Hip Hop Line Dance: Exciting And A Workout

During the summer of 2016, I participated in the local Scandinavian Festival. This year it took place on the outdoor stage at our community center. The festival presents a wide variety of information on the countries of Scandinavia. This activity is very important to me because I met new people, and was able to come out of my comfort zone while learning about heritage in my community. I was hesitant on dancing for the festival, but my parents encouraged me to put myself out there and try something new.

Some of the movements executed by the dancers are similar to those executed by dancers in a stepping performance and also in a tap dance presentation. This presentation falls into the group of the new trends of modern dance, in which the choreographer are taking more and more liberty with various dance combinations, and including strong messages in their work. I would definitely attend other dance performance, not only from this company, but also by other companies; and would also recommend this performance, especially to people going through a dark period in their life. This performance finished convincing me that dance is surely the most communicative of the art forms, and that a single presentation can convey more than one

Firstly, three of the dancers gave a short story about their history, some can trace their ancestry back to foreign countries, some just to the slave trade and some just know that their parents moved from one state over. Their statements all dealt very personal and added to the communal aspect of this particular multi-generational dance.

The regalia that the dancers were wearing was absolutely beautiful and the amount of craftsmanship that some of them put in were awe-inspiring. I watched several of the dance contests. The Tiny Tots contest was so adorable and was great to see such young children actively participating in their culture. Another favorite was what they called the “Golden Age” dancers, where community elders took the stage. It meant so much to them, which was very profound. One of the older women looked very similar to my grandmother and reminded me of her. The centerpiece of the entire celebration of when the men’s fancy dance contest occurred. These were people at the top of their craft dressed in beautiful regalia. The realization that really struck me was just how modern a lot of the clothing and items were. Some dancers wore noticeable machine-made pieces; other wore bright neon colors that do not exist in nature. I remember the powwow (probably a little over a decade ago), where most of clothing was hand-sewn and beaded. This change was something I did not expect, but comes with modernization of any culture or tradition. Seeing how the dancers and the powwow itself have adapted to contemporary times while also holding on to the essentials of their traditions was so fascinating to see

As a child of newcomers to the United States, the importance of our Hispanic heritage was embedded into my mind. In order to portray my love for my culture, I have performed in a Folkloric Mexican dance troupe known as “Fiesta Mexicana” since the age of three. Envision the ambitious ambiance of people witnessing you perform the historically rich machete dance. The sound of the music constantly piercing your

Representatives from all different tribes were present and they danced and sang together in harmony. The traditional dress wear of the each tribe was beautiful and they introduced the tribes that were present. I loved the sense of togetherness the participants had. Also, the experience broke a stereotype for me. I was under the impression that all Native Americans were tan and had black hair. I guess I related it to the movie Pocahontas and some western movies I’ve seen. This certainly was not the case. It goes to show you really can’t judge someone with how they look or guess their culture with how they look. This changed my way of thinking. I do anticipate to learn more about the Native American culture and learn not to assume culture based on appearance. I generally do not mean to, but I belive that everyone has unconscious thoughts and assumptions when they see someone different than themselves. With the more knowledge I gain as a counselor and though my classes I want to tackle my unconscious thoughts and assumptions. Through this class I have definitely become more aware of what I have been told in relation to people different than

Given that this “visit” was more like a virtual experience, I was still able to access a couple of my senses, just as if I was at the actual exhibition. Through the use of anecdotes and detailed images, I am able to see all of the personal experiences an individual had while practicing a particular dance and what it meant to them. In this exhibition, there are ten different dances displayed, including the: Yup´ik Yurapiaq and the Quyana (Thank You) Song Dance, Yakama Girl’s Fancy Shawl Dance, Cubeo Óyne Dance, Yoreme Pajko’ora Dance, Mapuche Mütrüm Purun, Tlingit Ku.éex ' Entrance Dance, Lakota Men’s Northern Traditional Dance, Seminole Stomp Dance, Hopi Butterfly Dance, and finally, Quechua Danza de Tijeras (Scissor Dance). All parts of the exhibit were insightful, but the two that sparked my interest the most were the Yup´ik Yurapiaq and the Quyana (Thank You) Song Dance and the Quechua Danza de Tijeras (Scissor Dance).

Tap dance is an uniquely American dance form. The percussive use of one’s feet combined with the use of rhythms and amplification of sound, has a complex history that involves the intercultural fusions of English, Irish and African musical and dance traditions. The evolution of tap dance in America is further complicated by issues of race, class and gender. Unlike ballet with its formal technique, tap dance emerged from people listening to and watching each other dance, in a variety of settings, where steps were shared, stolen and reinvented. Through its metamorphosis the dance form has progressed from local entertainment, to Vaudeville shows, to Broadway shows, to the Silver Screen and to Concert Halls across the world. The legacy of the art form is characterized by the rise, fall and reemergence of popularity. Savion Glover, a 21st century American dancer, is credited with bringing tap into a new era of popularity as he has wowed the masses with his unique style focusing on African American rhythms. Tap dance, uniquely American in that it is a true melting pot of dance forms, is a dance form rich in rhythms, sounds and amplifications and has transcended social and cultural barriers.

Last weekend, I went to see Micah`s senior project titled The Kingdom of _______ ! This show was great and very entertaining. It was very high energy and involved so many kinds of dancing. Micah and other dancers really put on great show. The one thing that I thought was the most amazing about this show was how so many different kinds of dancers and dance styles came together. In addition, I loved that there were also different body shape. The dancers after the performance spoke about how they felt as dancers in this show. They mentioned that they appreciated how Micah took into considerations different body types and made dances to accommodate different body types.

The purpose of this Line Dancing project is to organise an activity for the teenage boys and girls of the Cape Flats where they can meet at the school hall every Saturday and be taught line dancing by professional dancers from the local dance studio. This is a good project to fund and will benefit them as it is a new skill they can learn and participate in and it also promotes teamwork. I was taught line dancing in high school and it is skill I will never forget and be able to use at events for the rest of my life. The youth might enjoy learning line dancing as many of them I am sure are fans of the TV show ‘Dancing with the Stars’.

The Harlem Shake is a social dance that represents the cultural identity of a neighborhood in New York, but can also be used to define other cultures and groups of people around the globe. It was the center of popular culture in the United States and rapidly spread through the growing popularity of social media. The Harlem Shake is a cultural trend that is known for constructing the identity of widespread groups of people.

A cultural event that I have attended in the past that has had a memorable affect on my life was a Native American Powwow. This event takes place every year, Thanksgiving weekend in Tucson, AZ. I arrived in the late afternoon, as the sun was going down. I remember seeing many different types of people, from tourists to the different Native American performers. The physical setting of this particular celebration was outside, and based around, one main circle. Drums were beating so loud, you could feel the pound inside your chest. Different activities were going on all around, such as dancers, vendors, and a huge variety of foods to choose from. The circular dancing arena is known as the arbor, this area is blessed before any of the events

Dancing is a historical tradition. Hip-hop dancing has been alive at social functions for centuries, and Popping and Break dancing are the old school days gone by. In recent years, Hip-hop dance has proved its long lasting presence in our lives. It is in our media, our music and day-to-day social functions. It isn't usually taught parent-to-child so people are seeking schools where they can learn. With Dance sport being considered as a medal sport in the next Olympics, more people will be exposed to Social and Hip-hop dance.

Many people don’t know what line dancing even is! Line dancing is a form of country and western choreographed dance where a group of people dance in a line without partners and perform repetitive dance steps in a set formation. It is considered to be a form of ‘popular’ dance which means it is a dance done for fun and entertainment. It is however becoming a form of ‘performance’ dance as more people are doing it in competitions and for audiences. Line dancing is exciting and mysterious as nobody is actually sure where it started. It is widely believed to have originated from folk dancing and had started in Europe but was then changed throughout the course of the 18th and 19th century in the USA and around Europe. More

Line Dancing is an activity that I recommend and encourage the youth to get involved with. Line dancing is a dance done to country music by a line of people (dancers) without partners, following a choreographed pattern of steps.