Gene Kelly choreographed several dance and drama films, one called “An American in Paris” (1951). Michael Kidd is also an outstanding choreographer, who produced motion picture choreographer, in which dance further is the story line. Debbie Reynolds was another familiar name in movie musicals of the 1950’s. She was not a trained dancer but had great stage charisma. Her breakthrough in 1950 was in “Two Weeks with Love”, starring
Vaudeville was a popular form of theatre in the early nineteenth century that incorporated a variety of acts that ranged from acrobatics, comics and sketches and most importantly, musicians and singers. From its birth in the 1860’s, peak in the 1900’s and to its decline in the late 1920’s, Vaudeville is known as one of the cornerstones to the success in the popularity of jazz. As minstrel shows were on a decline, Vaudeville shows arose as the popular form of American theatre in the 1860’s. Vaudeville, its unique name said to be derived from the expression “voix de ville” meaning voice of the city, was at first known to be an alcohol free establishment geared toward the middle class. The form, in which it became famous for, Polite Vaudeville, was orchestrated by Tony Pastor who decided that he will capitalize on its original market but would host various shows in New York City geared toward family and female audiences instead.
Aether is communication through movement, trying to send a message and is difficult to define. In the beginning of the piece the dancers use alot of typing hand and finger movement which becomes their motif, creating lots of movement and steps with the motif. They don’t dance in unison in this piece but dance through special relationships and the occasional partner work. Movements were very robotic and sharp flick dynamic in this dance, but some aspects were flowy showing contrast between movements which fit in with the white noise of the music. Towards the end of the dance they hold hands and create different movement that is more human like.
Jeyasingh (2007) herself says ‘The most engaging thing about dance for me is that it always presents a metaphor for the human community at large’. (p. 5) Jeyasingh produced many works for the stage, theatre and also television. Some of her commissioned works include Polar sequences and Pop idle. She won several awards including the London Dance Performance awards in 1988 and Arts Council Women in the Arts Award. Her choreography reflects on the changes in today’s society compared to how it was in the past and how technology has changed it.
The Aztec Dance The Pow-wow culture gets together for singing, dancing, and competitions this unites members of numerous tribes, these reunions were also held for social activities and religious ceremonies. (P.56) In the Mexican culture we have different events that differentiate us from other cultures, such as the Aztec dance. The Aztec dance is a very old Mexican tradition mainly utilized in catholic ceremonies as a different way of expressing prayers. For most catholics in Mexico December twelve is a very important day but for Aztec dancers it is a very special day because they get to perform inside the Catholic Church. December twelve is the day Aztec dancer’s worship our Lady of Guadalupe, on this day Aztec dancers from all over the country perform since early in the morning on their local church in front of multitudes.
Disco and Dance Music If ever a musical style defined a decade, Disco was the definition of the 1970s. Although its popularity was relatively short-lived, the genre hosted a great deal of songs and artists that people are still dancing to today and had a large influence on the fashions of the decade, too. Van McCoy's "The Hustle" has often been referred to as the definitive disco track and many people say it was the first disco song created. Gloria Gaynor also enjoyed disco popularity with her anthem "I Will Survive." The Bee Gees also helped to define the disco genre with their hit "Jive Talkin'" and their blockbuster "Stayin'
The habanera was the first written music to be rhythmically based on an African motif. From the perspective of African American music, the habanera rhythm (also known as congo,[4] tango-congo,[5] or tango. [6]) can be thought of as a combination of tresillo and the backbeat. [7] Musicians from Havana and New Orleans would take the twice-daily ferry between both cities to perform and not surprisingly, the habanera quickly took root in the musically fertile Crescent City. John Storm Roberts states that the musical genre habanera, "reached the U.S. 20 years before the first rag was published" (1999: 12).
Sporre (2011) stated, “The compositional elements of line, form, and repetition apply to the use of the human body in exactly the same sense that they apply to those elements in painting and sculpture”. The Charleston is a jazz dance that was heard of from the early 1900s, but never became popular until the 1920s after its presence in the musical, “Runnin’ Wild.” It was first known throughout the Southern part of American, especially in Charleston, SC. The Charleston may be danced solo, with a partner or by a group. In 1925, tap Charleston was invented where dancers would incorporate tap dance while doing the Charleston. The early form of this type of jazz was done by repetition foot stamps and handclaps and performed to complex rhythms.
In contrast to the smooth strokes in the old-school jazz dance, the hand and feet switches and transition movements are swift in street jazz. They may be different in some ways but all three forms contain the same basic elements, and still use the foundation of ballet. the 1930’s, and was lead by amazing artists such as Count Basie, Duke
The album sales topped the 7 million mark at home and abroad. In 1982, Quincy and Michael collaborated to produce one of the greatest albums of all time, Thriller, that lifted Michael to superstar status. Thriller sold over 40 million copies and became the highest-selling album in history. Thriller changed Michael into a sex symbol and highlighted his amazing dance moves. He electrified 50 million viewers of the 1983 Motown 25 television special by singing and dancing to “Billie Jean.” This performance included many of Michael’s trademarks that stand to this day.