THESIS: Choreographer Bob Fosse portrays the distinction between upper and lower class societies in his original dance piece, “The Rich Man’s Frug”, from his 1969, award winning Broadway musical film, “Sweet Charity”. BODY: The classic Broadway musical is about a lower class, female taxi dancer that is charmed by one of her clients who happens to be rich man who is part of the upper class society. He takes her to one of the more elite nightclubs that is exclusively for the rich and famous, where she witnesses “The Rich Man’s Frug”. “The Frug” was the dance craze of the mid-60s. “It evolved from another dance of the era called “The Chicken” (http://www.webref.org/dance/f/frug.htm). “The Frug” is a solo dance move that is executed by moving the hips laterally from side to side at a fast pace, with knees remaining slightly bent, but do not forcibly bend while straightening the knees to produce the hip action. Major concentration is in the area of the hips and not the knees. As dancers grew more tired, they would do less work, moving only their hips while standing in place (http://www.webref.org/dance/f/frug.htm). Bob …show more content…
Fosse’s “The Rich Man’s Frug” portrays his interpretation of the upper class lifestyles by recognizing the differences of the social conditions even within the social dances of that time. Fosse choreographed the structure of this dance theatre piece into three different movements: The ALoof, The Heavyweight, and The Big Finish. “The Aloof” (0:36 - 2:50), the first section of the piece that depicts the emotionless faces of rich snobs and revealing their aloof attitudes with highly controlled and stylized leg and arm movements as they are dancing the Frug. One of Fosse’s signature dance move is the swivelig of open palms and fists around the wrists. It is the attitude in which the dancers are doing the Frug that expresses Fosse’s impression of upper class society. “The Heavyweight” (2:51 - 4;21), reveals the struggles and competive nature in the lifestyles of the rich and between the sexes.
This movement might also be a characteristic of upper class societies. The final crouching line dance that ends with a knockout presents the impression of being challenged to a fight, and the rectangular traveling movement presents the idea of a boxing ring. Lastly, “The Big Finish” (4:22 - 5:51), expresses the upper class group just letting go wild and loose as they release all their emotions that they have been holding in. The caged leopard in the beginning of this movement was to portray how greatly tamed the wild animal was compared to this group of people. As the music comes to its end, so does the craziness of the upper class crowd, as they regain their composure and maintain their self control of
themselves. CONCLUSION: In conclusion, Bob Fosse’s piece, “The Rich Man’s Frug”, is his interpretation of the current social conditions of an upper class society during those times. It is his own variation of the popularized dance movements in those days and how he sees the upper class dancing the Frug. The simple details of how the men dancers are standing forward, crouched forward with their nose up in the air, and the women’s emotionless faces as they dance the Frug defines what the meaning of Aloof is. The music which plays the ringing of a bell and the partner work involved in the second section of the dance expresses what the upper class society is fighting for. The competitive environment that the upper class society has to live with, in order to live the American dream or it could be a characteristic of the upper class society that Fosse is trying to portray. The last dance movement also portraying a secret emotional side of the higher class that just wants to break free from their highly controlled environments and be free from all the judgments of society. This is revealed as the dancers are wildly dancing, and swinging their hair and then returning back to their controlled and emotionless dance moves of the Frug. The Frug, being known to be a dance movement at those times when dancers were too tired and took less physical work, was a perfect pick for Fosse to use in his choreography of this piece to portray rich snobs who may be more attracted to less physical work
Tap dancing, an art grounded in African American culture, has moved from an upbeat style with its collection of steps that characterize the Jazz Age, such as the Charleston and the Stomp Time Step, to a style that better mirrors rap’s explosive rhythms and tendency towards synchronization. Much like African American music, tap- dancing’s evolution has been closely aligned with social progress and the slow breaking-down of stereotypes developed in the minstrel shows of the late 1800’s. The direct effects of racist stereotyping on tap-dancing are best observed in pre- 1960’s Hollywood films because these films reached a wide, mostly white, audience and were financed and directed by Whites. Tap legend, Bill ‘Bojangles’ Robinson, the star of Stormy Weather (1943), was forced to funnel his talent through a colander of social prejudices set to White Hollywood’s liking, and these social confines are visible in his dancing in this film. It was not until the 1980’s that modern tap emerged in Hollywood as an energetic battle cry from young African American dancers who demanded respect for their art form by refusing to conform to stereotypes. The film Bamboozled (2000), directed by Spike Lee, contrasts modern-day tap to the old-school style. In it, Savion Glover performs both the funky, urban style in street scenes and the smiley, traditional style in modern-day minstrel shows recreated for the film. In order to demonstrate how early conformity with and later break away from stereotypes have fueled the formation of two different generations of tap dancing, I will discuss historical context, and specifically the influence of minstrel shows on Stormy Weather and the 80’s tap revival on Bamboozled, before isolating and analyzing a scene from each film as representative of the two styles of tap-dancing.
The concept that belly dance is a constantly evolving dance might surprise most people, as the static Orientalist image of the belly dancer is the one that pervades American popular culture. I and other scholars attempt to remove belly dance from the ridged framework of Orientalism and the harem fantasy. By the following how belly dance arrived in America, and how images of belly dancers and harems became part of the visual culture of the West I have attempted to demonstrate that there are aspects of power and a different reading of images of belly dance is possible. Through continued scholarly inquiry and research I look forward to the emergence of a new image of belly dance, one that represents the power and beauty of this dance, an image that is respectful of the many cultures that it represents.
Harlem’s public life was controlled by consumerism, there was democratic interaction by citizens. Chandler Owens, an African American writer and socialist, believed that cabarets invoked self expression and liberation. He wanted them incorporated into Harlem’s public life. However, other citizens were afraid that their community was going to become the central place for “entertainment and profit” (312). These citizens were afraid that their neighborhood was going to become a place solely for the purpose of making money. In the last paragraph of page 312 to the last paragraph of page 313 of Kevin Mattson’s “The Struggle for an Urban Democratic Public: Harlem in the 1920s” Mattson makes the argument that not only citizens, but also intellectuals came together to fight against issues that they believed were detrimental to their community. He argues that their battle against cabaret had everything to do with their morality and their “balance between rights and duties” (314) and nothing to do with Victorian prudery as Chandler Owen believed.
Travelling from Sydney, the three main characters played by Hugo Weaving, Guy Peirce and Terrance Stamp travel to Alice Springs for a cabaret show hosted by Mitzi’s wife. The audience is positioned to sympathise with the main characters during their hardships, and good times. The movie confronts different types of masculinity in an extreme environment
Stage, film, and television dancer, director, and choreographer, was born Robert Louis Fosse in Chicago, Illinois, the son of Cyril Kingsley Fosse, a vaudeville entertainer turned salesman, and Sarah Alice Stanton (Grubb). At nine years of age, Fosse began classes in jazz, tap, and ballet at Chicago’s Academy of the Arts. Small and asthmatic, with a speech impediment that caused him to slur words, he later remarked that his early dance training stemmed from a need to overcompensate for his perceived “handicaps” (Gottfried). He was still a child when he headlined his own act—Bobby Fosse’s Le Petit Cabaret—tap dancing and telling jokes in local nightclubs.
The Folklorico group presentation I was honored to observed was the “Grupo Folklorico Juventud” from North Salinas High School. I decided to attend to this presentation because I use to be part of this Folklorico group. I also enjoy watching the dances for the reason that I believe they are beyond beautiful. It is amazing how a simple dance could transmit so much information while representing a region from Mexico. From my observation experienced, I noticed every region has different movements and customs for a reason. While observing the presentation I noticed most women used long skirts to create different shapes. They usually create the eight shape, half a circle or an entire circle which is created when the dancer does an entire spin while holding and moving their skirt. The skirt is also moved in different levels, such as high, medium, and low. The two levels that are used in most of the dances is the high and the medium level. While dancing the men and women usually do the same steps and movements. All the dances include “zapateados” which are known as foot dances or stomps. The “zapateados” are usually done with different parts of the feet such as the toe, heel and the sole of the feet. The dances include “zapateados” with different sections of the feet because every part creates a different sound. Most of the dances also include jumps and turns. It is extremely important for the
But towards the end of it, the plots were sophisticated, serious with singing, dancing as well as dialogue. In this post, I choose to elaborate more on the musical – Arthur Laurent’s West Side Story. In the first part of this paper, I discuss the plot, songs and other aspects of the musical such as the awards, etc. Later on, I explain how this musical revolutionized the theatre and the cultural effects it had on Americans. Finally, I conclude in the end the historical importance of this musical piece.
Over the years America’s ability to address taboo issues by channeling them through popular culture has become increasingly popular (Pruitt, 2007). Among the many taboo issues as evidenced by the number of mainstream films which minimally address the matter, is the issue of men living on the down low (Hamilton, 2009). An example of such is the 2011 film “For Colored Girls.” The film like many bring up the issue of men being on the down low, but they have neglected to go in-depth as to why men chose this lifestyle – rather than the age old notion that they fear social rejection (Pruitt, 2007). As it relates to the drama “Angels in America,” written by Tony Kushner, the work does a great job highlighting men who have secret lifestyles and two of the characters within the drama that exemplify characteristics of living on the down low – Joe Pitt and Ray Cohn (Kushner, 1993)
The stage performance of Chicago offered a spectacle that I expected before attending the show. I knew there was going to be scantly clad girls with dark makeup and saucy attitudes. The performers brought to life all that was raunchy in the entertainment business during the roaring twenties. The lifestyle in Chicago featured jazz, booze, sex and crime. More importantly, Chicago had beautiful, young women with the dream of having their own Vaudeville act. The two main female characters, Velma and Roxy were two such women hoping to capture the public's attention. The composition of the show is a metaphoric integration of Vaudeville type acts amongst the book scenes and diegetic musical numbers.
When I first watched Chicago at the movie theater, I was not fully satisfied. I wanted more, so I went back to get some and watched it six more times with different friends and family members! Last summer during a visit to my native Mexico City, I had the opportunity to watch drag queens perform several numbers from the movie-musical. They did an amazing job, without surpassing the outstanding performances of the actors in the film. Last year, I visited NYC for the first time and indulged in the rows of the Ambassador theatre experiencing Chicago, the Broadway musical, and because I had seen the movie many times before, I knew all the songs and dances by heart. I loved it, but it was actually the movie that influenced me to become a “Chicago fan.” The movie is based on the 1996 Chicago revival of the original musical version of 1975. It was thrilling knowing that the making of the musical into a mainstream production would increase its accessibility and widen its distribution into all the corners of the world; now there is no excuse for people not to experience Chicago, and though not everyone can go to Broadway to see it, just about anyone can indulge themselves in this dazzling movie in the comfort of their homes. In addition to a fantasy world of singing, dancing and Vaudeville, the film also provides a narrative that is explicitly presented through Roxie’s point of view, creating a counter human side to Roxie’s fantasy world so that the audience can easily identify and engage. Chicago is a must see film for anyone who likes to spoil themselves with an outstanding award-winning musical composed of a catchy plot, truly superb acting, commendable direction, and a clever soundtrack.
Ostlere, Hilary. “Taming The Musical.” Dance Magazine 73.12 (1999): 84. Expanded Academic ASAP. Westfield State College Library, MA. 15 April 2005.
Malcolmson, Christina. “’What You Will’: Social Mobility and Gender in Twelfth Night” in Twelfth Night. New York: St. Martin’s Press, 1996.
In the book “Think and Grow Rich,” the author, Napoleon Hill, provides a set of principles that he calls the key to financial success. The idea at the center of these principles is that one becomes what he or she frequently thinks about, in this case success (i.e. rich). Hill lays out a method he created to translate one’s thoughts into reality, creating an insatiable hunger and drive within an individual to succeed. Using the examples of his son and some of America’s legendary iconic business leaders, of which Hill studied and interviewed, including Edwin C. Barnes, he demonstrates that anything one puts his or her mind to can be produced and conceived.
yet only light of possible success. Despite the feasibility of fame and wealth, middle and upper class men “don’t mind professional baseball and football, but to be labeled a ‘prizefighter’ is something they can’t quite. swallow”(237). In opposition to my current beliefs, Elliot J. Gorn, the author of The Manly Art, believes that “boxers are victims of racial and class discrimination”. discrimination, that the ring encourages violence, and that pugilism appeals.
The movie starts off with the rising sun in the African Sahara jungle. You hear a loud yell followed by feedback from back up singers as a choir began to sing what would now be a memorable opening theme in cinema history. As a kid I didn’t know what I was watching as all different types of African animals began to ascend across the land to a huge rock. On this rock we see a Lion couple smile as a weird monkey appears and halts up a young lion cub and all the animals cheer in the presence of the young cub. Watching this as I child I was very confused and didn’t really understand what I was watching. Now that I’m older I realized that the gathering of the animals and the cheering for the new lion cub was a celebration of royalty and celebrating the future lions rein. This scene is very similar in history like we see when royal couples, like Prince Harry’s marriage. We get a huge celebration for what would be the next couple in power in England; the entire world was watching the wedding as t...