In Nikki Giovanni's poem, “Walking Down Park” Giovanni talks about things that used to be on the land of New York that is no longer there as well as, things that could have been there but didn’t have the chance. Giovanni begins the poem by saying “walking down park / amsterdam / or columbus,” these three names are streets located in New York, which is how the reader learns about the setting of this poem. Giovanni then asks “do you ever stop / to think what it looked like / before it was an avenue.” This is the first instance where Giovanni reflects on what things used to be like before New York became a large city. While Giovanni doesn’t dig deep into this first thought of the past, she makes it apparent that things have changed.
When you are dancing, there are many things you can channel; emotions, memories, people, experiences, stories, the list goes on and on. These properties can be portrayed through movements, facial expressions, and music. Dancing can also portray conflict; such as the conflict between Ponyboy Curtis and Darry Curtis in S.E. Hinton’s beloved novel, The Outsiders. In our dance piece, titled, Hard to See, both the music and movements work in harmony to illustrate Darry and Ponyboy’s maturing relationship.
Throughout her career, “Mills earned a reputation for her wondrous, high-pitched voice, unique dance movements and comedic timing that allowed her to become an unparalleled force during the Harlem Renaissance. With Mills quite aware of the racial dynamics of the day and wishing to make a difference, she also served as an icon for African-American performers and audiences of all backgrounds.” (Bio.) Mills was well recognized for amazing talents, and became more popular as she starred in “Shuffle Along”, “Plantation Revenue”, and “Blackbirds”. Starring in mostly musicals, Mills was recognized more for her beautiful voice, and was a huge star in Britain by 1926.
“It’s not what you have it's what you don't have that counts.” that exact quote helped turtle win The Westing Game. the sixth graders of Gull Lake middle school read The Westing Game, by Ellen Raskin. The Westing game had strong characters who were strong in movie and book characters.
Despite the grim decade, music ruled the young and old. In 1938 a traffic of young teens stood in line in front of Paramount Theater to see the ultimate song, “Sing, Sing, Sing” from Benny Goodman (Hard Times, the 30s 136). From dance, icons to entertainment, and famous literary works influenced the nation to keep on fighting strong even in those grim times. During the battles of the Great Depression dancing still remained
For instance, scene 1 incorporated smooth, relaxed, and loose movements while scene 2 encompassed heavy, swaying, and sharp movements. Scene 3 embodied weightless, smooth, and sustained movements, but scene 4 contained swinging, relaxed, and light movements with a high tempo. Overall, this performance opened my eyes to some of the ideas, values, and beliefs of African-Americans in the 1900s and inspired me in a variety of different
Women’s Blues music in the 1920s and early 1930s served as liberation for the sexual and cultural politics of female sexuality in black women’s dissertation. Hazel V. Carby explores the ideology of the white feminist theory in her deposition, "It Jus Be 's Dat Way Sometime: The Sexual Politics of Women 's Blues", and critiques its views by focusing on the representation of feminism, sexuality, and power in black women’s blues music. She analyzes the sexual and cultural politics of black women who constructed themselves as sexual subjects through songs in blues music and explains how the representation of black female sexuality in black women’s fiction and in women’s blues differ from one another. Carby claims that these black women
In 1971, Alvin Ailey choreographed Cry, a three part work solo dance set to gospel music that describes an emotional journey filled with struggle, hardships, defeat, survival and joy. It was intended as a birthday present to Alvin’s mother and a dedication to all black women everywhere. The first part of the dance is the struggle of trying to maintain pride irrespective of the opposition faced from outside. The second part reveals the sorrow within after the woman’s pride has been shattered into pieces and finally the third part is a spirited celebration of finding strength and joy in God. Even though cry was dedicated to only black women, i argue the notion that all women both black and white of the nineteenth century could relate
Introduction “They teach you there's a boundary line to music. But, man, there's no boundary line to art”. – Charlie Parker. During the Harlem Renaissance people weren’t just making music, they were creating a new way of life, a brand-new culture.
The song “Yankee Doodle Dandy” was utilized by the British in a satiric manner during the Revolutionary War, declaring the colonial troops as “country bumpkins” unfit for battle. Over the course of the war, the composition of “Yankee Doodle Dandy” adapted over one hundred and ninety versions varying in insults from the British criticizing the Americans and vice versa. Oftentimes during the battle, the British played the tune, mocking the rebels. Nearing the end of the war, this song obtained the title as the New Republic’s national anthem; despite the original objective of the piece. “Yankee Doodle Dandy” shares a similar tune to that of “Lucy Locket”, and the rendition performed throughout the duration of the Revolutionary War is believed
Nina Simone reacts to the ubiquitous attacks on the African American community with her song Mississippi Goddam. In it she describes the constant distress that is inevitable as an African American woman. She expresses her ache and resentment with definitive lyrics such as: “The name of this tune is Mississippi Goddam And I mean every word of it”. Nina takes advantage of the stage and uses her voice, to convey the pain of her community.
Music all over the world has been shaping generations for many years now. The rock n roll of the 70’s and 80’s, pop and hip-hop of the 90’s and early 2000’s and finally, many different popular genres of the generation we now live in. Music provides a means of expression for all types of individuals. Some music even goes against the social norm and tries to bring attention to social injustices. The song “Crooked Smile” by rapper J. Cole tackles the issue of unrealistic expectations of women with the songs exceptional lyrics, broad metaphors, and positive tone.
Poems can be analyzed in various ways ranging from their complexity to the emotions they convey to readers. The poems, “The Weary Blues” by Langston Hughes and “The Harlem Dancer” by Claude McKay will be analyzed based on their similarities and differences to name a few. The poems may describe different events; however the overall connection between the two can be identified by readers with deeper reading. Comparisons between the poems may easier to analyze and identify compared to the contrasts based on the reader’s perception. Overall, the concept and much more will reveal how the poems are connected and special in their own way.
The painting called I am not a Man I am a Brother, emphasizes a forlorn mood of leaving the people who have been struggling in the slave industry and flee to the north are forsaking the other slaves that they were with. Presently, art does make themes and deeper meanings into a visual and solid form of art but music portrays a feeling that is not generated by the other types of art and can change the mood and reflect the mood of a
