What makes flamenco dancing different from other dancing? Flamenco has been around for many years and has spread all over the world. It became very popular over time, the Ages it went through helped it develop to the beauty it is today. All the Ages are important and each has a significant event that progressed the dancing and improved it. There are also many different types of flamenco dancing and settings, each having a unique form of being. Flamenco dancing is different from other dancing because of its uniqueness.
In the eighteenth century, flamenco had many unique characteristics and as of local folk music, it didn’t. Flamenco prepared itself so it could be more professional and not commercial. The diversification of flamenco styles and popularization of the genre also was made to be professional. It is different because it's not just moving your body around and jumping all over the place, it is a very rhythmic dance. There is feet stomping, hand clapping and beautiful hand movements throughout the dance. There was a conflict between people as to whether flamenco was accompanied by an instrument or not. Later, they used a guitar as the instrument and began to sing too.
During the end of 1700’s and middle of 1800’s was called “The Hermetic Period”. At this time, flamenco was not known and was secretly kept in homes of small towns. This changed as the so-called “Golden Age” (1869-1910) came around. Flamenco developed rapidly in music cafés to its definitive form. Flamenco dancing became a big attraction and is called the “café cantante” period. This period has been accused of flamenco not being professional, but commercial. The traditional dance is crowded with people and the dancers danced when they liked, the café cantante offered set performances. This professionalization soon led to commercialism.
In 1922, one of Spain’s greatest writers organized the “Concurso de Cante Jondo”, a music festival. They did this to stimulate interest in the different styles of flamenco and other dancing. They were falling to oblivion as they were regarded commercial and, therefore not appropriate for cafés. This led to the “Theatrical Period” (1892-1956) also known as “Flamenco Opera”. The café cantantes were replaced by larger venues; this affected flamenco a lot and became very popular, but also caused it to fall into commercialism. A new type of flamenco dancing was born. This period has been considered a time of complete untraditional dancing.
Each movement of the work corresponds accordingly to a different country in Europe at the time known for a particular style of dance. The Intrada would be the opening of the program, followed by the French Basse Dance, the English Pavane, the Italian Saltarello, the Spanish Sarabande, and finally concluding with the German Allemande. Even though the work was performed by a modern ensemble, where many instruments had not even been invented when music of this type was originally composed, the instrumentation of the brass section versus the woodwind section and the artistry of the musicians performing are able to recreate a much older style. Overall, the piece Courtly Airs and Dances, is an emulation of a style dating back to the Renaissance period of music, with each movement reflecting a particular style of dance characteristic to the culture of individual European
Fundamental to our understanding of El Médico de su Honra, and of any other play is the notion that it was for performance and not intended for reading. Therefore, the action, text and spectacle all work together in producing an overall effect upon the audience. Calderón is described as a `craftsman' of drama and is famous for the dramatic devices which appeal to the various senses in order to convey the play's message with greater profundity. However, the seventeenth century playwright was limited by the facilities available to him. The rudimentary nature of their theatres affected the way in which a play was staged and therefore its interpretation. Public theatres were situated in courtyards, or `corrales', surrounded on three sides by private dwellings. A basic, but nevertheless important point is that theatres were generally exposed to the elements. By necessity, plays were performed during daylight hours and inevitably this would affect the presentation of the play. Atmosphere and mood were of paramount importance in a play, and this is of particular significance in El Médico de su Honra, where darkness is crucial both to the plot and the underlying themes.
Cumbia originated in the coastal region of Colombia in the early 1800’s. There were three predominant cultures in Colombia at that time: the indigenous peoples, the Spaniards, and the African slaves. The cumbia began with the essential instrumentation of the tambor drums and the gaita flutes, which derive from both indigenous and Congo-based African roots. The genre was entertainment for the slaves, beginning as a courtship dance. It later became an outlet for national resistance and protest as Colombia was contesting for its independence. The music was able to diffuse throughout the nation, spreading from the coast, primarily for the reason that many African populations were scattered in various regions. Barranquilla, a port city in Colombia, was the core of where the music became established and played for the masses, and where instruments such as horns and bass began to be incorporated into cumbia, giving it a more Latin feel. As cumbia evolved and spread to Mexico around the 1930’s, it changed from the influence o...
The history of the mariachi can be traced back to the sixteenth century and the days of the Spanish colonization. During this time, theatre was immensely popular. The instruments used in these theatrical productions included violins, guitars, and harps. It was to this time, and to these instruments, that the origins of the modern mariachi can be traced (Mexico, The Melting of Two Cultures, 1991).
This production was based on the Cuban dances and music from the 1950’s to today’s style of Cuban dance. Not only did Lizt Alfonso incorporate Cuban dance in this production, but she also weaved ballet, flamenco, and Afro-Cuba
The freedom of the American life and culture of the 1970’s overflowed to make a major impact on music and dance during this period. American culture flourished. The events of the times were reflected in and became the inspiration for much of the music, literature, entertainment, and even fashion of the decade. Choreographers wanted to motivate the dancers to leap into the unknown and experience the contact of dance in their own way.
Briefly, according to the official site Samurai Flamenco is “For those “grow-ups” who don’t want to be adults.” (Manglobe), with the story being about “…the birth of a true hero featuring these two young men with a touch of comedy and serious drama, while they come face to face with hardships as they search for the true meaning of becoming a hero of justice in this world!”(Manglobe). Directed my Takahiro Omori, who is famous for his live-action-style directing, Samurai Flamenco starts out as a fairly light-hearted series focused around the main characters Masayoshi Hazama and Hidenori Goto as Hazama begins his journey to become a superhero without the use of powers or advan...
The history and development of salsa “cannot be separated from the history of migration”, meaning that the music developed and changed as it traveled the globe (Román-Velasquez: 211). Due to its global influences and popularity, salsa represents many cultures: “Initially associated with the Spanish Caribbean populations of Cuba and Puerto Rico, salsa was soon claimed as the voice of the New York City barrio and as representative of the experiences of the Latino community in the United States” (Román-Velasquez: 211). The term salsa describes more than just the music, but also “ a 'manner of making music' which is a flexible blend of many genres and which is continually reblended and given slightly different 'flavours' in different locations” (Román-Velasquez: 211). As salsa globalized, so did salsa dancing, adding another performance factor to the genre. Salsa clubs and fans in
The history of famous flamenco dancers are known to be influence to others dancers today. Carmen Amaya was a gypsy dancer that developed to be marvelous female flamenco dancer in the twentieth century (Flamenco - Carmen Amaya). She was born in Somorrostro in Barcelona in November 2, 1913 which she lived in a desolate gypsy neighborhood (Flamenco - Carmen Amaya). At the age of four, Carmen started dancing in taverns and bars with her father. She was also inspired and influence by her family who were gypsy flamenco performers like her grandfather that was a dancer as well as her father and her aunt was a guitarist (Flamenco - Carmen Amaya). Carmen went to Paris at the age of eight in 1929 which she, her cousin María, and her aunt, “La Faraona” was hired to perform there. They
Learning about Dance: Dance as an Art Form and Entertainment provides visions into the many features of dance and inspires scholars to keep an open mind and think critically about the stimulating, bold, ever-changing and active world of dance. Learning about Dance is particularly useful for those who do not have a wide and diverse dance contextual, such as students in a preliminary level or survey dance course. This book consists of twelve chapters. Chapter one dance as an art form focuses on the basic structures of dance. Dance is displayed through the human body, it has the control to communicate and induce reactions. Dance can be found in many different places, it enables the participants and seekers to touch and knowledge the joy of movement. Dance is discovered as being one of the oldest art forms worldwide. Dance existed in early cultures was recognized in a sequence of rock paintings portrayed dance. Since this discovery of rock paintings, several other forms of art have been found that depict dance. People used rituals in order to worship the gods and believed that the rituals held magical and spiritual powers. During the ancient period civilizations sentient decisions began to be made with regard to dance. Other periods that had an impact on dance were the medieval period, the renaissance period, and the contemporary period. Chapter two the choreographer, the choreographer is a person who comes up with the movements created into a dance routine. The choreographer expresses themselves through choreography because this is their way of communicating with the audience. In order to be a choreographer you must have a passion for dance. Each choreographer has their own approaches and ways of making up a routine. Choreographers ...
Since its creation the Spanish Golden Age Theatre has held an important role in the Spanish society. The golden age theatre was from 1590-1681. During this era, the Golden Age had a huge influence over the Latin American theatre world. Spain in particular saw a monumental increase in the production of live theatre. Before the Golden Age era, live theatre was non-existence. The production of live theatre became popular and was attended by both lower and higher class of people. In addition women was allowed to act in theatre plays with men. Before the Golden Age, male actors played female character roles. Over a period of time, live theatre plays started to incorporate religion, comedy and tragedy performances. Spain also introduced its own forms and genres of theatre with the development of the zarzuela. The genre zarzuela is a lyric-dramatic genre that alternates between spoken and singing acting. Zarzuela started to influence many Hispanic countries and Cuba developed their own traditions of Zarzuela.
Flamenco (may refer to ‘Flamingo’ - bird or the ‘Flanders’ region) originated (much later than Kathak) in 18th century Southern Spain-Andalucía . It was mostly performed by the Andalucía society that comprised Gitano (Gypsies). However, unlike Kathak, Flamenco dancers were from diverse professional backgrounds and the dance was not necessarily confined to a small group of people. Unlike Kathak, Flamenco dance lacked prestige because the Gitanos were discriminated and prosecuted because of their ethnicity. Flamenco mostly dealt with themes of hope/struggle/will power/bonding/patriotism - a representation of the general life of the gypsies. The early form of Flamenco solely consisted of verbal communication of stories carrying the mentioned themes.
Latin dances hail from several different countries in South and Central America, and most have influences that range far beyond this region. Some dances are easier to learn than others, but all Latin dances have a flair that both spectators and dancers alike adore. The Latin music we hear today has its origins in Cuba where the blending of African drum rhythms and Spanish guitar evolved into a variety of Latin American music. During the war in Cuba in 1898 US Soldiers got a taste for Cuban music. Later, during Prohibition in the USA, Americans went to Cuba where drinking alcohol was legal and they became infected with the Latin rhythms. As early as 1909 radio recordings came out of Cuba. In 1932 American Radio came to Cuba to record Orquesta Anacoana. This amazing all-female orquesta consisted of 10 sisters. They were the first females in Cuba to openly play percussion, horns and other instruments. Locked in the house for days at a time during the war, they had nothing to do but practice. This group evolved into one of Cuba's leading orchestras and one of the first to get top billing in New York. To find the roots of Cuban music it dates back to West Africa where the slave trade thrived. The Yoruba, Congo and other West African people created rhythms in ancient times to call forth various gods. Sadly, these wonderful rhythms were brought over to the New World under dire circumstances. One drummer named Ijibwa was taken captive and placed on a slave ship for America. He was forced to play on deck to keep up the spirits of the prisoners so that the "merchandise" would arrive alive.
Other dance styles are often mixed with jazz because of influence from tv, movies and music videos. Every jazz dancer is different and they interpret and execute moves differently to create originality. To be a good jazz dancer, one must have a background in ballet dance.