Analysis: Pivotal Modern Dance And Technique Artist Erick Hawkins

The main character in the short story “Harrison Bergeron,” written by Kurt Vonnegut Jr, is a fourteen-year-old boy named Harrison Bergeron. He escaped jail, where he was detained for suspicion of plotting to overthrow the government. He is committed to become the Emperor, but not everything went as planned. In the story, Harrison Bergeron expressed that he was talented, strong willed, and extremely strong.

Mark Tucker was a professor, a pianist, and an expert on Duke Ellington’s life and his career. He taught at the Columbia University from 1987 to 1997 and the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia from 1997. His scholarly works included Ellington: The Early Years that was published in 1991 and The Duke Ellington Reader that was published in 1993. He was also the co-author of the book Jazz From The Beginning with Garvin Bushell.

The world has always had dance. Whether it be as a form of worship, recreation, work or ritual, people have used movement to express their values and beliefs since the beginning of time. Throughout the years, dance has changed and grown and and taken on many forms of art as different choreographers bring their innovation and creativity to the table. I will be discussing two very different dances that have completely changed modern American dance. Martha Graham’s Lamentation, and George Balanchine’s Serenade.

When looking at the periods of dance it can be separated into Renaissance, Baroque, Classical, Pre-Romantic, Romantic, Russian Classic, and Ballet Russes before we reach the Twentieth Century. Ballet began during what is known as the Italian Renaissance, and permeated French culture by Catherine de Medici’s marriage to the King of France. The very first endorsed “ballet”, Le Ballet Comique de la Reine performed on October 15, 1581, marked the beginning of theatrical and technical dance performances. During this time our first prominent ballet masters came about, including; Balthasar Beaujoyeaux, Pierre Beauchamp, Domenico of Ferrara, and Guglielmo Ebreo, to name a few. These early ballet masters created and built upon social dance and turned it into a technical spectacle. After much deliberation on what causes the alteration and growth of ballet over time, there was one constant throughout. Ballet masters from the Renaissance to current

Alvin Ailey was a prevalent modern dance choreographer in the 20th century known for breaking down the racial barriers within dance. Born in Rodgers, Texas and growing up around the era of social rebellion and the fight for reconstruction of cultural stereotypes, Alvin Ailey’s company played an important role in the civil rights movement. Founding the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre in December 1958, Ailey brought the vision of greater racial equality and used his modern dance as a platform for both his personal and cultural expression. Through the medium of dance, Alvin Ailey emerged African American aesthetic, fostered awareness for the need of multi-racial modern dance, and pioneered dance as a political and social movement.

Stories and memories passed on through generations can help to shape an individual. In many instances, storytelling can tell a lesson or push a person’s opinion about something in a certain direction. Memories can sometimes be unreliable, but can also be all that someone can base their life off of. Judith Ortiz Cofer’s memoir Silent Dancing: A Partial Remembrance of a Puerto Rican childhood uses storytelling to share her memories in a life lesson manner. She takes the reader on a journey through her memories and childhood and uses her memory as a main tool. Memory and storytelling is an important aspect of Silent Dancing, because they helped to shape the author, told lessons to the reader, and explained a life tied between Puerto Rican and American.

Before this unit, black dancing often differed from whites. First off, many of them seemed more comedic, Josephine Baker from Le Revue Des Revues. Her innovated performance brought her stardom, for she was the first African America international entertainer. She used her whole body in dances, freely moving around. In the 1920s, people deemed her dance ‘savage’ due to the lack of structure and revealing clothes. She received much criticism but celebrated her freedom. At the time, many people still performed very structured dances, like ballroom dancing, yet many dances whites performed originated from African Americans, like the Charleston and Jazz. They modified the Charleston to fit their ‘standards’. Many of African American dances seemed

“Artworks have ‘aboutness’ and demand interpretation” (Barrett 71). This statement creates a foundation for writing, specifically about dance, as each dance piece is always about something, no matter how simple it appears to be. As I began to write about dance I knew not only to provide a description of the piece, but utilize the description as evidence as I develop a possible meaning. Additionally he explains, “There can be different, competing, and contradictory interpretations of the same artwork” (Barrett 73). When I would begin to develop an explanation from the description I provided, I had to remind myself that my interpretation was only one view of the dance and I should not try to provide one comprehensive interpretation for the

Upon viewing the performance here at UWL titled, “Singing in the Rain,” I was shown a variety of different styles of dance that were discussed during class. This production consisted of many different performers and movements. These movements ranged from tap dancing to line dancing. While there was a variety of different dancing styles, they all had the same common elements of dance.

Mambo Girl (1957), a movie musical, follows Kailing, a talented young woman widely admired for her singing and dancing capabilities, as she searches for acceptance after learning the truth about her background. Shall We Dansu? (1996) follows Mr. Sugiyama, a Japanese accountant who goes on a secretive and intimate journey into the world of ballroom dance. Both Mambo Girl and Shall We Dansu? emphasize the close relationship between intimacy and Latin dance by linking Kailing and Mr. Sugiyama’s manners of dancing Latin to the emotional connection each has with other characters. For Kailing, the presence and absence of physical contact with others while dancing signals the degree of intimacy she has with those around her, whereas, for Mr. Sugiyama,

Elizabeth Cameron Dalman, is a renowned teacher, choreographer, director and performer who is known as the founder of modern dance in Australia; 1965 saw the Australian Dance Theatre open under Dalman, further cementing Australia’s respected position internationally on the dance stage (Australian Government, 2013). Modern or contemporary dance, is seen as similar to ballet with small elements from other styles of dance. The movements in contemporary dance are performed on the floor with less structure than the strict movements seen in ballet. In addition, dancers often perform in bare feet, further emphasizing the freedom this style of dance allows; performers emotions are expressed through movements (Bedinghaus, T. 2015). Versatility, unpredictable

The word “ballet” brings to mind words such as “grace” or “beauty” when heard by many people. The definition itself states that it is a form of dance that uses precise steps and light, graceful motions. This definition was in the minds of those who attended the Théâtre des Champs-Élysèes in May 1913, but rather they were greeted with the complete opposite. When Igor Stravinsky’s ballet Rite of Spring opened, the audience was greeted with swift, chaotic music that quickly became a whirlwind of sound. The music softened and the curtains opened to a primitive dance, causing mass hysteria throughout the theatre. The audience felt they were being attacked, for they had paid and dressed in ornate gowns to see the beauty and grace they feel reflected who they were, but instead they were shown a primal, barbaric scene. This piece had disrupted the order and harmony that one could associate ballet with.

He was a music writer for his band, musicals, films, Broadway performances, ballets, comic opera and movies. His work can be recognized in American Ballet The River. The dancing in the ballet was choreographed to his music by Alan Ailey June 25, 1970 in New York at the New York State Theater. Some of his films you will recognize his work in are, just to name a few Cabin in the Sky, Black, and Tan Fantasy. Mr. Ellington wrote the music all the music in the film Anatomy of Murder with his co writer Billy Strayhorn. Duke Ellington was also a band leader, played the piano and was a

Michael Kidd was born in Brooklyn, New York City in 1915. He was born from immigrant parents from Russia. Michael Kidd graduated from New Utrecht High School and first became interested in dance when he attended a performance while in High School. He went on to attend the City College of New York where he studied Chemical Engineering.

The 24th Annual Sacramento/Black Art of Dance occurred on February 18th-28th, 2016 at the California State University of Sacramento at Solano Hall 1010, home to many of Sacramento State 's Department of Theatre & Dance performances. Sacramento/Black Art of Dance is a modern dance company that follows the footsteps of Katherine Dunham. S/BAD not only carries on the tradition of Black Concert dance in America, but also explores the movement culture of the African and African-American diaspora in the concepts of modern dance. Ancestral Voices, which directed mainly by Linda Goodrich, presented by S/BAD in its 24th year of presenting dance to pay homage to ancestors who have come before us through the language of dance. The concert had two acts