to find out which one can really walk her down the aisle for her wedding (without her mother knowing about it). As the wedding date nears, and more and more guests start to arrive, Sophie’s mother Donna discovers her Continue reading...

Many people are under the assumption that art exhibitions must contain paintings, sculptures, drawings, or other traditional forms of art. The artist must use paint, clay, or pencil to capture a feeling, a message, or an appeal, putting it on display for the audience. It is unclear why, but it seems that the audience cannot render a message fit for consumption unless it uses the typical artistic methods. The Museum at the Fashion Institute of Technology acknowledges there are other art forms. FIT displays all types of artistic fashion as an exhibition to man’s triumphs and failures through Continue reading...

Museum response for early modern fashion class

Introduction
The modern fashion is a highly contested area and dates back to the fourteenth century through the early phases of industrialization. People in the contemporary world are always enthusiastic about fashion and its constant revolution (Paulicelli 63). This assignment is a response to the presentations and displays of Dance and Fashion Show that took place at Fashion Institute of Technology, New York. The article incorporates an objective synopsis of the displays and subjective reactions. Also included in this essay are comprehensive discussions about the evolution of modern fashion (especially the Lingerie fashion) from the 18th century to the Continue reading...

The Would-Be Gentleman by Moliere

Molière’s The Would-Be-Gentleman is a comical satire that reveals the various facets of human emotions and behaviour of seventeenth century Europe. Most of his comedies critique the pompous artificiality of French high society during the middle- and late seventeenth century. The characters portray farce to serious comedies of manners. France, during his time, had two distinct sections of society; the nobility or the rich, and the bourgeoisie; the middle class. Molière produced a number of satires that criticised the lifestyle of the rich and famous in France. In particular, Molière looked to tease the extravagant Continue reading...

Many people perceive dancing as something not so serious and easy to do. In reality, if one is passionately involved in any kind of dancing, they will know that the common point of view is not true at all. Moreover, professional dancing is a one step above than just being a hobby and involves a lot more commitment and motivation in order to achieve good results. Hip-hop is a style in music that not many people go into compared to Latin, for example. Choosing hip-hop as the style one wants to perform means that they are a fan and Continue reading...

Introduction

In the paper below, the similarities and the cultural link between the traditional flamenco music and the Egyptian/ Arabic music has been discussed. Flamenco music is a category of Spanish music and dance, connected with the Andalusia region in southern Spain. It was first mentioned in the literature in 1774. Afterwards, the genre grew out of the Romain and Andalusian music and dance flairs. The flamenco music is most profoundly related to the gitanos i.e. Romani people – Spain. Moreover, the music was first recorded officially in the late eighteenth century, however, it underwent a historic development in late nineteenth Continue reading...