Elswit On Dance

Improved Essays
“So You Think You Can Dance” by Kate Elswit
She argues that television viewing audiences are “trained” to view dance in a particular way. She cites “The Cancer Dance” as an example of how implied narrative, emotion, and the pre-performance package teach us what to look for and how to respond.
Dance in the Media
I experience dance in the media through numerous commercials, tv shows, and movies.
Dancing with the Stars is an example of dance in the media. This show encompasses many different styles of dancing such as, the tango, samba, jive, quickstep, and freestyle. Each week, a couple is challenged with mastering a different style of dancing; they are then judged by a panel to determine how well they performed. This example of dance in the
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Elswit argues that we, as viewers, have been trained throughout many years to feel sad when the audience of judges cry.
I think that audiences are “trained” to view dance in a certain way. In literature, an author can create a sense of foreboding that an audience is innately trained to understand. Audiences are “trained” to view dance in a similar way.
Contemporary Dance
The word “contemporary” is defined as belonging to or occurring in the present.
Contemporary dance can be defined as a genre of dance that developed during the mid-20th century. It originally borrowed from classical, modern, and jazz styles of dancing, but it now incorporates numerous styles of dance, generally modern and ballet.
Contemporary dance involves techniques that include non-dance related practices such as, yoga, pilates, etc. It also exhibits dance improvisation.
Contemporary Dance vs. Modern Dance (from article on eLC)
Many believe that “there’s no clear distinction between the two.”
Contemporary relates more to “shapes and lines of classicism,” and modern relates more to “grounded” and “earthy” techniques.
The two meanings are changing constantly, but contemporary typically defines what is currently happening

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