1
DAN 130
Name
of Student: Siyi He
Professor:
Morejon Jorge
April 21,2020
Charleston Dance: Choreography, Style, and Music
One of the widely-known
and irresistible dances of the world is the jazz dance. As a popular dance, it attracts many
people with its vibrant and energetic moves. During the golden age of the jazz
dance of the “Jazz Age,” one of those jazz dance that became a craze among the
younger generation was the Charleston dance. With the social boom of jazz music
and the wild era of freedom and rebellion, the Charleston achieved a milestone
in the twenties. In this paper, I will discuss Charleston as a jazz dance
focusing on some of its essential elements, choreography, style, and music.
That is to be able to expose my personal experience of the dance.
Generally speaking, the Charleston, like any other jazz dance, has its
distinct choreography. As I watched a modern version of the
Charleston on YouTube, one thing that quickly catches my attention was the
different steps and movements of the dance. It is easy to tell that the dance
steps are not just an ordinary social dance but more on a theatrical
choreography that perfectly fits the energetic jazz music in the background.
Being both a social and theatrical dance, the Charleston is a dance
characterized by the “patting of the knees with the hands crossing over”
(Guarino & Oliver, 2014). It means that it imposes distinct choreographic demands of the dancers' knees knocked with legs kicking high in movements, and extensive
arms movements that denotes letting loose of the moral and social norms of
their parents’ generation. As soon as
the music starts, the dancers begin to bounce in a thrilling and exciting
dance style.
Like other jazz dance, the performance of the Charleston is mainly to
the tune and style of jazz music. The jazz music of that time reflects the ever-changing
expression echoing the life of the people. It was during the popularity of
ragtime (Guarino & Oliver, 2014) that Charleston emerged. The music of the
dance is quick-paced, which is fitting to the uninhibited enthusiasm, and
expression of the people during that time. In the video that I watched, there
is no doubt that the music used can make anyone grove. The music is in
comparatively high tempo, which also matches the high-energy dancing of the
dancers. Listening to the hot jazz music of the Charleston gives me the
impression that it is indeed a piece worthy to become a dance craze. Although
the video I watched is not in the twenties, it is not hard to imagine how jazz
music makes everyone stand up from their sits and start to dance in style.
As I explored Charleston as one of the famous jazz dance, I realized
that jazz is indeed accompanied by interesting muisc. As I watch the video, I started to
like the music. The footwork and the steps are captivating, and I imagine
myself dancing to the exciting jazz music of Charleston. Although in class, the
teacher did not teach us the dance, I became truly interested as soon as I watched
the enthusiastic dancing of the duo in the video. If given enough chance to
explore more on different dances and demonstrate, I would surely choose
Charleston. I may not be the best dancer, but I know that with determination
and constant practice I will be able to do the dance routine attuned to the music. Our dance class taught
me that every dance has its own characteristics. For the dancer to
project that through his or her movements he/she has to be attuned to the jazz. I can see that dancing to Charleston
needs determination and discipline, just like any other dance. That was what
I realized during those dance lessons we had in class.
To sum, the Charleston jazz dance is hard to miss, among other dances.
It is a dance craze that already marked the history of dances in the world.
Looking into the unique choreography, style, and music of the Charleston, as I
watched the video, I can say that I love it. I know it will have to spare my
time and effort to perfect the dance movements, but with determination, I know
I can make it. This class taught me that there is no short-cut to becoming a good
dancer. All it takes ishaving a choreographic sense, an urban jazzy style and a suggestive music piece in the background.
References
Guarino, L. & Oliver, W. (2014). Jazz Dance: A History of the Roots and
Branches. Florida: University of Florida Press.
Strictly Come Dancing
(2015, December 13). Jay McGuiness & Aliona Vilani Charleston
to ‘Dr. Jazz.” YouTube [Video File] Retrieved from https://youtu.be/BWJHKx3nmM.
2
DAN 130
Shulin Wu
Jorge Luis Morejon
04/14/2020
Tai Chi: A Dance of Constant Practice
The Chinese civilization is broad and profound. Chinese people have created many intangible cultural heritages throughout
history. Tai Chi has become a Chinese
national intangible cultural heritage. The origin of Tai Chi can be traced
back to the Ming Dynasty or even older. Taijiquan was created by Yuting Chen during
the Ming Dynasty.
Chen was born into a martial arts family. He started to learn
boxing at a very young age and was very good at it. While learning boxing, Chen
combined his ideas about the world and its relationship with the concepts of Ying and
Yang. The Ying and Yang represent the famous cosmic duality or sets of two opposing and complementing principles or cosmic energies that can be observed in nature. Gradually, Chen created his own boxing art: taiji; which in the West is spelled Tai Chi.
In ancient times, Tai
Chi was a martial art for people to use for self-defense. In modern times, it has become a martial art used to strengthen people’s physical fitness. People feel Tai Chi through body health, performance of movements, and
understanding of Yin & Yang theory. For this to happen people need to maintain a calm mood when performing Tai Chi. There
are many methods and genres of Tai Chi, but all Tai Chi forms emphasize the same principle, to relax.
Taijiquan is developed from martial arts and is very suitable for
body-building. Soft exercise can help people relax their tension and anxiety.
Long-term practice of slower Taijiquan exercises can strengthen people's
balance control, body flexibility, and cardiorespiratory function. Chi music
is mainly created by Erhu and Xun since those two instruments together can
imitate the sounds of mountain water and nature. In Tai Chi performances,
whether people are watching Tai Chi or learning Tai Chi, they will feel relaxed
when listening to Tai Chi music. But, is this all that makes Tai Chi a dance?
In the book The Tai Chi Two-persons Dance: Tai Chi with a partner, Tai Chi practitioner Jonathan Russell, brings to our attention the lifetime constribution to Tai Chi of his mentor T.T. Liang, a former customs officer under Chiang Kai Sheck in China. To keep students frrom competing and using force while practicing Tai Chi, Liang drew on his experiences in the dance halls of Shanghai while an officer working with the British to develop a dance approach by adding music and beats (Russell 2). Thus, Russell and Liang created the Tai Chi Dance Association in Boston based on the idea that Tai Chi Chuan is a dance of opposites.
Taiji mainly expresses slow and elegant dance movements through
the squatting of legs and a constantly swinging upper body. Responding to
violent attacks with static means, this is a dance method that people can use
to self-protect. It seems simple enough to do a few actions but requires people
keep the lower body stable, so it is not easy when confronting people. In the
classroom, the professor taught us a set of Tai Chi techniques, and the
seemingly gentle movements caused many students to sway left and right, which
indicates that the stability required by Tai Chi is not easy.
The most important point in distinguishing Tai Chi from other
dances is that Tai Chi is very slow. In China, slowness can change into
softness, and softness can also be perceived as strong. Taijiquan combines
softness and strength into Ying and Yang in the Tai Chi picture. Although slow,
it forms a circle symmetrically. The two forms of completely different auras
are felt in slow movements, giving the beauty of harmony between nature and
humanity. Taiji shows a balanced relationship between human consciousness and
body, so Tai Chi is interlocked, and the end of each movement is the beginning
of the next one. Since there are too many balances, for Tai Chi, the Ying
and Yang relationships cannot be understood through a formula. If you want to learn
and watch Tai Chi well, you must be quiet, and maintain stability and balance.
In general, Tai Chi is a type of traditional Chinese dance. The
physical and mental benefits of Tai Chi cannot be measured by medical
techniques. The dance movements of Tai Chi also require constant practice. As explained by Russell,
the dance takes practitioners to the next level by "harmonizing" their movements with a partner and "developing sensitivity of feeling with the body" (Russell 4).
References
Russell, Jonathan (2003). The Tai Chi Two-persons Dance: Tai Chi with a partner. North Atlantic Books, Berkeley, California
3
Lauren Haverlin
Professor Jorge Morejon
DAN 130—54
25 March 2020
The
Charleston: Too Scandalous for Women?
The
Charleston is a dance that rose to prominence in the 1920’s in the United
States. This time period is known as the “Roaring 20s,” where jazz music,
speakeasies, and flappers rose to prominence. The Charleston, a fun and
entertaining dance, was strongly influenced by the time period and can be
looked at today as an integral part of dance history. Though
the Charleston appeared in the United Sates around 1903, the Charleston’s
movements are thought to have originated in Trinidad, Ghana, and Nigeria from
the African American dance known as Juba. It was first seen in America in black
communities in the southern United States, hence how the dance got its name.
The dance then began to make its way to the Northeast, where it was performed
on a stage act by the Whiteman Sisters in 1911, followed by Harlem Productions
in 1913 (Rosenberg
2019). However, it was not widely known until the Broadway Show,
“Running Wild,” was publicly performed in 1923. In this musical, the dance was
paired with the hit song, “The Charleston.” This catchy song was composed by
James Johnson. In a short period of time, this musical sparked a huge new dance
style and trend that carried on throughout the lively and prosperous 1920’s.
One famous dancer, Josephine Baker, danced the Charleston in a unique way that
made it funny and distinct from others. Baker did things like crossing her eyes
when she danced, which engaged her audience and made them laugh (Rosenberg 2019).
She traveled from the United States to France with her dance company in 1925,
where crowds loved her funny antics. She is credited with helping make the
Charleston a popular dance that spread around Europe (Rosenberg 2019).
During the 1920’s,
there was significant political and social change. The economy soared, more people
lived in cities, and the culture became racier and more carefree. It became
normal for women to be less “lady-like,” and they wore shorter length dresses
and skirts, cut their hair, drank alcohol and smoked (History Editors, 2010). Going out
to speakeasies and dance halls was popular for men and women, allowing them to
let loose and gather with their friends to drink and dance. Rebellious women,
known as Flappers, loved to perform the Charleston. It soon became associated
with these women and was known as a fun yet rather scandalous dance.
The
Charleston is not only an entertaining dance to watch, but it is also exciting
to perform. It can be danced with a group, a partner, or by oneself. The music
for dancing the Charleston is ragtime jazz, in a quick 4/4 time with syncopated
rhythms (Rosenberg,
2019). At the most basic level, the dance involves kicking the legs and
swinging the arms. The arms must move in the opposite direction to the legs.
This is performed with a small hop in between steps while simultaneously
swiveling one’s foot. If a dancer was well-practiced, she may even add a
knee-up kick or move side to side with her arms on her knees. These movements,
paired with upbeat music, made for quite the spectacle. At one point, the
Charleston was even banned from many dance venues because it was considered too
scandalous for women. (The History of the 1920's Charleston Dance).
Evidently,
the Charleston was influenced by its time period. Without the glamorous,
high-spirited, and defiant nature of the people in the Roaring 20’s, the
Charleston likely would have never gained popularity. It stayed prominent
throughout the 1930’s and 1940’s, where it was slightly adapted to follow the
rhythm of swing jazz. This new way of dancing the Charleston became known as
“Lindy Hop,” or the “Lindy Charleston” (Charleston “Dance,” 2020). The dance
continued throughout the mid and late 1900’s. Even today, the Charleston is
widely known and performed to jazz music in performances worldwide.
Works Cited
“Charleston (Dance).” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 1 Mar. 2020,
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charleston_(dance).
History.com Editors. “The Roaring Twenties History.” History.com, A&E Television
Networks, 14 Apr. 2010,
www.history.com/topics/roaring-twenties/roaring-twenties-history.
Rosenberg, Jennifer. “The Steps and Story of the 1920s Dance Craze the Charleston.” ThoughtCo, ThoughtCo, 27 July
2019, www.thoughtco.com/the-charleston- dance-1779257.
“The History of the 1920's Charleston Dance.” Charleston Challenge Downunder World
Record Attempt RSS,
www.charlestonchallengedownunder.com.au/history/.
4
Leah Martin
April 22, 2020
DAN 131
Professor Jorge Morejón
Lindy Hop: Racial Integration Through Dance
In 1928, the
Lindy Hop was created in Harlem, New York City. This dance is an American style
Jazz dance that was extremely popular during the 1930s and 1940s in the swing era.
This time period is often referred to as the Golden Age of Jazz. At this time,
jazz was soaring with popularity. Jazz and the Lindy Hop were musically tied
together. At this time, they both have extreme spirit and are powerful in the
world of the arts and music. The Lindy Hop is filled with upbeat energy and it
can be described as “wild and spontaneous, with frenzied kicks and body
movements, or it can be cool and sophisticated.”
It is performed
with a partner, and the footwork consists of both eight and six footsteps (The
Lindy Circle). The footwork of the dance is a combination of Charleston and Tap
dance. Many people also believe that the dance has roots from the Turkey Trot
as well. The Lindy Hop got its name at a dance marathon when “in 1927, a
reporter asked the famous dancer George “Shorty” Snowden what the dance he was
doing was called. Inspired by pilot Charles Lindbergh’s recent solo “hop”
across the Atlantic, Shorty George replied “the Lindy Hop” and gave the new
dance craze its name” (All That's Interesting). People who dance the Lindy Hop
are often called, “Lindy Hoppers”.
In the 1920s,
ballrooms were very popular in New York because they were reasonably priced and
also came with recorded music. The Savoy Ballroom was the most famous ballrooming New York at this time. It was
on 141st Street in Harlem, and it was enormous, having enough space to accommodate
5,000 people. Another important aspect about it was that the Savoy ballroom was
one of the few integrated ballrooms in New York. In this ballroom, the Lindy Hop
became extremely popular as dancers would perform it there and they would go
back for improvising different and new moves.
The most famous
group of dancers to perform the Lindy Hop was called the “Whitey’s Lindy
Hoppers” and they were the best dancers that performed at the Savoy Ballroom.
The group was very well known, and they traveled across the country, and they
were filmed. The 1920s and 1930s were a time of segregation, division and
discrimination. At this time, black and white people were separated in
everything. They went to different schools, had different parks, restaurants,
water fountains and even ballrooms. The Lindy Hop is a very important dance
culturally because it broke the division of races when segregation was still
the norm at the time.
As previously
mentioned, the Savoy ballroom was one of the few racially integrated ballrooms
in New York, and it gave the chance for white and black dancers to dance together
and enjoy the beauty of it rather than staying segregated. It allowed them to
see each other as people and dancers rather than unequal to each other. In the
1980s, this swing dance, the Lindy Hop gained another wave of popularity. This
time, the majority of dancers were American and British, rather than African
American. About a decade later, the dance was completely mainstream in America
and was even seen in movies and television commercials.
Although over time the
Lindy Hop evolved and developed into a slightly different version of the
original dance, the dance has extremely deep cultural roots and made quite an impact
in the 1920s. Connecting people by dancing an upbeat, joyful dance to the
catchy, buoyant and cheery music of Jazz created the magical phenomenon during
the swing era. The Savoy Ballroom in Harlem, New York, also helped spread the
Lindy Hop and entertained thousands of people while breaking through a racial
barrier simultaneously.
Citations
5
Jorge
Luis Morejon
Dan
130
April
24, 2020
RAP: New and Old School
RAP has its roots in the 1960s, while hip-hop, as
music is known, has its roots in the early 1970s. Its predecessor is RAP
(sometimes with a little R&B). It's a completely freestyle, improvisational
style of music. This music has no stylized, restrained elements, and you can
sing Hip hop anytime, anywhere.
Hip-hop dance, as it is called, is the most popular
type of hip-hop dance. From the perspective of dance, it can be divided into
two categories: New School and Old School. We can distinguish them by age and action
or type of music. In fact, hip-hop is the general name of a variety of hip-hop. What is called "Breaking dance" or "Old School" is
one of them. This Old School dance includes things like locking, popping,
breaking, and wave, and this break-dancing style is known as the Rock Steady
Crew.
It originated in the streets of the U.S. through dancer's impromptu dance
movements. Most of these street dancers were predominantly black or Mexican. Perhaps
this was the entertainment of the so-called "the poo." The most popular dances
originated in Brooklyn, New York and Los Angeles. This areas were populated by poor Blacks or Mexicans. There kids were on the streets all day where the danced. Naturally, they form different
factions and developed different styles of dance that they do. The key
to the evolution from Old School to New School can be traced back to the early
Old School.
The origin of the word hip is party; whereas hop comes from hope, hop. The two words together
became hip-hop, meaning; those people who know the party, those people who hope to get
high. In dance, this meant to jump a little more. For an MC, it meant you can talk
a little bit more. The word Hip-Hop was actually part of a minority culture in
the Bronx, and only a few people said it. It was only when Afrika Bambaataa, an American disc jockey, rapper, songwriter and producer from the South Bronx, New York spoke about it in 1989 that the word spread. In Hip-hop, the order is DJ, MC,
BBOY.
Graffiti is also part of the Hip-Hop culture. It was added later because people would come to
the Hip-hop party to play. However, graffiti is actually the most developed part of the art.
Many people were doodling before Hip-Hop was formed. A doodle is a drawing made while a person's attention is otherwise
occupied. Doodles are simple drawings that can have concrete
representational meaning or may just be composed of random and abstract ideas. However, it was the last
element to be included in the Hip-Hop scene.
Old music, has a very fast beat to match the breaking movements. With the evolution of hip-hop music, people began to
understand why it needed to be fast. This transition between "old school and new school flow happend gradually around 1990" (Miyakawa 75). At the heart of the city streets, sometimes one can see a lot of young
who, since then, have loved the new way of wearing their outfits: wide fleece or super sport coats straight
over the hips, waist and overlap, trousers waist head low and large hanging in
the crotch, leg straight off the ground, legs in the heel part is folded, etc. While Hip-Hop, skateboarding
and other street-based extreme sports have become popular around the world, the
style favored by Black musicians and street dancers has also become popular among
young people around the world.
References
Miyakawa, Felicia (2015). Five Percent Rap. God Hop's music, Message, and Black. Indiana University Press.
6
Fountain chariot from the Ballet Comique de la Reine, 1581
Leyao
Zhang
DAN130
Renaissance: Liberation from Medieval
Darkness
As early as the Renaissance, the
Italian aristocracy in the court of the beautiful dance called
"Bali," is the prototype of the later ballet. The Renaissance was a
literary and artistic revolution in Europe in the second half of the 15th
century, as well as an ideological and cultural movement of the bourgeoisie in
various European countries opposing feudal rule. It not only revived ancient
civilization, but also created a new culture as opposed to the dark culture of
the medieval feudal church. This culture highlights people's individual
liberation and individual freedom, opposes the theocracy of the church and
opposes the feudal culture, and makes the art, literature, science, philosophy
and education of the middle ages appear a completely different atmosphere from
the society of the middle ages.
Ballet originated in Italy and
flourished in France. Ballet, which means "to dance," is one of the
most important exponents of dance in the Renaissance. The main characteristic
of ballet is that the dancer performs with her toes on the ground, so it is
also called toe dance. The history of ballet can be traced back to the court of
Italy at the height of the Renaissance in Europe and to the court of Burgundy
in the south of France. When there was a wedding celebration, a meeting with
foreign heads of state, or other major celebrations, ballet was performed to
add to the fun. At that time, Italy had not yet formed
a country. It had a great number of cities, large and small, and these cities
often held feasts, songs and dances for political purposes. In order to show
off their political power or wealth, the city-state’s Lord made the banqueting
and dancing activities very big. People call this kind of banquets and dances “ballet”.
Ballet has gone through five stages:
"early ballet", "romantic ballet", "classical
ballet", "modern ballet" and "contemporary ballet”. “Early
Ballet” which belongs to Renaissance, is the thing that we should focus on. The
movements of the early ballet dancers were not nearly as dexterous and
powerful, nor as technically difficult, as they are today. In terms of
performance, the ballet at that time was by no means as exquisite and rigorous
as it is today, but an amateur performance in which the Italian court nobles
enjoyed themselves at banquets. For example, the “Ballet Comique de la Reine” was performed at the wedding of queen
Louise's sister in 1851. It is the first complete ballet in the history of
ballet. “Ballet Comique de
la Reine” was performed in 1581. When
Lorraine's lady Margaret married the duke of Versailles, the musical score of
this ballet had been preserved to this day, which can be considered as the
oldest ballet performance.
The “Ballet Comique de la Reine” is a five-hour performance that
celebrated the virtues of the king. The main characters in the play are the
queen, Apollo and the gods. The dancing scenery and the props were luxurious. There was a golden vault with trees and
clouds; the most beautiful of them was the queen's appearance in a golden cart
with water spraying, followed by a group of bird-footed sirens and sea-gods and
a group of ladies-in-waiting, who sand and danced to bring the drama to a
climax. The “Ballet Comique de la Reine” was a synthesis of the folk art of various European
nations.
In
conclusion, ballet was
influenced by the Renaissance movement in Europe. It reflected the Renaissance
of ancient literature and culture by the new bourgeoisie. It created a culture that was fundamentally
opposed to the feudal rule and the divine culture of the middle ages.
Work Cited
Theatre, Pittsburgh.
"A Brief History Of Ballet - Illustrated By Pittsburgh Ballet
Theatre". Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre, 2020,
https://www.pbt.org/learn-and-engage/resources-audience-members/ballet-101/brief-history-ballet/.
Accessed 16 Apr 2020.
Marculetiu, Mr. et al. "LE BALET COMIQUE DE LA REINE". Baadancehistory.Blogspot.Com, 2020,
http://baadancehistory.blogspot.com/2007/09/le-balet-comique-de-la-reine.html.
Accessed 16 Apr 2020.
7
Ningchen Xu
Dan130
5-5-20
Ballet: From the Renaissance to the Present
During the
Renaissance period in Italy, dance was a kind of theatrical event at noble
weddings. Musicians and the court ballet dancers collaborated in entertaining
aristocrats on various celebrations. Among the very first dancing ballet
masters was Domenico da Piacenza. also known as Domenico da Ferrara (1390 – 1470). Piacenza became a very popular teacher with
his students, most notably Antonio Cornazzano (1430 – 1484) and Guglielmo Ebreo
da Pesaro (c. 1420 – c. 1484), who both later became successful dance masters.
In
mid XVI century Pompeo Diobono funded the first school of dance for nobles in
Milano, which was based on the concept of coréutica
(koreoutics) created by Piacenza, Cornazzano and Ebreo in the XV century.[1]
Catherine de
Medici was born in Italy and became queen of France in 1533 when her husband,
Henry II, ascended to the throne. She was important to the development of
ballet because she introduced stylistic influences from her Italian homeland
into the French court. In particular, she brought Pompeo Diabono and Ludvico
Palvallo and other dancing masters from Milan to France in 1554 and made the
arts, including dance, a central part of court life. She also shrewdly
understood how the performing arts could be used to convey the wealth and
culture of the state, thereby making dance a valued political tool. Henry
III, her son, adored dancing from an
early age and was well trained by Pompeo Diabono and Ludovico Palvallo,
Ballet des
Polonais, which was choreographed
in 1573, was one of the first works to be recognized as a true court ballet.
The spectacle was commissioned by no other than Catherine de' Medici. Thus, ballet
became an aristocratic formalized dance. The formal dance performance was made
of scenery, costumes, and music. Ballet integrated music, dance, poetry, and stage
design as a form a dramatic storytelling. In 1661, Louis XIV established the
Académie Royale de Danse in a room of the Louvre, the world's first ballet
school. The Paris Opera, to this day the primary opera and ballet company of
France, was founded in 1669 by Louis XIV as the Académie d'Opéra, and shortly
thereafter was placed under the leadership of Jean-Baptiste Lully and
officially renamed the Académie Royale de Musique, but continued to be known
more simply as the Opéra.
During this
period ballet in France was formalized by Pierre Beauchamp. He codified the five
different positions of the arms and feet. The well-known ballet choreographer
and dancer Jean-Baptise Lully who always included King Louis XIV in his dances,
collaborated with French dramatist Jean-Baptiste Moliere. This is when comedie-ballet developed
spreading all over Europe. In the 18th emerges ballet de’ action in which the
dancer's movements were designed in a way that they expressed characters and
stories. This is when ballet became a relevant sector of dramatization in opera.
A significant part of this kind of progress took place thanks to French dancer
and ballet master Jean-Georges Noverre. Music, scenery, and dance came
organized to supporting a plot. This gave birth to three ballet styles: comique,
caractère, and serieux (dancefacts.net).
After the
French Revolution (1789), ballet in France declined and moved to Russia where
it became more important than it was even in France. It is in Russia where the contemporary
age of ballet begins. In the 19th century, ballet performers who
were female became very prevalent. From then on, ballet was no longer only for
the aristocratic audience. During the romantic movement, ballet choreography became
light, free, airy, and even the ballerinas looked like very delicate beings
that could effortlessly be lifted, which created a feeling of only floating
within the air. In the 20th century, the Russian bullet returned to
Paris due to exile after the Soviet revolution. Due to ideological pressure,
there was the formation of socialist pieces in the Socialist countries.
Although technical excellence, spectacular virtuosity, and even strength was
still required, the socialist ballets became a form of propaganda for the
state. In the west, thanks to George Balanchine, a Russian exiled in the United
States, ballet eliminated props and massive sets, which allowed the choreography
and the dancers’ virtuosity to become the center of the art. This is how neoclassical ballet was born.
According
to movement analyst Rudolph Laban, koreoutics is the study of body movement in
space; based on geometric structures and projections that originate in the
understanding of the evolution of kinetic harmony of shapes and trajectories in
space, giving origin to an orderly system of configurations that turned into a
specialization.
References
Catherine
de Medici. Biography.
Origin and history of ballet. http://www.dancefacts.net/dance-history/history-of-ballet/
Kendall, Yvonne G. Theatre, Dance
and Music in Late Cinquecento Milan. Early Music
Vol. 32, No. 1 (Feb., 2004),
pp. 74-84+86-88+91-92+95
https://www.jstor.org/stable/3519425?seq=1
8
Jiawei Yang
Jorge L. Morejón
DAN130-54
2020.5.4
The Rite of Spring: Interpreting
Through Movement
In the early 20th century, Vaslav Nijinsky and Igor Stravinsky
collaborated on the famous ballet work “The Rite of Spring.” This work has been
continuously reinterpreted by many artists. Among hundreds of versions of this
work, Pina Bausch’s interpretation of “The Rite of Spring” is the one being
commended widely. I watched it last week and was moved by her chorographic work.
I consider that Bausch successfully adapts Nijinsky’s dance and Stravinsky’s
music to create her own very touching ballet work. I feel that what provides
the foundation for this success is the perfect combination of music and
contemporary dance movements. Bausch had a profound understanding of the
repeated melody and still notes and thus creates harmonic dance movements to
the accompaniment of the music.
Firstly, to better interpret the power of the music, Bausch makes full use
of repetitions. To genuinely present the theme “sacrifice,” dancers repeat dance
phrases. They represent “self-flagellation,” by hitting their stomach with
their arms. Groups of men, women, as well as the sacrificed girl, repeat movement
phrases to “whiplash” themselves until they are “exhausted.” This movement
mainly, from my own perspective, demonstrates the violence in religious rituals
and reflects the impact of such violence on people’s minds. The whiplashing
movements in this dance piece much embody the image of people in sacrifice and
express the inner fear of the victims.
The movements of whiplashing represent violence. By repeating the
movements, the audience gradually, as well as I, become numb to this
unreasonable behavior. In the following chapters of the dance, the emphasis is
on the fear of sacrifice. Therefore, dancers slow down the rhythm and intensity
of the whiplashing movements, showing a hesitant attitute. The end of the work
is the solo dance of the sacrificed girl. This solo dance highlights the
repetitiveness of the movements again, for the girl “dies” in the repetition of
whiplashing.
Meanwhile, the other dancers still move to the musical notes. Stillness,
however, is not absolutely static, but relative. In
this work, there is a contrasts between static and dynamic movement. Sudden
stillness and sudden movements are produced to correspond with the music. This
choice gives me a very shocking feeling. The chapter on “The Auguries of Spring,”
begins after the dancers enter the stage. The women dancers repeat the
movements of “self-flagellation” with the music, which is the preparation
before the cruel sacrifice. Subsequently, a specific change in music occurs, a
group of men begins to rush onto the
stage to join a group of women. The interesting point here is that women are
motionless because of fear. After the explosive music sounds, the dancers stop
moving, and the stage begins to be very quiet, thus starting the next chapter,
“The Game of Capture.”
Pina Bausch’s “The Rite of Spring” has a unique and excellent
interpretation of Stravinsky’s music in terms of movements. It uses repetitive
and static movements to correspond with the music, significantly improving the
expressiveness of the dancers. I am deeply touched by this performance.
References
“Le Sacre du Printemps Pina Bausch
1978.” YouTube, uploaded by Hvanngil, 19
November 2018, www.youtube.com/watch?v=yJd05A297us
9
Jazz
Music
Minghui
Sun
Dan
130
05/05/2020
Jazz Music: History, Development and Current State
Introduction
The term Jazz was coined from the slang jasm, which meant
spirit, energy vitality, and pep. Jazz music is believed to have been
established in the late 19th century as an impact of Western African culture
interaction. According to Mackay (2018), the Newport Jazz festival held in 1954
was advertised as the first American Jazz festival, signifying the embrace of
Jazz music by Americans. Jazz music was introduced in New Orleans; its roots
can be traced to musical traditions of both Europe and Africa. The rhythm and
feel of Jazz music came from African music while the harmony and instruments
are from European music. The renowned Jazz festival was born in Europe (MacKay,
2018). New Orleans was the ideal city for the emergence of Jazz music since it
was a port with people arriving from all parts of the world. These paper
explorers the history, development, and current state of Jazz music.
History of Jazz
Music
Jazz music emerged in New Orleans as a result of the
interaction of African American cultures. In his research Gioi (2011)
identified that jazz music came to fore in New Orleans and flourished in other
large cities. It emerged partially from blues and ragtime, and it was
characterized by varying degrees of improvisation, syncopated rhythms, and
deviation of the pitch. New Orleans is renowned for the city's great tradition
of celebrations, the folk, the blues, and military bands could be heard and
seen in the streets, and they played a crucial role in the emergence of Jazz
music. The Jazz pianists adopted the use of a resounding low bass from ragtime
music (Gioi, 2011). In the early 1940s, a schism was established in Jazz that
from then changed the face of pop music. According to most musicologists, Jazz encompasses
hundreds of music styles from different countries fused in local folk and
popular traditions.
Development of
Jazz Music
Jazz music is now more than 100 years old. From its
introduction in the late 19th century it has constantly been evolving,
changing, expanding, spreading through numerous distinctive phases of
development. Over a decade, Jazz music had become the dominant form of popular
music. It could be heard emanating from
concerts, jukeboxes, night clubs, and radio stations. This is how it spread
throughout the world.
One of the catalysts of the fast spread of jazz music was
its exciting syncopated nature. Also, people
were yearning for music while they enjoyed their freedom. Jazz music during
these periods was a soundtrack to a revolution.
Some critics denoted it at the very least, as a rave-up. The music was
an exclusive preserve of the African Americans cultures in the 19th century.
Most white musicians quickly embraced Jazz music, which was another factor that
helped to the further popularity of this type of music.
Current State Jazz
Music
In the modern music world, namely the second decade of
the 21st Century, Jazz music might seem to be among the marginalized genres.
But it does not go without saying that there are still musicians who have
emerged from the jazz ghetto. They have
crossed over, become popular and sold enormous amounts of records in different
parts of the world. For example, Diana
Krall, a Canadian jazz pianist and singer, known for her contralto vocals, has
sold more than 6 million albums in the US and over 15 million albums worldwide.
Gregory Porter, an American singer, songwriter, and actor
won the Grammy Award for Best Jazz Vocal Album in 2014 for Liquid Spirit and in 2017 for Take
Me to the Alley. Thus, they have made a career just with Jazz, but on the
whole, jazz music is no longer among the best in the hit parade list in today’s
music world. However, Jazz music has influenced modern music to this day. The
popularity and energy accorded to Jazz have made the music to be absorbed by
other music genres such as freestyle raps, hip hop, and rock. Presently, Jazz
music is not just a style of music; it has become a reference in the shaping of
human character by encouraging the innovativeness and courage implicit in its
history, its development and its current presence.
References
McKay,
G. (2018). Festivals: The History of European Jazz-The Music, Musicians and
Audience in Context-Francesco Martinelli.
Gioia, T. (2011). The history of jazz. Oxford Univers
10
Dan130
Xuejing Li
May 5, 2020
XinJiang Dance
Xinjiang Dance: The Spread of Culture
Xinjiang is located in the west of China.
Most of the people are Uyghur people, and they look a bit similar to
Westerners. The original ethnicity of Xinjiang dance is Uyghur. The dance is
lively and beautiful; the pace is light and dexterous. The use of various parts
of the body is more meticulous, especially the changes of the wrist and the
dance posture are extremely rich.
The female dance posture is beautifully
stretched, while the male dance posture is strong and powerful, and has a
strong Western style. The dance is divided
into Senaim dance, Sama dance, Daolang dance and so on. Head up, chest up, and waist up are also
the basic shapes of Xinjiang dance, which can show the graceful lines of women.
Paired performances by men and women are more common, with women's dancing
gracefully stretched and men's dancing strong and powerful.
The Sainaim
dance is widely circulated among the Uyghur people and is accompanied by Sainaim music. There are no prescribed
movements and procedures. Generally, men and women dance in pairs, and the
number of people is not limited. When the dancers do not dance, the dancers do
not sing. It develops with the development of musical emotions, and finally
ends in a hot clapper. Sainim differs
from place to place according to its musical style, but there is no obvious
difference in general dance movements.
Sama
dance has been associated with Islamic worship since the Uyghurs believed in
Islam. Every Kulban Festival and Ruzy Festival, thousands of people danced this
rough, unrestrained, rhythmic two-beat dance accompanied by the cries of the
crowd "Allah". The dancers are all men, and the movement is simple
and always rotates through a not-so-fast head bow.
Daolang dance is popular in Daolang area. It
is a group dance of men and women in pairs. Its dancing movements are
beautiful, stretched, vigorous, and strong. It can rank first in Uyghur folk
dance. In addition, the tacit understanding of the transposition, interlacing,
and cooperation of the dance partners has a unique charm. Dance moves are more
difficult. With the gradual acceleration of the music accompaniment speed, the
dance enters a climax, and people jump a fast rotating action in place.
So far, the dance has a certain degree of
competitiveness, and those who cannot endure it gradually withdraw. Some people
would even faint, insist on lasting to win, in order to be praised and
applauded by the audience. In the 16th
century, Cylans migrated to settle in Kuqa, Xinjiang. Their hometown is the
hometown of the ancient "Kanguole" and "Anguole", historically
known as "Hu Xuanwu" and "Zhezhiwu". This group of immigrants naturally brought
these dances to Xinjiang, and gradually merged with the dances in the Qizi area
to form a unique art.
People call their dance
"Sailanmu", with the place name as the dance name. Since
"Senaim" was formed in Kuqa area, many elements of Qiuzi dance were
absorbed in the dance, and many classical dance movments were preserved, such as
"moving neck" with the "signature shakinghead movement" (Li Chang, Fredericksen 96). Other signature moves include: "getting eyes", "finger pointing",
and "fingering." With the integration of the nations, Sainim
dances have spread throughout Xinjiang, and various regions have absorbed the
strengths of Sainim on the basis of their own dances, and gradually formed
Sainim in different regions. There are about 10 kinds of them. Mu, Kuqa Sainaim
and Hami Sainaim are the most typical.
References
Li Chang, Shih-Ming and Lynn E. Frederiksen (2016). Chinese Dance: In the Vast Land and Beyond.
11
Dan 130
Professor Jorge
Amber Zhang
The Dai: Peacock Dance
The Dai are one of the 56 official ethnic minorities
in China, whose ethnic majority are of course the Han Chinese. The Dai Ethnic
Group comprises several smaller ethnic groups living mainly in the
Xishuangbanna Dai Autonomous Prefecture and in the Dehong Dai and Jingpo
Autonomous Prefecture, both of which prefectures are located in the southern
part of Yunnan Province, though smaller pockets of Dai live in and around the
Yunnan cities of Xinping and Yuanjiang, as well as in other autonomous counties
in Yunnan Province. In all there are roughly 1.2 million Dai living in China.
However, the Dai of China belong to a larger family of Dai/ Tai ethnic groups
that also exist in neighboring Burma, Laos, Thailand, and Vietnam.
The Dai word for "Da" means peace and
freedom. The ethnic characteristics of the Dai are prominent. People generally
like singing and dancing. The dance image is vivid and the feelings are
delicate. Many movements are simulated and beautified by animals. The head,
neck, waist, the arc formed, commonly known as "three bends", the
dance shape is "sculptural", and its beautiful dance pose brings
people into the realm of poetry.
The Dai are exceptionally good at singing and dancing. The Dai dance is an ancient folk dance of the Dai
people, and it is also the favorite dance of the Dai people. Popular in the Dai
area, represented by the peacock dance in Ruili County and Mengding, Gengma
County, and there are many professional artists who live on the peacock dance. They imitate the peacock by running down the
mountain, walking in the forest, drinking water and playing in the water. They also imitate chasing, dragging wings,
shaking wings, spreading wings, ascending branches, resting branches, opening
screens, flying ... and so on. They Jump out colorful dance moves and
sculptural dance poses. Their dance has strict procedures and requirements,
fixed footwork and status, and even every movement has a fixed drum
accompaniment. Their most
popular dances are the Peacock Dance, the Lusheng Dance, the Sanxian Dance, the
Lion Dance and the Drum Dance. The most important musical instrument in
accompanying Dai dances is the so-called elephant-foot drum, which can be
played by people of all ages, from a young child to a pensioner.
The elephant-foot drum is typically long, and made of
a section of log that has been hollowed out, then covered with the skin of a
python, though today sheepskin is used (otherwise pythons might soon be on the
endangered species list. The drum is painted in a variety of bright colors, and
adorned with the feathers of a peacock - a bird that is especially auspicious
in Dai culture, hence the dance of the same name. A stout ribbon serves as a
strap that is attached to the drum so that it can be carried by the performing
dancer. The performing dancer carries the elephant-foot drum slung over his
left shoulder, beating the drum mainly with his right hand, while his left hand
helps to steady and/or shift the position of the drum so as to facilitate the
playing rhythm. Regarding the
origin of the elephant-foot drum, legend has it that in ancient times, the Dai
homelands were frequently subjected to severe flooding.
The people learned about the presence of an evil
dragon nearby that was causing the floods. A brave Dai youth, aided by their fellow
villagers, eventually managed to kill the monster, and for the celebrations
that followed, a special drum was hollowed out of a log and the hide of the
slain dragon was used as the drum's resonating outer skin. The Peacock Dance is
marked by undulations of the waist and the arms. The Peacock Dance is usually
performed during Dai New Year celebrations, as well as during certain Buddhist
festivals such as the annual Baipala Festival. As with so many other folkloric
practices, there is a Dai legend attached to the origin of the Peacock Dance
that makes it the more poetic for the Dai People.
12
DAN 130
Meng Zhang
Jitterbug Dance
Jitterbug was a
dance that was popularized in the early 20th century by
African-Americans. This type of dance comprised swing dances like jive, East
Coast Swing, and the Lindy Hop. Jitterbug had athletic and more vigorous dance
moves that required coordination among the dancers. The dance was preferred
while dancing swing and jazz music genres. Although these dance moves were used by most
African Americans in the early 20th century famous during the Big Band era made
Jitterbug dance famous.
Tourists visited the United States to learn
about this unique dance style. Jitterbug was perceived to be a violent dance
move. African-Americans were perceived to be violent
so it was easy for other races to associate jitterbug with this group. However,
some middle-class white men learned this dance style that was profiled to be
African-American style. The Big Band era and the events that happened around
that period weakened some misconceptions that jitterbug was meant just for Black
people.
Jitterbug dance
style was danced slowly, without hopping and bouncing around the dance floor.
The pelvic motion that was induced was the hardest assignment that dancers
performed. The pelvic motion was considered as a vocal feature in this dance as
much as other dancers had challenges moving their pelvis. Other dancers felt
that pelvic motion was obscene especially those dancers who danced in large
events. The pelvis was to move forward and backward with controlled
hips movement.
The shoulders were expected to stay level and the feet to
glide along the floor. The right hand was to be held low on the lady's back,
and the left hand down at the side, enclosing the hand. When this dance picked
up there was a challenge of choosing the dancing partner, especially in the
social space. The dance required two partners to coordinate their moves. Unfortunately,
not in all occasions the dancers had their partners. Therefore, it was challenging
to take a stranger to dance because not all the people during the Big Band era
knew how to dance.
Mill towns popularized jitterbug dance since these
towns had less-educated girls because most families were poor. For this reason,
these girls had time to perfect their skills in dancing. Mill towns produced
good dancers during this era. In 1944 the US's decision to levy 30% against the
dancing club was a decision that paralyzed the dancing activities in most
clubs. Therefore, most dancers decided to dance in a public space.
The shift
from dancing in the club to the public space popularized jitterbug dance in the
United States of America. World War II facilitated the spread of jitterbug to
areas beyond America such as the Pacific and the Atlantic Oceans. British
Samoans danced “Seabee version” which was a version of jitterbug (Bazovsky 343). The spread of jitterbug in different nations
created versions of this dance. In
Britain, the English couples were warned not to embrace jitterbug dance because
it was foreign and extremely violent dance. Therefore, these couples were given
alternative dances that were perceived to be suitable such as foxtrot, swing,
waltz, and tap. Jitterbug spread in different parts of the world advanced this
dance style because of the many jitterbug versions.
Big Band era was
exceptional in the history of dancing because it enabled African-Americans
to develop and facilitate the spread of jitterbug. The Second World War popularized this dance
far beyond the US. The English couples
and the British Samoans danced the jitterbug. However, there were different
versions of jitterbug. These versions were beneficial in maintaining jitterbug
in different nations. The decision to levy the dancing clubs was perceived as
efforts by the government to curtail dancing activities but it popularized the
dance in America.
Works Cited
Bazovsky,
Gillian. "The Reception of Pan in Novels Ancient & Modern: Daphnis and
Chloe & Jitterbug Perfume." Some Organic Readings in Narrative,
Ancient and Modern: Gathered and originally presented as a book for John 27
(2019): 343.
13
Yi Gao
DAN 130-54
Professor Jorge
April 16, 2020
Chinese
Classical Dance
Throughout 5000 years
of Chinese history, dance plays an essential role of inheriting cultural
civilization. Chinese classical dance, originated in ancient China, has a long
history which makes it become more extensive and profound. It can be traced
back to ancient Chinese court dances or more distant folk dances. From the
beginning of the Zhou Dynasty, the special music and dance institutions were
set up to train professional musicians and dancers. The most popular folk
dance, religious dance and even foreign dance were sorted out and developed,
forming the court dance. The court dance usually serves as an entertainment
purpose for rulers of each dynasty’s requirements and pleasure. However, most
of them are created by artists on the basis of Chinese folk dance, so there is
no lack of exquisite traditional Chinese art. The movements and shapes in the
opera, pay special attention to the role of eyes in the performance, emphasize
the cooperation of breathing, and enrich the sense of rhythm. Therefore,
Chinese classical dance consists of charm, shapes, and skills.
Body rhyme is the
connotation of classical dance. The charm of each dance is different. Rooted
from traditional Chinese culture, the classical dance emphasizes the
“combination of form and spirit, integration of body and mind, and the unity
from both inside and outside”. In addition, in the basic elements of body
rhyme, verve is an extremely important component. It refers to the connotation,
spirit, rhythm and temperament. Any classical dance without verve can be
defined as having no soul. In the movements of classical dances, verve can be
felt and recognized by the audience. By grasping the verve, movements obtain
vitality and the audience can appreciate
the true concepts of artistic contained in dance.
In the shapes of human
body, Chinese classical dance emphasizes the beauty of twist, tilt, circle,
tune, bend, roll and the temperament beauty of vigorous and straight, implicit
and flexible. The rhythm of movements must be smooth, which is unique to
classical dance. However, the smooth rhythm of movements also rooted from
traditional culture. Another typical example of utilizing smooth movements is
Tai Ji, which we have practiced in class. The continuous and fluent movements
with the cooperation of arms and legs generate energy to flow inside body,
imagine the flow of water in the river and the flow of clouds in the sky.
Similar to the classical dance, continuous and smooth movements can create a
dynamic movement in human body with complicated, soft, and changeable feelings,
which represent special aesthetic characteristics of classical dance.
Three main techniques
of Chinese classical dance are rotation, turning and jumping, which are
respectively of different expressive force. It originated in the ancient times,
the integration of opera and martial arts in the skills and modeling, rich in
unique beauty. The rotation in the basic training of Chinese classical dance is
characterized not only by the straight rotation, but also by the rotation of
the body shape on the dancing posture of twisting and turning, especially the
rotation of the balance center of gravity of "tilting", which is
based on the meridional phase of the upper and lower bodies. Turning is another
unique form of technique of Chinese classical dance. It is the turning of the
body in a horizontal line with the waist as the axis. The movement is through
the form of leaning, bending and lifting. Besides, jumping in the basic
training of Chinese classical dance requires light and floating in the method
of exertion, and requires the combination of tightness and firmness in the
process of movement.
The music of Chinese
classical dance mostly uses unique traditional instruments like guqin, pipa,
dizi, and so on. Besides, classical dance costumes are ancient in color and
styles. Each dance has its own specific requirements of the costumes. All in
all, Chinese classical dance is a revival of ancient dance, the revival of
opera dance, and the revival of thousands of years of Chinese dance traditions.
Obviously, its aesthetic principle is not a new invention, but the spread and
inheritance of culture for thousands of years.
Works Cited
“7 Differences Between Ballet and Classical Chinese
Dance – Shen Yun Performing Arts.” (English) | Shen Yun Performing
Arts. Web. 11 Apr. 2020.
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