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Essays on the history of dance
Essays on the history of dance
Essays on the history of dance
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Question: What are some of the functions of dance in society? Select two or three examples from diverse periods and support your arguments through observations and readings from this course. Dance in the Troubled times. Dance has been functioning in our society for centuries. It is undeniable to claim that dance has never crossed your path because it appears in our daily lives such as in school, television, parks, clubs, places of worship, parades etc. Dance was able to alleviate the numerous problems society faced in during the early years of the 20th Century, which saw through several evolutions of dance. In this paper, we will be focusing on dance functioning as a recreation in the society during the Pre-War period, War period and Post War period of World War II. The paper will examine how society turned to dance recreationally, how society benefitted from dance during those dreary tedious times and examples of dance which represented the zeitgeist of the periods. The pre-war period saw the end of World War I, the rise of Jazz Age and the stock market crash in 1929 bringing in the Great Depression to the world. The change was abrupt because the society’s lavish lifestyle during the roaring 20s was razed to its grounds. Unemployment rate skyrocketed and millions were left homeless. Nonetheless, this did not halt dancing as a recreational activity because it was inexpensive and the society had more leisure time possibly due to unemployment. Dancing in the pre-war periods was used as a form of escapism and a form of optimism. For instance, quoting from Dance Instructor Lilian Ray, “Most women adore dancing with a response to rhythm and gaiety that is as natural as liking sunshine. The music, the lights, ... ... middle of paper ... ...l. American in WWII , "JITTER AND JIVE." Accessed February 14, 2014. http://www.americainwwii.com/articles/jitter-and-jive/. Grossberg, Lawrence. Popular Music: A Yearbook. Performers and audiences, Volume 4. United Kingdom: Cambridge University Press, 1984. Driver, Ian. A Century of Dance. Great Britain : Octopus Publishing Group Limited, 2000. Young, William, and Nancy Young. World War II and the Postwar Years in America: A Historical and Cultural Encyclopedia. United States : ABC-CLIO, 2010. Wood, Linda. "The Family in the Fifties: Hope, Fear, and Rock 'n Roll." OAH Magazine of History, 1997, (36-38). Kassing, Gayle. History of Dance: An Interactive Arts Approach . United States: Human Kinetics, 2007. Sagolla, Lisa. Rock 'n' Roll Dances of the 1950s. United States : ABC-CLIO, 2011. Higgins, Jim. Shaking. United States : AuthorHouse, 2008.
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.
Homeward Bound. American Families in the Cold War Era. By May. New York: Basic Books, 1988. 16-36.
Throughout this analytical essay I will discuss, analyse and conclude the work of two contemporary modern dance pioneers, Alvin Ailey and Katherine Dunham. I will pay particular attention to the era 1935-1980 and focus on socio elements of this time period, using relevant literature to support my findings.
Van Dyke, Jan. “VANISHING: DANCE AUDIENCES IN THE POSTMODERN AGE.” Dance Chronicle 33.2 (2010): 208-230. JSTOR. Web. 11 Feb. 2014.
Ramsay, B. (2000). Dance theory, sociology, and aesthetics. Dance Research Journal, 32(1), 125-131. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/stable/1478286
...therapy is such a new form of movement that has been discovered, Hanna presses that dance therapy should be further investigated to show that there are beneficial effects from dancing because dancing allows a person to have a positive outlook about their illness and stressors that have been affecting their life.
Prior to the twentieth century, dance culture was never heavily embedded in the American society (Cohen). Before ballet emerged in America, “.dancers were not socially acceptable in polite society.they could not therefore hope to be treated seriously or to advance up the social scale”(Thomas, 215). Thomas expressed that the American dance culture was low because of the legacy of Puritanism denunciations of the arts and entertainment. Puritans believed that bodily indulgence or anything in relation to it was dangerous and would induce sexual behaviour (Thomas). American theaters stuck to traditional views in dance as women wore Greek or oriental style gowns.
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 ...
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.
It is evident that throughout time the ever changing social norm caused a shift in the popular dance fads. Whether it be Western dance, Classical dance, Roman dance, etc. they have all changed through time. Dance and social class also go hand in hand. For instance if you dropped the corset and shortened your skirt, you weren’t classy. Therefor you did not dance classy either, you were more on the risky side.
Jonas, Gerald. Dancing: The Pleasure, Power, and Art of Movement. New York: Abrams, 1992. Print.
[6] Cohen, Selma Jeanne. International Encyclopedia of Dance: A Project of Dance Perspectives Foundation, Inc. New York: Oxford UP, 1998. Print.
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.
Overby, L. (1992). Status of dance in education (Report No. ED348368). Washington, DC: Eric Clearinghouse on Teacher Education. Discusses the status of dance as a part of the elementary school curriculum. This Digest examines the rationale for dance in education, the status of dance education, and selected issues in dance education.
“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.”