More handpicked essays just for you.
African american history chapter 6
African american history research paper
Worldwide influence of African music
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
Before the Lindy-Hop became popular and long before tap dance was established in the United States, Black Bottom dance was popular among both Blacks and Whites in Harlem, New York. The dance craze, appropriated from the blacks in Harlem’s nightclubs, became a big rage when brought to the white community and put on stage. Black Bottom dance, also known as “Swanee Bottom” was an popular dance among lower class African Americans in the early 1900s. Beloved to be introduced by Alberta Hunter, a popular blues singer, Black Bottom was a dance that emerged from African American culture. Although Black Bottom is not a family recognizable dance today, the popularity of the dance at this time caused a great ripple in the dances that came later on down the line. Black Bottom dance came from a previously popular dance style, “Echo” in New Orleans. From the south, Black Bottom dance migrated to Georgia and finally New York where it was picked up by musical producer George White. White saw the Black Bottom dance being done for the first time in a Harlem nightclub and decided to bring his new found dance style to the white community. In his original broadway play, Scandal actors Ann …show more content…
The fast foot work in both Black Bottom and in tap dancing showed the similarities of the styles of dance. Although tap dance is less about the upper body, unlike Black Bottom and dances like the Charleston, and more about the movement of the feet and sound of the taps, there were obvious similarities between Black Bottom and tap. Tap dance and Black Bottom are fairly similar, only by adding metal plates to the bottom of shoes, creating “tap shoes”, the new style of dance was born. This style of dance however, focusing on the lower body movements and the sounds the tao shoes are making when they stick across the floor, is less about the movement of the arms and upper
Haskins, James. "Geoffrey Holder and Carmen De Lavallade." Black Dance in America. N.p.: n.p., 1990. 130-37. Print.
Throughout her college career, Dunham continued to dance in various venues. In 1933, she opened the Negro Dance Group, her first dance...
Originating from New Orleans, it worked its way to Georgia and then New York. It is unknown who actually started the dance, though it’s been rumored that Alberta Hunter, a blues singer, introduced it to the world. It had already spread through the south before Perry Bradford wrote his song about it in 1919. In 1924 the dance was introduced to the public in the stage play “Dinah” and it became as popular as the Charleston. Ann Pennington did a famous rendition of the Black Bottom in the George White Scandals of
Katherine Dunham was an important figure in pushing for equality among all races. She became remembered through her unique twist she put on her ballet movements. Instead of pursuing traditional ballet, she choreographed ballets that incorporated African-American movements. Because of this, she has always been referred to as one of the “modern dance pioneers” (Cass 303). Even through struggles, she continued to strive to focus more on the dance traditions of other cultures and slowly help work towards the end of oppression towards particular races.
New Dance is described as a developing art form; this dance was articulated in the early 20th century. According to Chapter 8 in History of Dance book, “the new dance emerged as a response to the ballet that populated the variety shows and music halls, which had a rigid formula of steps and poses” (Kassing). The New Dance was a product of several strands that interlaced together dancers’ studies and backgrounds; these strands and others were woven together in a historical, political, and societal framework. For instance, one strand of New Dance consisted of the concepts, techniques, costumes, and stage settings from around the world. These strands influenced major dancers and choreographers, such as, Isadora Duncan, Loie Fuller, Ruth St. Denis, and Ted Shawn.
In the United States of America, there once was this dance that evolved in a slave state known as South Carolina, Charleston, and a dance called Argentine Tango that evolved in america after being brought into the nation through global expansion. Both of these authentic dances exemplify a specific movement of techniques that gives the dance its power and name. Tango gives us a sensational feel that articulates adequate movements and creates richer, profound appearance. The Charleston dance brings out the joy in people that allows a person to let loose and be free. Both of these dances has been brought out into other countries. For example, the Charleston dance first originated in South Carolina and then made it around to other countries where
Origins are a blur, but evidence points to the ancient Egyptians. However, the use of this dance form is most commonly paired with the Middle Easterners.
...fined. So, they gave the dance nicknames like Hootchy-Kootchy or Hoochee-Coochie even the shimmy and shake. Nevertheless, using traditional Turkish and Egyptian movements, American Cabaret or American Restaurant belly dancing which has developed its own characteristic style, using props and encouraging audience interaction. As a result, many forms of the Tribal Fusion had developed incorporating elements from other dance and music styles including flamenco, ballet, burlesque, hula hoop and even hip hop Gothic Belly Dance which is a style that incorporates elements from Goth subculture.
Breakdancing, a form of dance that combines acrobatics with dance, also came originated in block parties and house parties. B-Boys, as well as B-Girls, would dance to the breaks in the music, hence the name.
Hip hop dance first originated in the 1960's and the 1970's one of the main birthplaces of hip hop was in one of New York City's poorest ghetto quarters the South Bronx. Hip hop dancing started with DJs coming into the streets with huge speakers kicking off what is now known as block parties. A man, who is known as the father of hip hop, "DJ Kool Herc" Would remix songs by making longer instrumental breaks between verses as long as he pleased by repeating the same breaks on a turn table this allowed more time for the street dancers or "B-boys" which stood for "Break-Boys" to show off their dancing skill. The hip hop moves combined Complex rhythms and a down-to-earth movement style. Most of these B-Boys dancing was acrobatic, or what kid no-a-days call Breakdancing but true "Break dancing" is completed how it was in the 1960s with insanely long instrumental breaks and incredible dancers battling it out with both footwork moves and acrobatic moves.
... its fair share of problems, hospitals started receiving patients claiming to have “Charleston knee”. In the mid-1920’s people were dancing the Charleston in the Pickwick Club so vigorously that they caused it to collapse killing over 40 people. After this incident Boston’s mayor banned the Charleston from being danced in all public dance halls because he believed it was too dangerous. Following Boston’s Charleston ban, several other cities in New England followed suit. But the more that people tried to stop the Charleston the more its popularity grew. Over time many dance halls realized they were fighting a losing battle and gave up trying to stop their patrons from dancing the Charleston. Instead they attempted to get them to dance it more calmly, as to not hurt themselves or others. The Charleston went on to become one of the greatest American dances of all time.
In the early 16th century, European settlers began colonizing areas of South America and adopting the dance traditions aligning them the cultures of that specific area. Over time, the European folk dances and tribal dances would combine creating what we know as modern Latin dancing. The European influence involved group dancing until it evolved to male and female partnership through its
Swing dance, as it called today, originated in the 1920's when the African American community in Harlem, New York developed the Charleston and Lindy Hop while dancing to contemporary jazz music. In comparison to previous dance styles, swing dance, which is usually done to jazz music, had great and large movements. The Savoy Ballroom, which opened its doors in New York City during 1926, was one of the first places where swing dance came alive to the sounds of swinging jazz music played by the best black bands in Harlem (Heikkila) . Nicknamed "the home of happy feet", the Savoy is historically significant for being one of the first racially integrated public places in the country, breaking many barriers through the love of swing dancing and jazz (www.savoyplaque.org). Swing dancing in the Savoy was characterized as being a "very fast, jumpy casual style of dancing" and became it's own notable style popularized in the 1930's and 1940's (Heikkila).
Belly dancing is thought to date back into the third millennium BCE in the Middle East, with evidence of solo improvised dance seen in Egyptian paintings, figurines, and tombs (Shay & Sellers-Young, 2005: 3). There are now several different versions of this dance in the Middle East, for example, the shikhat in Morocco, the ciftetelli in Turkey, and the raqs sharqi in Egypt (Shay & Sellers-Young, 2005: 2). While these dances are similar in movements, the dance’s meanings differ in each culture. Here in the United States, we adopted and renamed belly dance in the late 1890’s from the Middle East, but based our understandings of the dance off of mistaken notions we assumed to be true in those countries. The meanings of belly dance in the United States have been shaped by orientalist views, and therefore are misrepresentative of the true connotations. Several contradictions exist between what Americans see belly dance as and what is actually true in the Middle Eastern culture, such as the implications of the dance, the dress and context of the dance, who actually dances, and spiritual significance.
“Dance, the art of precise, expressive, and graceful human movement, traditionally, but not necessarily, performed in accord with musical accompaniment. Dancing developed as a natural expression of united feeling and action.”