Isadora Duncan

Misty Copeland, a soloist with the professional American Ballet Theatre company, once said that ballet is “one of few arts that has maintained its history…and stayed true to what it is”. Ballet is a form of dance and art that dates back to the 15th century. Though it has been modified and tweaked throughout the years, the overall technique has stayed. Ballet has had many influences since it first began. Each time period brought new and improved dancers with brighter and bolder influences to the…

On Tuesday, November 17, 2015, I had the pleasure of viewing AXIS Dance Company. The show was help at the NJPAC in Newark New Jersey, at 7:30 pm. Prior to viewing the show; I possessed little to know information on the company. This was a new concept for me: I usually like to do a lot of research before I go to see a dance company. I wanted this time to be different. Upon picking a dance company to go see live, I stumbled upon the AXIS Dance Company, I had never heard of this particular dance…

Dance may be perceived by some as merely choreography overlaid with music that governs the tempo and overall feel of the piece, however the art of dance is rooted in deeper facets such as culture, ritual, spirituality, and tradition. The culture and traditions that lead to certain dance styles and moves can be traced back somewhat to the economic and political status of the time period and location of the dance. For example, in Mary Wigman’s Hexantanz, or “Witch Dance” (1914), it’s not hard to…

6 Degrees of Separation: Jack Cole & Casey Nicholaw Six degrees of separation is a theory based on the idea that all people or things in this world can be “connected” through six steps or less. While it may be broad, and not always clear connections, it is very possible to connect any two people in less than six degrees. For this assignment, I will be connecting two famous dance choreographers: Jack Cole, and Casey Nicholaw. Though the two don’t seem to have much in common other than their…

Nearly twelve million immigrants arrived in the United States between 1870 and the early 1900’s. These immigrants have helped shape and transform America into a very diverse and unified country, as well as aid in the source of national strength commonly found throughout (“Immigration 3”). Transitioning into the American ways of life was not as straightforward as many immigrants had anticipated, and many people were faced with a considerable about of change, just like Samuel in “The Son from…

Comparing Romanic and Victorian Era Dancing Dance is an aspect of culture, and just like any other culture it changes. When reflecting on La Sylphide and various dances created in the 19th century there is a visual shift in how movement is articulated. When comparing IMAGES OF LA STLPHIDE: Two Accounts by a Contemporary Witness of Marie Taglioni's Appearances in St. Petersburg to Politicizing Dance in Late-Victorian Women’s Poetry, it is obvious that dance is still prevalent in society, however…

“Classical Fantasy” choreographed by Jerry Opdenaker, restaged and danced by Ciera Fielding, was a beautifully done piece because of it’s nod to classical ballet. The reference to classical ballet was due to both the musical choice of a composed piece lacking lyrics, and purely instrumental, as well as her outfit that consisted of a tutu, her ballet shoes with the boxed toe to allow her to go fully on point, and lastly due to her perfection of the aplomb. In this piece Ms. Fielding used indirect…

Dance has long been a medium that represents American culture that is constantly evolving and Martha Graham and Frank Gatson Jr. are two of many choreographers that helped developing modern dancing in America. After watching a lot of videos on how different type of dances emerged in America, I found Martha Graham’s work appealed to me the most because of her expressiveness and intensity in movements. Brought up by a father who was a psychiatrist, her first lesson of dancing was, “Movement never…

The Accelerate dance concert is a modern dance concert presented by the Theater and Dance administrations at the University of Kentucky. The concert consisted of three performances in the month of January. On Saturday January 27th I attended the 7:30 pm Accelerate dance concert in the Guignol Theater in the Fine Arts building on campus. While I have attended dance concerts in my past, both live and through videos, this was the first time I have seen modern dance in person. Currently I am…

British Dance: Influential Black Dancers Made an Impact on Britain “Like Britain itself, British dance has been informed by different waves of immigration”, says dance history professor Ramsay Burt (Roy). Ballet “took root” through a determined Polish woman, Marie Rambert, and Irishwoman, Ninette de Valois (Roy). Modern dance was arranged by exiles form Germany in the 1930s and visitors from America in the 1950s and 1960s (Roy). The stories and history of black British dancers however, tends to…