Duncan MacLeod

Martha was inspired by St. Denis performance at the Mason Opera House and enrolled in an arts oriented junior college and later at the Denishawn School, which was founded by Ruth St. Denis and her husband Ted Shawn to teach techniques world dance. She worked a period of time with Ted Shawn and Martha improved her dancing skills. She is recognized for her first role of an attacked Aztec maiden, “Xochital” and a dance made for her by Shawn. By 1923, eight years after entering Denishawn, she found…

The two choreographers draw from stripping down classical movements by investing in the possibilities of what ballet can become. Classical ballet is founded on principles of the body. Some distinctive features include turnout of the outward rotation of the legs, positions of the feet with emphasis on flexibility and the point of the foot. Some of Balanchine’s innovations of classical ballet include the action of the extended foot, the extension of hands to the end of the fingertips, the tilting…

There are many styles of dance, and they all require different skill sets. The two styles of dance that I am discussing today are both styles that tell a story on stage over multiple hours, introducing many different characters and having a beginning, middle and end. However, going to see, and training to perform in ballet and musical theater are two very different experiences. Ballet is one of the oldest dance styles and, while it tells a story, there is no speaking, singing or any other words…

“I wanted to begin not with characters or ideas, but with movements. I wanted significant movement. I did not want it to be beautiful or fluid. I wanted it to be fraught with inner meaning, with excitement and surge” (Martha Graham). Martha Graham is considered the inventor of modern dance, her impact on dance was staggering. Throughout her career, Graham choreographed 181 masterpiece dance compositions and many new age choreographers are challenged to be as great as Martha herself. At the time,…

4. Reflect on the significance of Dame Peggy van Praagh on the development of Australian dance in general and the Australian Ballet in particular. English born, Dame Peggy van Praagh, The Australian Ballet Company’s premiere Artistic Director presented Australian dancers and audiences with a development of classical ballet in Australia; taking initiative to build a dance company that revitalized the Ballet of the nation, advancing their standard and “defining the face of ballet in our country…

Th Gift of Social Dance Social Dance has opened my eyes to the different possibilities of how dance can make people feel. I was very timid and cautious about this class for I did not know what I was expecting. I joined the class because my roommate did not want to do it alone, and it would be something different and out of my comfort spot. However, I am actually very pleased with the overall outcome that came from this experience from the various types of dances, having new partners each day,…

Betty Marie Tallchief was a great dancer. Things that made her a great dancer was the stories her grandmother told her. Some other things that made her a great dancer was her determination and passion to deny the racism and negative criticism she faced as a ballet dancer. One last key factor was that she told her heritage in her dances. Betty Marie Tallchief Has alway lived in her heritage. I think this because, passage stated, “Since most professional ballerinas at the time were white and…

“The body is your instrument in dance, but your art is outside that creature, the body.” (Graham). In pole dance, one uses their body to create art. The dancers body is not the art, but the movements the body creates is the art. Contemporary dance is musical expression which incorporates modern and post-modern aspects of dance, as well as classical dance styles such as ballet. In “The Last Goodbye” choreographed by Isis Masoud, and starring Marlo Fisken & Kyle DesChamps, they combined…

very important in the development of early modern dance was Isadora Duncan. Isadora Duncan was an enlightening element to behold. She developed within this rule free and natural movements inspired by the classical Greek arts, folk dances, social dances, nature and natural forces as well as an approach to the new American athleticism which included skipping, running, jumping, leaping and tossing. We have a lot to thank Isadora Duncan for in modern…

William Shakespeare’s plays, Hamlet and Macbeth, have differences and similarities. These plays are both tragedies, which often use supernatural incidents to outline the plot of the story and give both plays a more somber tone. There are many aspects of comparing and contrasting the plays of Hamlet and Macbeth. However, the most significant of the similarities and differences is found in the characters of Hamlet and Macbeth themselves. Macbeth is a commendable and distinctive tragic hero. He…