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Dance

Dance as an art is not as easy as people think; most individuals think that dance is all about having a flexible body. However, this is not the case because dance entails memorizing of moves, planning and practice (Smith-Autard 56). The number of moves and their order in dance is a complex thing to master. Besides, some dance moves and routines are exceedingly difficult for a person to pick up and remember. If I were to give myself a grade in dance, I would give myself a grade B. This is because memorizing all the moves involved in a certain dance technique is not an easy task since one has to first of all understand the coordination of different moves and their flow. Therefore, individuals, who fail to coordinate the different moves in a dance technique will eventually view dance as difficult. In my case, coordination of moves would not be so problematic. Dance requires a lot of time since it is difficult to learn a dance technique and understand it within a short time. Because of the time that it consumes, it requires planning which is a bit a challenge. Although dance is a difficult art, I give myself a grade B because I came to understand it is all about doing regular practice. Regular practice helps the body to familiarize with the moves, which makes it easy to learn a particular dance technique. In addition, cooperation with the coach is also a key element leading to swift learning of dance techniques; this makes it feasible to get a grade B in dance.

Modern, jazz and ballet techniques have similarities and differences. One of the similarities between jazz and ballet is the technique; the two styles influence each other. For example, jazz moves such as straddle split leap, toe rise and pirouette comes from ballet. Likewise, ballet is influenced by jazz in things such as the fluidity and movement. Another similarity between jazz and ballet is that both techniques require balance (Franklin 39). Jazz dancers execute fast turns, great kicks and leaps that require balance. Alternatively, ballet dancers require balance because they dance on their toes. Although modern is similar to ballet because it has ballet fundamentals and focus on taking up space, which is different from jazz (Franklin 48).

In modern technique, movements come from personal expression and feelings, which is different in jazz because certain styles and rules have to be followed in jazz dance. Furthermore, steps in jazz do not come from personal feelings. However, the modern and jazz dance techniques have traces in ballet dance technique. Modern and ballet have a difference in that modern dance involves freestyle and has a wider range of motion compared to ballet; ballet dance is usually precise and has specific routines and moves. Hence, ballet dance technique has specifity in moves while this is not the case in the modern dance technique (Legg 62). Ballet is usually controlled by strict rules; for example, a ballet dance standing on the stage has to turn out his legs and in first position; no such rules are required in modern dance since it focuses on the natural movement. All the three dance techniques are similar in that they are based on a certain aesthetic, include female and male dancers, and evolved over a given period of time.

Works Cited

Franklin, Eric N. Dance Imagery for Technique and Performance. New York: Wiley & Sons, 2013. Print.

Legg, Joshua. Introduction to Modern Dance Techniques. Hightstown, NJ: Princeton Book Co, 2011. Print.

Smith-Autard, Jacqueline M. Dance Composition. London: Methuen Drama, 2010. Print.