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About gender stereotypes in the media
History of dance
History of dance
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The performing art form of dance, characterized as purposeful, selected sequences of human movement, is often described as a universal language. It is a form of expression that can be translated by all people of all cultures and places. However, if this form of artistic expression is so inclusive, then why is it that it is most often assigned a female gender identity? What are some of the factors that have influenced changing attitudes toward dance’s gender identity over the past century? The image of the female dancer can be seen all the way back to cave paintings of dancing women. By the middle ages, ballet became popular in Italian court festivals as women often played the parts of men. In the 17th century France, the Paris Opera was the first to celebrate ballerinas, a prestigious title for the female soloist. It was not until the 19th century that women became the center of the performance, owning their female identity at the forefront of the stage. The most successful period for female dancers came between 1830 and 1840 with the performance of the ballet La Sylphide. Ballet La Sylphide is a 19th century European ballet that …show more content…
Although styles of dance like hip-hop have emerged that are more gender inclusive, dance is often still portrayed with specific gender roles that often help to boost television and other forms of entertainment’s ratings. This is evident in TV shows such as Dancing with the Stars where body shape, appearance and clothing are criticized and reinforce traditional gender norms sexualizing the female and demonstrating power in the male. The show also conforms to a heterosexual normative structure in the pairing of partners. We currently live in a society that both tries to be politically gender equal while at the same time using gender as a marketing
Ballet has been an art form since the late fifteenth century, but society did not truly see the impact of ballet until the nineteenth century. Modern day thinkers possess the idea that ballet began with tutus and pointe shoes, but it wasn’t until the nineteenth century that this opinion was observed. Ballet has come a long way. It has survived the turmoil of many wars and has changed itself by accepting new ideas and impressing the audience with its unique stylistic views.
Jensen, Jill Nunes. "Transcending Gender in Ballet’s LINES." When Men Dance: Choreographing Masculinities Across Borders (2009): 118.
Throughout the article, the author lists themes and characteristics of ballet performances to prove the extent to which ballet has to be regarded as ethnic. Providing support in form of statements about ritualism, flora and fauna that are often included in the performances, the author tries to demonstrate how wrong we are considering ballet to be out of culture. It has inevitable connections to the customs of nations that developed it. Thus, ballet cannot be regarded out of the culturally-historical paradigm, as far as it is deeply rooted in it.
There are many performers, choreographers, and artistic movements that have greatly impacted and influenced today’s American entertainment industry. One man in particular led a revolution of modern dance which created the dance style as it is now known and recognized today; this man is Ted Shawn. As an innovator of modern dance, Ted Shawn impacted today’s American entertainment industry through his emphasis on masculine rather than effeminate qualities in male dancers, and the creation of his nationally renowned dance festival and institution known as “Jacob’s Pillow.”
In the 20th century, ballet started to experiment and movement. It was due to its Russian
Gender dictates various components of American life: political quarrels, typical company employee hierarchies, social norms, the list continues. This year’s presidential election proves this statement to be true; as Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump bump heads against notions of foreign policy and tax reform, American voters have divided themselves into a category of either for or against women’s equality. Trump’s recent rape allegations has portrayed him as sexist, allowing Clinton to make arguments against him and advocate for women’s rights. Besides politics, gender guides child development, teaching children what “roles” both men and women must play in order to be deemed acceptable. This is why the term “CEO”
Young girls and women symbolize femininity with being a ballerina. Kelso comments that in the shadows of the spotlight lurks an abusive world of eating disorders, verbal harassment, fierce competition, injuries, fatigued, and malnourished dancers (Kelso, 2003). In today’s world of ballet, dancers suffer from always being in pain, worrying their body image is not the right look they need to have to get lead roles resulting in the development of eating disorders, and male ballet dancers are stereotyped as being homosexual when most of the male dancers are in fact heterosexual.
Ballet is one of the oldest types of dancing. Originating in France, ballet was entertainment for the king, and has now further developed into the ballet we know today. A key component of ballet is the shoe. Pointe shoes are made to make it appear as if the dancers are floating across the stage. By the time a dancer is professional she is en pointe, meaning she is using pointe shoes. Only a few dancers out of the many that enter the competitive world of ballet, rise to fame. Those that do normally do not become famous until they reach soloist or principal status in their respective companies. Principal and soloist dancers almost always dance the leads in ballets, such as The Firebird and The Nutcracker. The Firebird and The Nutcracker are
As sport acts as a microcosm of society, many issues found in sport such as gender stereotyping, female discrimination, sexploitation and racism, can also be found outside of sport. The cultural level holds immense power in influencing all levels of the framework, with socialisation of factors regarding race, culture, femininity and masculinity filtering through each level and either directly or indirectly impacting the individual level. Both male and female participation in dance is influenced by gender stereotypes with hegemonic beliefs about masculinity and femininity limiting or enhancing both genders equity and access into dance. Within our media saturated society, females dancers are urged to sexualise themselves in order to serve the
Many Historians say that Isadora Duncan was the first dancer to present “modern dancing” to the public. Duncan felt that the pointe shoes and costumes that ballerinas wore were to restrictive. She began to dance in a way that seemed to be more natural to her. Her inspirations came from the movements of the tress, the ocean and other forms from nature. Her techniques included hopping, swaying, skipping and running. She felt these type of movements were natural and expressive. Also, the history of the Greeks
The Classical Period which happened in the late 1700’s became one the most evolutionary times in ballets history. The Classical Period is where performance and expression became extremely important. With ballet this period is where the use of storytelling became one of the main focuses for the dancer’s performances. The use of their emotions and the character they portrayed were more important than the use of the costumes. The “father of classical ballet” was known as Marius Petipa. Petipa was born in French but he came to Russia to create in the ballet. In the early 1800’s came the Pre-Romantic Period which was short but needed because of Marie Taglioni. Marie Taglioni was the first ballerina to ever dance en pointe. This time was the time pointe surfaced, em pointe which means “on
Ballet first originated in Italy in the 1400’s, its purpose was to impress the nobility of other countries. The ballerinas would wear the fashion of the times, with big dresses, wigs, and shoes that were not good for dancing in. Ballet was brought to France when Catherine de Medicis married King Henri II. She brought the culture of ballet with her to Paris. Eventually Paris became the capitol of the ballet world. Up until 1681 all of the female ballet roles were played by men. Many people fell in love with ballet. George Balanchine brought ballet to America.
“Just as musicians have their instruments, dancers have their bodies” (Price and Pettijohn 991). The body is the only tool in which a dancer has to create art and express themselves. For this reason, there is a constant focus on the body. This constant focus, and constant pressure, can cause the dancers to develop concerns and a negative body image. The term body image can be defined as “the way in which people see themselves in the mirror everyday: the values, judgments, and ideas that they attach to their appearance” (Kelso 1). From childhood people perceive themselves in a certain way. They learn of how to feel about their ...
[6] Cohen, Selma Jeanne. International Encyclopedia of Dance: A Project of Dance Perspectives Foundation, Inc. New York: Oxford UP, 1998. Print.
The first social dance explored was ballroom dancing. Ballrooms were a place of courtship; therefore, these dances were always performed by a male, female couple. Traditional gender roles began the dance as the men always asked the women to dance. As the dance began, the bodies were transformed into vehicles to connect these opposite sex partners. However, societal rules applied to this dance because partners must be from within the appropriate class, the intentions proper, and the movements executed in a specific manner. The woman’s role was essentially to avoid a misstep of tripping on the man’s feet, since the male always led the dance.