Today’s guest post is from Dorothy Stephenson. While still in college she opened a small dance studio specializing in clogging instruction called The Sundance Studio. Today, Sundance not only houses Sundance Studio, but also a productions company, booking agency, and web design firm.

Clogging? What Is Clogging?

Yes, it’s kind of like Tap. No, it’s not like Riverdance. Clogging is every dance – a dance form that includes everything from Irish step dancing to hip hop and everything in between. Cloggers perform choreography to anything from “Uncle Penn” by Ricky Skaggs to Ozzy Osbourne’s “Crazy Train.” It is a dance form that defines who I was, who I am, and who I always will be.

A Little History

Clogging, known as the “melting pot of dances,” began during the 1700’s in the Appalachian mountains of the eastern United States. Scottish, Irish, English, and Dutch-German settlers found common ground through dance. Over time, their styles wove together and clogging was born. As clogging spread throughout the United States, other influences, such as Native American and African, found their way into this new dance form.

Traditional clogging, also known as “drag-style clogging,” is a percussive dance where a dancer produces rhythmic sounds from steel double taps positioned on the heel and toe of the shoe. The sound then combines with the rhythm of the music which was usually bluegrass. Many times mountain figures, or square dance figures, are combined with freestyle clogging footwork to form hoedowns.

21st Century Clogging

©Kathy Cobb Photography

Today’s most recent version of clogging features influences of jazz, ballet, hip hop, and pointe throughout precision routines. Modern “cloggers,” such as myself, do not don the stereotypical crinoline and petticoat that their predecessors once did. Sequins, fringe, and netting are all fair game now. Competitive teams battle it out on the dance floor through the American Clogging Hall of Fame, Clogging Champions of America, and the National Hoedown and Clogging Council competitive circuits.

Clogging is making a name for itself not only on the dance floor, but in the pop culture scene. Soloists and groups have appeared on shows such as America’s Got Talent, America’s Best Dance Crew, So You Think You Can Dance, and most recently SPEED’s Fast Track to Fame. Clogging has appeared not only in the United States but around the world. No, clogging is not just an American dance. It can be found in Europe, Australia, Canada, Austria, Germany, New Zealand, and more. In fact, the Soco Gap Cloggers, one of the first competitive clogging teams, performed for the Queen of England in the early 1900’s.

Why Clogging?

Not only is clogging a way to exercise and have fun, but it is also a way of life for many dancers across the country – myself included. Five years ago, I was working a 9-to-5 job as a teller at a local bank while attending college for a degree in business management. I was motionless whether I was at work or in a classroom, and it was killing me. I yearned for the excitement of dancing and entertaining, and I wanted more. So after about nine months of sitting behind the counter watching other people’s bank accounts grow, I decided to throw caution to the wind and go for it. I quit my job and opened my own dance studio in an old barn with no indoor plumbing. Being an instructor gives me the opportunity to teach at various dance and clogging workshops and allows me to meet new and amazing people no matter where I travel.

The popularity of this dance form is huge as it lends itself to many different age and personality groups – an attribute that I believe accounts for its tremendous following. There is something for everyone from kids, teens, young adults, all the way to the “golden oldies.’ The diversity of music from bluegrass and country to rock, pop, hip hop, and even heavy metal accounts for many different personality types and makes clogging fun for anyone to enjoy whether they are performing or watching.

Clogging, just like America, continues to grow and evolve more and more every year. In the past twenty years in which I have been blessed to clog, I have seen many dance forms trickle into clogging and have seen clogging appear in many places I never dreamed I’d see it.

“Just as it has always been from the beginning, clogging continues to evolve and to change, symbolizing the nature and spirit of those who first came to the Appalachian Mountains,” says Steve Smith, veteran clogger and national instructor.

More Clogging…

• Should you be interested in learning clogging, Smith offers instructional clogging videos from beginner to advanced levels on his website at www.stevescloggingvideos.com.
• If you are a dance instructor or studio owner and would like to incorporate clogging into your curriculum, visit www.clogdancing.com to find a clogging instructor in your area.
• You can also visit www.doubletoetimes.com for the latest news in the clogging industry.

For twenty years, Dorothy Stephenson has entertained audiences with the dance form that she holds dear to her heart – Clogging. Dorothy owns Sundance Studio and Productions Company. She leads the Little Switzerland Cloggers, and also competes with her competitive troupe, Sundance Express, who qualified for, competed at, and placed at the 2007, 2008, and 2009 American Clogging Hall of Fame (ACHF) World Championships in Maggie Valley, North Carolina. In addition, she has earned numerous awards and titles. Most notably, was her 2008 induction into the ACHF All-American Team, an honor bestowed on only 12 men and women from around the country. Along with her partner, Graham Kershner, Dorothy entertains frequently at prestigious resorts such as The Homestead in Hot Springs, Virginia, and The Greenbrier Resort in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia.

Do you teach or have you tried clogging?

What do you enjoy most about it? Tell us in the comments!

© Guest Contributors for Dance Advantage, 2010. | Permalink | 2 comments | Category: Blog, Dance Styles, History of Dance, Other Dance Forms, The Dance World, Toolbox

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When was the bill passed?

(thanks to www.dancehelp.com)

On November 7, 1989 the bill was signed into law by President George Herbert Bush

Who was involved?

Nicola Daval, Carol Vaughn and Linda Christensen of the Tap America Project (TAP) were all very active in the promotion of the U.S. Joint Resolution declaring May 25^th National Tap Dance Day that was introduced and overseen by Congressman John Conyers and Senator Alfonse D’Amato.

Gregory Hines, Harold Nicholas, Savion Glover, Sandman Sims and many other tap dancers and supporters were present when Congressman Conyers announced the bill into affect.

Why May 25^th?

May 25^th is the anniversary of Bill ‘Bojangles’ Robinson’s birthday.

Who is Bill ‘Bojangles’ Robinson?

Bill ‘Bojangles’ Robinson (May 25, 1878 -- November 25, 1949) is best known for his appearances as an American tap dancer on the stage and in film. Many recognize him for his dancing with child star Shirley Temple during 1930s. Tap dancers recognize his steps and dancing style as a tap dancer who was always on the balls of his feet.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=AjCFYpWDmfM

“Robinson gained his nickname because of his reputation as a “jangler” and is immortalized in the song “Mr. Bojangles.” He arrived in New York in 1898 and, within ten years, was a vaudeville soloist and star, billed as Dark Cloud of Joy. His Stair Dance was perfected in the early 1920s, but Robinson’s number became classic as performed with Shirley Temple in The Little Colonel (1935), one of fourteen movies. The first of six Broadway shows was Blackbirds of 1928. Robinson reached an entirely new audience with Michael Todd’s Swing Mikado, when the production moved from the Great White Way to New York’s 1939 World’s Fair. The first black soloist to star on white vaudeville circuits, he was a headliner for forty years, known for strict tempos and smooth shifts executed on his toes. Robinson coined the word “copasetic,” to signify “all is fine.” Formed in 1949, the black dance fraternity became the Copasetics in his honor.” — Dance Heritage Coalition

More on Bojangles:

Tap Dance Hall of Fame -- Online Bio || National Tap Dance Foundation

Some Excellent Film and Documentary Clips || Robinson Theater

Bojangles (film) starring Gregory Hines || Netflix (or via Amazon: Bojangles)

Rap A Tap Tap, Here’s Bojangles -- Think of That! (children’s book)

Mr. Bojangles: The Biography of Bill Robinson

How do tap dancers celebrate National Tap Dance Day?

In the United States, many workshops are offered as well as performances and jam sessions.

To mention a few events taking place this year:

• “Tradition In Tap” -- May 29^th-31^st in NYC. Honoring Bill Scheerer. www.traditionintap.com
• “Tap Extravaganza” - May 30^th in NYC. Honoring ATDF, BDC, Steps on Broadway, Randy Skinner and David Gilmore. www.nytap.org
• “Tap Jam at Skipper’s” -- May 25^th in NJ (304 University Ave, Newark NJ  8:00PM-midnight)
• “Hoofer’s Night” - May 22^nd in Los Angeles at Universal Dance Design
• “So You Think You Can Tap?” -- May 25^th in San Francisco, special guest Arthur Duncan www.soyouthinkyoucantap.com

National Tap Dance Day has evolved into an international celebration

To mention a few events taking place this year:

• Japan began celebrating “National Tap Day Japan” in 1991 with an annual performance that has taken place in the month of April. www.ntdj.tap-wonderland.com/
• Russia will have an “International Tap Day Celebration” May 24^th-25^th www.vortexdance.ru/news.php?id=84
• Spain’s Barcelona Tap Festival is May 23^rd-30^th www.tapbcn.com

How can YOU celebrate National Tap Dance Day?

• Attend one of the events listed above
• Watch a tap dance movie or documentary (Tap, White Nights, Singin’ in the Rain, The Cotton Club, Been Rich All My Life, By Word of Foot, No Maps on My Taps)
• Read a tap dance book (Inside Tap, The Souls of Your Feet, Tap Roots: The Early History of Tap Dancing, Gabriella’s Tap Shoes, Tap Dancing America)
• Look up Bojangles and other tap dancers on YouTube
• Visit www.famoustapdancers.com and watch footage
• Learn how to tap dance
• Spread the word about National Tap Dance Day
• Donate to an organization that supports tap dance
• Put your shoes on
• Register for a tap festival [Jersey Tap Fest (NJ), LA Tap Fest (CA), Rhythm World (IL), Motor City Tap Fest (MI), Tap City (NY), St. Louis Tap Festival (MO), Tap Into A Cure (Canada)…  and many more!] Visit the listing of summer festivals on Dance Advantage and check out www.tapdance.org for more tap festivals taking place internationally

Thanks to Hillary-Marie for her contribution to Dance Advantage on this special day! Be sure to check out the Jersey Tap Fest website and stay updated on Facebook. Register TODAY (5/25/10) and get a 10% discount on packages.

A Native of New Jersey, HILLARY-MARIE is best known throughout the Tri-State area as a tap soloist, performer, choreographer and teacher who specializes in the American art form of rhythm tap dance. She established an entrepreneurial stance at a young age by managing local musicians in the tri-state area under Fireshot Promotions and is now the Founder and Director of Jersey Tap Fest, an annually fantastic New Jersey tap dance even that will educate and serve diverse students with great passion for tap dance. As a reputable tap dance instructor, Hillary teaches weekly tap dance classes across the state of New Jersey. In addition to the dance, look forward to seeing her featured in the Crystal Glass Cosmetics catalog.

Tell us how you are celebrating National Tap Dance Day in the comments!

© Nichelle Strzepek for Dance Advantage, 2010. | Permalink | CLICK HERE to comment | Category: Blog, Dance Styles, History of Dance, News and Events, Tap, The Dance World, Toolbox

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Paul Taylor is one of the most prominent and influential choreographers of our time. Yet, in the late 1940′s he seemed to be on a different path. He was studying painting and swimming on scholarship at Syracuse University when amidst a series of seemingly unrelated dance experiences he was struck by a revelation or, as he describes it in his autobiography Private Domain a “flash of recognition… an unignorable hunch” that he was to become a dancer. Not long after he began training within the newly formed dance department at Julliard and won a scholarship to the American Dance Festival where his athletic build and powerful presence captured the attentions of Martha Graham, José Limon, and other modern dance founders. He was already making his own choreography by the time he was invited to join Graham’s company in 1955.

Taylor performed in the work of a number of dance pioneers in these early years, including Merce Cunningham and George Balanchine. He did so while continuing to choreograph for his own company a number of avant-garde works that sometimes confounded audiences. In 1962, the same year he left Graham’s company, he created his first popular success Aureole.

Photo by Tom Caravaglia

Photo by Tom Caravaglia

“The amazing inventiveness, that peculiar quality of dynamic imagination which infused even his earliest choreographic attempts, continues absolutely unabated. There is still an awe-inspiring naturalness to his choreography, a sense of every step being in the right place at the right time to the right music, that is simply God-given.” — Clive Barnes, Dance Magazine 1994

An Unequivocal Talent

In a 1989 New York Times article, Anna Kisselgoff states “There are four Paul Taylors. One choreographs dark pieces, another creates light comic works, a third favors homemade rituals and the last seems to invent pure-dance pieces inspired by music.” She goes on to acknowledge that this is an oversimplified analysis of Taylor’s rich body of work, a hallmark of which is the bleeding of these ostensible contradictions into one another. Taylor’s choreography ranges from revolutionary to romantic, comical to controversial, robust to penetrating, spontaneous to shrewd, often within the same dance.

Photo by Lois Greenfield

Carol Walker, retired Dean of the Conservatory of Dance at Purchase College calls Paul Taylor

“an American icon and one of the most prolific and stunning choreographers of the past 60 years. He was a dancer who captivated audiences in his performances with the Martha Graham Dance Company and in his own work. He is an author of two books and an Emmy winner for his choreography Speaking In Tongues. Dancemaker, Matthew Diamond’s award winning, Oscar nominated feature-length film about Mr. Taylor was hailed by Time as ‘the best dance documentary ever’. An artist and a man who has been devoted to making dances not only for his company but for major ballet companies as well, his work has awakened in many a love for dance that few choreographers’ inspire.”

Celebrating 80

Paul Taylor will be 80 years old this July yet a celebration of this milestone begins this week with Paul Taylor Dance Company’s return to New York City Center [link] which features performances of enduring favorites as well as two premieres. On March 15, the day after the company closes its season at City Center, Mr. Taylor will be honored with a Nelson A. Rockefeller Award at the Purchase College School of the Arts Gala. To celebrate Mr. Taylor’s work at the gala, members of the Purchase Dance Corps will perform excerpts of two of his works.

A Few Words With Paul Taylor

Photo by Maxine Hicks

I have been captivated by Paul Taylor’s choreography since my first exposure to his work in college. Seeing Esplanade live was an exhilarating introduction to his movement and scenes from the insightful film Paul Taylor: Dancemaker made an enormous impression as I practiced the craft of choreography and prepared to enter the professional dance world. Therefore, I feel very honored that Mr. Taylor took the time to answer a few questions for Dance Advantage about his life and work in an email interview.

Dance Advantage: Your first experience with dance was through books. What did you read or see within the pages that so captured your attention that it changed the trajectory of your college study and your life?

Paul Taylor: Some of the first dance books I read during college that changed my aims were Martha Graham: Sixteen Dances in Photographs by Barbara Morgan, a book about the Diaghilev Ballet in Paris, Dancers, Buildings, and People in the Streets by Edwin Denby, and several books on dance history.

DA: Your dances have often been categorized as either dark and psychological or light and joyous.

PT: Most of my dances are a combination of both dark and light.

DA: Indeed, certainly this is a reflection of life and the human experience, but which is harder to make – the light or the dark?

PT: All of my dances have been both hard and easy to make.

DA: You have created over 130 works for your company since 1954. What is staggering about this is that you have made new work (sometimes multiple dances) every year for the past 55 years. What about the creative process continues to intrigue you and keeps you coming back again and again?

PT: It’s my life.

DA: Despite all this dance-making, you’ve said that you don’t think about dance much before you get into the studio.

PT: I lied.

DA: Is choreography a bit like sculpture, are you molding or carving the dance as you go?

PT: It is like sculpture or a painting but I usually have a general plan before rehearsals start.

DA: And what happens when you get stuck and aren’t sure how to proceed?

PT: I skip ahead then go back and try to solve the problem later or ask the dancers to improvise and use whatever steps that seems suitable.

DA: Many of my readers are young dance students who face the decision of attending college or heading straight to a performance career. The dancers you select tend to have gone through university or conservatory programs before coming to you. What do you think these dancers are “picking up” in college that makes them right for your company?

Photo by Lois Greenfield

PT: College is a good place for students to find out what they really want to do. They are exposed to a lot of things that they may not have experienced before. They may be inspired by attending a performance by a touring dance company or by seeing a dance film.

DA: In auditions one of the first things you have dancers do is walk. What do you learn from the exercise?

PT: Walks are like fingerprints – none of them are the same. An individual’s walk can reveal a lot about a person.

DA: What other attributes (aside from great skill and technical ability) are essential in the dancers you choose?

PT: Passion and commitment to one’s chosen profession. Company morale is as important as the dance steps, if not more so.

DA: The legacy of modern dance is that we try to avoid doing what our predecessors have done and push the art form in new directions. Many of your dancers have gone on to choreography. In what new directions do you see them trailblazing?

PT: A lot of my dancers have gone on to do interesting things and are trailblazers. Twyla Tharp was one of a pioneer in making dances that combined jazz, modern and ballet. Laura Dean created dances with a lot of repetition, choreographed to Phillip Glass, which was very innovative. Pina Bausch introduced a harsh theatricality in her work that had not been done before.

DA: You’ve seen so much, what (if anything) surprises you about the 21st century.

PT: I’m constantly surprised by the advancement of technology, especially the invention of computers and cell phones.

DA: You’ve received numerous awards and you will soon be honored again with a Nelson A. Rockefeller award at Purchase College School of the Arts. What does this award mean to you?

PT: One always likes to be appreciated and I’m especially grateful that my friend Carol Walker, who has had the Company perform at Purchase College many times, will be presenting me with this prestigious award.

“Purchase College is honored to present the Nelson A. Rockefeller Award to Paul Taylor at the School of the Arts Gala on March 15, 2009. Paul Taylor is selected for this prestigious award because of his lifetime of achievements as a dancer, a choreographer, an author, an artist and the epitome of a creative role model. We are honoring his prolific and powerful body of work, his engagement with other art forms, and the long time association that the Purchase College Conservatory of Dance has enjoyed with Mr. Taylor and his company.” — Carol K. Walker, Dean of Dance 1984 – 2007

Learn more by clicking the image above

Proceeds from the Purchase College School of the Arts Gala will create the first permanent endowment expressly for the School of the Arts. Reserve tickets

More Paul Taylor Links and Resources

• Sunday Arts Profile — Thirteen.org: A profile of the company featuring archival performance footage of Paul Taylor
• Paul Taylor & Patrick Corbin in Conversation: PTDC alum and choreographer, Corbin sits down with Paul Taylor
• Return of Beloved Renegade: Recent NYTimes retrospective by Alastair Macaulay on PTDC’s return to City Center
• Paul Taylor Dance Company Website: Articles, Dancer Profiles, Company History, and News

Special thanks to Paul Taylor, Carol K. Walker, Purchase College School of the Arts, and Karen Apablaza.

© Nichelle Strzepek for Dance Advantage, 2010. | Permalink | 2 comments | Category: Blog, Dance Companies, Dance Styles, History of Dance, Modern/Contemporary, News and Events, The Dance World, Toolbox

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A brand new video, released in September, would be a wonderful addition to their dance library. My First Ballet Collection is exactly what its title indicates, a treasury of excerpted performances which are particularly suited for introducing children to the world of ballet. Youngsters will immediately recognize some of the better-known tales; Sleeping Beauty, The Nutcracker, Swan Lake, and Cinderella are all included in the compilation. However, ballets such as Coppelia, Giselle, Sylvia, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and La Fille mal gardée, present characters and moods that will appeal to all ages.

My First Ballet Collection offers high-quality film and sound production, however the DVD is not frilly. Played straight through, each of the 26 ballet excerpts are introduced with a caption indicating the ballet’s title, music composer, and excerpt heading. The DVD also conveniently offers the option to view by chapter for easy navigation among the selections. The excerpts are highly accessible and are well-chosen to stand alone. The video even captured the attention of my two-year-old. He was motivated to move to the energetic music and particularly enjoyed imitating the dancers as they jumped and balanced.

Image by Thomas Hawk via Flickr

A collection such as this would ideally inspire further investigation of the ballets, their stories, their choreographers or dancers, and the physical movements of which they are made. Parents hoping to plop their child in front of the TV or expecting the DVD to connect all the dots, may be disappointed in its lack of interactivity. My First Ballet Collection goes as far as bringing a variety of real ballet performances into the home or studio in one tidy package, providing the opportunity for parents or teachers to assist children in their continued exploration of ballet. This may be scary for some parents who feel they don’t know much of ballet or the dance world. However, exploring together is fun and encourages enthusiasm for learning.

Bottom Line: My First Ballet Collection is a great choice for those wishing to nurture enthusiasm for ballet among children of all ages. Younger children will enjoy being introduced to colorful characters and beautiful dancing. Older children will benefit from the opportunity to sample a mélange of ballet specimens.

For more info visit www.myfirstballetcollection.com. The website features additional info about the Royal Academy of Dance training program, where to find instructors, and a listing of North American dance companies. Purchase the video here.

Teachers, My First Ballet Collection works as a classroom tool as well. Skip easily among the snippets to illustrate a step, try on a variation, or to visually aid a discussion of ballet history.

In Detail

• My First Ballet Collection is the result of a collaboration between Naxos of America, Opus Arte, and the Royal Academy of Dance (RAD).
• The DVD features excerpts from 10 different productions with performances by ballet stars such as Darcey Bussell, Carlos Acosta, Patricia Barker, Maria Kochetkova, and more.
• Showcased are four different ballet companies from both sides of the Atlantic: The Royal Ballet, The Paris Opera Ballet, San Francisco Ballet, and Pacific Northwest Ballet.
• San Francisco Ballet’s Nutcracker, Balanchine’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream (performed by PNB), and The Nutcracker (The Royal Ballet), feature performances by children and student dancers.
• Diverse locales and archetypes are explored on the DVD: woodland creatures, mythological landscapes and beings, pastoral settings such as an 18th century farm (complete with dancing chickens), a toy shop with life-sized dolls, enchanted kingdoms, and 1930′s Hollywood (via Nureyev’s updated Cinderella).
• The 26 excerpts range from dramatic to romantic to comedic.

© Nichelle Strzepek for Dance Advantage, 2009. | Permalink | CLICK HERE to comment | Category: Blog, Dance Library, Giveaways, History of Dance, In the Spotlight, Product/Website Reviews, The Dance World

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When it comes to summarizing the origins and over-500-year history of ballet, there are already resources online which frankly have it covered. I’m going to direct you to some of these below but first, allow me to offer the following super-abridged description of the origins of ballet as a starting point for continued investigation.

Ballet as we know and recognize it in the 21st century had its beginnings in the extravagant entertainments of Italy’s royal courts during the Renaissance. Italian by birth, Catherine de’ Medici, queen mother to three kings of France brought these ballets de cour (court ballets) to the French Court. She commissioned the Ballet Comique de la Reine (1581), which was choreographed by Balthasar de Beaujoyeux and is credited as the first ballet because it had a central story around which sets, costumes, and music were built. Ballets de cour peaked during the reign of Louis XIV, who was passionate about dance and its artistry. He worked directly with composer Jean Baptiste Lully and choreographer Pierre Beauchamp and, throughout his reign, often appeared as the central character in court ballets, most notably as Apollo, god of the sun.

Ballets de cour were typically performed in grand halls or ballrooms. The male performers (women at this time did not dance in the ballets) were usually masked and lavishly costumed. The movements were based on social dances of the time such as the minuets and pavan. In 1661, The Sun King (Louis XIV), established the Académie de Danse in Paris. It was in 1681 that ballet’s first female dancer, Mlle. LaFontaine made her debut. In 1670 Louis XIV retired from performance. It was at this point, as the training of professionals had been securely instituted, that ballet began to separate from the courts and moved to the stage. With this development came evolution. Performing in a proscenium environment necessitated more side-to-side movement, increasing emphasis on turnout of the legs. As a result of their training, professionals were able and encouraged to include jumps and leaps in their repertory of movements, and master teachers began writing and documenting ideals for form and execution which developed into the techniques we apply today.

Further Reading

One of the most comprehensive and easily-digestible sites I’ve come across which covers the history of ballet is written and organized by New York City dance teacher and writer, Dick Andros. Andros on Ballet is a real gem and I encourage you to visit and explore his articles on the many central figures in ballet history. His Timeline is a helpful launchpad for discovery as interesting facts and stories are sprinkled throughout the concise biographies and additional pages.

Five “nutshell” portraits of the origins and history of ballet:

1. Dancing Online, History of Ballet
2. The History of Ballet at Dance Tutors
3. Origins of Ballet at History World
4. Ballet History at Dance4it.com
5. The History of Ballet (as well as its attire) on TipToe Dancewear

Texts for digging deeper:

Ballet in Western Culture: A History of Its Origins and Evolution

Ballet and Modern Dance: A Concise History

Watch this on YouTube:

A little ballet history courtesy of Dame Margot Fonteyn

Please Note: If you are here looking for info to use in your homework, term paper, etc., please review some of the articles and resources found at plaigiarism.org. These resources are provided by myself and others to inform and educate and should be properly cited in your work.

© Nichelle Strzepek for Dance Advantage, 2009. | Permalink | CLICK HERE to comment | Category: Blog, Featured, For Students, History of Dance, The Dance World

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© Nichelle Strzepek for Dance Advantage, 2009. | Permalink | CLICK HERE to comment | Category: Blog, History of Dance, News and Events, The Dance World

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Click on the titles or images to view or purchase via Amazon

Alvin Ailey

A young reader’s portrait of dancer and choreographer Alvin Ailey considers what the young Alvin might have thought and said and interposes facts about his life and dance theater.

Dancing to Freedom: The True Story of Mao’s Last Dancer

Li Cunxin was born in 1961 in northeast China. The sixth of seven sons from a poor rural family, his life changed forever when he was chosen to study ballet at the Beijing Dance Academy. Following a scholarship to train in America, and a dramatic defection, he became principal dancer for the Houston Ballet. His life story was originally published as Mao’s Last Dancer, which became an international bestseller. This is the picture book version of that story. There is also a Young Reader’s Edition.

Jose! Born to Dance: The Story of Jose Limon

José was a boy with a song in his heart and a dance in his step. Born in Mexico in 1908, he came into the world kicking like a steer, and grew up to love to draw, play the piano, and dream. José’s dreaming took him to faraway places. He dreamed of bullfighters and the sounds of the cancan dancers that he saw with his father. Dance lit a fire in José’s soul.

With his heart to guide him, José left his family and went to New York to dance. He learned to flow and float and fly through space with steps like a Mexican breeze. When José danced, his spirit soared. From New York to lands afar, José Limón became known as the man who gave the world his own kind of dance.

Footwork: The Story of Fred and Adele Astaire

In 1905, four-and-a-half-year-old Fred Astaire put on his first pair of dancing shoes — and from that moment, his life was filled with singing, dancing, and fancy footwork. Fred’s older sister, Adele, was the real dancer, but Fred worked hard to get all the steps just right, and it wasn’t long before he was the one capturing headlines and stealing the show.

Rap A Tap Tap

This simple book for young children tells the life story of a ground-breaking African-American tap dancer. Bill “Bojangles” Robinson was one of the most popular entertainers of the 1920s-30s. People said he “talked with his feet,” and in the Dillons’ graceful paintings of old New York, he dances from page to page to the tune of a toe-tapping rhyme.

I Dreamed I Was a Ballerina

Every girl remembers her first trip to the ballet: the anticipation beforehand, the orchestra’s first notes, the ethereal beauty of the ballerinas. This is a tale of one such girl who was caught up in ballet’s mesmerizing spell and became one of the greatest ballerinas of all time.

In a story drawn from her memoirs, Anna Pavlova describes her first visit to the ballet to see the Sleeping Beauty. With simple, childlike language, she captures her love for her mother, the splendor of the ballet, and the moments that changed her life. The words are matched with paintings, pastels, and drawings of the French Impressionist Edgar Degas, to give this story all the magic of a fairytale.

To Dance: A Ballerina’s Graphic Novel

Dancers are young when they first dream of dance. Siena Cherson Siegel was six — and her dreams kept skipping and leaping, circling and spinning, from airy runs along a beach near her home in Puerto Rico, to dance class in Boston, to her debut performance on stage with the New York City Ballet.

To Dance tells and shows the fullness of her dreams and her rhapsodic life they led to. Part family history, part backstage drama, here is an original, firsthand book about a young dancer’s beginnings — and beyond.

Tallchief: America’s Prima Ballerina

Growing up on the Osage Indian reservation, Maria Tallchief was a gifted pianist and dancer. According to Osage tradition, women are not permitted to dance, but Maria’s parents recognized her gifts and allowed her to break the rule. Then when Maria reached the age of twelve, her father told her it was time to choose between her two loves. Maria chose ballet. It was a decision that would change not only the course of her life, but the face of classical ballet in America.

Isadora Duncan

Isadora Duncan was born in San Francisco, but lived most of her life in Europe. She was a remarkably talented dancer, and a free spirit who never gave up on her dream. She introduced a form of movement that would become the basis for modern dance.

© Nichelle Strzepek for Dance Advantage, 2009. | Permalink | CLICK HERE to comment | Category: Blog, Dance Library, History of Dance, In the Spotlight, The Dance World

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photo by snickclunk

Isadora Duncan was an American dancer born in San Francisco in the late 1800′s. Adopting a free-form, expressive style of movement which she performed barefoot and in loose-fitting tunics (a departure from the rigid attire of the time), she became one of the fore-runners of modern dance.

Her early public appearances in the United States were unsuccessful and, like many of modern dance’s early pioneers, Isadora traveled abroad to Europe. There, her work garnered recognition and appreciation by audiences. Her dances, inspired by ancient Greek sculpture and philosophy, were characterized by expressive and free-flowing movement and gesture. They captured the imaginations of those familiar only with the convention and structure of ballet, an art form which was experiencing a decline in the early 20th century.

A rebel at heart, Isadora defied social norms. She was outspoken in her disdain for marriage and even jazz music which was gaining popularity at the time, preferring instead the classics of Brahms, Wagner, and Beethoven. Her two children, who later perished when the car in which they were riding rolled into the Seine river, were fathered by two different men. Her choices garnered public and political attention. She was both revered and ridiculed, considered by some to be a revolutionary and labeled a harlot by others. In Russia she met a poet seventeen years her junior and married him in 1922 so that she could bring him along on tour to the United States. Accused of being a Bolshevik agent, Duncan fled America for the final time.

She lived the rest of her short life on the French Riviera where she died tragically when her trademark long, flowing scarf became entangled in a motorcar wheel, strangling her. An innovator ahead of her time, her natural and free dance liberated the dance formula and paved the way for the development and acceptance of the modern dance art form.

“Isadora Duncan.” Encyclopedia Britannica. 2009. Encyclopedia Britannica Online. 13 Apr. 2009.

More About Isadora

• Isadora was also a dance educator, founding and inspiring several schools of dance. Read more about her legacy and the history of her “Isadorables” at the Isadora Duncan Foundation for Contemporary Dance whose resident company, directed by Lori Belilove (a third-generation Duncan dancer), performs the Duncan repertoire.
• From the Virtual Museum of the City of San Francisco, a fascinating account of Isadora’s life, including glimpses from her childhood. Written by Samuel Dickson, this was originally one of the KPO/KNBC radio scripts, later printed in “San Francisco Kaleidoscope,” Stanford University Press, 1949.
• Short and sweet observations by Henrietta Cullinan, made after her attendance at the Royal Ballet’s  recent performance of the ballet, Isadora. I just enjoyed her comparisons to Madonna and her remarks regarding Isadora’s dislike of jazz music.

• 

  www.youtube.com/watch?v=68mbHx32xsE

  — Thanks to Dancing as One for pointing me to this video.
• Ismene Brown looks back at Isadora’s controversial life and asks, “Isadora Duncan-- sublime or ridiculous?” A really interesting article.
• Did you know that San Francisco Bay Area dancers are given the opportunity to be recognized and honored by the Isadora Duncan Dance Awards Committee? The awards and ceremony are known as the Izzies and dance blogger/San Francisco Ballet principal, Maria Kochetkova is a recent recipient.
• Did you know that Isadora Duncan is the subject of a graphic biography (i.e. comic book)? You can read an interview with author, Sabrina Jones at comicbookresources.com, and a review/description of the book at Girl w/Pen.
• Photographer, Hila’s beautiful shot of Tamara Rojo dancing Isadora Duncan Waltzes, choreographed by Frederick Ashton. Check out the accompanying video for an excerpt of this work.
• A lovely poem by Kirsten Olson entitled Isadora Duncan’s Fire. “My mother played piano. And I, Isadora, would dance.” Read on…
• Catherine Galasso will be premiering a new work in San Francisco about Joshua Norton, an eccentric businessman in the city’s history. The work will feature Isadora Duncan in its cast of characters and the blog provides reference material regarding this work-in-progress. There is interesting documentation of the process of recreating Duncan, and using her movement style as the basis for a contemporary re-interpretation.

Your Mission Should You Choose to Accept It…

Find ways of studying, incorporating, re-inventing Isadora Duncan in your classes or at your studio, (even if you don’t teach modern dance)!

List some ways you can or have done so in the comments below.

© Nichelle Strzepek for Dance Advantage, 2009. | Permalink | 4 comments | Category: Blog, Dance Companies, Dance Styles, History of Dance, Modern/Contemporary, The Dance World, Toolbox

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The Relationship Between Faith and Dance

Dance is born from the heart and soul of people and cultures. Long before the polished refinement of classical or contemporary dance movement, dance lived and thrived in personal expression and communal relationships within a society. Dance was also a highly important and viable means of worshipful devotion, as worldviews of faith were visually demonstrated through offerings of dance. It may seem that as dance evolved more to a stage performance art form that these sacred expressions of faith began to disappear.

Perhaps not completely recognized or documented, dance as a form of worship or as a means for visually incarnating one’s faith is one of the oldest and perhaps richest offerings of dance. Although it is clear that dance and faith have always maintained a dynamic interaction throughout history, it is in this present age that dancers are finding a fresh significance in regards to integrating their beliefs with their artistry.

Dance in Worship and Fellowship

There are now many worldwide expressions of what may be called liturgical or sacred dance forms. In the past few years, even several dancewear companies have begun designing entire lines of worship and dance ministry performance wear. Organizations such as the Christian Dance Fellowship maintain an extensive networking of fellow dance worshippers and sacred movers.

Dance it seems has finally made its comeback as an acceptable and welcomed form of worship in many churches of various denominations throughout the world. There are now many workshops and conferences that are organized with the sole purpose and vision of expressing faith through diverse forms of dance.

Artists Articulating Faith

While the liturgical forms or church oriented praise dance expressions are wonderful displays of freedom in worship, there are other dance artists that are traveling more on the cutting edge, engaging culture with relevant and contemporary works of dance that are derived from their faith and supported by their worldview of life.  These dancers and choreographers may not be gracing the altars of the local church but they are nonetheless articulating their faith where art meets the whole of life, and not just the familiar floors of sacred or religious spaces.

Over the past twenty years there has been a worldwide networking and fellowship of these Believer artists. Professional companies and dance movements have sprung forth from these relationships including ProjectDance.com which conducts international arts festivals, The Culture House in Kansas City, Creative Arts Europe, Xaris Dance Company-Europe, Word in Motion –Los Angeles, Inlet Dance Theatre in Cleveland, and Hosanna Sacred Arts in Alabama. All of these dance arts organizations are directed by professional artists who hold fast to their faith while exercising their gifts in the marketplace.  Dancers from around the world have been drawn to these companies due to the integration of “keeping the faith” while engaging the culture with artistic excellence.

Reconciling Faith and Art

The gulf between faith and art is finding needed reconciliation and a more holistic view of what it truly means to create art that is informed and supported by one’s personal faith.  As many artists during the time of the Reformation knew, the gift of art is a gift of God to mankind who has created us in His image. The artist therefore can understand themselves as servants of God to humanity, enriching life and upholding its’ truth and beauty through their offerings and servitude. The artist then finds freedom from the pull of celebrity appeal to the higher call of a creative servant, meeting this world in its’ need.  The arts were meant to bless and enrich our world.

As artists reevaluate their journey, maybe more healing will be poured upon the soil of life through their work. Dance and expressions of faith truly belong in relationship to each other. For dance was born from such expressions, as a celebration of life and the validity of its joys, sorrows, journeys and discoveries. It may be true that indeed all artists create from the great need and passion to speak, as it were, from the inside out.

Perhaps the arts really do reveal, more than we may realize, what lives on the inside of who we are and what we believe. As the artist finds freedom to live out their faith within this world, then we can hope to see more light shine over the darkness and injustice of our times. The arts are indeed one of the richest gifts to humanity. May the arts bloom and blossom in this new year through the faith and belief of those granted such an incredible gift.

Photographs of Ad Deum Dance Company by Visage Photo Studio

Randall Flinn is the founder/artistic director of Ad Deum Dance Company in Houston, Texas.  He is a professional choreographer and teacher who has worked with Houston Ballet Academy, Cirque Du Soleil –Alegria, Houston Met Dance Company, Project Dance Times Square, Hong Kong Ballet, Ballet Magnificat and the dynamic Lakewood Church of Houston and Hillsong Church-Sydney.

Ad Deum (which means “towards God”) Dance Company began their full time work in January 2000, with a clear mission of integrating their Christian faith with relevant and redemptive artistry. Ad Deum has been honored to perform the works of other professional dancer/choreographers from around the world whose art is also informed by their Christian faith. Choreographers who have regularly set works on Ad Deum include Hope Boykin of Alvin Ailey, Steve Rooks –ten year principal dancer for Martha Graham, Caleb Mitchell –former Houston Ballet company dancer, Stephen Wynne –Talk Dance Company, and Bill Wade –Inlet Dance Theatre and Freddie Moore –former Ailey II dancer. Ad Deum maintains an international touring schedule and offers spring and summer intensives and a nine month pre-professional training program.

© Guest Contributors for Dance Advantage, 2009. | Permalink | One comment - ADD YOURS! | Category: Blog, Dance Media, History of Dance, In the Spotlight, The Dance World

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Photo by The Truth About...

Let’s face it, dance doesn’t happen in a void. New work is continually influenced by that which surrounds it, as well as everything that has come before. One can trace a line throughout history of dancers and choreographers who have influenced future generations. The connections are like thread woven through intricate fabric.

Dance for the masses, like much in pop culture, is certainly not immune to this phenomenon. In fact, much of what is shown on TV and music videos, which some consider to be the cutting edge of dance, are reinventions or interpretations of older works. Some would call it a “rip off” and others an “homage.” No matter what one calls it, the circumstances follow a less-than-unusual pattern – a piece of vintage choreography fades from our collective memory and is then adapted and reintroduced to spectators unfamiliar with the original. What was old is made new! The shame in this, ultimately, is that many dancers are not made aware of the lineage or relationships that make up the fascinating web that is the art of dance.

So, how about a short history lesson?

There’s been a lot of talk and excitement regarding Beyoncé’s

latest video for “Single Ladies.” Have another look:

Click here if you can’t see the clip

Now take a look at this Gwen Verdon clip

(choreography by Bob Fosse) from the 1960s:

Want some more? Try this one:

Get Me Bodied, again from Miss Beyoncé

Click here if you can’t see the clip

And, again…Mr. Bob Fosse

Cool, huh?

There is nothing wrong with paying tribute to something that has come before. In fact, if the past is acknowledged (which unfortunately, doesn’t happen enough), the homage can bring about a renewed interest in what may otherwise have been consigned to oblivion. They say, though, that “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” Although usually a quote employed for the discussion of war, politics, or atrocities of humanity, this bears a ring of truth even in this context. Dancers, choreographers, fashionistas, musicians, and artists generally seek to make their mark with the creation of something original. While it may not be possible for an artist to completely disassociate themselves from the past, making something unique, without an awareness and study of what has come before, can prove quite challenging. One would think the opposite would be true, but history has shown us otherwise. How can you un-know what you don’t know you know… you know?

Re-hashing the past will always be a popular choice. You can’t go wrong with something that has already been tested and proven. But, whether you utilize your knowledge of the past to reinvent it for new audiences, or in order to carve a new direction for the future, exploring the history of your art form is necessary for moving forward.

© Nichelle Strzepek for Dance Advantage, 2008. | Permalink | 2 comments | Category: Blog, History of Dance, The Dance World

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1. How Important Is Turnout, Really?
   
2. Explaining The Mechanics Of Turnout
3. Recognizing Proper/Improper Turnout
4. Nature vs. Nurture

If you want to learn some techniques for improving your turnout, you can jump straight to Part II. But I highly recommend you read this first because it provides crucial information that will help you make better use of the information in Part II.

If you study classical ballet, you are well aware that the outward rotation of the hips (or turnout) is essential to the training and traditions of this form. Even if you are not trained in ballet, as a dancer you probably use turnout at least some of the time. Concert or theatrical dance forms (like modern or jazz dance) in particular utilize turnout within their movement vocabulary. Ask most dancers, and you’ll discover that turnout is high on their list of things to improve and increase.

But is having extreme turnout really ideal?

The human body is designed primarily for forward motion. We walk, run, sit, and stand in the sagittal plane. In dance, the use of turned out legs is primarily utilized for ease of motion on the proscenium stage, a venue in which the performers present movement to an audience which sits entirely on one side of the stage (as opposed to all around or on three sides).

A little history: When dance (ballet) moved to this forum from the royal courts, dancers spent more time moving side to side, necessitating a degree of turnout.  Since then, this rotation of the legs has been exaggerated, accepted as the ideal, and adopted as the aesthetic in ballet.

With developments in dance medicine, there is evidence that 180-degree turnout is not possible, necessary, or even healthy for all ballet dancers – even the pros (although how much this has changed about ballet training traditions is debatable).

Sideways locomotion certainly does not require rotation to such a degree. Turnout does allow the greater trochanter to avoid the ilium as the leg is lifted above the waist,  however 180 degrees of turnout is not required for this clearance. In fact, Gayanne Grossman, associate professor of anatomy and kinesiology at Temple University suggests that “most dancers have a maximum rotation of 55 degrees in their hips.” [see this 2008 article from Dance Magazine] This means that many who appear to have 180º turnout  are making up the difference in the lower leg. 

I suspect that dancers who have danced for years without injury probably discovered early that it is not how much turnout you have that is important, it is how you use what you have. Therefore, it is imperative to know how to use it!

What you need to know to make the most of your turnout:

• How the hip functions
• What is improvable and what is not
• How to increase turnout safely and without injury
• What you can do to maintain optimum turnout for your body

Understanding How Turnout Is Achieved

In anatomical terms, turnout is the outward (sometimes called lateral, or external) rotation of the hip joint.

The hip joint is the joining of the head/top of the femur (thigh bone) to the acetabulum, or hip socket (seen in the diagram below).

Image via Wikipedia

This joint is a ball and socket joint, which allows for a wide range of motion on all three planes (sagittal, lateral, and transverse).  The hip joint can produce flexion (forward of the body), extension (as in standing, not the unfortunately labeled lifting of the leg which is actually flexion in anatomical terms), abduction (away from the midline of the body), adduction (toward the midine of the body), inward rotation (turning-in), and outward rotation (turning-out).  Most dance movements are a combination of these actions.

Muscle Action

The hip joint is very complex and most of the muscles surrounding the socket are responsible for more than one action of the hip joint.  These muscles both initiate and restrict movements of the hip. The outward rotators are pictured in the diagram on the right. 

The muscles that pass posterior (behind) the hip joint contract to initiate turnout while the anterior muscles lengthen, and those anterior (in front of) the joint contract to initiate inward rotation while the posterior muscles lengthen.

If this is confusing, picture the spine of a book -

When the book is opened the outside edge of the binding contracts while the other edge lengthens and visa versa.  This inverse relationship is true for all muscle actions and is the key to analyzing movement.

False Turnout

Turnout does not occur from anywhere other than the hip. A false turnout can be achieved by pronating the tarsus (rolling in) to create the illusion of a wider turnout than is being achieved by the hips alone.  This causes a twisting in the knee, a joint which is only designed to extend and flex in the sagittal plane, and this usually leads to misalignment of the pelvis, which actually reduces outward rotation.  False turnout also creates the potential for a myriad of injuries, as we’ll discuss in Part II.

Turnout Is A Verb

Although we sometime use the word turnout as a noun or a position (i.e. “Your turnout could be better.”), it is more appropriately thought of as an action, a verb.

Because outward rotation is not the body’s natural state, the work does not stop once the position or desired degree of rotation has been attained. Instead, outward rotation of the hips requires continual action within the body, even when the rotation is held in a position (like ballet 5th).

How To Recognize Proper/Improper Turnout

There are some simple visual cues that indicate turnout is being forcefully executed.

As mentioned above, dance instructors looking for indication of false turnout will expect to see the feet roll in, the pelvis tilt, and the knees and toes pointing a different direction than the center of the hip joint indicates.

When a dancer is forcing turnout beyond their physical capabilities, tension will appear in the buttocks and probably other areas of the body such as the shoulders or neck.

When you hear teachers say “knees over toes,” they are asking you to properly align the turnout of your legs and avoid pronation both in standing and in plié.

Students, try this: Bend your knees slightly, turn out as much as you can, and then gently lengthen the legs. You are forcing your turnout. What does it feel like? Do you feel a tension or twisting in the knees? Are your feet rolling toward the big toe (pronating) to maintain this position? Do you feel balanced or secure in this position?

When the legs are opened without force and turnout is supported with the deep rotators, iliopsoas, and abdominals, one should be able to trace a line directly from the hip, through the center of the knee, and to a point between the second and third toe of the foot.  A neutral or properly aligned pelvis (with the sitz bones pointing downward) is a good indicator as well because when the turnout is forced, generally the pelvis will tilt, creating a swayed back.

A dancer who consistently performs with false or forced rotation in the hips will eventually complain of sciatic, knee, foot, and/or back pain. Therefore, if a dancer is having any of these problems it is always a good idea to pay special attention to their turnout and alignment while dancing.

Nature vs. Nurture

Almost everyone “afflicted” with what he/she considers a limited degree of turnout has at one time found solace in the idea that, for some, the degree of turnout is limited by the unchangeable structure of the body and not for lack of trying.

It is true that some have a narrow sacrum which allows for more efficient locomotion overall. Men have a narrower sacrum than women, giving them the potential for more impressive jumping skills. Of course the width of this area varies among women as well. But, before you begin to think that having a narrow pelvis is ideal, some have observed that this narrow pelvis often is paired with a forward facing acetabulum. This facing results in, you guessed it, a lesser degree in outward rotation than those with a side-facing hip socket. The depth of the acetabulum can also affect turnout.  A shallow hip socket allows for higher degrees of both outward and inward rotation in the hip than does a deeper hip socket.

Aside from these natural limitations, turnout is only hindered by problems in how we have nurtured (or not nurtured) the muscles and tissues surrounding the hip, and perhaps our mental state or expectations. There are three ways in which a dancer can nurture their ability to turnout and to actively maintain that turnout during movement:  Awareness, Release, and Strengthen Without Tension.  And we will learn more about these in Part II!

Dance Advantage recommends further investigation:

Deborah Vogel’s Tune Up Your Turnout is a handy resource. Easy to read with the essentials of what you need to know as a teacher or student. Deb answers your most pressing questions about turnout, provides stretches for the appropriate muscle groups, and offers quality advice on how to test and improve your range of motion safely.

Also check out the FUNctional Anatomy curriculum for your classroom (by Deb Vogel and Anneleise Burns Wilson) and Deb’s new multimedia course, Essential Anatomy that comes with video, outlines, and study guides.

You can get all of the above at The Body Series. I have been following Deb’s work online for years and have such faith in her as an information source for dancers, that I don’t mind at all telling you that that link is an affiliate link.

© Nichelle Strzepek for Dance Advantage, 2008. | Permalink | One comment - ADD YOURS! | Category: Blog, Dance Library, History of Dance, Technique, Terminology, Toolbox

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My little family of three just returned from our summer vacation. Aside from a short trip to the Big Apple in 2006, my husband and I have not indulged in a true holiday for several years now, instead spending time off visiting with family. Now that we have an infant son, vacations come with additional challenges (and rewards), so for our first attempt we chose somewhat familiar territory and a family-friendly destination – Massachusetts. We began and ended our trip in the city of Boston, with an excursion to The Berkshires in the middle. One of my favorite spots to visit while touring the quaint yet artistic villages of western Massachusetts is Jacob’s Pillow. Home to America’s oldest dance festival (in continuous operation), “The Pillow” was founded by modern dance pioneer, Ted Shawn, and is a landmark in dance history.

The summer festival hosts dance companies from around the world with performances on three stages, including the Inside/Out stage which offers free, often excerpted performances in a more relaxed (and picturesque) atmosphere – perfect for families with small children or those on a budget. Their community program offer classes to the general public, but dance artists or students can also apply for their school program for the summer, plus internships are available in the fall/winter too. Here is the jacobspillow.org contact page if you would like more information or directions.

From contemporary to ballet, Massachusetts has lots of dance going on. If you are nearby, planning a visit, or looking for educational opportunities allow me to offer a few links.

• Boston Ballet
• Earthdance Workshop & Retreat (Berkshires)
  
• Berkshire Ballet
• Northampton Center for the Arts (Western Mass)
  
• The Yard (Martha’s Vineyard)
• Massachusetts Academy of Ballet (Southwestern Mass)
• Dancer Universe Directories (summer study, workshops, etc. can be searched by state, city, or zip)

For more Jacob’s Pillow, you can visit their YouTube Channel. You can also dig a bit deeper with the book Barton Mumaw, Dancer: From Denishawn to Jacob’s Pillow and Beyond, a memoir by one of Ted Shawn’s male dancers, or How Beautiful Upon The Mountain: A History Of Jacob’s Pillow, by Ted Shawn himself. Also, check out this video, The Men Who Danced: The Story of Ted Shawn’s Men Dancers and the Birth of Jacob’s Pillow 1933-1940 and this heartfelt article about Ted Shawn’s connection to Springfield College.

© Nichelle Strzepek for Dance Advantage, 2008. | Permalink | One comment - ADD YOURS! | Category: Blog, Dance Companies, History of Dance, News and Events, Summer Study/Workshops, The Dance World, Toolbox

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The term “classical” in dance can vary in meaning, and just like the term “modern dance,” can be very confusing. Rooted in Europe, ballet would probably be considered the classical dance of “the west.” Other regions have their own classical dance forms – Indian or Cambodian classical dance are examples. Such forms are sometimes included under an umbrella of “folk dance,” “ethnic dance,” or even “world dance.” Depending on who you talk to, however, these terms are all synonymous or all different classifications.

Ballet

There is typically much confusion among dancers about the labeling of dance. I am no ballet scholar and it seems there is often argument over true definitions. I will do my best to make sense of the terms as I understand them. I have heard and comprehended the definition of classical ballet in two ways. The ABT online dictionary provides a pretty clear and concise definition of both usages:

1. The traditional style of ballet, which stresses the academic technique developed through the centuries of the existence of ballet.
2. A ballet in which the style and structure adhere to the definite framework established in the nineteenth century. Examples of classical ballets are Coppélia, The Sleeping Beauty, The Nutcracker and Swan Lake.

In other words, classical ballet can be defined as ballet studied in the tradition that has been passed down, relatively unchanged at its core, since the birth of the technique. There are variances in the methodology of classical ballet study which are often based upon region. Vagonova, Cecchetti, and more recently Balanchine or R.A.D. are examples. The term classical ballet is generally used as a means of differentiating these traditional principles of study from those of contemporary ballet.

Within classical ballet additional labels may be applied to works and performances that tend to reflect the era in which they were created (i.e., Romantic, Russian, Diaghliev era, etc.). Unfortunately, certain performed works within this lineage are referred to as being of the classical ballet era, or classical ballets. These typically refer to works of Petipa dating from the 19th and early 20th century (such as the ones listed above). Works that have employed the language, phrasing, structure, and techniques of classical ballet in the 20th century and beyond (many of Balanchine’s works are a good example) have typically been labeled as neoclassical, as they seem to bridge the gap between those in the classical ballet tradition and contemporary ballet by stretching the boundries of the classical ballet “rules.”

Contemporary ballet, generally refers to a work that takes its technique (and pointework) from classical ballet but also utilizes abstracted (or less literal) movement ideas, manipulation of the spine and torso in movement, and choreographic processes similar to those in modern/contemporary dance. Here, the focus is often more on the movement itself rather than a narrative, or story. Today’s students of ballet typically study classical techniques along with modern dance techniques so that they are able to adapt their classical techniques to fit any of the above genres.

Modern vs. Contemporary

Modern dance, like the art of ballet in the 17th century, was at one point (the early 1900′s) a new idea (see “What is Modern Dance?” for a little history lesson). I have heard people refer to the techniques and works of people like Isadora Duncan, Martha Graham, and other originators as “classical modern dance” – sounds like an oxymoron, I know. (Note:  traditional modern dance is yet another mutation). Typically modern dance has been dropped altogether when referring to 21st century concert dance works. For now, these works simply fall into the category of contemporary dance art, which you can also read more about in the linked article above. If, or when, there is a shift of focus within this realm of dance, perhaps a new (and likely confusing) label will be attached to it!

Labeling Dance

As you can see, the repetitious or sometimes redundant terminology in categorizing creates difficulty in talking about dance. Labels are often unsatisfactory and are argued and debated, creating even further confusion. But, I think it is helpful for students of dance to understand that even though there is sometimes an overlapping of terms, there is a difference between technique and choreography in classifying dance.

For labeling purposes, all work/art/choreography being created now is contemporary but may be subject to a change in labeling in the future. Older works are often categorized by both the techniques that inform them and by the era in which they were created.  A new or contemporary work can evoke aesthetics and processes of the past, yet would probably be labeled as contemporary with description that stresses its relationship to the what has come before.

The techniques studied by dancers which inform contemporary concert dance choreography are (in the broadest terms) modern dance, classical ballet, and possibly jazz dance, and can also be infused with elements of vernacular (or social/ballroom) dance, ethnic dance forms, martial arts, etc.  Through study of the history of dance and through experiencing a broad range of dance genres, one becomes more equipped to recognize relationships, influences and changes in the timeline of dance (which is really more important than the label itself).

Location, Location

Just remember that in labeling dance, sometimes it just depends on who you talk to, where they’re from, what their background in dance is, etc. Dance terminology and classification varies according to time and place. In addition, we must recognize, of course, that labels are limited and really only useful when reading, writing, or talking about dance. Dance, by its nature – a language of movement, is an art form that resists labeling.

Whew!!

Although I am not a dance historian, I’ve done my best to answer this question and address the source of confusion as I understand it. If anyone would like to add or respond to my thoughts, please feel free. And, don’t worry if it’s all still confusing. It is confusing for those working and creating within, and writing about the dance world. The passage of time eventually allows us to step back and recognize shifts in the philosophies of art and we are then able to more accurately classify or label. The more recent something is, the harder it is to define because we are still in the midst of change. And change in art occurs as slowly or rapidly as the world around it. Compare the mutations of dance in the last 100 years to the mutations of earlier centuries and I think you’ll see it runs parallel to advances in technology, industry, and communication.

The Dancer believes that his art has something to say which cannot be expressed in words or in any other way than by dancing… there are times when the simple dignity of movement can fulfill the function of a volume of words. There are movements which impinge upon the nerves with a strength that is incomparable, for movement has power to stir the senses and emotions, unique in itself. This is the dancer’s justification for being, and his reason for searching further for deeper aspects of his art. – Doris Humphrey

If I could tell you what it meant, there would be no point in dancing it. – Isadora Duncan

Dance isn’t something that can be explained in words; it has to be danced. – Paige Arden

Talk about dance? Dance is not something to talk about. Dance is to dance. – Peter St. James

© Nichelle Strzepek for Dance Advantage, 2008. | Permalink | One comment - ADD YOURS! | Category: Blog, Dance Styles, For Everyone Else, For Students, History of Dance, Modern/Contemporary, Terminology, The Dance World, Toolbox

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Image by New York Public Library via Flickr

This is not an easy question to answer, even for dancers and choreographers. The beginnings of modern dance in the United States (Germany also had a related and influential dance movement) are traced to the early 20th century to a group of dancers often labeled the forerunners of modern dance. Isadora Duncan, Loie Fuller, Ruth St. Dennis, and her husband and partner Ted Shawn, each made significant contributions to a new type of concert dance in America. Their dance reflected and challenged the art, philosophy, and issues of their time, explored the cultures of other places and times, made new advances in theatrical lighting and spectacle, and discarded the costumes and artificiality of ballet. They were exploring and expressing themselves in a way that had never been seen before, and they were guiding others to do the same.

From this small family tree, emerged another generation of dancers. This group, considered the founders of modern dance, broke whatever rules had been laid down by their predecessors. Instead of borrowing movement from other cultures, they created movement based on the experiences of their own era. They were interested in presenting the inner self and all of it’s complex emotions on the concert stage. These founders, Martha Graham, Doris Humphrey, and Lester Horton, among others, also created their own techniques which they taught in independent dance schools and universities. Their work established modern dance as a legitimate art form.

Image via Wikipedia

Dancers in the founder’s companies such as Merce Cunningham, José Limon, Alvin Ailey, Paul Taylor and Anna Sokolow continued to redefine not only modern dance but, dance in general. Each contributed something different but, in general, this third generation was noted for a more minimalistic approach to dance in which movement became more pedestrian and stripped-down. Some, like Merce Cunningham, explored chance elements in their choreography, allowing a roll of dice to determine a dances’ structure. Others, like Alvin Ailey, brought ethnic, social, and political issues to the forefront.

In the 1960s and 70s, the work of these earlier artists ushered in the postmodern dance movement. The artists involved with Judson Dance Theater were some of the prime movers in this experimentalist trend. Dance artists were leaving the theatrical stage altogether and performing dance in public parks, on buildings, in museums, and on busy streets. Choreographers explored improvisation as legitimate performance and often presented performers with no dance training in their work. Audiences were asked to accept everyday movement like dressing, walking, and playing as dance. It was a direct upheaval of the concepts and codification that Modern dance artists had fought to develop.

Yet, as those who had gone before have done, each generation of modern dancers seeks new terminology, concepts, and techniques that broaden the definition of dance. This legacy continues in the 21st century, an environment that draws from the techniques of modern dance and the spirit of exploration in postmodern dance. In fact, today most dancers on the concert stage are likely to have experiences in many techniques and, with the exception of those who have pursued or immersed themselves specifically in ballet or other systematized dance form, consider themselves contemporary dancers. They study traditions in modern dance, but also other movement disciplines like ballet, jazz, african, yoga, gymnastics, and martial arts, as well as improvisational techniques such as contact improvisation and body mapping. Therefore, the movement you’ll see in a technique class or on stage reflects this diversity.

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Modern dance, although defined in many dictionaries as “a form of contemporary theatrical and concert dance employing a special technique for developing the use of the entire body in movements expressive of abstract ideas,”  is a label that has begun to feel outdated for describing works created in the 21st century. The term has recently been dedicated more to the techniques (both the structured styles like Graham, Limon, or Horton and the less codified systems) that are studied by contemporary dancers than works currently performed on the concert stage. To understand Modern Dance, therefore, it is a good idea to become familiar with these techniques as well as with its history and its role in the development of the constantly transforming art form of contemporary dance, which is not a technique but a collection of principles regarding movement and the choreographic/performance process which are closely related to the goals of the original modern dancers and their techniques.

Many times when people ask the question “What is Modern Dance?” they seek to prepare themselves for participation in either a class or as an audience member. As above, I recommend learning a bit about the history of modern dance as well as simply experiencing the art of contemporary dance. Take technique classes from a variety of teachers, watch choreography and performances by many different artists, and/or explore and improvise with movement, all the while, keeping an open mind in regard to one’s own definitions of dance. Each experience broadens and shapes understanding, giving one the knowledge to compare, and the confidence to appreciate that modern and, in fact, most contemporary dance refuses to be defined by labels. As one’s experience with the art of dance grows, the need to brand dance forms will diminish, and the question “What is Modern Dance?” will be replaced with “What else can dance be or become?”

Below are some interesting quotes, links, and resources that have more to say about Modern Dance…

One reason why modern dance is hard to define is that it is not so much a particular system or technique as it is an attitude toward dance, a point of view that encourages artistic individualism and the development of personal ways of dancing. As Helen Tamaris wrote in a program note for a concert she gave in 1927, “There are no general rules. Each work of art creates it’s own code.” – Jack Anderson

American Modern Dance, as a performance art form, serves many roles in today’s society. Many American choreographers of today use their art form for social commentary. There are other choreographers who tell stories with their dances. Finally, many choreographers simply manipulate the tools of choreography to visually create something new and interesting-perhaps something never seen before. Whatever the specific intent of the choreographer the role of dance today is to communicate, to create, and to educate.
- Beth Braun and Mark English

Ballet & Modern Dance: A Concise History
Prime Movers: The Makers of Modern Dance in America
The Makers of Modern Dance in Germany: Rudolf Laban, Mary Wigman, Kurt Jooss
No Fixed Points: Dance in the Twentieth Century
Terpsichore in Sneakers: Post-Modern Dance

• Answers.com
• RIDance.com’s answer to “What is Modern Dance?”
• PBS’s Modern Dance Primer
• Classic Confusion tries to define labels in dance

© Nichelle Strzepek for Dance Advantage, 2008. | Permalink | CLICK HERE to comment | Category: Blog, Dance Companies, Dance Library, Dance Styles, For Everyone Else, For Students, History of Dance, In the Spotlight, Modern/Contemporary, Terminology, The Dance World, Toolbox

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A student in ballet cannot learn the art in isolation and no one can know what great dancing is without seeing examples of it. Not only can the dancer not be separated from the dance, she also cannot be separated from the history of dancing, from the line of dancers and teachers leading to her.

This is a quote taken from an article written in Dance Magazine in 1995 regarding the film The Dancer. This sentiment holds true not just for ballet students, but for dancers in general.  So, in honor of National Dance Week, I wanted to offer ways in which teachers of dance can include dance history in their everyday classes.

I know how hard it is sometimes to fit it all in.  As a dance instructor I often find myself pressed for time when including just the technical principles of dance in my classes, let alone guidance in music, vocabulary, and other areas vital to performance and execution. However, having experienced the degree to which understanding the evolution of dance has enhanced and improved my own performance and desire to achieve proficiency within my classes, I know that it is important to draw attention to this “line of dancers” (past and present) whenever possible.

Here is an article that addresses this issue in the teaching of jazz dance.  It offers a few methods of incorporating history into dance education:

1. Connect the movements you teach to dance history.
2. Bring in master teachers of unfamiliar combinations or styles.
3. Use visuals – posters, artwork, videos.
4. Host special events that encourage an interest in dance history.

The article goes into detail specific to jazz dance, but these small actions can easily be applied to any dance style:

Connecting dance movements to history can be as simple as tossing out facts during class that get the students thinking about the origins of what they are doing.  For example, as you correct your student’s turnout, mention that dancers initially began to turn out their legs when ballet made it’s way from the royal court to the proscenium stage.  Better yet, encourage their critical thinking skills by asking if they know or can guess why dancers use turnout.  Or, when working on fouette turns, explain that Pierina Legnani was the first to perform 32 consecutive fouettes en tournant.  The students may not remember everything you tell them, but you may be surprised at how much of these tidbits they do retain.

Master teachers can sometimes be hard to come by in certain areas, but re-creating famous or historical works from video can be fun and exciting for student dancers. One summer a workshop was held at my hometown studio that focused on the work of Alvin Ailey. The dancers learned portions of Ailey’s Revelations (skirts, fans, and all) from video and, although we could not benefit from a master to teach us the dance, I recall a sense of excitement, accomplishment, and commitment to the choreography as the dancers re-created this landmark work. Exercises like this will reward the students with satisfaction in knowing they executed the same movements as the professionals, and may encourage them in working to perform with as much accuracy and dedication.

Consider the artwork you display at your dance school. I’ve noted that many studios throughout my teaching career have displayed only a) cute teddy bears and bunnies in tutus, b) the awards and trophies of their own dancers, or c) pictures of the studio owner in all his/her glory.  And, while I think it is important to recognize the hard work of the dancers and show the experience and accomplishments of the teachers [I'm not sure I can find a way to justify the bunnies... sorry ], to instill in your dancers a sense of the scope, importance, and history of movement arts, I encourage you to look for visual representations (like this poster art) (or this poster art) that will inspire them to look beyond the little bubble of their own studio. If you teach children, it’s ok to show children dancing (including pictures of your own students) on your walls but give them something to aspire to, as well.

Hosting an event can be as simple as movie viewing parties at the studio or as elaborate as taking a field trip to a nearby city for a dance performance. Some of the most eye-opening experiences of my life as a young dancer included traveling away from my hometown with my classmates to view dance and musical theatre productions, attend conventions/conferences, and visit art museums. Opportunities like this allow a student to understand dance art in a wider context and will inspire them to reach higher in their classes.

If you need to brush up on your own knowledge of dance history, the following texts may be helpful: 

• Ballet & Modern Dance: A Concise History
• Jazz Dance: The Story Of American Vernacular Dance
• Tap Roots: The Early History of Tap Dancing
• Ballet in Western Culture: A History of Its Origins and Evolution
• Moving History/Dancing Cultures: A Dance History Reader

If you are a student and want to find ways of expanding your knowledge of dance history (it really does improve your dancing), try these tips.

• Use school projects like book reports, oral presentations, and writing exercises as opportunities to research and discover dance history.
• Join websites and blogs that offer historical dance facts and resources.
• Make it a point to see other dancers perform whenever possible – when your family vacations check out dance in the area or even take classes and rent dance videos (don’t forget your local public or college library may have videos available).
• Read biographies of dance artists, texts about dance throughout time, and profiles of famous dance works.

Let me know your thoughts!  Are there other ways to include history in your dance education?

© Nichelle Strzepek for Dance Advantage, 2008. | Permalink | One comment - ADD YOURS! | Category: Blog, Choreography, Dance Styles, Featured, For Teachers/Studio Owners, History of Dance, Jazz or Musical Theatre, Perspectives, The Dance World, Toolbox

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