The Future Of Dance By Wayne Mcgregor

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.

I have been dancing since the age of two. When asked about my career aspirations, there is no hesitation before saying “I want to be a dancer.” Being a dancer means putting all other distractions aside, and focusing on my craft. Currently, I dedicate over forty hours a week to dance, which is a schedule that requires sacrifice. When I am dancing, the rest of the world fades away, slipping out of my mind with relaxed importance. For that moment in time, I am completely free, wholly focused on my goals, letting me know dance is what I’m meant to do. With this realization comes a responsibility to myself and the work I have put into improving my craft thus far, and I know I must seek out the best opportunities for growth and continued learning.

“What are you even doing here? I have never seen such flawed technique in all my years as a choreographer.” The words echoed throughout the medical college auditorium. Impelled by the admonishment in front of my peers, I persevered in my endeavor to improve upon my dancing prowess and by the final year of medical school was leading the college dance team. The above mentioned undertaking further spawned an interest for the discipline of Latin Ballroom which lead to participation at the national level. The unwavering focus and persistence even in the face of unfavorable odds is more broadly reflective of my approach towards learning, both academic and extracurricular. This has been instrumental in achieving stellar academic outcomes including being ranked nationally in the top 0.0004 percent in the premedical test and the top 0.6 percent in the common aptitude test for management training.

Dance is a unique sport because it combines the grit and sweat of sporting events, such as track and field, with the style and extravagance of a fashion show (D.Fowler, 2000).

Watching a video of a dance piece called “The Moroccan Project,” choreographed by Alonzo King was quite impressive. Living in San Francisco and taking dance classes brought me to Lines Ballet which is King’s dance studio. I have seen a great deal of different types of dance at the studio waiting for my Ballet classes and there are some great dancers. It comes as no surprise that Alonzo would have such great dancers. It appears that Alonzo King is exploring different cultures in dance in Contemporary Ballet. His near-perfect choreography is articulate, passionate, and graceful- he brings diversity in dance to San Francisco and other parts of the world. This piece articulates the expression of the two dancers coming together yet dancing apart at times- it is a fusion of several different types of dances into one using video editing to create a story about the coming together of two individuals.

Renowned choreographer Alonzo King is the Balanchine of a new style of dance, his style of dance, a style shying away from the expected and catapulting its audience into a state of wonderment. Alonzo King uses sharp lines intertwined with severe movements all engaging a classical technique in order to create movements, unseen to the dance world. King’s impressive résumé includes having trained with a number of world-renowned ballet companies, and setting works on an even more substantial number of companies, along with establishing his own celebrated company: Alonzo King’s LINES Ballet in San Francisco, California.

The British choreographer Wayne McGregor is born on the 15th of November 1970. He is known for his contemporary style of dance and has a unique movement quality. He teaches for Trinity Laban conservatoire of music and dance. The choreographer has his own major dance company and over the many years he has worked with many successful companies such as San Francisco Ballet, The Australian Ballet, Paris Opera Ballet, English National Opera and lots more.

Patricia Scott Hobbs gives a professional, yet personable insight into the duties and lifestyle of a choreographer. Throughout the question and answer segments, Hobbs is asked a series of questions that provide viewers with a “backstage” view of all different aspects and demands of the job. Specifically, viewers are taught career beginnings, keys to success, education requirements, industry needs/goals and advice for young aspiring artists. The knowledge provided from Hobbs is bountiful with information any young artist with similar goals (like myself) would require. It is evident that Hobbs has brought nothing but truth to the interview as she also helps viewers comprehend the obstacles artists face throughout their careers. Although all segments within the interview disclose Hobbs expertise of joining the artistry

To write about the book, or to be about the book? Modern Bodies Dance and American Modernism from Martha Graham to Alvin Ailey by Julia L. Foulkes, delves deep into the history of modern dance in America. This text in my opinion was more than just a book highlighting great dancers from the past, but bringing to light the triumphs of art and artists despite the social climate back then. Glass ceilings that were shattered in spite of gender, race, and class many years ago are still impacting our present. Therefore the accounts in this book are important because history repeats itself and with reflecting on the past we can reflect on ourselves and see where we stand as pioneers in our present time.

I chose to write my essay on modern dance about Garth Fagan. I chose to write about him, because of how important he is to modern dance. I also chose him because if you are someone around my age or closer then you should know who he is through his works, you may just not know it. Garth fagan was born on May 3, 1940 in jamaica. Where he lives for most of his life. When it was time for Fagan to attend college he decided to come to the United States and study at Wayne State in Detroit, Michigan. HE graduated with a Bachelor’s in Arts, and upon his graduation he was setting out to be a psychologist.

When first assigned this final project, two choreographers immediately fled into my mind: Ohad Naharin and Roni Koresh. Since I began dancing, I have always been extremely intrigued by both the Batsheva Dance Company and Koresh Dance Company. Being raised both ethically Israeli and religiously Jewish, these two companies allowed me to feel a deeper connection that went past the movement alone. Since I was recently informed that I have been accepted to train with the Batsheva Dance Company and its founder, Ohad Naharin for a month this summer I decided to choose a different choreographer to study. I wanted to look into a choreographer’s process that I did not know much about, am interested by, and may not have the opportunity or excuse to reach out to them in the near future. I decided to study the creative process of Ronen (Roni) Koresh. I have had the pleasure of seeing multiple Koresh shows. Since I have been to numerous shows, I have begun to notice multiple similarities between his pieces; however, I am also constantly surprised by what is yet to come.

Something which makes McGregor’s work stand apart from other contemporary ballet choreographers is that his work includes different fields such as science, technology, and film. Wayne McGregor often works with artists outside of the dance community and in one of his most recent projects he worked as a movement coach for the movie, Fantastic Beasts (2016). He finds different ways to incorporate movement expression into less traditional fields, revolutionizing the concept of dance throughout

He is seen today as one of the most enduring forces in modern dance choreography, having pioneered for decades. One of his most well-known works Gloria has been performed, with adaptation, since 1981. He has also had the distinction of performing to the playing of world renowned cellist Yo-Yo Ma on numerous occasions, with Ma remarking that “Mark always manages to put the perfect movement to even my extemporaneous flourishes.” His work on preparing for the funeral of Lorraine Hunt Lieberson, and his international performances have made him recognizable around the globe. Having choreographed and or conducted (along with other recognizable choreographers) special performances for dignitaries such as 3 sitting US presidents, the Emperor of Japan, the Queen of England and a Premier of the Soviet Union has enlarged his admirers to superstar levels.

In one my classes; Dance Appreciation, I had an assignment to view a dance piece on YouTube. The dance that I viewed was called “She without arm, he without leg, Hand in Hand”. The dance was not only informative, but it was enlightening to watch.

Did you know that dance has been handed down for centuries from one body to another? But little by little it has been moving into the electronic era. Technology has been used in dance for several decades to record and reproduce existing choreography, but the means and results have exponentially grown more sophisticated in recent years. Technology has also been used increasingly to ornament or enhance the look and content of dances on a stage and event to affect how they unfold;technology spacing is being used as a creative tool for choreographers.It spacing only makes sense that we would think to combine dance and technology in order to achieve a state of performance never before possible.To spacing understand how technology has become a part of performance, we can begin by understanding the role of technology in other aspects of our lives. As technology becomes smaller yet more powerful, it has contributed to everyday tools that allow for a more connected, efficient world.