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Evolution of Dance

Dancing is the rhythmical matching of the body parts through body movements as a way of representing an idea, thought, or a story to the audience. Dancing is very important to the exercise of the body and even in entertaining the audience. Before attending the dance class I had not known much about dancing and only thought that it is a matter of just moving the body parts. The class has taught much about evolution of dance (Dils 350-354). Different forms of dance have evolved from different cultures and countries thus defining the current styles and forms of dance. This essay defines evolution of different forms of dance.

Due to the evolution of dance, there have been various definitions of dance that fit the numerous forms of dance. Purpose of dance has changed throughout time. Dancing has become more advanced and interesting. It is worth noting that dance is more than just normal body movements and is never of same form as expected. Dance forms have evolved from various cultures such as the Asante people, Ballet, Kabuki, Bugaki, Lindy hop and other various forms. By looking and analyzing these various forms of dance, anyone can realize that apart from body movements dance also involves use of costumes, makeups, and music that convey different ideas, thoughts or stories to the audience. Dance plays an integral part in showing diverse cultures and traditions as well as blending of those cultures to make a particular form of dance.

Cendrawasih dance is a very interesting kind of dance and the name Cendrawasih is a very beautiful bird with very lovely brown and yellow feathers which looks exactly like the dancers’ costumes and makeups. The Cendrawasih dance is meant to keep and reserve the limited wildlife which is constantly destroyed to maintain their populace. The costumes are very attractive and interesting in which the red color dominates and the wings of the dancers are able to open and fly making the dance look genuine.

Dancer’s waists are beautifully ornamented by ampok-ampok while the necks are nicely done with badong and the arms are decorated with kana bracelets. There are also rings around the dancers head with some horns put on the head ring. Generally, the dancers’ costumes and makeups make them marry greatly with the dance. The dancers successfully express themselves in wonderful body movements which also seems very easy to learn due to the ease of movement associated with the dance (Cendrawasih YuoTube).

The video is very interesting to watch because of the rhythmical dancing which nicely makes the dancers look good and seem experts. Costumes and makeups are very nice things to include in dancing because they make dancing real and very interesting. Dancing can therefore be defined as a combination of body movements, costumes and makeups. Dancing may be used to communicate some great ideas such as conservation and the dancing movements can be made in a sign of a bird (Lausevic 124-130).

BharatanatyamBharatnatyam is a traditional India dance that traces its origin to sangam literature with its inspirations from the sculptures of Chidambaram temple. The dancers seem trained and religious from the look of their costumes. This song is of Bhakti form and shows dedication of the dancers to some being as they reverence. This kind of dance also looks ceremonial and is done in a dimly lit background with an inseparable dance and music. The music and the dancing styles really rhyme and there is dramatic aspect in dancing. The costumes of the dancers are fire-like and the movements of the dancers are like fire flame. The dancers also assume sacred meditational tradition which portrayed the religious aspect of Hindus. The dance is led by a solo that is dressed differently and dancers nicely show their versatility in an elegant footwork and brilliant movement. The dance is also accompanied with a sentimental song as the dancer also positions their hands as if they are telling a story with lots of dramatic event.

The dance seems very sacred and enjoyable. This dance is associated with great costumes and wonderful drumming. The drumming has largely contributed to the rhythmic body movements. The dancers’ bodies can be seen rhythmical responding to the drum beats. The dance is likely to stay for long because it represents religion of the Hindus. The society belonging to the Hindu religion can largely contributed to the continuous performance and support of the dance. The song is only interesting when performed on a classical dance theatre.

The Bharatanatyam dance is really a unique form of dance that combines wonderful makeups, costumes and unbelievable marriage of drumming and dance. It is really interesting to compare the body movements with the rhythmic sounds produced by the drum. Bharatanatyam dance has given dancing a new definition of mixing body movements, music, respect and reverence. Dance can be used to show respect to the supernatural being and define a particular culture in the society (Taylor 2-10).

“Manzairaku 1 of 3, Bugaku (Gagaku) – ancient Japanese court dance and music”

This kind of dance is very traditional and is performed in the imperial courts. The dancers are very calm as the music plays cool from the background. Dancers are dressed in brown and orange costumes. The dancers seem to entertain people ceremoniously. Dancers seem highly skilled and have mastered the dance from the way they perform. The song and dance was performed in style and fashion. The courtiers stand in line while others stand behind others. The courtiers in front dress in different costumes compared to the ones behind which somehow suggested that the dancers in front were more superior to the ones behind. Dancers perform on a square platform and most of them portray famous battles of encounters. Dance is rhythmic and slow as the dancers strike stances and hold them for a while (Manzairaku YouTube).

This dance is very interesting and represents the hierarchy of the court as well as preserving the ideas from the past such as the historical battles fought by Japanese. The dance acts as a good memory for the past historical events. The dance is very creative and calm and greatly rhymes with the music. The dance greatly shows how culture can be intermingled with the dance in different aspects. This dance tells more about the Japanese culture and eventually binds the Japanese society. However the music produced by the dancers is so irritating (Gill 193-200).

This dance reveals much about the Japanese culture and traditions. It especially reveals more about the past Japanese battles. The dancers are dressed like Japanese worriers and look committed to their work. This form of dance has given dance a specially meaning that does not only include movement of the body but also incorporates culture and traditions. It is interesting to take into account that dance is entails a lot about culture and traditions of some societies. Dance plays a major role as far as traditions and cultures are concerned as they depict the deepest elements of those cultures and traditions (Anderson 5-10).

Whiteys Lindy Hoppers…HellzapoppinThe instrumentalists rapidly play their instruments and hit the drums which they seem to enjoy. Different dancers emerge with vigorous body movements. The dancers are dressed in costumes that look like various workers’ uniforms such as chefs and policemen’s uniforms. The workers seem to have discovered some musical instruments and they enjoy few hesitant notes combined with spontaneous jam starts while others are on the trumpet. The acrobatic acts that the couples show on the stage are just amazing. The dancing group further joins together where they stress on wonderful legwork and speed (Whiteys Lindy Hoppers YouTube).

This dance is really breathtaking considering the acrobatic acts taking place. The dancers are highly skilled and acrobatic. Some of their acts are beyond normal man’s imagination. The dance is undeniably amongst the best dances I have ever come across. This is a dance anyone would enjoy particularly the rapid marriage of the dance and the music. The ballroom dance is indeed amazing and shows a lot of professionalism that has been achieved through hard work of practice (Malnig 275-300).

This dance is very unique and interesting. It does not only involve body movement but very vigorous and acrobatic movement. Dance definition has greatly changed by watching this kind of dance. The normal expected body movement as the definition of dance by any other individual is surpassed. The dance contains a lot of cultural fusion that involves Americans and African cultures. It is additionally interesting to note that dance can be defined by intermingling of cultures (Banes et al. 258-265).

Conclusion

Generally definition of dance has really evolved over a long period of time. There are various definitions of dance that have been prompted by the various forms of dance. The various forms of dance depend on the origin of those particular dances. The origin of a dance defines a lot about that dance. Culture and traditions of a particular society play a great role in defining particular forms of dance. Dance may therefore have various definitions depending on the context and origin of the dance in question. There are various factors that define dance such as music, culture and traditions, cultural fusion and religion. I believe that traditional dances like Bugaku may be kept, and modern dances like contemporary dances will change to emerge in the ever-changing modern day world. Also, my definition of dance will evolve as dances continue changing.

Works Cited

“Cendrawasih.” Online Video. YouTube, 6 June 2007. Web. 28 July 2013. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=laR7wIOK9hM&gt>.

“Manzairaku 1 of 3, Bugaku (Gagaku) – ancient Japanese court dance and music.” Online Video. YouTube, 4 May 2010. Web. 28 July 2013. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nTv4jUfnEUI&gt>.

“Whiteys Lindy Hoppers .. Hellzapoppin.” Online Video. YouTube, 7 September 2010. Web. 28 July 2013. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ahoJReiCaPk&gt>.

Anderson, William M. Multicultural Perspectives in Music Education, Volume Iii. Lanham: Rowman & Littlefield Pub. Group, 2011. Internet resource.Banes et al. Before, Between, and Beyond: Three Decades of Dance Writing. Madison, Wis: University of Wisconsin Press, 2007. Internet resource.Dils, Ann. Moving History, Dancing Cultures: A Dance History Reader. Middletown, Conn: Wesleyan Univ. Press, 2001. Print.

Gill, Sam D. Dancing Culture Religion. Lanham: Lexington Books, 2012. Print.

Lausevic, Mirjana. Balkan Fascination: Creating an Alternative Music Culture in America. Oxford: Oxford University Press, USA, 2007. Print.

Malnig, Julie. Ballroom, Boogie, Shimmy Sham, Shake: A Social and Popular Dance Reader. Urbana: University of Illinois Press, 2009. Print.

Taylor, Patrick. Nation Dance: Religion, Identity, and Cultural Difference in the Caribbean. Bloomington, IN: Indiana University Press, 2002. Internet resource.