Manoeuvres Performing Through the Years and into The Next Generation’s Dancing Hearts

always been known for the risky and powerful movements which are often why dancers retire from the company. The dancer’s movements were often very intense and emotive, such as the “throws” across the stage in which the dancers would, almost violently, launch themselves across the stage in different forms (leaps, falls and flips to name a few). Another section where the movements were emotive is where the dancers were thrusting their hips in different positions to perhaps show sexuality in “self”.

The quotes “For most people, social dancing begins in pleasure,” and “Of course, people sometimes feel pressure to dance in ways that are otherwise associated with pleasure; social dancing can serve many functions in a society,” from Chapter 4 of Dancing: The Pleasure, Power, and Art of Movement (Jonas 2003), peaked interest in me when thinking of all the various dance forms that we have talked of in class and even those outside of class. One in particular that has interested me the most is swing dance. With family member involvement in the past and having multiple friends take part in the Swing Dance Club here on the Wayne State University Campus for pleasure, enjoyment and social interaction has made me want to go more in depth about it. With the help from academic sources and knowledge from class lectures I will be researching the history of swing dancing, the forms of swing dancing, and what gender roles take place within these movements.

In the first section, Desmond focuses on “movement style and meaning” (pg. 31). She explains how movement is learned through our communities. In some locations, some dances may be seen as proper because that is what they learned in their community, but if performed in another community, those people may see their dance as “improper.” Desmond provides the example of how in the nineteenth century the waltz was seen as “too sexually dangerous” when introduced in North America and Europe. Their reasoning

The next minute the man pushed with his legs the woman as they were getting into an argument. The music “God Help the Girl” complimented the dance with its quick beat. Another interesting part of the dance was when the two dancers sat around the table as most people in the world do during dinner time. Moreover, the man put his legs on the table and as he was waiting for dinner to be served. This reminded me of how many cultures around the world are patriarchy oriented where the men are the bread makers and the women’s role is to take care of the children and all the house work. However, the woman’s costume was a representation of how women in the twenty-first century have grown to become career and goal oriented and not settling for the “Homemaker” position that society is used to. Another interesting part of the dance “Folie a’Deux” reminded me of something I learned in Dance 1010 class and it was a dance similar to the Lindy Hop. The duet came to the front of the stage, between the table and the couch, very close to each other and started hopping and moving very quickly. However, their upper bodies were also moving and their arms were flopping back-and-fourth. Overall, the dance moves were concentrated in the middle and upper space. Their bodies were straight while stepping heavy on the floor turned towards the audience. The dancers made eye contact with the public but also

Salsa firstly originated in Eastern Cuba in the early 1900’s, However Cuba was not the only one. Salsa is one of the most vigorous and important musical experience of the 1900’s. They did give origin and history of creation. During World War 2 the music used travelled to New York and various other countries however the term “salsa” was created in New York however they did not create the dance.

When slaves were transported from Africa to America, they were allowed by their traders to dance as it kept them physically fit and emotionally going. The moves thus created by these slaves were a number of jazzy steps that no one knew would become a major dance

Since I was a little girl I’ve always been part of something. But none of the activities I did really filled me. I became part of a dance academy when I was 13 years old, and it was because my sister wanted to learn to dance for her Quinceañera. It’s kind of ironic how something that would be very important to me started so simple. But I guess that’s just how the best things in life happens.

The music played a large role in determining the style of the pieces in the show by Koresh Dance Company. It set the theme and mood for the dances. Also, the choreography was dependent on the beats and variations in the music. This basis added to the themes of the dances as well.

On Saturday, March 28, 2015 at 8pm, I took a trip to the Public Playhouse located in Cheverly, Maryland to witness the “World Dance Showcase”. The “World Dance Showcase” was comprised of six different dances. However, I decided to focus solely on the dance titled “Night in an English Village Pub” that was performed by Charm City Rapper Sword Dancers. This dance was performed by Sindee Ernst, Miriam Hack, Jack Hemler, Rhonda Keilholtz, Kappy Laning, Megan Philippi, Laura Robertson, Joe Shelby, Alexandra Sjaardo, and Jerry Stein and accompanied by traditional tunes that were played by Cyd Shelby. The movements stemmed from traditional figures by Laura Robertson and clogging steps by Anna Marley. The Charm City Rapper Sword Dancers are stationed in Baltimore, MD but are based on a ritual English dance company. The swords that they employ in their dance were derived from a coal-mining instrument. In total, there were ten performers all of which who were White Americans, mainly woman, and above the age of 40.

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.

The dancers run out onto the stage and form two straight lines consisting of three girls in the front and three girls in the back. As the piece progresses this formation does not vary other than to switch lines. Once on stage, the music finishes the introduction and the happy, lively, carnival type music begins. The dancers throw confetti onto the audience members and begin their variations of shimmying, hip thrusting, being overly dramatic and movements that were highly sexualized. Each movement seems as though it was choreographed in order to make the dancer’s body shake specifically within the bosom and the buttock. The dancers’ facings were both front and back displaying the entirety of the female body. Within the clip at 28 seconds the camera focuses only on the female’s buttock as it its shaking from side to side in time with the music. By 37 seconds colored streamers fly down from the stage as the dancers walked dramatically in unison

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.

On February 9th, 2018 the official King and Queen of Hearts Dance took place. Many students from grades 6-8 where excited to hear the news of the dance, and many people bought tickets in sight of this news. The doors opened from 7:00pm-9:00pm, the actual dance took place in the Pottsgrove Middle School gym. As you walked through the door you could either buy a ticket there or hand in the ticket you bought beforehand, but no matter what, you always got a slip to vote for the king and queen of hearts. There were three different boys and three different girls to vote for. As you handed in your vote you must of walked past the table where all the crowns and sashes were. There were three crowns; two for the princess and one for the official

The movements were very specific and showed the story of the dance. The partners used many movements that contained many body

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.