Lester Iradell Horton's Interest In Dance

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.

“For Jerry, every achievement was torturous.” says Mikhail Baryshnikov. He worked painstakingly to push the envelope of what was artistically possible in his creative medium. At the time of his death, the Jerome Robbins Foundation inherited his estate, which has helped numerous artists, organizations, and AIDS charities; also facilitating the New York Public Library to develop the world’s largest dance archive. Without a shadow of doubt that he created major impacts in the art of dance, Robbins’ most important legacy was the humanity of his art and what it created for the world, “Give me something to dance about and I’ll dance

Hula dancing, a Polynesian dance that in traditional form dramatizes a song specifically through arm movements and hand gestures, has expanded beyond Hawaiian shores and has introduced island movements to the world. Since the early 1970’s traditional Hula dancing has provided islander communities with the ability to tie together body movements with homeland recollections and personal experiences. Originally, Hula was seen as a ritual and cultural dance which was developed by polynesians who settled in the islands of Hawaii. “Through hula dances and songs, memories of people and events endure long after they have passed” (Stillman 2001). As time passes Hula dancing has had a dramatic impact on Western cultures and as a result Hula dancing has

I believe that the dance came from the people and that it should always be delivered back to the people”. (Google.com) Alvin Ailey was born in Texas in 1931 to Alvina and Elizabeth Ailey. He was an only child, his father (a laborer) left him and his mom when Alvin was only one year old. Five years later Elizabeth and her son move too Navasota, Texas they were staying in Rogers. At this time there was a lot of segregation with the white and blacks only signs.

He then started studying modern dance with Lester Horton who was introduced to Alvin by a friend in 1949. Alvin hung around the stage door during the run of Dunham show, so often that he was asked by a dancer to join her at the back stage into the

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.

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.

The dancers were observed to be full of energy which showed through their movements and dancing. Every movement was sharp and clean. Furthermore, the action portion of the basic dance elements was seen through the dancer’s basic movements that turned into dancing. For example, in one scene, the actor jumped off the table and broke into a little skip-glide dancing movement.

Through hours of rehearsals and performances, I repeatedly noticed the similarities between dance styles. As a result, when I dance, I am able to merge my two cultures. I no longer feel torn. Today, I am confident in my identity as a Sri Lankan-American dancer, who is often mistaken for an

Book: Jamison, P. (2015). Hoedowns, reels, and frolics: Roots and branches of Southern Appalachian dance. Concise Summary: In Hoedowns, reels, and frolics:

“[My dance instructor] Cindy believed that ballet was richer when it embraced diverse shapes and cultures. There would be times in my career when I would struggle to remember that, but I would eventually come back to that conviction, that the stage on which I performed was brighter for having me, even if some in the audience or dancing beside didn 't always agree” (“Misty Copeland

The government, later, banned the dance. They were scared of the dance, but the Native Americans were just very unhappy. This is very sad turn of events for the Indians. They’re last ray of hope is token

Smith began his professional career at an early age through the Frank Hatchett Professional Children’s program at Broadway Dance Center. While at BDC, Smith studied ballet, jazz, and tap. During his young age, he made appearances on the television show, Sesame Street, alongside Savion Glover as the tap-dancing cowboy. Even though Smith was totally engrossed in the dance world during elementary school, he became more interested in sports during his middle school and high school years. It was not until Savion Glover began teaching master classes at the Broadway Dance Center that Smith’s interest of tap dancing was affirmed.

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.

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.