Florence Mills made an impact on the nation during the Jazz Age because of the passion she had for her art. Florence was an amazing singer, dancer, and a leading performer during this age. Florence is recognized as an icon for African Americans everywhere because of her passion that never died. Florence started following her dreams at a very young age. “Under the name “Baby Florence”, she made her stage debut at about age five” (Britannica).
Norma Miller was an American dancer, choreographer, and author who became a significant figure in the swing dancing community. She was born in Harlem, New York, in 1919 and was introduced to dancing at a young age. Miller's passion for dancing led her to become a member of Whitey's Lindy Hoppers, a dance troupe formed in the 1930s that brought together some of the most talented dancers of the swing era. As a member of Whitey's Lindy Hoppers, Miller helped spread swing dancing across the United States and the world, performing in numerous shows, movies, and television programs. Miller's contribution to swing dancing extends beyond her dancing skills.
“Where are you now, Gene Kelly?” asked poet Jeremy Bass, “The show’s still going, and we’ve forgotten how to dance” (Bass 76). A Pittsburgher in Hollywood, as he was known, Gene Kelly was an inimitable figure in the history of dance. Known for revolutionizing the world of movie musicals, Gene Kelly’s aura of commonality and ease within his art contributed to the assumption that he would be opposed to the structure of nineteenth century classical ballet. However, due to the nature of his artistic upbringing, his “Excalibur Ideology” and his staged opposition and appreciation of the nineteenth century dance conventions, one can deduce that Kelly, while having respect for classical ballet, believed in the progressing evolution of dance toward
The documentary, Ballet 442, takes us backstage at New York City Ballet, one of the foremost creative dance companies in the world. Justin Peck, one of fifty dancers in the lowest rank of the company, has been commissioned to craft a new ballet after his success at the choreographic institute. Around a countdown to opening night, Ballet 422 shows us the process behind the creation of a ballet within one month, two weeks, one week, and one day. While watching Justin constructing “Paz de la Jolla”, we can feel his tension in his serious face.
In 1948, Agnes de Mille premiered one of her most popular ballets, The Legend of Fall River. The premier occurred at the Metropolitan Opera House in New York City in the spring of that year. Ms. de Mille set the final product on Ballet Theatre, now American Ballet Theatre, despite being on tour for the majority of the creation of the piece. De Mille breathes life back into this piece of history with choreography and drama.
Martha Graham is a very inspirational modern dancer. She influenced numerous amounts of people and sent a message through her dancing. Martha Graham was conceived in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on May 11, 1894. As a child, her dad inspired her because he was a specialist who utilized physical development to cure anxious disorders. All through her teenage years Martha Graham went to Los Angeles to study dance at a school named Denishawn.
One appealing quality of modern dance to African American dancers is that the dancers moved by understanding the techniques and their philosophies, instead of recognizing terms. There are traditionalists and expermentialists who would try to understand techniques and try to branch off to their own individual style of dance. This quality is not only technique, it is also symbolic and expressive. Katherine Dunham had her "Dunham techniques", in which other dancers would try to use to their choreographies. Martha Graham, a European-American dancer, adapted techniques which involves her philosophy of movement inside the womb.
Even though Graham is probably one of the most famous modern choreographers her teachings would have not been the same if it wasn’t for the performers
The two pieces I saw performed by Charlotte Ballet were, Apollo and Walking Mad. I enjoyed both pieces and enjoyed watching the excellent technical abilities of the dancers, especially the point technique. What I enjoyed about Apollo was that the style was traditional ballet with some flare to it. What I mean by flare is they would flex their hands and feet and add sharp accents to their movement. What I also enjoyed about this piece was how each goddess performed a solo section.
Audrey Hepburn was born on May 4, 1929 and died on January 20, 1993 as Audrey Kathleen Ruston in Brussels, Belgium, she was the only child of John Victor Hepburn-Ruston, an Anglo Irish banker, and Baroness Ella van Heemstra, a Dutch aristocrat descended from French and English kings. She had two half-brothers, Alexander and Ian Quarles van Ufford, by her mother's first marriage to a Dutch nobleman. A native of Brussels, Hepburn spent part of her youth in England at a boarding school. During much of World War II, she studied at the Arnhem Conservatory in The Netherlands. After the Nazis invaded the country, Hepburn and her mother struggled to survive.
Tap dance is a genre of dance when metal plates are fitted to the bottom of heels and when hit on a hard surface, a loud or soft sound, depending on the strength, can be made; these shoes are made to produce audible beats by rhythmically striking the floor. (Encyclopedia Britannica, 2018) Tap dance originated in the United States dating back to the 1800’s- 20th century, this style of dance was inspired from the African and Scottish dances; ever since then tap dance has been evolving into a more intricate and individual style of dance. Tap dance has now become a popular expression of dance; it is performed live and is also aired on TV and the internet. Tap Dogs and Hot Shoe Shuffle are a popular example of tap dance due to their distinct style.
Martha Graham was additionally a pioneer in the field of dance choreography and performance
Ballet is a style of dance that originated in the Italian renaissance courts during the 15th and 16th century’s. Ballet later was spread to France and Russia by Catherine de' Medici of Italy. Catherine de' Medici married king Henry ii and then became the queen of France in the mid-15th century and introduced this dance style to French courts. These dancers were mostly aristocratic armatures rather than professional dancers.
The pioneers of the Minimalist dance are Anna Teresa De Keersmaeker and Lucinda
Jazz and modern dance are two different genres of dance. Jazz dance started in the early 1700’s in Africa and was brought to America through the slave trade. Two pioneers that influenced jazz dance were Jack Cole and Katherine Dunham. Jack Cole was called “the Father of theatrical jazz dance” and is remembered as the prime creator of the jazz heritage. Katherine Dunham was known for her leadership of African American jazz dance and started her own dance company.
