Power of Dance in Music Videos When VH1 got a panel of “music industry experts” together to decide on a list of the greatest music videos ever, it was Fatboy Slim’s “Weapon of Choice” that was the video of choice. Close behind on the list were videos for songs such as Madonna’s “Vogue” and Jackson’s “Thriller.” It seems to me that there is a significant theme all of these videos share…DANCE! Berkeley had it right. If you want a song to catch on, put it with a moving body. And if the body happens to be the king or queen of pop, that doesn’t hurt. So what if the dancer is a certain Hollywood bad boy wearing TAP SHOES? The equation between Walken and Fatboy Slim’s song results in one of the most thought provoking and fresh musical video ideas ever. There is such a strong power that lies within the combination of the music and dance, especially when it is caught artistically within the eye of a camera. The “Weapon of Choice” video begins with a normal middle-aged man, Walken, sitting in a hotel lobby. Once the music fades in, the scene comes to life with motion. From then on all rules of expectation are broken. As Michael Abernethy notes, “It is a fantasy many of us have had, to dance abandon in an environment that screams for civilized behavior”(1). This scene, although not impossible in our everyday lives, is very rare. Once Walken takes his hoofing steps right on out to the balcony and into mid-air this is when the camera begins to works its magic. The camera enables the character to bound across the screen and back again, which gives Walken an unexpected power. The simple concept of fantastically and unexpectedly losing control in a civilized environment is shown in a complex and artistic manner. So, you see, dance choreographed for the camera is a powerful form of expression.
This essay will review Daniel Goldhagen’s controversial moral inquiry, ‘A Moral Reckoning: The Role of the Catholic Church in the Holocaust and Its Unfulfilled Duty of Repair’, published in 2002. Goldhagen attended Harvard University as a graduate, undergraduate and assistant professor until he was denied tenure in 2003; this possibly indicates his limited status as an academic. Goldhagen notes that he is ‘indebted’ to his father, a Holocaust survivor, for some of his findings on the Holocaust. This personal connection to the Holocaust on the one hand allows Goldhagen to write more passionately. On the other hand, it obscures his ability to view evidence objectively, evident in this book under review. Goldhagen status rose to notoriety due to the controversial nature of his first book, ‘Hitler’s Willing Executioners’ published in 1996. This received much criticism and perhaps more importantly to Goldhagen, plenty of publicity. The contentious assertions of the book, whether academically valid or not, established the relative novice amongst historians. This is evident in the abundance of secondary literature that comments on Goldhagen’s work including that edited by F. Littell and F. Kautz. Goldhagen’s credentials as a controversial author explain the extremist content of his second book, ‘A Moral Reckoning’. Goldhagen’s academic background in political science is evident in the books emphasis on the church as a ‘political institution’ and the pope as a ‘political leader’ (p. 184). . This limits his work as a historian as he fails to fully examine the role of the individual.
Goldhagen's book however, has the merit of opening up a new perspective on ways of viewing the Holocaust, and it is the first to raise crucial questions about the extent to which eliminationist anti-Semitism was present among the German population as a whole. Using extensive testimonies from the perpetrators themselves, it offers a chilling insight into the mental and cognitive structures of hundreds of Germans directly involved in the killing operations. Anti-Semitism plays a primary factor in the argument from Goldhagen, as it is within his belief that anti-Semitism "more or less governed the ideational life of civil society" in pre-Nazi Germany . Goldhagen stated that a
The events which have become to be known as The Holocaust have caused much debate and dispute among historians. Central to this varied dispute is the intentions and motives of the perpetrators, with a wide range of theories as to why such horrific events took place. The publication of Jonah Goldhagen’s controversial but bestselling book “Hitler’s Willing Executioners: Ordinary Germans and the Holocaust” in many ways saw the reigniting of the debate and a flurry of scholarly and public interest. Central to Goldhagen’s disputed argument is the presentation of the perpetrators of the Holocaust as ordinary Germans who largely, willingly took part in the atrocities because of deeply held and violently strong anti-Semitic beliefs. This in many ways challenged earlier works like Christopher Browning’s “Ordinary Men: Reserve Police Battalion 101 and the Final Solution in Poland” which arguably gives a more complex explanation for the motives of the perpetrators placing the emphasis on circumstance and pressure to conform. These differing opinions on why the perpetrators did what they did during the Holocaust have led to them being presented in very different ways by each historian. To contrast this I have chosen to focus on the portrayal of one event both books focus on in detail; the mass shooting of around 1,500 Jews that took place in Jozefow, Poland on July 13th 1942 (Browning:2001:225). This example clearly highlights the way each historian presents the perpetrators in different ways through; the use of language, imagery, stylistic devices and quotations, as a way of backing up their own argument. To do this I will focus on how various aspects of the massacre are portrayed and the way in which this affects the presentation of the per...
Dance is something that has been around for a very long time and throughout the years, has brought together many different cultures. Different forms of dance formed in different parts of the world and they all have different, languages, values, customs, etc. Dance in one part of the world could have a completely different value in another part of the world. And different styles have been created from past knowledge.
“President Nixon exhibited no interest, much less zeal, in ensuring full public disclosure of all the facts behind this shabby interference with the rights of his political opposition” (“The Watergate Tragedy” 4). The increase of media reports on the Watergate scandal caused the Nixon administration to try and use different methods to slow down the reporters like resist meeting with journalists and not giving comments to reporters. The news reporters were relentless in their search for answers in the scandal and kept on pressing different sources for any information they could get their hands on. News reports eventually showed that the president used the CIA to hinder the FBI’s investigations into where the funding for the break-ins came
Movies with dancing have always been a big success, simply because they cause people to want to move and be free like the actors on the set. Dirty Dancing, directed by Emile Ardolino, is a movie that makes people want to jump into the screen and be a part of the show. It is a favorite among teenage girls simply because of the kind of dancing that is performed. Another movie, Save the Last Dance, directed by Thomas Carter, is also well liked by teenage girls because of the dance moves. These two movies portray similar stories of girls finding happiness through expression of different kinds of dancing.
At the beginning of the song, there was rhythmic breathing in the music, and a single spotlight in the left corner of the dark stage was placed on the group of dancers in a huddled pile on the floor. Before each before each breath exhaled in the song, all of the dancers moved around in a circular formation. Slowly, they formed the huddled pile on the group after they heard the breathing. As the dancers started to separated, a couple of people elegantly elongated parts of their body, such as gracefully kicking a leg in the air or reaching their arms to the ceiling. On each breath one dancer moved herself away from the group, and another girl strayed away as well until every dancer is spread out across the stage. The dancers continued to dance
Dance is a type of sport that usually involves movement of the body, often carried out to different types of music depending on the style. Dance is practiced in many cultures as a form of expression or social relations in a spiritual or performance setting, and is even used to express certain beliefs and ideas. Dance does not have traceable roots and it is not possible to say when exactly dance became a part of culture, but historical evidence shows that dance has been an important aspect of rituals, services, revels, and entertainment since the ancient developments. Since dance was discovered, it has become prevalent. Many different forms and styles of dance are used all around the world today including ballet, swing, hip-hop, and even the tango and salsa.
Dance has different definitions for each individual. For some it may symbolize beauty, perfection, and struggles amongst many others. The dance movement themselves can be executed in various ways (Ferrufino & Coubard, 2012). Not everyone performs the same exact way there are a variety of different ways to perform and that is what makes dance so special. From those precisely choreographed in advanced to those created on impulse or on the spur of the moment all dances require exploration and creativeness (Ferrufino & Coubard, 2012). Every person who watches choreography by Lizzie MacKenzie is probably surprised that she is not as well known as other choreographers (Nevin, 2013). However, she is identified as an exceptional dancer as well as for her many guest appearances in high profile social events (Nevin, 2013). She is also recognized as the founder and artistic director of Extensions Dance Company, which is one of the most successful and respected dance companies in the country (Nevin, 2013).
“Call and response” is also utilized, which is when the DJ and the dancers will communicate in order to maintain a certain hip hop flow, and to encourage audience enthusiasm. The moves, along with the music works together to emphasize the rapid rhythm breaks. The dancers perform moves that involve flips, upside down movement, and spinning, along with “drops” that were smooth transitions to “front swipes, back swipes, dips, and corkscrews”.” One dancer even performs a “chair freeze” which was originally one of the most popular break dancing moves, and is when the arms and upper body support the body while the legs and lower half of the body are free flowing (Forman & Neal, 2012, pg. 58). These moves require much momentum and balance, which according to popular b-boy Ken Swift, is an essential aspect to this hip hop movement (Forman & Neal, 2012, pg. 59). In both films, b-boying or breakdancing is a way to resolve some type of conflict or competition due to being able to “attack without mercy yet still see their opponents as distinct and valuable human beings” and avoid any unnecessary violence that already occurs in drastic rates within inner city neighborhoods (Chang, 2006, pg.
Phil Knight started his shoe company by selling shoes from the back of his car. As he became more successful in 1972 he branded the name Nike. In the 1980’s Nike Corporation quickly grew and established itself as a world leader in manufacturing and distributing athletic footwear and sports' attire. The Nike manufacturing model has followed is to outsource its manufacturing to developing nations in the Asia Pacific, Africa, South and Latin Americas; where labor is inexpensive. It quickly became known for its iconic “swoosh” and “Just do it” advertisements and products. Its highly successful advertising campaigns and brand developed its strong market share and consumer base. But, the road has not always been easy for Nike; in the late 1990’s they went through some challenging times when their brand become synonymous with slave wages and child labor abuses. During this period, Nike learned that it paramount that the company understands its stakeholders’ opinions and ensures their values are congruent with their stakeholders. Nike learned that their stakeholders were concerned with more than buying low cost products; their customers were also concerned with ethical and fair treatment of their workers. Because Nike was unwilling to face the ethical treatment of its employees, the company lost its loyal customers and damaged its reputation. Nike has bounced back since the late 1990’s and revived its reputation by focusing on its internal shortfalls and attacking its issues head on. Nike nearly collapsed from its missteps in the late 1990’s. They have learned from their mistakes and taken steps to quickly identify ethical issues before they become a crisis through ethics audits. This paper is based on the case study of Nike: From Sweatsh...
Dance, like any other art form, is constantly evolving. Its roots are planted in every place in the world. America can thank several countries for creating what the dance industry is today. Since America is a melting pot, it has blended movements from all over the world. This country accepts all cultures and invites new art. Textbooks do not expand on the importance of dance, but it not only played a role in early American society, but todays as well.
Dancing is something that the Jacksons are just naturally gifted at, not only because of how they execute it, but the way they can tell a story just from their movements. The dance moves in this music video reminded me of a fluid robot. When it comes to Michael Jackson’s legendary moonwalk, it truly embodies what I think of someone from the future. His dance moves resemble to me, what I would think a robot or alien-like lifeform would move like. His dancing is so animative and futuristic, but he completes each move with such ease to the human eye, but that if we were to try it we would fail
Modern dance allows a dancer to connect with the natural senses around them, meaning, they wear no shoes (socks are also sometimes worn). This form of dance allows a dancer to project strong emotional feeling to their audience by telling the story of something that greatly impacted you. Though no definite definition of what a modern dance has been made, it 's almost certain that anyone who comes into contact with this dance will fully let loose and let the music take control. Unlike all the other forms of dance, modern dance has no single set music genre, which means you can make a modern dance out of any song! Although most modern dances are performed to soft melodic songs, by having a stronger song to perform to, you can project a stronger emotional feel. Since modern dance is the least typical dance of all, many dancers don 't favorite as much but those dancers who do, make modern a dance that should be noticed and
The dances and movements of todays is influenced by the evolution of dance. Likewise, culture has played a significant role in dance. There are various reasons to dance, and dance is incorporated in numerous functions. For years, people have dance at weddings, religious ceremonies, professional, clubs, and just for fun. On the other hand, the dance forms have changed over time. Some of the same techniques and styles are common in today’s dancing, but still many changes. Each generation introduces something new to the industry of dance. Dance is an art that continues to grow. One of the great aspects of dance is taking a style of dance and adding your own personal flavor. In other words, dance is not a cut and dry art form. We will discuss hip hop, and Baltimore club dance. Seen at the hush party