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?Riverdance?, 2004.
Examines the African-American tap dancing origins of the Irish dance production, "Riverdance".
2,500 words (approx. 10.0 pages), 5 sources, MLA, $ 75.95
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Abstract
"Riverdance" is arguably Irish step-dancing at its best. This paper shows that it is, however, as much a stepchild of African-American tap dance as it is of the eons-long Celtic heritage. In fact, without the renaissance of African-American tap dancing between the 1960s and 1980s, it is unlikely "Riverdance" would ever have happened. African-American tap dancing, then, is at least the godparent of today?s most popular dance show and a true foundation of what might be called World Dance, just as African-American music can be argued to be a strong basis for World Beat. This paper outlines the seminal events and essential figures that led directly from African-American tap dancing to "Riverdance". The method used to demonstrate the probability that "Riverdance" could not have been created were it not for African-American tap dance is to draw parallels and elucidate convergences between the ancient Irish step-dance and the African-American tap dance forms.
From the Paper
"The event that began to put African American dancers back in the public eye was the Civil Rights act of 1964. 39 After that, the African American performer was not considered just an entertainer, but an artist, a full-fledged member of the mainstream of dance. 40 Although modern ballet artist Alvin Ailey was becoming famous, there was renewed interest in Master Juba, long deceased, and Bill ?Bojangles? Robinson, who had done a ?stair dance? on film with Shirley Temple in the Depression; black dancers from the 1930s and 1940s were overcoming the pejorative aspects of the old minstrel show and coming back as highly sought-after dance artists.41 "
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Modern Dance, 2004.
An overview of the history of modern dance.
1,117 words (approx. 4.5 pages), 3 sources, MLA, $ 38.95
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Abstract
This paper examines how European and American theatrical dance had always centered on ballet until the early 20th century, when it became fashionable in dance circles to rebel against the strictures of tradition. It looks at how modern dance, which resembles modern art and music in that it is experimental and iconoclastic, developed primarily in the United States and Germany. It discusses how, in the beginning, modern dance was often misunderstood by audiences and how, by the 1950s, modern dance was firmly established in the dance world. It also shows how modern dance is said to be based on the four principles of substance, dynamism, metakinesis, and form, and how, due to the creative efforts of the modern dance pioneers, dancers today use a broader range of techniques, styles, and source materials than ever before.
From the Paper
"The first American dancers to break from classical ballet were Isadora Duncan, Loie Fuller, and Ruth St. Denis (Modern pp). Although their styles differed, their unconventional approaches opened the door to a new era in dance history, namely the American modern dance movement of the 1920?s (Modern pp). Those involved in this movement based their works on personal experience, using their bodies as instruments to express emotions such as passion, fear, grief or joy (Modern pp). The dancer created form as an outgrowth of his or her own communicative impulses, rather than adhering to the set form and limited range of gestures of ballet (Modern pp)."
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Isadora Duncan, 2002.
Biography of the dancer, Isadora Duncan.
1,572 words (approx. 6.3 pages), 4 sources, MLA, $ 51.95
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Abstract
This paper presents a brief biography of the dancer, Isadora Duncan, as well as a description of her philosophy of the dance form. The paper also discusses her influence on and contribution to modern dance.
From the Paper
"Duncan?s personal success as a dancer should not diminish what is perhaps her greater contribution, her success as a teacher and a creator of her own tradition. She began her first school in Grunewald, Germany in 1904, selecting children from the poorer classes and providing completely for all their physical and materials need from her own pocket. Later, she established schools in both Russia and Paris. Interestingly enough, these schools are proudly proclaimed as providing an unbroken legacy of tradition with their founders. ?The existence of Isadora's dances lies in the transmission of the choreographies from one dancer to another in an unbroken line of generations of Duncan dancers,? writes Lori Belivoe in the periodical and press release of the foundation that bears Isadora?s name. (Belivoe, Isadora Duncan Foundation for Contemporary Dance, ?Isadora Duncan Legacy and Schools?) Duncan?s indefinable, inexact balance between classicism and personal, inner artistic poetic expression manifested in dance thus became a ?tradition? in and of itself."
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The Pas de Deux in Balanchine's ?Agon?, 2002.
This paper discusses the pas de deux section in Balanchine?s ballet ?Agon? as an example of the virtual gesture.
1,025 words (approx. 4.1 pages), 3 sources, MLA, $ 36.95
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Abstract
This paper explains that the pas de deux section in Balanchine?s ballet ?Agon? is a sculptural representation of a relationship, expressing only aspects of reality in the dance. The author believes through absurdity and grandeur the pas de deux of Balanchine's ?Agon? creates the virtual emotions of a conflicted relationship.The author describes and interprets each part of the pas de deux.
From the Paper
"The pas de deux begins with a series of relatively quick steps performed by both dancers, with the female being one full count ahead of the male. This creates the strong impression that the female is leading the male, and establishes her dominance in the dance from the opening. This is unusual in ballet, where the classical pas de deux is performed with the male leading and the female following. The slightly frenetic opening ends in a pose that is repeated later, with the man above the woman, her leg up in an extreme, attitude arabesque that wraps about his head. This pose is remarkable for the extremity of the movement, and its visual illusion of the woman trapping the man with her bent leg. This pose is one exemplification of the comments of Lincoln Kirstein about the pas de deux, with its "naked strength, bare authority, and self-discipline in constructs of stressed extreme movement" "
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Isadora Duncan, 2002.
A biography of the life and career of the American dancer, Isadora Duncan.
1,572 words (approx. 6.3 pages), 4 sources, MLA, $ 51.95
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Abstract
This paper reviews the life of the artist, dancer and teacher Isadora Duncan born in 1878 and discusses her contribution to American dance. It examines how Isadora Duncan is largely credited with establishing what we now know as modern dance and how she infused the accepted dance modalities of her day with ideas old and new. It analyzes how Duncan?s attitudes and approaches came from her native America and how these ideas involved a stress upon unfettered athleticism for both men and women. Duncan wished to develop the body?s capacity for jumping, stretching and expressing emotions rather than pure excellence and form in isolation.
From the Paper
"Thus, although she lived and traveled extensively in Europe, it is important to remember Duncan?s origins in the United States and subsequent influence upon American dance?s cavalier attitude towards formulaic traditions. ?Born in 1878 in San Francisco, Isadora Duncan grew up in a childhood filled with imagination and art. Her mother introduced her four children (Isadora was youngest) to classical music, as well as Shakespeare, poetry, literature and art. Isadora spent many hours playing and dancing upon the beach, and even taught dance classes to younger children as a way to earn a little extra money for the struggling family. In her teenage years, Isadora traveled to Chicago and New York with some of her family members, working and performing in various productions such as Mme. Pygmalion, Midsummer's Night Dream or vaudeville shows with limited success."
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Isadora Duncan:A Pioneer of Dance, 2002.
Examining the life and work of Isadora Duncan and how her dance style developed over the years.
1,412 words (approx. 5.6 pages), 5 sources, MLA, $ 47.95
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Abstract
This paper looks at the life of Isadora Duncan, a pioneer in modern dance. It discusses her early life, personal life and education. The paper then addresses how her dance style was influenced by various elements such as Greek influence and American culture. It looks at Duncan's education and how this impacted her art. The paper concludes with the status of Duncan's dance style today and the existance of the Isadora Duncan Dance Ensemble.
From the Paper
"Isadora Duncan is recognized as one of the pioneers of modern dance as it is known today. Since childhood she had loved poetry, beauty and rhythm. She had a large amount of practical common sense juxtaposed with a dreaming quality, inherited from her father. As her childhood was marked by poverty, Duncan hated reality, and was a rebel (Dickson, 2001). This was all worsened by her parents? divorce and her mother?s insistence that her father was practically subhuman. Furthermore Isadora?s mother disavowed their faith and accepted atheism. The child?s confusion was heightened by the fact that when she met her father, he was a charming, lovable man. This resulted in the fact that Isadora never lost her contempt for the institution of marriage as she had grown up with it."
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Serge Diaghilev and the Ballets Russes, 2002.
A history of Serge Diaghilev and his ballet company, Ballets Russes, and its influence on the world of ballet.
1,080 words (approx. 4.3 pages), 5 sources, MLA, $ 37.95
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Abstract
The paper gives a history of Russian-born Serge Diaghilev and explains how his unconventional ideas of ballet led to the creation of the Ballets Russes in France. The paper lists the people associated with the company and explains the factors that contributed to the success of the Ballets Russes. The author describes the incredible impact that the Ballets Russes had on the world of ballet.
From the Paper
"Serge Diaghilev was born of Russian nobility in Perm, Russia, on March 19, 1872. In 1890 his family moved to Saint Petersburg, and at the university there, Diaghilev was supposed to study law, but he soon became enamored with the arts and realized that was where his future lay."
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History of Social Dancing in the Twentieth Century, 2002.
A concise study on the history of social dancing in 20th century.
655 words (approx. 2.6 pages), 8 sources, MLA, $ 23.95
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Abstract
This paper examines historically social dancing in the 20th century, also called couple dancing. The paper describes the five different types: Modern Waltz, Tango, Viennese Waltz, Slow Foxtrot, and Quickstep, all of which are presently danced the world over both socially as well as in dance sport competitions.
From the Paper
"Social dancing was derived from the concept of dancing by a couple, usually a man and a lady, in a closed hand. Coming from the eighteenth and early nineteenth century, these dances gained popularity from the standard ballroom dances with diverse rhythms, tempos, and aesthetics. Although all these aspects changed with the change in the social attitudes, the one thing, which remained common through out the history of dancing, is that of the couple dance or the social dances. (Evans 2001)"
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August Bournonville, 2002.
This paper takes a look at the life and achievements of August Bournonville, the most celebrated Danish choreographer in history.
1,180 words (approx. 4.7 pages), 0 sources, $ 40.95
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Abstract
The following paper discusses August Bournonville?s family life, the way in which he got to be the principal for the Copenhagen Royal Theatre, as well as their ballet-master and dance teacher. It examines the way in which Bournonville took a very contrasting humanistic approach to dance ? he tended to focus on the beauty found in the ordinary things.
From the Paper
?His third daughter, Mathilde, was a teacher; his fourth daughter, Therese was a homemaker, and his son Edmond was a doctor with a successful practice in both Sweden and Denmark. Wilhelmine was the Bournonville?s adopted daughter, who seemed to perhaps ease his guilt about his daughter whom he had abandoned so many years earlier in France. It is important to interject that Bournonville did keep in correspondence with the adoptive parents of his first-born daughter, and he even corresponded with her after she was on her own. He never revealed to her that he was her father, but he aided her economically at any chance that he had.?
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Christianity, Culture and Dance, 2007.
This paper looks at dance and culture from the standpoint of Christianity.
4,314 words (approx. 17.3 pages), 28 sources, APA, $ 114.95
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Abstract
In this paper, the writer briefly traces Christianity's struggles on the subject of dance. The writer considers historical and Biblical interpretation and cultural developments and notes that the question of how Christians should engage culture in regards to this rather bodily activity is not easily or permanently answered. The writer also expresses her point of view than an appreciation of the physical body, along with its creative expressions is paramount in living out our faith in the Creator and in engaging our culture.
Outline:
Historically and Biblically
Various Church Responses
Where Christians Dance and Why
Conclusion - The Parable of the Lord of the Dance
References
Appendix 1 - The Shim Sham
Appendix 2 - Websites of Interest
Appendix 3 - Lord of the Dance
Appendix 4 - The Ark Brought to Jerusalem
From the Paper
"In the Hebrew tradition, dance was an integral part of celebrations. It was used both in worship, in ordinary life and on occasions of victory and festivity. Dance functioned as a medium of prayer and praise, as an expression of joy and reverence, and as a mediator between God and humanity. This understanding of dance permeated the faith of the early Christian church.
"However, by the time of the Reformation the church, both Catholic and Protestant, had eliminated dance from worship, forcing dance back into the secular realm, where it flourished."
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Dance and Arthritis, 2007.
This paper explores the relationship between dancers from a young age and the development of arthritis.
2,469 words (approx. 9.9 pages), 14 sources, MLA, $ 75.95
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Abstract
The paper explains that although dance does not directly cause arthritis, improper techniques in dance can cause injuries that result in arthritis. The paper relates, however, that dance can also serve as a means of physical therapy for arthritic sufferers by increasing their range of motion, muscle strength and overall physical and mental health. More specifically, the paper discusses the relationship of dance at a young age to the development of arthritis as well as dance's therapeutic effect on arthritic sufferers.
From the Paper
"Many dancers experience aches and pains though out their dancing careers. Despite the cause of the pain, many find it commonplace, and therefore ignore it. Others choose pain-dulling drugs to overcome the pain. However, pain and "discomfort should not be considered a normal result of dancing. If an ache or pain recurs after a few hours of rest or a good night's sleep, it must be confronted and the source examined." (Horosco, Cures and Myths about Arthritis 108) The causes of these pains are too many to number, but one that many do not realize may be linked to arthritis."
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Zydeco Music, 2001.
This paper describes zydeco music and dancing, popularized by Creole French speaking people of African decent living on the prairies of south-central and southwest Louisiana.
2,860 words (approx. 11.4 pages), 6 sources, MLA, $ 84.95
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Abstract
This paper explains that zydeco music, a form of dance music, is characterized by a syncopation or a shift of accent in a passage or composition that occurs when a normally weak beat is stressed. The author points out that the accordion and keyrub board, (also know as the washboard, scrub board or a froittoir) are essential parts of the zydeco sound, but there are no fiddles as in Cajun music. The paper relates that traditional zydeco dancing was done subtly, smoothly and upright by couples in a closed position; however, zydeco dancing appears to be evolving from a couples dance to individual free-style. The author relates that Clifton Chenier, who brought the zydeco genre to international attention, reigned as the "King of Zydeco" with a career lasting 30 years, and earned a Grammy award in 1984.
From the Paper
"The changes that have taken place in zydeco music can be tracked by the type of accordion that is used. There were four different models of accordions that have been widely used in the zydeco musical genre, each type varying in the number of rows, and consequently the number of keys. The accordions were sturdy and could be easily heard in big crowds of people. Today, there are diatomic models as well as chromatic models. The diatomic models only play the full-step intervals found in major scales, while the chromatic "piano" accordions encompass half-step intervals..."
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