Men have played and continue to play a huge role in the development, history, and style of dance performance. Researching George Balanchine, Gene Kelly, Bob Fosse, and Savion Glover, I found that each of them contributed to the dance world in different ways. George Balanchine, a Russian-born American choreographer, was one of the foremost choreographers in the history of ballet, particularly in the neoclassical style. He was trained at the Imperial Ballet Academy and studied composition at the Saint Petersburg Conservatory in Russia. In 1933 he moved to Paris and organized his own group, "Les Ballets". At the invitation of American ballet patron Lincoln Kirstein, Balanchine then moved to from Paris to New York City and together …show more content…
Through him, ballet in the United States has a direct connection with the Russian classical ballet tradition of celebrated 19th-century choreographer Marius Petipa. Although some of his ballets, such as The Nutcracker (1954; revised 1964) and the powerful Don Quixote (1965), have a story line, Balanchine is best known for his plotless ballets, such as The Four Temperaments (1946) and Jewels (1967), which explore pattern and the movement of the human body to music. Balanchine's style ranged from classical stagings to choreography for more contemporary and modern composers, including the works of Americans George Gershwin and Richard …show more content…
Gene Kelly is an American tap and ballet dancer, choreographer, actor, and director, known for his work in motion-picture musicals. He was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where he studied at his mother's dance school, and first won recognition in the Broadway musical Pal Joey (1940). Kelly moved to Hollywood, California, and made his film debut with American actor Judy Garland in For Me and My Gal (1942), which launched his career. He subsequently appeared in and co directed such popular film musicals as On the Town (1949) and Singin' in the Rain (1952). His dancing and choreography in An American in Paris (1951) were acclaimed as outstanding examples of film ballet, as was his performance of Richard Rodgers's "Slaughter on 10th Avenue" ballet in Words and Music (1948). Kelly's work also includes the all-dance film Invitation to the Dance (1956) and the jazz ballet Pas de deux, choreographed for the Paris Opera Ballet in 1960. He performed dramatic roles in such films as The Three Musketeers (1948) and Hello, Dolly!
Strictly Ballroom, with a ballroom and romance plot is more difficult to project the male stereotype. However even in this difficulty area, it manages to still capture the following masculine traits – mateship, trivialised larrikinism, physical apperarance, durnkenness, determination to win the ballroom dancing championship using new steps –the macho Spanish pasodoble.
http://www.dancemagazine.com/. Jensen, Jill. A. & Nunes, Jill. " Transcending Gender in Ballet’s Lines. " When Men Dance: Choreographing Masculinities Across Borders (2009): 118. Keen, Laurel. E-mail Interview.
Katherine Dunham led a rich and full life not only as a dancer, but as someone who studied the people she loved, wrote extensively, and stood for causes that meant so much to her. Her legacy lives on not only in the great anthropological studies she did or the important political and social stances she took, but in the modern dance of today. Modern dance, or dance in general for that matter, wouldn’t be what it is today without her studies and influence.
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
As the first African-American to create a multicultural, international concert dance company, Alvin Ailey’s dance company has been dubbed the “cultural ambassador of the world” (Gorman 36). Through his Alvin Ailey Dance Company, he addressed the racism and injustice faced by ethnic minorities across the globe. Ailey clearly revolutionized African American participation in 20th century concert dance as well as revived interest in modern dance. As an extremely talented dancer and choreographer, Ailey’s success is attributed to his dedication and passion for expression through dance, but what is often overlooked is his resilience to the hardships he faced, the mentors he had, and the opportunities
Ballet is one of the world's oldest and newest forms of dance. One man that created new audiences for ballet and mastered the dance to its fullest was none other than George Balanchine. He brought the standard ballet to levels no one has ever seen before. In the world of dance, there have been many wonderful and talented choreographers but Balanchine's work affected the dance world so much that he was a legend long before his death. Not only was he legendary worldwide but also his influenced American Ballet. George Balanchine's unique style of dance created the "American style" of Ballet.
Daly, A. (1989). To dance is "female" dance, sex and gender: Signs of identity, dominance, defiance, and desire. TDR, 33(4), 23-27. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/stable/1145961
“You dance love, and you dance joy, and you dance dreams. And I know if I can make you smile by jumping over a couple of couches or running through a rainstorm, then I 'll be very glad to be a song and dance man.”, these words spoken by the legendary Gene Kelly are just one of the reasons why I have come to have a great respect for his acting and singing. Singin’ In The Rain, which was released in 1952 and directed by Kelly and Stanley Donen, wasn’t the only thing I was introduced to that Monday in class, but my attention was brought to an electrifying performer who was amazing at what he did. As I watched the film I was captivated by his dancing abilities and how graceful he moved, every movement that he made seemed to come to him so natural. He was so
Henri Matisse was famous for his unique movements and styles of art. He was best known as a Fauve painter, and was a large part of the modern art movement. He contributed to modern art, by keeping up with the artistic movements and trends, but also held on to the classical artistic styles of the past. While his work continued some of the stylitsic qualities of Impressionism and Post-Impressionism, he was interested and involved, mostly, in Fauvism. He, like many other artists of this movement, emphasized strong colors over realistic and basic colors, found in Impressionism. One of his most famous pieces, The Dance (1909-1910) had two versions. The first piece, Dance I, resembled that of more classical styles of art, with its
...re of different dance cultures within the vocabulary of their scope, then the results would be so astounding as to give that dancer an unspoken quality distinguishing them from among their peers. Movement knowledge is cultural knowledge and remembering that each culture is beautiful and different in its own way can help create a dancer that will resonate with any audience member.
...Merce Cunningham continues to be on the pioneering edge of dance. His innovative techniques continue to astound audiences around the world with his creativity and expertise. In every time period throughout history, there has always been a select few who have changed the times. Whether it is Abraham Lincoln, Albert Einstein, or Merce Cunningham, society will always be indebted to these individuals for the contributions they have made in various aspects our lives.
1.Jack Cole thought that dance wears are fantastic and the dancing itself is like a body architecture. Dancers are body architects. Then he studied how to dance from Ruth St. Denis and Ted Shawn. Cole learned a lot of dancing styles and tried to mix them together. He was known as the father of “theatrical jazz dance”, and he influenced many other dancers afterwards. In his dance, one of the most obvious features is that there was a small group of dancers on the stage rather than a large one. Cole instructed many actors and dancers after he retired from dancing.
The history of choreography is also very important Any choreography that seems new, fresh and different is usually a variation of something that has been done before. As long as men and women have lived upon this earth, they have danced. The art of movement is among the oldest of the arts.
The fine art of modern dance is like many other fields in that it is based on the actions and deeds of those who were pioneers in the field. These pioneers helped to mold modern dance into what it is today. Of the many people who are partially responsible for this accomplishment is Isadora Duncan. Duncan, often referred to as the “mother of modern dance,” inspired many other dancers to the extent that the art of dance would not be the same today without her many contributions.
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.