My Irish heritage has been a very big part of my life for as long as I can remember. And a huge component of that is the culture—the language, music, and dance. As the current Language Officer (Treórai na Gaeilge) of two Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann branches (Craobh Úll Mor and Kiloran Clancy Whelan), the Irish language is the newest cultural aspect to be part of my life. I have grown up surrounded by the music of Ireland. But, as my subject for this paper, I have chosen to discuss the third feature of Irish culture: dance.
I was raised hearing stories of my Aunt Maisie who was an All-Ireland Irish Step Dance Champion as a young woman. As a youngster, it was hoped that some of her champion dance talent would pass through to me and I was thus enrolled in an Irish dance class in 1968. Unfortunately, her extraordinary ability did not much influence my own. However, my interest and love of Irish dance could not be squelched and to this day, it remains part of my life. I continue to enjoy the monthly céilthe held at the New York Irish Centre sponsored by the Craobh Úll Mor Branch of Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann. My girlfriend’s daughter, Caitlin Ahr, is a North American Irish Step Dancing top ten champion for the years 2002 and 2003. She has danced in World Championship competitions and in various other step dancing competitions on both national and international levels for over ten years and is on track to test for and receive her TCRG, the certification for teacher of Irish step dancing.
Although it may not be myself in the spotlight and on the stage performing Irish dance, it has always been an extremely big part of my life and being a history buff, the history of Irish dance beckoned me to study it. It is, ...
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...formed with tours including the Chieftains in the 1980s. In May, 1989, Flatley set a Guinness Book world record for a tapping speed of 28 taps per second. Then, in 1994, he created and choreographed Riverdance, a seven minute intermission act for the Eurovision Song Contest. Riverdance was an instant hit and was developed into a full-length show. Other hit shows followed including Lord of the Dance and Feet of Flames. The success of these shows opened up the world of Irish dance to masses of people and brought hundreds of children to Irish dance classes. Today, thousands of young people participate in Irish step dancing. Schools can be found worldwide. The popularity it enjoys today is a far cry from the interest I had in it as a young boy. But the drawing force is still the same: the love of Irish dance, was, is, and always will be part of our heritage.
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.
Dance is an ever evolving form of art; in much the same way that one can categorize and differentiate between eras and styles of architecture one can also do so with dance. These eras at times have sharp delineations separating them from their antecedents, other times the distinction is far more subtle. Traditional forms of dance were challenged by choreographers attempting to expand the breadth and increase the depth of performance; preeminent among such visionaries was Seattle born dancer and choreographer Mark Morris. Mark Morris' began as one of the millions of hopeful individuals attempting to simply make a career in dance; he not only succeeded but managed to have a lasting effect on the entire landscape of dance.
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.
Considering descendants’ effort to bring this culture back in society, this entire dancing performance, masks, and the idea of interacting with the outside world must not have been merely correlated to their religious and spiritual ritual. It might have been their identity; a symbolic of their society which their ancestors had built and passed down to them.
Ramsay, B. (2000). Dance theory, sociology, and aesthetics. Dance Research Journal, 32(1), 125-131. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/stable/1478286
Irish Step Dancing started around 1750, when the appearance of dance masters came about. Dance Masters would travel from town to town teaching their dances to people that were interested and that could pay for it. They would teach in barns, kitchens, crossroads, and hedge schools. These teachings went on in secret due to Penal Laws that were enacted in the late 17th century. The English were determined to suppress Irish culture and abolish Christianity so these laws banned the education of catholic children, which was why the Irish created hedge schools. The Dance Masters would start with dances like the Reel and the Jig. Each dance master had his own collection of dance steps and would also create their own over time, which lead to Step Dancing. 8 measures or bars or music is one step, thus the name “Step Dancing”. Often competitions were held where Dance masters would show off there steps and perform on small areas like a table top, top of a barrel, or a small stage. Dancing in these small areas showed great talent. The greater number of steps that were preformed or known the more respect a dance master received. Some Dance Masters would even compete at Feisianna, which was a combination of a trade fair, political gath...
This paper will be a detailed description of what dance was like in the 1950’s specifically focusing on 1954 to 1959. It will also go beyond to demonstrate how the style of dancing is a direct reflection of the society during that time period. The topic will be presented in class and a brief reflection will be included in this paper.
In order to legitimise a regime or cause, traditions may be constructed around historical or mythological events, people or symbols that reinforce the image required to focus people’s conception of the past. People can be encouraged to invent a cohesive view of their shared ‘traditions’ by what could be called cherry picking bits of history.
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.
does our society fail to respect dance as a sport? Dancing as a career requires an incredible
... social dance. Many people in today’s society enjoy social; dancing. Chapter eleven dance concert, properly planning and establishing a dance concert is of the utmost importance. The partnership with the lighting designer usually takes priority over all other factors. One of the most important issues concerning customers has to do with mobility. The dancer must be able to move comfortably in the costume. The task of producing a dance concert is an overwhelming and tiring one. Chapter twelve dance in education and career in dance, many dance educators present the argument that teaching and learning dance as an art form is obviously absent from the American student education. There has always been and always will be people who have a love, desire, and passion to instruct and learn the art of dance, will ensure an important place for dance in higher education.
...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.
Every dance that is created by a choreographer has a meaning and or purpose behind it. The dance choreographed could be used to send a political, emotional, or a social message. Regardless of the message being sent, each dance created possesses a unique cultural and human significance. This essay will examine and analyze two dance works from history and give an insight into what each dance work provided to the society of its time.
El danze de los viejetos / dance of the old men People do not take into account the impact that colonialism had on Mexico and Mexico’s culture of dance and music. The merging of Indigenous tradition and European culture left a strange mark in Mexico, where both those diverse cultures were combined into its own Mexican identity. There is no bigger example of this than the traditional Mexican dance, of the state of Michoacán el danze de los viejetos or in English the dance of the old men. What the dance used to represent pre and post the conquering by Spain is radically different, since Mexico itself changed through colonization.
Dance is an ancient human practice, however the earliest record of human dance remains a mystery. By