Ballroom dance

Released in 2011, the documentary, First Position, directed by Bess Kargman, exposes the hardships and the competitive reality of ballet. The documentary uses of multiple film techniques to present the reality of the art rather than preppy stereotype that surrounds it. My experience as one who sacrifices much, a perfectionist and a fellow dancer who faces body stereotypes, I accept the audiences positioning. My similar experiences as a fellow dancer, incurs an empathic response to Miko and her…

Directional lines are used by artists to direct the viewer to a specific part of the painting. In Degas’s The Dance Class, he directs our attention to the background first. The slight diagonal and contrasting colors of the wall makes it a distinctive feature of the painting, and this is what I noticed first. One can follow that line to the back wall and see many ballerinas. After that, the focus is shifted to the directional line on the floor that leads to the focal point of the painting.…

Is cheer leading a sport Everyone knows those girls who sit on the sidelines of other sports and yell “GO TEAM.” These girls have to be very athletic and trained to do all of their stunts. The professional name of these girls is cheerleaders, they are the ones who get all of the crowd peppy on Friday night games and then go and compete all day Saturday and yet what they do is not considered a sport. The topic of Cheerleading has generated a lot of argument for the two viewpoints of…

The three experiences I am evaluating are: a past position I held on my dance team, a previous job I held as a secretary, and a volunteer position I held in a church. I have been dancing the majority of my life and held a senior lieutenant ranking on my dance team. Dance helped me develop an understanding of determination, hard work, and team work. I started the dance team simply as a line member and worked my way up, until I reached a lieutenant ranking. I remember hundreds of early mornings…

In J.H. Kwabena Nketia’s reading about “The Interrelations of African Music and Dance”, there was a few points I found interesting. The first thing I’d like to point out is how she mentions that certain movements that are made are chosen within different societies. I find that pretty unique, because no matter what part of Africa you go, you will always see different styles of dancing and different movements. As well as, being able to distinguish the type of differences within the groups. For…

and competes for fun. Everyone when thinking of this always thinks about the basic guy jock sports, and never considers dance to fill one of these categories. But, there are numerous ways to prove those people wrong, right into the ground. Those are fixed mindset people who do not expand their horizons and poison your thoughts, anyways. Any way that you put a spin on it, dance is definitely, positively, a sport. The first reason that those ignorant people give, is “It is not even in the…

However, there are more activities that are also fighting the same battle to gain recognition as a sport. One of those activities is marching band. Many people believe that marching band is not a sport and should just be classified as a musical activity. Those beliefs give marching band the general stereotype that it is not an athletic activity and should just be thought of as a part of the music program. Marching band is a sport and therefore should receive recognition and funding as one. There…

spiritual leaders. European explorers observed this religious practice and dances in the 1800s. The Europeans mispronounced the name for the gathering as “powwow”. This leads us to the pronunciation of the word today and adaptation. Nonetheless, gatherings similar to powwows existed long before European settlement. Dances have always been an important aspect of the life of Native Americans and a part of their culture. Dances were associated with homecoming celebrations, religious ceremonies,…

One would not expect a dance to disturb and challenge normative views when watching live or on the screen. The dance, Turbulence by Kenneth Hennessey, challenges those views with simple acts. The choreographer, Kenneth Hennessey, challenges these views by including the audience into the dance. Normally, a dance would not include the dance, but this dance includes the audience’s full attention throughout the entirety of the performance. Then the choreographer introduces the form of nakedness to…

The piece “Tiller Girls” is set in a 1930’s night club, where men are seen drinking and watching the show. When seated, the stage appears eye level to the audience members. The piece opens up with six women running onto a small stage. The backdrop of the stage is a shimmering black curtain. Red and white light bulbs frame the stage. The club is dimly lit and acts as the clubs main source of light. The dancers and the musicians are dressed provocatively with little, to no clothing on. In…