Abstract In this article, the writer discusses that the name Isadora Duncan stands for freedom of spirit and its universality. She is considered the founder of modern dance philosophy. The writer notes that due to her, among others, at the beginning of the twentieth century, dance became an academic object of study. The writer maintains that it is clear and beyond any doubt that Isadora Duncan brought innovations in the technique of the dance, but furthermore she also changed the role dance played in people's lives all over the world. The writer concludes that one may not have heard about Isadora Duncan, but people all over the world enjoy watching people dance on stage or dancing themselves on the ring dance without knowing that they owe some part of their pleasure to such pioneers as Isadora.
From the Paper "She lived a tumultuous life, always on the verge, like her dance. She had two unofficial relationships and one child from each of them. She was also married for a short period of time to the Russian poet, Serghei Esenin. Her life was full of terribly tragic, but also happy moments. She made life achievements, founded a dance school that brought her legacy to the next generations and changed dance forever. She danced as she lived: free of any restraints and ready to confront old mentalities and break the rules. She set an example for the women at the beginning of the twentieth century. She dared to go over the limits set by the narrow minded and brought her understanding of art and her talent all over Europe and the USA. She freed dance from the ritualism and the rigid form imposed by ballet and made it regain its natural roots, finding inspiration in the Greek forms of art among others. Nature itself was another of the important sources of inspiration in her work."
Abstract The paper discusses the contribution of American dancer, Martha Graham, who pioneered a technique of her own that became part of the contemporary dance milieu. The paper relates the life story of Graham and looks at how she broke with traditions and made a name for herself in the dance world.
Outline:
The Late Blooming of a Dancer
The Martha Graham We Knew
The Evolution of Martha Graham
The Graham Technique and Expressionist Choreography
The Triumph and the Legacy
From the Paper "Martha Graham's story as a dancer was unlike others whose lives were rags to riches stories or struggled through harsh economic conditions and braved all to be one of the greats not only in the world of dancing but in the annals of history as well. Graham was born into a wealthy family who traced their lineage back to Miles Standish - a New England hero who were with the Pilgrims aboard the Mayflower. In 1909 the family relocated to Santa Barbara, California (Gale Cengage Learning, 2007). "Her father, a doctor specializing in nervous disorders, was very interested in diagnosis through attention to physical movement. This belief in the body's ability to express its inner senses was pivotal in Graham's desire to dance. Athletic as a young girl, Graham did not find her calling until she was in her teens. (Public Broadcasting Service, 2007)" Graham's formal training in dance began at the University of Cumnoch where she studied theater and dance from 1913 to 1916. Thereafter, she joined the Denishawn School managed by the husband and wife tandem, Ruth St.-Denis and Ted Shawn. Denishawn became Graham's second home where she learned classical and modern dance. Denishawn also specialized in that which was novel and exotic to American sensibilities: Greek pageants, Japanese sword dances, sexy Spanish flamencos (Gale Cengage Learning, 2007). During her eight years at Denishawn, Graham was not only a student but she did some instructing on her own when she got better with her craft. It is at Denishawn also that Graham met the composer Louis Horst."
Abstract This paper discuses autism and includes some personal accounts of living with autism. The author then goes on to discuss therapy for autism, focusing specifically on dance therapy as a form of psychotherapy in which patients are encouraged to express their feelings and inner conflicts through dance. The paper stresses that, by aiding and restoring connection and rhythm, dance and movement therapy helps autistic children who are out of sync with other persons involved in their lives and who experience problems connecting between their bodies and their emotional selves.
Table of Contents:
Autism
Personal Accounts
Dance Therapy
From "Out" to In Sync
From the Paper "Children in the middle range, albeit usually know and prefer their caregivers' company over others, however children at the severe end of autism may experience challenges recognizing their own family members. Asperger Syndrome, which represents the greatest number of individuals with autism, ranks at the high-functioning end of the autism. Many children with Asperger's function well intellectually and verbally. By today's standards, Shore states, he would have been considered to have Asperger's."
Abstract This paper discusses Afro-Brazilian dance forms. It looks briefly at the history and origins of the dance form and discusses its importance in understanding the culture in Brazil. The paper then focuses on specific forms of Afro-Brazilian dance. It describes each dance form, the occasion in which the dance is used and how it is performed by the dancers.
Table of Contents:
Candomble
Samba
Capoeira
From the Paper "The Candomble dancing is a ceremonial, religious dance, done during one of the numerous terreiros de candomble scattered throughout the city of Bahaia. Women wear long skirts, usually colored ones. They dance to be respectful to the orixas, or gods. "Each deity represents a given force or element in nature, and has a favourite colour and type of food. Yemanja, for example, is the goddess of the sea, who usually dresses in blue and white. The favourite colour of Oxun, the goddess of beauty, is yellow. In the religious ceremonies, practitioners dress in the colours of the orixas and place food at the altar before singing special songs and dancing precisely choreographed steps to the sacred drums. The anthropomorphic nature of the orixa allows an intimate contact between believer and deity, and the highlight of the Candomble ceremony is the epiphany, or possession, when the orixa takes over the believer's body" (Davis)"
Abstract The paper examines the book, "Teaching Children Dance", which advises teachers of children from kindergarten to fifth grade how to teach dance in a meaningful and educational way. The paper relates that the text contains dance lessons that are simple enough to teach children, but still contains an overview and a philosophical belief in the value of dance as an art form. The paper maintains that this book should be read by all elementary school teachers anxious for practical advice on incorporating dance into their lesson plans, creating dances and explaining the need for dance to parents and administrators.
From the Paper ""I can't dance." How many times have you heard an adult say this, at a party or even at a family function like a wedding? Probably many times. How many times have you heard a child say this? Probably never. How do we lose this fluidity of motion and love of our own physical capabilities? Some might say that it is lost because school forces children to sit all day in their seats in an unnatural posture, and hems in their natural, human love of movement. One solution to this dancing dilemma is provided by the engaging, practical and informative text Teaching Children Dance."
Abstract In this paper, the writer briefly traces Christianity's struggles on the subject of dance. The writer considers historical and Biblical interpretation and cultural developments and notes that the question of how Christians should engage culture in regards to this rather bodily activity is not easily or permanently answered. The writer also expresses her point of view than an appreciation of the physical body, along with its creative expressions is paramount in living out our faith in the Creator and in engaging our culture.
Outline:
Historically and Biblically
Various Church Responses
Where Christians Dance and Why
Conclusion - The Parable of the Lord of the Dance
References
Appendix 1 - The Shim Sham
Appendix 2 - Websites of Interest
Appendix 3 - Lord of the Dance
Appendix 4 - The Ark Brought to Jerusalem
From the Paper "In the Hebrew tradition, dance was an integral part of celebrations. It was used both in worship, in ordinary life and on occasions of victory and festivity. Dance functioned as a medium of prayer and praise, as an expression of joy and reverence, and as a mediator between God and humanity. This understanding of dance permeated the faith of the early Christian church.
"However, by the time of the Reformation the church, both Catholic and Protestant, had eliminated dance from worship, forcing dance back into the secular realm, where it flourished."
Abstract Vernon and Irene Castle were America's 'golden' couple--as well as the toast of Europe in the years immediately preceding World War I. Their innovative dance steps: Texas Tommy, Foxtrot, and Grizzly Bear, set to the syncopation of ragtime swept America, Britain and France. In the age of silent movies, film shorts of their dance routines were followed as avidly by teenagers in 1911 as are the television doings of pop stars today. The paper briefly describes the backgrounds of the couple and then examines their career as innovative dancers and choreographers in the years preceding the First World War and up to the death of Vernon Castle in a flying accident in February 1918.
Outline:
Introduction
Background
The Castles, Daring Dance, and Social Innovation in Pre-War America (and Europe, as well)
The Price of War
Epilogue
Works Consulted in the Preparation of this Report
From the Paper "The Castles appeared together in The Hen-Pecks, a Broadway musical comedy in which their dance routines, set to "the music of young songwriter Irving Berlin's Alexander's Ragtime Band, [Notable Biographies]" were a regular component sketches. The caught the eye of a French theatrical agent who, in 1912, booked them for a six-month gig at the Cafe de Paris, in the city of that name. While their comedy routines received top billing, it was their dancing that caught the crowd's attention. Simply stated, the Castles appropriated black America's ragtime rhythm and social dance steps, performing them in a seemingly 'passionless and well-mannered' fashion. Susan Cook describes the Castles' approach. "Throughout their careers, the Castles responded to the discourse of dance pathology [specifically, white fears of black influence on the social attitudes of American youth] with their own carefully crafted one of propriety in which their dancing, self-described as 'modern,' was so identified by its calculated 'refinement' in opposition to the 'roughness' associated with its working-class and ethnic predecessors. They came to mark out a kind of middle ground between the informality of the working-class dance halls the constrained rigidity of the Dancing Masters [141]." (They Castles had a major impact on American middle-class acceptance of the tango. In Argentina the dance was overtly erotic. The Castles performed it in a more 'stately' manner, although of course the erotic element shimmered just beneath the surface--suitable, one might think, for a happily married couple.)"
Abstract The writer notes that Samba is described by Ed Morales, an expert of Latin music in, 'The Latin Beat', as an amalgamation of Afro-European culture that has become one of the many Brazilian points of pride and independent culture. The writer then looks at the history of the word Samba and at the music and the dance. The writer maintains that Samba will likely grow in expression and development, as more and more people become aware of the cultural diversity and richness of the Brazilian social landscape. The writer further discusses that Samba is the backbone of the long procession that dominates the economy, ideals and cultural expression of Brazil. The writer concludes that there is a sense that Samba connects the celebration to the people and it also demonstrates the link between all those who watch and participate in the events.
From the Paper "Though the music has more often been associated with various forms of civil unrest and been subverted officially, with raids of events and police action being taken against those who celebrate around samba. Once greater tolerance for African customs and ritual religious performance art was achieved in Brazil there was an establishment of an infrastructure that celebrated and promulgated the genre to its local and then global heights, known as samba schools.
"The origins of the musical genre, and its name are not completely agreed upon, it is thought that the word Samba is an amalgam of the word, semba, a Bantu word meaning to pray or invoke the African gods and as a noun it was meant as something akin to "the blues" a cry or complaint."
Abstract The paper states that learning styles are just as different as the individuals who utilize the various styles of learning. Taking these into consideration in the use of instructional strategies in music, education has long-term payoffs for the student in relation to educational outcomes. The paper examines the possibilities of using the Dunn and Dunn Model to teach music, specifically eurhythmics, a method of learning and experiencing music through movement. The paper notes that music instruction and the learning derived from instruction are referred to as declarative knowledge, while practical knowledge is the ability of the individuals to use sensory motor and cognitive skills.
Outline:
Introduction
Meaning and Ability
Types of Individual Learners
Five Characteristics of Learning
Intrinsic (Inner) & Extrinsic (External) Motivation
Application of Different Strategies
Performance Marks
Sensory Integration Into Music Categories
The Dalcroze Approach to Music Education
Summary and Conclusion
From the Paper "There are both intrinsic and extrinsic rewards that motivate students meaning that they are motivated 'internally' or 'externally' by the promise of the reward. The learning environment is a 'key' aspect of the motivation of the student in learning and the work of Hallam states that the learning environment is the combined: "...complex interactions between the characteristics of the individual and the environment that they find themselves. [And that it also] refers to the cultural climate at the time, the place of learning, and the people who are in it, including teachers, family and peers."
Abstract The paper discusses ballet, ballroom dancing, folk dancing, and modern dancing and shows how they are all forms of art. The paper asserts that dance utilizes the human form and this will always place dance at the most creative forms of art.
From the Paper "Dance is perhaps one of the oldest forms of expression known to mankind. Rhythm is a part of life and moving the body in a type of rhythmic motion is a natural and fun response to life itself. Dance is also instinctive, allowing individuals to express themselves connect with one another. In a word, dance is human. There are as many reasons to dance as there are forms of it and they can include happiness, sorrow, thankfulness, celebration, and the simple reason that the act of expression is so easy with dance. Dance styles are diverse and each one can be defined as art because of the human element of expression. In addition, as art, dance forms have a background and a purpose. When we look at certain dance forms such as ballet, ballroom, folk, and modern dance, we are looking at a broad definition of dance but we are also looking at specific styles of art. From the complicated world of ballet and waltzes to the free world of modern dance, we have to admit that we are looking at art expressed in the most vivid of forms - the human form."
Abstract The paper relates that for enslaved African-Americans, art became a form of expressionism, hope, history and therapy. The paper discusses the slaves' tools, songs, dances and their stories that all demonstrate how they are survivors. The paper also looks at the literature from this time period, specifically the narrative of Frederick Douglass, that conveys a strong American spirit that refuses to let anyone or anything beat it down.
From the Paper "Oral traditions go back as far as Africans do. While it might have been frowned upon in America, the tradition can be continued with songs and story telling. These stories and songs became specific to the African-American experience and they tell us so much about the endurance of slaves. Songs were used as tools of education as well as entertainment because reading was discouraged. Songs were not always sad as one might guess. While some songs told tales of agony and oppression, many were songs of hope that obviously lifted the soul in difficult times. We can learn about the tenacity of the human soul thought some of these songs. For example, one song asks, "didn't my Lord deliver Daniel . . . and why not every man." 1 Similar songs of freedom might have been the only hope that slaves could cling to when their lives seemed the darkest. How African-Americans sang is also significant because dance is very much a tradition that lives today."
Abstract This paper discusses the cakewalk dance, which was the first dance to cross over from black to white culture, and from the stage to ballrooms. The author describes how it began around 1850 among African-American slaves in the southern U.S. as a hybrid form of traditional African movements and dance concepts. It was called the Chalk Line Walk at that time, and evolved over time into an exaggeration of the white, upper class ballroom dance of the time. The author explains how the dance became known as the cakewalk dance, and how it continued to become more sophisticated, until it gained popularity outside the slave and plantation owner circles and was used in shows and vaudeville acts. Although it no longer exists in its original form, the cakewalk's influence can still be seen in the high stepping march used by marching bands across the U.S., and its music was the precursor to what is now known as ragtime.
From the Paper "Through the years and centuries of slavery, the African-Americans adapted to the conditions of slavery imposed on them but did not lose sense of their traditions. Additional arrivals of newly enslaved Africans also aided in keeping these traditions alive. Slaves were sometimes permitted to gather together or visit other plantations, usually to entertain the plantation owners. From these gatherings dances African subcultures and nations blended together as a hybrid form of traditional African movement and dance concepts."
Tags: emotion entertainment mannerism vaudeville troupe, slave trade, jig
