Rui Horta

In class we're talking about dancing as a means of identity. But to what extent is dance still considered dance.

Last semester I took Performance Live while studying abroad in London. It was... interesting. It definitely opened my eyes and challenged what I believed to be a performance. One of the shows that we went to see as a class was a dance choreographed by Rui Horta. Rui Horta is a famous Portuguese choreographer known for his post-modern dances. (Connection to class, he studied at the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater in the US.) Going in we knew that it was going to be modern dance, but we were not prepared for what we actually saw.

The video attached is in Portuguese but for a little background, the show consists of two couples. The younger couple dances followed by the older couple. It's supposed to showcase how relationships change as people age.

So now I ask you, would you consider this dancing?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xDS7U6_4y88

Turfing video

In the hip hop and krumping class, I mentioned the video on youtube of "turfing." Its a lot like the dance battles we discussed except the competition takes place on the streets, really cool to check out. The people competing face each other on opposite sides of the street. Here's the link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JQRRnAhmB58

Atlantic City Embracing the Roaring 20's

I stumbled upon this article about bringing back the 20's culture in Atlantic City and found it quite interesting for a variety of reasons. I was first exposed to the culture of this time period by reading The Great Gatsby (one of my favorite books), and was just amazed at the vibrant life-styles that these characters were able to live. From the party's to the clothing to most notably the jazz music and swing dance, it is evident that this period has some incredibly defining characteristics. So, when I happen to come across this article I was immediately intrigued. Basically, to try and refresh many businesses in Atlantic City are going retro. The outfits, music and dances of that time period are becoming incredibly popular once again. The concept treads on the hit HBO show "Boardwalk Empire" which focuses on the 20's in Atlantic City. I find it quite amazing how the music and dance style of this era have has such a lasting impact.

Here is a link to the article:
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=133366180

Alvin Ailey Revelations

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gWJzSP7irwM

In light of the reading for this week, I thought I'd post a video of Alvin Ailey's company performance of Revelations. I find it interesting that the dancers have been technically trained, and obviously use formal ballet steps, they also use a lot of emotion in their dances. While the two styles are completely different, I can feel a similar emotion between krumping and this style of dance. I notice a similarity in facial development, where dancers are completely expressing themselves in their faces, between these two dances as well. All in all, I thought it was a very interesting dance to watch, as it obviously combines cultural and emotional moments into the dance. Do you see any similarities of this dance with other ones we've looked at?

Musicality in Skating

I know this is a little different than dancing, but I am a huge fan of figure skating, as I competitively skated a few years ago, while dancing at the same time. There are relationships between the two, as skating can be seen by some as dancing on ice. This is a performance from Alissa Czisny, who won the US Nationals Women Title this past weekend, and she is one of my favorite skaters to watch. As we move into talking about ragtime, jazz dance, and African dancing, which are very different styles than krumping and hip-hop, watch the musicality and gracefulness she shows during her performance, which helps set her apart from other skaters. What is your opinion on her musicality and choreography to the music, especially during her footwork sequence? Is there a comparison between skating and dancing?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=acOXY2kAQu0

Kids Freestyle Krumping

It's apparent that the class as a whole is very fond of krumping, clowning, and break dancing. This afternoon I happened to stumble upon a video that shows young boys krumping and I just had to share it with you! I know we discussed that krumping is more of a dance battle, but these three young boys seem to be working with each other while battling at the same time by showcasing their moves one by one. Enjoy this video!

Clown Dancing in Music Videos

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KQ3NwD8qnDg

This is an interesting video that talks about using clown dance in music videos. I find it unique that clown dance, a dance that is part of the underground hip hop culture, finds a place within commercialized music and music videos. Does an account from MTV News give exposure to this form of dance for others to imitate and study? I think it does, and allows for other musicians and rappers to use this form of dance in more commercialized settings. After all, a few years ago, So You Think You Can Dance did do a portion on krumping, and now has a regular place within the competition show. Will this dance culture evolve to get away from a place in music videos, or will they embrace the expansion and exposure of their dance style?

"Rize" article

http://www.bboy.org/forums/interviews-articles/64333-krumping-rize-captures-exuberant-dance-genre.html

-Just interesting... check it out. It's an article from a BBoy blog. A lot about the director as well as the relationship between the dancing seen in "Rize" and how it effects the lifestyle in the areas where that dance is present. Helped me out a bit on the last question of the worksheet.

Krumping in Korea

Hey all,
So going off of what we heard/learned about krumping yesterday, here's a clip of krumping in a different region: Korea. It's a tad long, so perhaps just watch a few minutes of it. After hearing what our guests had to say about breakdancing being different in various geographic regions yesterday (i.e. Brooklyn being more focused on footwork), do you see any stylistic differences and/or similarities in the clip compared to the couple examples that we saw in class yesterday?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YfgZuNeYAeY

Thanks!

Get Ready to Krump

Tomorrow in class I will present the article: The Multiringed Cosmos of Krumping By Christina Zanfagna. Before reading the article, I had little knowledge of Krumping past the routines I saw on So You Think You Can Dance. After reading the article, I learned that Krumping has much more meaning than I ever expected. The dancers who Krump dance with a purpose and it allows them to escape reality for a second. In addition, Krumping tells a story, challenges dancers, and creates contained battles between crews. I will teach you all this and more tomorrow, but in the meantime, I thought I would share a little Krumping preview with you: Check out this video from SYTYCD!!!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y6THP9YHh6Q

What is your reaction to the dancing you see in this video? What emotions are the dancers expressing?

Thanks!

Alex

Meaning of Hip Hop

After reading the article for this week about the culture of Hip Hop, it reminded me of topics I'm discussing in my pop culture class. In this class, we are discussing what pop culture is and how it is created. Institutions create the ideas we see in everyday life that we recognize as "popular" because they are dominant. In these terms, hip hop dancers are almost a subordinate culture, fighting against the norm. They are constantly reinventing and adding to their styles with their groups and dance moves. Since they have some historical connection to gangs, hip hop dance is "looked down upon" by society in some ways, but the B-boys are constantly fighting and proving themselves capable; they are in a constant struggle and battle for survival. I thought it was powerful when the dance was described in the article as telling a story. While the dance may be improvised and seem like a random set of moves, the B-boys are actually making "clear statements about who they are and their relationship to the world"; there is a purpose and meaning behind every move they make, and it is up to the viewer to interpret the text of dance (Aesthetics, 91). I have to give B-boys a lot of credit for constantly fighting and wanting to prove their identity, even when higher powers are against them.

Evolution of Dance video

Hey everyone, so I guess I'll start this blog off. I found this video of a comedian dancing through the decades. It's an interesting approach to dance in our culture. Throughout the semester (by looking at the syllabus) it seems we will be talking about different types of dances throughout various subcultures. In this video, the comedian goes through the decades using songs that were very big in pop culture for the time. All of these dances are seen as somewhat "American" from the "Twist" to the "Cotton Eyed Joe" in a different way from the "Square Dance" to the "Hula," which are most based on subcultures. Each song he dances to has its own dance, that basically everyone (who was alive at the time in this country) knows. I found this a different way to study and look at Dance in American Culture. Dances often are the result of songs as is the case here. Many of these dances came from the artist's music video such as N'Sync's "Bye Bye Bye." Here's the link, it's really funny and you can all dance along.




http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dMH0bHeiRNg&feature=bf_play&playnext=1&list=QL&index=1