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An introduction to evolution of dance
An introduction to evolution of dance
An introduction to evolution of dance
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Ginger Rodgers and Fred Astaire are two of many breakthrough dancers, actors, performers, of their time. They are considered to be a couple of the many pioneers of dance in Hollywood. While Astaire received most of the recognition for dance in this era, both Rodgers and Astaire contributed equally a great amount to dance and the dance world especially when they came together in partnership. The book, Fred & Ginger -The Astaire Rodgers Partnership, written by Hannah Hyam, provides background information on both Fred Astaire and Ginger Rodgers leading up to their iconic partnership that would forever influence partner dance. This book also describes each film the pare appeared on screen together as well as their individual successes and the mark they left on dance. Author Hannah Hyam is a freelance copy-editor and proofreader focusing on academic and educational views of texts. Her book Fred & Ginger was her …show more content…
Prior to this partnership, Astaire had a very successful career on Broadway and London stages. He grew up dancing partnered with his sister at a young age and they began performing together and made their debut in New York 1917. The book also explains how Astaire got into choreographing for he and his sister in the early 1920s revealing his unique characteristic dancing style that was heavily influenced by tap and ballet as well as the ballroom dancers of his time. The brother-sister partnership came to an end when his sister married and Astaire appeared in his final stage show, The Gay Divorce. Astaire then began to express his interest in film as it was beginning to progress in Hollywood. He participated in screen tests for RKO radio pictures, one of the most well-known studios of Hollywood’s Golden Age, and immediately signed a contract for Flying Down to Rio where he and Ginger Rodgers would be paired together for the first
...’s work. Although dancing Taylor’s choreography, Grossman was allowed the freedom to experiment and this factor allowed him to develop as a performer. Grossman has admitted that he had some fear in dancing in Taylor’s Company; however he has further added that in doing so his fears were gradually diffused and he in fact reached “a sense of peace or calm”.
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.
Alvin was born during the Great Depression to two working class parents in Rogers, Texas. His father abandoned the family when Alvin was a mere six months old, leaving him and his mother with the struggle of fending for themselves. The inability for Alvin’s mother to find work led to their move to California in 1942, where Alvin was introduced by a classmate to the most influential person that would be the foundation for his future successful career in modern dance, Lester Horton (DeFrantz 1). Alvin was captivated by Lester’s work, which focuses on building a strong body, and made the executive decision to start his dance training in 1949 when he was eighteen years old. Because Lester Horton’s dance company embraced diversity, and accepted dancers of all ethnicities and backgrounds, Alvin was given the opportunity to do something great with his
In Ailey’s own account, he moved to California a shy, lonely child and found comfort in the alter-realities of the theater, dance and movies. It was during this time that he came to identity as a homosexual. Horton, an openly gay white man, pioneered a school and company of gay, lesbian and straight dancers from ethnic backgrounds who executed innovated choreography at concerts. Through Horton’s mentoring and his accepting Dance Company, Ailey reacted to this sexual and racial liberation in a manner that helped develop his creative talent into a weighted and sensual style that worked with his athletic body (43). Though Ailey remained closeted through life, he preformed numerous interviews throughout his career and, but remained private about his personal affairs. He often described himself as a bachelor and a loner in interviews and maintained that he did feel the needed to sustain a long-term relationship (44). Ailey’s struggle with accepting his own sexuality could be seen as a limitation to his creative expression; however, his resilience to this obstacle created by society can be easily seen in his work. His technique is known for physically and emotionally moving both the dancer and the audience. It is clear that though he may have kept his personal life to himself, his passion and intensity exploded on the stage through his
Throughout the years, America has pursued the performing arts in a large variety of ways. Theatre plays a dramatic and major role in the arts of our society today, and it takes great effort in all aspects. Musical Theatre, specifically, involves a concentration and strength in dance, acting, and singing. This is the base that Musical Theatre is built upon. For my Senior Project, I helped choreograph multiple scenes in a community musical “Thoroughly Modern Millie”. Choreography is a way of expressing oneself, but it has not always been thought of for that purpose. Agnes de Mille’s expressive talent has drastically affected how people see choreography today. Agnes de Mille’s influence in the world of dance has left a lasting impact in the Performing Arts Department, and her revolutionary works are still known today for their wit, lyricism, emotion, and charm.
Throughout the ages, dance has played an important role in society. It symbolizes tradition, family, bonding, and entertainment. In almost every decade of the twentieth century, a different style of dance prevailed. In the 1970s, John Travolta brought disco dancing into the spotlight with his portrayal of Tony Manero in Saturday Night Fever. Through his depiction of this character, John Travolta shows the monumental effects of dancing. Literature can also artfully explore the effect of dance on people. Theodore Roethke's "My Papa's Waltz" dramatizes a special and positive moment in a boy's life. The author's word choice reflects the significance of this moment of bonding between a father and his son. Some critics have seen this boy's memories as a recollection of a time of abuse. This poem does not reflect an instance of abuse, but rather a dance of life.
Catherine Little first began her dance training when she was eight years old and studied tap, ballet, and eccentric dancing from an Erie dance studio that is no longer in operation. When Catherine was 14 she began her teacher training in New York City at Ned Wayburn School. By the end of the year Ms. Little began to teach students in the music room of her parent’s home and every summer was spent studying in New York. While attending Lucille Stoddard’s Dance Congress Catherine was chosen from more than 200 students by the famous Bill “Bo Jangles” Robinson to be his protégé. Along with Bo Jangles, Catherine also studied with Ernest Carlos, Jack Manning, Peter Gennaro, Charlie Morrison, Charlie Lowe, Gene Kelly, and Katherine Dunham. While studying in New York Catherine performed at the Palace Theatre and even travelled to Cleveland, Ohio for the premiere of the first talking movie. Because of Catherine’s love for children and recognition that it was good for their development, she began to specialize in teaching pre-schoolers. Later, Catherine decided to take her work with children a s...
For my second dance show review, I went to Hollywood to watch a show called Billie Holiday Alive. This show was a performance of Billie Holiday’s greatest hits accompanied with dancing as someone portrayed Holiday and lip synced her songs. The show also took time to tell the audience an abridged life story of Holiday between each musical and dancer performance. This show was quite unique because it utilized hologram technology to show someone who portrayed Billie Holiday. It also used live dancers to accompany the hologram performance. It showed the growth from Holiday’s time to the present and her influence on how singers sang and what they sang.
Throughout Graham’s career that lasted well over fifty years, she created over 180 works from ranging from solos to large-scale works. Soon after audiences and critics became accustomed to Graham’s innovative style of movement she developed a following among serious dance patrons, scholars, and critics. Graham’s famous solo, “Lamentation,” was a portrait of a grieving woman sitting alone on a bench and moving to an anguished Kodaly piano score. In this dance Graham is simply wearing a giant tube-like cloth, which represents stretching in one’s own skin.
Ostlere, Hilary. “Taming The Musical.” Dance Magazine 73.12 (1999): 84. Expanded Academic ASAP. Westfield State College Library, MA. 15 April 2005.
Bergeron, Victoria, and Sara Luzuriaga. "Artist or Athlete? The Reality of Dance at Andover." . N.p., 21 Feb. 2014. Web. 19 May 2014. .
Born on April 16, 1919 in Centralia, Washington, Mercier Philip Cunningham was the second of three sons. His father, Clifford D. Cunningham, was an attorney in their small town and his mother, Mayme Joach Cunningham, an adventurous mother, who loved traveling the world, and Merce described to have, “an enormous energy and quite independent spirit (Merce Cunningham: A Lifetime of Dance).” At the beginning of his journey, Merce sparked his passion for dance under the study of Maude Barrett, a retired circus performer and vaudevillian (vaudeville was form of theatrical entertainment in the late 19th century and early 20th century, which utilizes pantomime, dance, dialog, and song, and is usually comical (Merriam-Webster)). Barrett was a fellow parishioner and neighbor of Cunningham’s, who ran the local Barrett School of Dance in Centralia. Here, he was paired up with Barrett’s daughter and learned the basics: tap dance. Eventually ballroom dancing would be added to his repertoire. Looking back in time, Merce would note that Barrett’s energy and passion shaped his outlook on dance stating, “It was a kind of theater energy and devotion
Our task was to compare the documentary ‘Absolutely Ballroom’, and the movie ‘Strictly Ballroom’. To properly undertake our task we were compelled to lose ourselves in the plots, music and techniques used in both films.
Even though dance first originated back in the 20th century when dancer Isadora Duncan broke away from the strict rules of ballet to create her own more natural form of dance. Through time and experimentation, many genres of dance has surfaced - whether from oppression or for theatrical purposes, each one has captured the eyes of it 's audience. From flashy, sequined clothes to light and flowy dresses; each form of dance has it 's own representation. As well as representation, each genre of dance has powerful emotion in it. These popular forms of dance can be classified into three categories: the pounding and rhythmic beats of Hip-hop, the powerful meanings of modern dance, and the wonderful elegance of ballet, the most thought-out.Everyone has watched in amazement as their high school dance
Kassing, Gayle. History of Dance: An Interactive Arts Approach . United States: Human Kinetics, 2007.