Links

It seems as if everyone was interested in seeing more clips of stepping and strolling so I included them here :

-Strolling is usually used to show that your organization is present at parties/gatherings ect, here it's shown on stage at a step show

-Enjoy!

Phi Beta Sigma syracuse chapter at a step show in Oswego:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=boNaiMZzO5U&feature=related

Kappa Alpha Psi Strolling, first thought that came to mind was the "stripper dance" in RIZE, possibly where they got it from:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9G-brWeMmqs

Delta Sigma Theta Strolling:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kWprpnSBeeI



Also, I appreciate how each one of these African American dance traditions link with one another throughout our readings. I do believe however that you can, in fact, trace the roots of these dances to Africa and not necessarily to America. The African experience in America is unique in that they are one of the few cultures brought to this country against their will. As a way to keep African traditions within the new African American community, as well as keep the community together in times or turmoil (slavery ect..) African traditions were passed down through word of mouth and demonstration. So, while these dances do focus on the African American experience they also have strong correlations to African dances, purposely.

Revelations... Finding Connections to other forms of African American Dance

After reading Alvin Ailey's Revelations article and scouring the Internet for videos of its dance, I've come up with a conclusion. Alvin Ailey's modern dance is similar to Krumping. Call me crazy, but both dances have a very spiritual and religious purpose. While the movements look completely different, their purpose is the same. To invoke some sort of spirits with the dance.

Revelations does however provide audiences and dancers with a historical interpretation of events in African Americans past. Revelations attempts to tell the story of African Americans movement toward freedom during the time of slavery. It calls out to eliminate the current racist style of dance and make way for a brighter more unified future.

Krumping on the other hand calls to the gods to fix their current situation. Krumping seems to be the present day religious dance comparable to Alvin Ailey's. Both dances are spiritual in nature and very interesting.

I really enjoyed reading about Alvin Ailey's article and look forward to discussing it in class today!!

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