A Study On Evolution Of Dance

Different aspects of dances all represent something special and meaningful to each specific tribe. Firstly, the purposes of the Native American’s dances are for entertainment, religious rituals, successful hunts, harvests, to give thanks, prayer, victory, mythology, along with many more. (Weiser- Alexander and Alexander) In the video Native American Indian

Dance has come a long way since it first began, and that road has been paved by different styles and choreographers. Modern dance is one of the biggest contributions to dance today. It all began with the rebellion against classical ballet. If it wasn’t for Modern, many aspects and styles of dance would not exist today. Also, without choreographers we would have no dance. One of the most influential Modern choreographers is Twyla Tharp.

Dance began as a form of communication and storytelling. Thousands of years ago dancing served as a way for people to tell a story and helped distract themselves of the hardships they faced. Furthermore, dance was a form of storytelling through communication, which then turned into using storytelling through dance as entertainment. According to the History World, many dancers during the BC time danced in front of only a few people to get a story across. That later turned into hundreds of thousands of people as dance was used by many. Today, dance is also a form of entertainment and storytelling, but in a modern sense. However, today perfection and technique are stressed more than they were in the past. Yet, the passion for dance has not changed. Many dancers who share this passion also have many of the same qualities. Among a discourse community of trained dancers, one expects to find individuals who are healthy and active athletes, expect perfection from themselves through competition, and religiously attend dance performances.

There are many different “worlds” on this planet we live on called Earth. Everyone alive lives in some kind of little “world” of their own. There is the celebrity world, the “Disney” World, “Wally-world”, lots of different sports worlds, scholastic worlds, and so many others. There is a particular world that some live in, and that is the World of Dance. When you are a part of that world, you literally live and breathe it. Every aspect of the dance culture is wrapped up in that world. To those looking in from the outside it is beautiful, filled with lights, lovely costumes, mesmerizing music, and graceful movements.

Dance has been around for a long time, it is older than many other popular sports we have. It takes on the physical capacity to be labeled as a sport, and yet in most cases, it is not. It is one of the few activities that is both a sport and an art, but it is given very little respect as a sport. Dance has evolved in a number of ways throughout time, but it has always been through a meaning. Whether that be dancing for love or faith, or dancing for first place.

Throughout the settlement of Western America, Native Americans were culturally assimilated. This was an attempt by the Americans to transform the Natives’ culture and civilize them through white education and living on reservations. However, the Natives preserved their cultures, tribal identities, and even developed self-sustaining economic practices. First, The Ghost Dance Movement was a revival of Native beliefs that further helped them regain hope through religion. Specifically, it was a religion of the late 1880s and early 1890s that combined elements of Christianity and traditional Native American religion. It fostered the Plains Indians’ hope that they could resurrect the great bison herds and call up a storm to drive whites back across

This essay will compare and contrast the dance styles of the European Americans and the Native Americans that were born from the cultural beliefs and expression that shaped how dance played a role in both cultures. The dancing styles of the Native Americans had ritual and spiritual meaning to the people of the tribes, who believed that certain spirits could be contacted through these dances, which would lead of a bountiful hunting trip or help protect warriors in a coming battle (Overture Center, 2010). The dancing styles of the European Americans were very formal and structured dances that were performed in many social occasions as courtship rituals between a man and a woman, but often would see partners shifting and moving around the room

Dancing, it takes a large part in the Native American culture. The Native Americans have very diverse and different types of dancing.”Religious symbolism is significant even in the human interactions of the dance. Men often symbolize phallic, aggressive supernatural beings and rain-bringing deities, whereas women symbolize actual fertility” (britannica.com).Their dancing explained stories and also the performers dress up. In the different tribes they might have another way of dressing but they also have different backgrounds and they have ceremonies for different

This chapter takes a broad look at the relationship between human movement, framed as dance, and important identities such as religion, ethnicity, gender, and social status. While not specifically focused on issues of identity in America, this chapter will provide an important foundation in understanding the broader scope of how dance can be seen as a representation of cultural values, which will underlie the remainder of our coursework.

Dance is one of the most beautiful, expressive forms of art known to mankind. It expresses joy, love, sorrow, anger, and the list truly goes on for all the possible emotions that it can convey. Dance not only can express how one feels, but it can tell a story or even be used to praise a higher power. Dance has intricately played an important role to every culture over the course of time. Two forms of dance that have not only stood against the test of time but have influenced the development of other various styles of dance is none other than Classical Ballet and Modern Dance.

Dance is still a means of representing and expressing particular emotions or experienes; however, I might add that its applications extend beyond entertainment and can serve a more rigorous agenda.

My favorite dance was the contemporary routine with Derek, Jaja, and Alexia. The choreographer, Stacey Tookey, explained that the piece was about bravery in different forms: Derek played a veteran, Jaja was portraying a woman leaving an abusive relationship, and Alexia took on the role of a single mother. I really enjoyed the dance because of the story it was trying to convey; each dancer dove into character and brought out complex emotions through their movements. The dancers connected deeply with each of their stories, even though they were completely different people. They were portraying things that they had never personally experienced in their lives before. They showed the strengths of the characters along with their weaknesses, they

Dance has been a natural movement form since the beginning of time. The origin of dance is unknown, just as the knowledge of the benefits of dance are unknown to many in our society. Many people do not enjoy dancing and also do not fully understand the positive benefits that come from dancing. Researchers such as Edwards, Duberg, and many more have found countless mental and emotional benefits of dance that originate from movement patterns, brain connections, and even expressions of emotion. Many are aware of the physical benefits of dance, but beyond the physical benefits of dance, there are also emotional and mental benefits that come from dance as well.

Dance is said to have existed prior to the invention of written languages, and was perhaps an essential aspect of storytelling for the passing of knowledge and information from generation to generation. And it has been, since time immemorial, a part of every culture and religion as a means of self and collective expression.

“ Dance is the hidden language of the soul” ( Martha Graham). Dance is nonverbal and is often used by many people as a language. All people can tell emotions by dancing even beginner and amateur classes. In the world, there are many kinds of dancing, for instance, jazz, ballet, and samba. Each dance has completely distinct parts because all region`s cultures gave influences to each dance style in the past time such as classical Japanese dance and salsa. Furthermore, many people dance as entertainments and exercises and can trace many cultures by practicing dancing. Dancing is a necessary for people`s lives. The reasons why people dance are working as professional dancers, learning cultures and histories, and dancing with friends.