Dancing is a very unique way of communication. It s an expression of self and/or story, appealing and entertaining to the audience with smooth, graceful moves. In Dance 2000, many of these appealing moves were exhibited. Ballet, modern, and post-modern were just some of the categories that the director decided to include in the production. These styles of dance portrayed either a very litteral (story-like) message or a more abstract one. For the first portion of this paper, I intend to compare and contrast two peices that displayed different styles of dance (Ballet, modern etc.).
Then, for the second half I ll compare and contrast two other peices which displayed literal or abstract qualities. But first, my personal opinion and reaction to the production.
You must forgive my ignorance in this aspect of the arts. I ve never seen a dance type performance (before this one) and wouldn t know what qualifies as good criteria to judge the production. What I can do is make simple a observation and relay emotional response. Not to fullfill the male stereotype, but portions (like the Okinawian piece) of the performance was boring. Maybe this feeling permeated because I didn t really understand the Kashikaki, but it was a bit slow. It took 5 minutes for the dancer to reach the middle of the stage and 5 minutes for her to exit. Between those two actions, the dancer moved in a 3 foot diameter and never exerted herself. It didn t seem like a difficult piece at face value. In contrast though, Asleep Under the Piano looked very difficult. Five people interacted smoothly; their timing was impecable. Also, the way they utilized bags to portray stories was creative. Maybe the humor was what attracted me to the piece, but whatever the case maybe, it was one of the more enjoyable. To be honest, I ve heard a lot of horrid things about dance concerts, but it wasn t nearly as bad as the rumors. Most of the pieces weren t drawn out, which helped keep the audiences attention. On a side note, I thought the lighting in every piece was excellent. If you take the performance in its entirty, it was satisfactory.
The Essay on Jazz Dance Music Performance
Jazz Jazz dance began as the popular dance moves of the early 1900's. Most of the music that was played was Jazz and the steps just fit with the sounds. Jazz dance is an American tradition, it reflects to the speed of American's and there life styles more then any other type of dance. One of the first persons to create a form of Jazz dance was Jack Cole know to be the father of Jazz (James ...
Now, lets compare and contrast Last Train with Star Spangled Banner. The Last Train was definitely a classical, ballet type, dance. It encompassed graceful and elegant moves. All the dancers stood upright with which seemed to be a rod in their spin, a characteristic of ballet dancing. They performed pirauets on their toes and gave the illusion of defying gravity. Although individual movements in both pieces were similar, the post-modern piece Star Spangled Banner was quite different. Both performances shared a defiance of gravity, by leaping and raising to their toes, but that was its extent. The dancer in star seemed as if she was out of control, almost portraying a person on drugs. This would be understandable given the time period the dance was trying to depict. She bounced and ran around the stage making any move a dance. At the end of the piece there was a mocking walk in front of the stage, which is indicative of a post-modern piece. Often a post-modern dancer will do something which is commonplace in the world, this procotious walk signified such an act. She also performed many moves twice and sometimes three times; another signal to what type of dance was being performed.
The second compare and contrast section encompasses Kashikaki and Smooth in their litteral and abstract nature. The Kashikaki was probably the most litteral piece in Dance 2000 (even the program had a little excerpt explaining its meaning).
It told a story of an Okinawain lady who worked dilligently to weave cloth for the person she loved. A dance that has characters and a storyline is the exact definition of a litteral dance. In fact this dance was so literal and unique that it had nothing in common with Smooth. First off, Kashikaki had one dancer and onstage musicians, whereas Smooth had at least 20 dancers and background music. Next, the Okinawian performance was slow and maticulus, while Smooth was fast and out of control. I tried to see a story in Smooth, something to compare it with, but it had no story. The only literal aspect might have been to signify the end of the performance, but I wouldn t have known that if I didn t have the program. Thus, I concluded that Smooth had no story, no characters and was prime canidate for being abstract. The lighting also helped in determining its abstractness, for the shadows and different colors made a cycadellic arua about the last performance.
The Essay on Dance Twyla Tharp Modern Ballet Choreographed
TWYLA THARP 1. Ty wla Tharp is a famous American dancer, director and choreographer, who has created more than 125 dances, choreographed 5 Hollywood movies and has directed and choreographed 2 Broadway shows 2. She was born in 1941 in Portland, Indiana (United States) but moved to Southern California with her parents at a young age. She moved to New York City shortly after she left home and is ...
In conclusion, its easy to see the lineage of dance in America, from classical to modern and then finally post-modern. Everything grew off ballet, the movements in each one have a relationship to its forefather, the only difference is the focus of the dance. For example, modern is much more aware of the body movments being centered around the middle of the body. Granted its not as fluid as ballet, but certain movements are similar to that this classic form of dance. Post-modern has its roots in ballet as well. Anything can be a dance with post-modern, thus introducing a variety of styles to a single performance. Regular everyday moves, modern, ballet, Indian or even Jazz could be put together in one big collage and presented. I apologize for my conclusion being off topic, but I found it amazing that dance is interconnected and evolved. Usually when certain things change, the old moves out and the new takes over, but not in dance. I realize that Ballet is dying, but realistically it has held on for a long time. Compare computer parts, within three months faster, bigger or better hardware arrives and the old is no longer seen. Not dance though, it builds but doesn t discard, it only adds to the repetoir and enjoyment.
