Ballet
The dance style has evolved since your reign, and more complex moves and musical rhythms have seen the light of the day. The modern dance moves find their roots in the traditional dances which were motions meant to describe feeling and emotions by the performers. As a performer and a lover of the ballet, (the mother of dances), I write to inform you how what you started years ago has evolved and become sophisticated. Also, I would like to take you through stages and how the early dance spread to different regions leading to the current or somewhat temporary state of dance as an art. I am sure you would rejoice to know that something you formalized in the court system in France as a form of entertainment has become more than just an art (Rinehart, 67). Different dances that have their roots in the ballet dance are nowadays used for several purposes including exercise. The following is a series of stages and styles that dance as art has gone through since ballet in the seventeenth century and how ballet contributed to the development of the art.
Though ballet is said to have originated from Italy in the late 16th century, history has it that you and Catherine de’ Medici helped in propagating the art of ballet dance during your reign in France (Rinehart 67). I understand that it was your passion as a child to dance and that you won the hearts of many when you performed ballet at the age of fourteen and came up on top earning you the name “sun king”. From France, with your influence, ballet found its way to other countries such as Russia and the United States of America through the Russia immigrants. Some of the dances were developed during your reign that has their roots in ballet and have contributed to the contemporary dance and music theatre are;
French court-ballet: the dance was hyped and got its fame during your reign as the king of the French empire. It is my understanding that during your childhood you were a court ballet performer with your dancing masters and you carried it forward to when you were in charge of the country. It is also worth noticing that it is you who came up with the five first foot points that form the core of today’s ballet dance through the French court-ballet. Today’s Paris Opera Ballet school is also one of your many works that were created during your reign to ensure that the art of professional ballet dance continues. Aside from the Paris Ballet School, it is because of your efforts that there were other schools in England, Denmark as well as Russia. The results of your efforts are visible today because professional ballet has become a culture of many individuals in the named countries and beyond (Gorce 335).
Contra Dance: the dance is said to be a combination of French, Scottish and English dance discovered in the seventeenth century. By then, some folks referred to it as the “New England folk dance” which made its origin lean too much towards the side of England. Just like ballet, this dance comprised of two people dancing together with interrelated moves which were done along the length of the dance hall. In this type of dance your majesty, there was an individual who led other dancers by “calling” the moves and steps to be made before they would start dancing. He or she would show them these moves so that they can move in unison. These moves made by the caller could range between 6 to 12 depending on the beats and the length of the music. It is also important that I inform you that this dance was done with the source of music or rather live techno music. The dance was a result of the propagation of ballet dance that you ensured got its roots into the French territory and beyond (Pacifica, n.p).
After the discoveries and your efforts to spread the ballet dance, other forms of dance that are related to Ballet and those that are a bit different arose. People realized that both as a form of entertainment and other functions, dance is an art you can use as a form of expression of various emotions. In the mid-1970s, the black Americans and Latino came up with a dance style that majorly focused on rhythm and wordplay or raping. This form of dance and music was referred to as the Hip-Hop dance. This form of dance was associated with another art where an individual manipulates sounds and rhythm to create something called “mix”, and the person who did this is referred to as a DJ. It also came with another form of art known as graffiti where the lovers of hip-hop drew art and different wordings on walls (Desvignes, n.p).
Then change and development of the art continued and in the preceding years. Moreover, years went by, the style changed. In the 1800s, a dance style known as Tap Dance was developed and its roots are traced from the African American community and the English people. Just like ballet, tap dance involved the movements of the feet, but for this particular dance, the performers dance while tapping their feet on the floor in a bid to make some sound and rhythm. This dance gave rise to the current dance styles such as jazz tap and rhythm tap. In this dance, the performers focus on masculinity and see themselves as part of the jazz tradition. There is also the utilization of choreography just like in other forms of dances that use full body expression like ballet (Desvignes n.p).
As the years progressed, other dance styles and movements started filling the industry. Belly Dance, for instance, was discovered around 1893 and it is of French origin, and it is translated as “danse du ventre”. Though the dance seemed to have been performed before this time, it was known to the public in 1893 when a young Egyptian performed it in the Chicago world’s fair. From that time, most dancers around the world adopted the style of dance, and it spread to other countries. For instance, it found its way into films, circus, and side-shows then into Hollywood. The belly dance the got Americanized into the forms sexy belly dances we see in today’s shows.
The trend continued into the 19th century as other dances developed and people showed interest in dance as an art. The ballet you made loved and ensured was adopted by most people got revolutionized into a different form referred to as the Romantic Ballet. This was the century when the cult Ballerina was created or rather born. The dance was changed, and the new style was characterized by romanticism and was inspired by nature (Amanda n.p). I am happy to inform you that the epitome of this new ballet style was an Italian by the name Marie Taglioni. It is good to know that the person who led the revolution of the ballet was from the country where it originated in the first place means that the rules and tradition of the dance were preserved and only a few things were changed. It was like the advanced ballet that you used to love just that this one was now focused on toe-shoe kind of dance. This form of ballet has the oldest surviving version that was first performed in the year 1836 (Amanda n.p).
During this century, significant changes were witnessed in the field of dance as choreographers such as Isadora Duncan. In the year 1877-1927, she advocated for a smooth flowing ballet dance as opposed to the stiff dance that you and most performers loved back in the seventeenth century. I know you might not be pleased with her but just like other great minds in the dance industry, change is something inevitable, and she was just trying to initiate one. She thought that the new civilization was to welcome new changes as well. Her preferred ballet dance was characterized by robes that were free-flowing and loose free hair. She also appeared in most dances barefoot as opposed to the high heeled shoes that you invented in the French ballet and indeed not all welcomed the changes she was trying to bring. Other people saw her new styles as an amateur that only involved running and hopping around (Pacifica n.p).
As the years advanced, what you used to perform while you were young and during your leadership kept evolving and changing both in style and meaning. In 1909, an artist by the name Serge Diaghilev came up with The Ballet Ruse. This artist had a motto for the dance that motivated him to spread this version of the ballet. His slogan was “art is free; life is paralyzed”. Just like you used the courtroom to make ballet known he used famous choreographers Vaslav Nijinsky and her brother Bratislava Nijinsksa. Nijinsky is renowned for his work as a choreographer of the song Rite of Spring and Neo-classical ballet is believed to have its roots from their great work.
The world of music and dance did not stop evolving as the 20th century welcomed Neo-classical Ballet. The proponents of this ballet, however, were those who were opposed to the Old Russian styles. Most probably the ones you and the then lovers of ballet used to practice. The proponents of this version of ballet were led by George Balanchine as they wanted to modernize the art. The Neo-classical ballet was the technical type and focused on movement as well as the lines and angles of body movement. Also, the musical rhythm in this version of the ballet was sometimes faster than the traditional one. It is however nice to know that the ballet that you were passionate about was not dying as choreographers such as Jiří Kylián went ahead and revolutionized ballet (Amanda n.p).
At this point your majesty I want to let you know that the art of dance was advancing at a high rate because it was being appreciated and practiced by most people around the world. Choreographers saw the need to deviate to different dance styles due to diverse ideas and then Jazz dance was born. This came into the stages in the mid-twentieth century in America and mostly practiced by the African Americans as a social dance. At this point, musical theatre started making its way into the lime light. I know that you were mostly used to dance as an art and technique, but at this point in the history of dance revolution, it started going hand in hand with music. It blended the original ballet well with the modern dance styles. As the years progressed, jazz danced was also accompanied by cheer squads as well as competitions. It is worth noting that just like you there were men behind the propagation to ensure the continuation of the art of dance. And just like you, they went against odds to ensure the art of dance survived during their times.These were Bob Foss, Gus Giordano and Jack Cole (Amanda n.p).
Civilization, as well as modernization, was taking over and the dance as we know it today was being shaped. There were many dance styles at this point (the late 20th century) in time especially those associated with the African Americans. They appreciated music and dance more than any other group, and they came up with a variety of contemporary styles. The reason for this was because most dance moves originated from the different African communities most which were religious as well as social dances. The African continent is rich in cultural traditions, and they expressed most of them through melody and dance. Following the mass immigration, they carried these traditions and infused them into the American culture as well as the Caribbean countries. According to the words of one of the dance scholars at this time Brenda Dixon wrote that “Any serious attempt to study Black dance (in the United States) demands a study of African and New World Black cultures.” This sentence speaks a lot about the origin and practice of Afro-American dance at this time (Amanda n.p).
Unlike the dance styles you used to practice in France, the African American dance was something choreographers call polyrhythmic. It did not rely only on one rhythm; instead, they mixed two or more rhythms with accompanying the dance and drums were mostly used. The polyrhythmic dance also consisted of a unique way in which the drummer and the dancer communicated leading to change of rhythm or the style of dance. This communication was in the form of either eye contact of body movement.
The performance was uniquely African, from body movement to their general performances. Just like the original ballet, body movement was key to these dance styles. The performers mostly in lines and circles making use of both their arms, legs and even shoulders to go together with the rhythm of the drum beats. For women, the hips their greatest weapon during the dance. So as you can see, unlike the original ballet, you used to perform in French courts and concerts that was more gymnastic, the African American dance was more of a free dance that did not require long term experience and fitness. Mostly the movements included shaking shoulders and jumping high up then stepping on the ground like the Tutsi of Rwanda and the Maasai of Kenya. However, just like ballet, the then African dance needed perfection. In the present generation of African dance, there are trained African choreographers who train other people in the many existing forms of African dance (Amanda n.p).
I also feel that you should know that civilization has changed the dance industry and there exist dance companies all over especially in America. It is used to entertain people, but it is also a source of income to most dancers. The U.S companies have revolutionized the African dance and blended it with the modern dance to create something totally different. The themes of the current dance styles are in line with the current situations. There are several dance companies in the US which developed in the early twentieth century with the primary aim of appreciating the art of dance and music. In Washington D.C for instance, there is the Step Afrika and PHILADANCO in Philadelphia. The creation of companies shows how serious the lovers of dance as art are to advance this beautiful art and to also create new inventions in the field. These companies constantly worked together with the originators from the African and Caribbean pioneers of these particular dances to have a successful transition between the original old dance and the contemporary modern dance. Come of these choreographers include Babatunde Olatunji, Kimati Dinizula and Olukose Wiles.
At this point, dance has become a daily activity and not just an annual event like back then. The rate at which dance is appreciated in the American and African cultures is way more vigorous than what it was back in your time. The dance groups of the 20th century could perform daily if need be since there were several activities for guests and events that occurred mostly during weekends. This century witnessed most transformations and discoveries in the dance industry. Am sure you would be proud of contemporary choreographers as well as anthropologists like Catherine Dunham and Pearl Primus. It is because they pioneered the idea that there was a possibility that the Black American choreography that was separate from that of the Euro-American choreography. They also took their time to study the art in higher learning institutions to perfect their skills and probably discover more in the same field.
This century also saw transformations such as mixing more than two dances to come up with a new dance and this was championed by a choreographer Lester Horton. He came up with a technique that mixed both jazz and ballet. It is the most popular dance style in the Ailey American Dance Theater which is also one of the most popular dance companies in the world today. The theatre is currently led by Robert Battle, another choreographer of his kind. He has spearheaded the company to perform in most countries and events around the world. The twenty-first century has witnessed most changes and inventions, especially by African Americans. They have become the mainstream in the dance and performance industry, and their contemporary ballet has sucked in all the African dance influence. The United States choreographers have done as a great job in this century by bringing a variety of dance styles since they came from a wide range of traditions (Desvignes n.p). Their great ideas and collaborations have led to contemporary dance styles and great ideas in the current dance industry.
The contemporary dance styles have evolved from the earlier styles that you and other pioneers from Italy developed back then. Most of these modern styles are witnessed in concerts, reality shows and music videos. There is more sophistication in the current dance styles and dramatization is also a significant characteristic. In these dances, there is one characteristic that is in most of these dances, and that is the open competitions. The fact that you were a performer in the ballet and a lover of competition as seen in your childhood history, I am sure you would have loved the open competitions we have in the current dance styles. The essential requirement of open competitions is that contestants are required to rehearse or prepare and compress the whole dance for a given time. The dance is usually not a single dance but consists of several styles in a single performance. The styles range from jazz, ballet, acrobatics as well as hip hop styles. The contestants, therefore, have to be well conversant with all these styles, unlike the earlier styles where an individual was to perfect only in one dance (Amanda n.p).
Also, the contestants have to perform in front of judges, and there are monetary awards for those who will emerge the winners of the competition. The contemporary dance styles as you see are more complicated that the earlier forms since one has to master all the dance styles and combine them well in a balanced manner. At times the winners are awarded an educational opportunity as we are in the age where education is valued more than any other award in life. According to Critic Kourlas, the contemporary dance is a way of dancing that encompasses kicks, swift moves and rolls that are performed in a unison manner to faster music. Some of the current dances are:
The Indian classical dance: the dance is rooted in the Hindu religion and has eight distinct styles. This dance theory of the Hindu community range from music recitation with swift movements to solo as well as lively and solo dances.
- Japanese dance; this dance requires highly trained performers who usually acquire their skills from childhood through to their adulthood. It is a masked drama that is performed through dancing, chanting and singing. The dancers in this style have specific moves that ensure a portrayal of a particular genre. Sometimes dancers move along the streets in case of annual ceremonies and major events.
- Liturgical dance; this type of dance is seen in the current worship places and is used to express praise and thanksgiving. It is mostly performed in Baptist and Catholic churches and is appreciated by those from the said religious denominations. The dancers move along lines or circles making various moves mostly with their hands in the air and sometimes stamping their feet as they move.
- Modern dance; though its roots are traced back in the twentieth century, modern dance has found its way in the current society, and it is performed by use of a wide range of costumes and the dancers do it barefoot. The movements in this particular dance are communicated through the tension with the performer using the floor as his or her dance partner.
- Break dancing; this modern dance involves the performers or breakers making electric moves and then freezing as if without the current their no movement. It can be a solo performance or a group. Break dancing can also have groups as cheer squads helping and boost the morale of the dancer on the stage. (Amanda n.p).
I am sure you would have loved to participate in the modern dance and all the dances that came after your reign because of your passion for the art as well as the zeal to ensure that art of dance was applied in all aspects of life. I want to personally thank you as a lover of the art of dance for your efforts to spread the ballet dance during your reign as the king of France. Without your intervention we would not have seen the art of dance and music in this century.