Flash Dance Analysis

When you are dancing, there are many things you can channel; emotions, memories, people, experiences, stories, the list goes on and on. These properties can be portrayed through movements, facial expressions, and music. Dancing can also portray conflict; such as the conflict between Ponyboy Curtis and Darry Curtis in S.E. Hinton’s beloved novel, The Outsiders. In our dance piece, titled, Hard to See, both the music and movements work in harmony to illustrate Darry and Ponyboy’s maturing relationship.

After attending a children’s talent show, Sone became enthralled by dancing. So much so that she wanted to take lessons, her mother agreed with her that it was a good idea. Her father had a different opinion, he strongly disapproved as he associated dancing with immoral and scandalous behavior, telling her mother “ ‘I’d die of disgrace if my daughter were to appear that like in public’ (p. 45).” Her life was impacted by his preconceived ideas of what was appropriate for a young girl, and since he was the ‘man of the house’ his ruling was

In Amina Gautier’s “Dance for Me” an African-American adolescent girl that attended a private school passed through different physical and emotional changes to fit in society. The girl is the narrator, her name is never mentioned clearly, she said that her first name was a last name. At the beginning, she started describing uniforms from different schools, and also how girls from other schools were classified. One day, she was in the bathroom trying to roll her skirt like the other girls in the school when a girl called Heather, who was a white girl, started to talk to her and asked her to show a famous dance called the Running Man. Weeks later, many different girls requested her to teach the dance, and she never rejected because she was becoming

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.

“Dance me Outside” by W. P. Kinsella tells the story of little Margaret Wolfchild, an eighteen year old Indigenous mother who is brutally murdered by Clarence Gaskell at the Blue Quills Dance Hall (21). The film by the same name attempts to convey a similar message, but there are key differences such as overlooking the Gaskell’s trial. The broader scope of film allows for the story to be told through multiple perspectives, aiding in rounding out the characters and providing them with a realistic dynamism. In her book “Iskwewak Kah Yaw Ni Wahkomakanak” Janice Acoose criticizes Kinsella’s portrayal of Indigenous women, particularly a character from a different story of Kinsella’s named Linda Starr (69). Acoose asserts that Kinsella “exhibits

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

Erick Hawkins is a prime example of true success in the world of art. He poetically changed the world of modern dance and continues to change the world by the means of his company, Erick Hawkins Dance Company (EHDC), that still lives on today. Having been able to partake in an intensive provided by the EHDC, I have a deep appreciation for Erick Hawkins and the creations he has contributed to dance. What Hawkins has produced and the accomplishments he has made in the world of modern dance will not be forgotten by me and fellow dance artists. For these reasons, his works should be presented at the Jacob’s Pillow Festival to showcase his pivotal movements and new perspective to the stage.

Ballet has influenced not only dancers but many other people throughout the world. From the beginning, ballet has had a significant impact on the performing arts for both the performers and spectators. It has played an important role in helping to shape the performing arts into what it is today. The creation and development of ballet brought about a new way of expressing feelings and telling stories as a part of performing arts and has been the foundation for many other dance styles.

Between the 1920s and 1930s, the Lindy Hop was created, which was considered a dance that would revive the Golden Era of swing thanks to the contribution of Frankie “Musclehead” Manning. Terry Monaghan, author of the New York Times Magazine, describes Manning as “a master of swing-era dance who went from the Savoy Ballroom in Harlem to Broadway and Hollywood, and then after a long break enjoyed a globe-trotting second career as an inspirational teacher and choreographer of the Lindy hop.” The Lindy Hop is a combination of various dance steps, can be done solo or with a partner, and is usually danced with jazz music. This vernacular dance was a way for black and white people to come together and dance freely originally in Harlem, New York City. Around the time the Lindy Hop was created, the Great Migration occurred. Approximately six million African-Americans moved from the Southern

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.

This role has diminished through the twentieth and twenty-first centuries, but the need to be masculine remains in countless men. Makeup, tights, and ballet shoes are not considered manly. Therefore, a subsequent stereotype has become prevalent. Persistently, people erroneously believe all danseurs to be gay, weak, and feminine. Frequently, male dancers are left to feel inadequate and are discouraged from their art because their manliness is questioned. Yet, the 2000 film, Billy Elliot, juxtaposes the stereotype of male ballet dancers with a titular character who defies all expectations. The man’s historical role as provider and protector causes men in professions such as ballet to be considered effeminate; however, a man with a profession in the arts is no less masculine than the majority of males and can be just as prosperous as any other man.

“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

Writing about a living phenomenon is a complicated effort especially when realizing it is a dynamic, changeable and heterogeneous structure. This happens when we try to study contemporary practices today, in postmodern era, which is definitely a special expression of specific moment. If Modernism, among others, tried to enforce authority, postmodernism brought anarchy. Many things found today in postmodernism can be traced back, transformed of course, in the main modern flows; dadaism, futurism, surrealism. One of the main features of postmodernism is, that it exposed an experiment in different artistic fields as a result of denying conformism, which is introduced from avant-garde theory onwards. Postmodernism, therefore, acts as part of what modernism stood for except that postmodernism at the same time performs as its criticism. The same happens with postmodern theatre and modern theatre. The line is blurred as these two periods are intertwining. If we take a classic theatre as a dividing line between both periods I would say that postmodern theatre is far away from classical definition of drama and its space. It is a performance or happening, intertwined with dance, improvisation and conceptual art. The attitude towards the text changed greatly as today the core of the performance is body and autobiographical stories instead of sceneries from great classical writers.

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.

On June 2, 1953, the coronation of Elizabeth ii at London's Westminster Abbey was attended by American director, actor and choreographer gene kelly.A staff member of MCA records invited kelly to his balcony, but it was raining hard, and kelly and her family were blocked in the crowd.At that moment, the announcer's voice came out of the loudspeaker at the scene: "ladies and gentlemen, please join gene kelly in the rain song."The theme song of the movie "the song of the rain" goes off, and thousands of people live and sing...Mr. Kelly recalled that the oscars and the golden globes were all clouds, a scene that he would never forget.