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[captainashtyn15-blog]

10 blogs

This week in dance history we read about krumping. One interesting concept in the reading that came before krumping was the art of clown dancing or “clowning”. This was something completely new to me and had never even heard of it. Thomas Johnson was the father and founder of clown dancing, he wanted to start something positive for a change in his community in South Central. Alas clown dancing was formed when he started performing at kids parties dressed as a clown. This hip hop dance is a form of black street dance and combines styles like G dance, gangster boogie, and stripper dancing. Popping and locking are also elements of clowning. Tommy the Clown was his nickname. Clowning eventually then turned into what we know as krumping. This is when this form of dance becomes more serious and focused on ways to dance and work through pain and anger. So the clown aspect was not prevalent.

[captainashtyn15-blog]

I hate the online

This week in dance history via online we learned about masculinity in hip hop and breakdancing around the world. When reading about breakdancing around the world the topic of appropriation came up in a different way than we have discussed before. For instance, high school aged hip hop dancers in Hawaii use the n-word when participating in breakdancing battles because they said that it means “my homie” and were not saying it as something offense. This also leads to the idea of natural appropriation which occurs without people even realizing it. Not sure how using the n-word is accidental however, but the media also has a great influence how hip hop is perceived across cultures which contributes to things like using the n-word and natural appropriation. This makes me wonder if everything is appropriated since everything is so accessible via the internet and people can so easily steal ideas and appropriate even if it is unintentional, so like what even counts as appropriation??? Idk the answer to that but it is something to think about. This exposure from the media can also lead to things like international communication through dance like the instance described in the article where the two kids were doing the Brooklynn rock together even though they had a verbal communication barrier. Dance is awesome. 

As for masculinity in hip hop, breakdancing was used as a way to earn respect and to be in control and surprise, the men didn’t let the women participate because it was their way of prove their masculinity and dominance. Typical. Women were seen as objects and were especially objective in rap lyrics used when dancing. There were two different levels of breakdancing, the first being that of respect and defeat and the second being more emotional and competitive. Again, the media eventually had influence over breakdancing and caused it to lose the interaction between the dancers which was not a true battle. The media really do be ruining shit. 

[captainashtyn15-blog]

hip hop yeah

This week in dance history we started learning and reading about hip hop. We read about different styles like popping, locking, and boogaloo in which we also watched videos of. To me it was interesting to see how these different styles were portrayed through videography. Some were shown as a way of entertainment and others were more competitive. In the reading there was a section about how breaking dancing changed before and after it was shown by the media. Before it was documented by the media it was competitive and involved fighting, dancing, and sports that require a lot of physicality and once it was shown by the media it was performed more as entertainment for people. I wonder how much everything in our lives has changed and been dictated by how it is portrayed in the media. I believe this happens still today with dance with shows like Dance Moms that show a very dramatic version of what competition dance looks like.

[captainashtyn15-blog]

they know this is me, i say peace and im out

This week in dance history we read about dance notation and Gaga as a meta technique. Basically there is a bunch of different ways to notate dance. The methods have changed and developed over time but they are all pretty similar in the regards that you getting a migraine trying to understand what the fuck it means. It is wild how this is how some dances have been recorded and preserved and recreated in this way because it looks like it would take a very long time to decipher. Therefore, it is a blessing that we have the recording abilities brought to us through technology that we do today. I am curious as to how that will develop in the future and if these methods of notation will be forgotten or if they will be preserved. 

We also read about the Gaga technique and discussed in class what the term technique means to us personally. The word technique can means different things to different people so that is where the term meta technique comes into play. The way that I define the two is a technique is something that you learn that helps you complete something in a certain way that usually turns out relatively the same. But with meta technique I understand it as having guidance for how to do something but the results that comes from that guidance but the results vary and change each time you do it, but there is still a direction to follow. This is what makes Gaga a meta technique because the movement that comes from the guidance is never the same. I believe that this is an aspect of dance that is really taking off and growing into new and exciting things so hopefully the corona virus doesn’t kill us all and we can continue to be a part of the growth and development of movement and dancing. 

[captainashtyn15-blog]

some whack ass shit tbh

This week in dance history we discussed some articles and topics that had me pretty heated to be honest. The first article was about Misty Copeland’s response to a Russian theater for performing blackface. While Misty was standing up to this racists performance, many people were standing up for and justifying this act performed by the Bolshoi Theatre. Some claim that the girls in the blackface are just children and do not know any better but I think that is complete BS!!! They may be children but that does not mean that what the theatre is doing is acceptable. The people who are justifying the use of blackface are encouraging prejudice and racism. 

In my psychology class about prejudice and discrimination we have talk a lot about contemporary prejudices which are more hidden and less obvious than blatant prejudice and discrimination. This article had overwhelming evidence of contemporary prejudice to me because many people did not see it as a problem when it clearly is very offensive and RACIST. You simply cannot paint yourself a different color without it being racist and inappropriate no matter what your intentions are. 

I have mad respect for Misty Copeland for speaking out about this issue because it is definitely something that is awkward and uncomfortable for a lot of people but I respect that she stuck with her opinions and did not back down to people that criticized her and disagreed with her. It is also amazing that she is using her success as a dancer to inspire the younger generations while also standing up for issues that need to be discussed and bringing a light to them that is not always seen. It would be so easy for her to not do or say anything about these issues but she goes above and beyond to try to make it difference which is amazing. 

The other article that we read that I had a few thoughts about was the article about hiplet. Which is a dance form combining hip hop and ballet. Hiplet dancers are required to take ballet and pointe classes but are not required to take hip hop classes. This is interesting to me because it is essentially supposed to be a combination of both styles of dance but clearly one is favored over the other. I wonder why the ballet aspect is favored over the hip hop, one reason it could be is because they are on pointe and need the strength in their feet and ankles to be able to go up on pointe but being able to groove should be just as important if they are truly trying to create a style that is combining both style of dance.  

Mr. Homer, the creator of hiplet is essentially trying to make a difference in the dance world especially for black dancers by creating a style in which he believes they belong. I also respect and appreciate that but he also was dissing Misty Copeland for “trying to prove to a whole bunch of people that she’s black and she can do ballet”. Misty is also trying to make a positive change in the dance world for black dancers and I don’t think Mr. Homer’s statement about Misty was productive and sounded a little hypocritical and unnecessary to me. You should criticize other people's work for change if it is different than yours. All progressions and changes and advancements are equally as important as the next.

[captainashtyn15-blog]

marriage=death

This week in dance history we read and discussed ballets that were different in the aspect of what a traditional ballet looks like, modern ballets. During the 20th century ballet storylines, movement, costuming, and music were starting to shift. Fokine established the one-act ballet in western Europe and America, he was also concerned with adult emotions, increased male roles, and created some of his ballets without the narrative/storyline. Anna Pavlova was another influential dancer at this time, she was the only female dancer in her company and she advocated for the individual artist. Pavlova performed and travelled so much that she said she did not love what she did anymore and she did it for her students and the audiences. This was a sad reality that was brought to light in this specific article because becoming tired of what you are doing and not finding passion in it is something very real and scary and it brought up the question of, is this inevitable? Do we stay doing the thing we used to love even if we don’t love it anymore because we used to love it? Or do we leave? How do we prevent this from happening without completing giving up and never coming back to it?

The Rite of Spring was a ballet choreographed by Vaslav Nijinsky and was first performed on May 29, 1913. The performance caused riots to break out due to the unusual sounds, harmonies, polyrhythms, and repetition within the music. Along with the music, the movement of the dancer's was very unconventional to anything performed in the West prior to this piece. The dancer’s had very angular gestures with jutting elbows, impassive faces, twisting positions, and movements that were convulsive, awkward, and asymmetrical. The storyline of this piece was essentially the sacrifice of a virgin to the sun god in order to bring spring. The virgins of the community would run in a circle and whoever messed up and tripped and fell was then sacrificed and the remaining lost their virginity and were raped. The movement in this ballet was not gender-coded and there was not a principle couple that performed the pas de deux.

The idea of sacrificing someone in order to summon spring or have a marriage between the Earth and the Heavens is quite a concept. I wonder if this is an idea linked to spirituality or religion or both.

[captainashtyn15-blog]

Really Makes Ya Think

This week in dance history we wrapped up learning about the romantic ballet. It is interesting to read about and discuss the roles that male and female dancers were put into during this time and how the prejudices and stereotypes form society were carried over into the theatre. Men were not necessarily desired to be seen on the stage because ballet was too “feminine” or “unmanly” so often times there were women playing and dressing as the roles of men. This was very surprising to me considering the very specific roles and stereotypes that were/are placed on women specifically.

When reading and discussing the roles of men and women during this time it reminded me of recent discussion in my psychology of prejudice and discrimination class. We have been learning about why we use stereotypes and how they continue to stay the same. I connected this to the stereotypical roles of the dancers during this time and wonder if there has been a change in these roles in present ballet productions. I am not the most familiar and up to date with ballets today but I would assume, by the progression of our society, that these stereotypical roles are less prevalent than they are now, after all men are seen on stage more often now than they were at this time. This begs the question of what has changed in us humans to allow this progression? Have we become more intelligent (since the use of stereotypes is simply something our brains default to in order to understand/ comprehend the person we are interacting with/ seeing)? Or is the stereotyping just as bad as it was during the Romantic Ballet?

Another point that really stuck out to me was the idea of ballet being linked to prostitution. During this time of the Romantic Ballet there were unfortunately several cases of sexual assault and prostitution in order for dancers to live as a dancer since they were very poor. It is unfortunate that this was the case for these dancers. Even today dance is often seen as being very sexualized no matter what setting it is performed in. The super bowl halftime show being a prime example of people sexualizing dance and deeming it inappropriate because of their own lack of knowledge and ignorance to the history and culture behind movement. Along with this, it is also interesting that people view sex as something horrible that should not be talked about or seen in any way shape or form when it is apart of human nature!!!! I’m sure religion plays a huge factor in this stigma but come on people it is 2020 why can’t we just accept ourselves and others for what we truly are, a body!

It is interesting that ballet is seen as a sort of foundational element of dance and what it takes to be a good dancer. This seems problematic to me especially considering all of the prejudices and stereotypes surrounding men and women involved in the art. It is almost as if we as a society believe that ballet is the most important technique/form of dance because the roles within ballets are the most similar to the roles that society puts on all men and women. And as people in general we want to categorize people and understand them, and the easiest way to do this is by placing them into stereotypical roles and paying attention to the things that confirm our stereotypes.

[captainashtyn15-blog]

Love is DeaD

This week in dance history we discussed the history of ballet during the Romantic Era along with the Russia Ballet. Ballet was typically only available for nobility because of how it was so expensive but during the Romantic period the audience was starting to shift towards the middle class more. Ballets were also becoming more supernatural and mysterious. They began using oil lamps with large reflectors to soften and diffuse the light. A main theme seen in these ballets were lovers only being able to love each other once they died. This was an interesting idea to me because it seems like a theme that is also present in our lives today. People are often chasing things and people that they can’t have and end up breaking their own hearts. This is my sad. Ballet. 

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Fork Yeah

In dance history this week we discussed and read about the emergence of ballet in the royal court. Manners and sophistication were an important aspection to the higher class during this time. The fork was introduced to nobility at this time by Catherine de Medici, the king’s mother. Along with the fork was she advocated for ballet because she believed it to be beautiful and sophisticated and it simply needed to be shared. Personally I have never really vibed with blatter because of the sophistication and specific postures and mannerisms that come with it. So it makes sense that it started in such classy environment that strictly involved nobility.

Something that struck me in the reading as well was how in Seville, Spain women had to be married but they were allowed artistic freedom. This was something very different than other places around the world at this time. I wonder if this was just something they practiced as a part of their culture or if they believed everyone should have artistic freedom. I am guessing by the fact that they had to be married before they got this freedom that it was the custom of their culture.

[captainashtyn15-blog]

Blog #1

This week in dance history we discussed, read, and observed about Japanese noh, butoh, and kabuki. Noh was a dance that was performed for the elite samurai warrior class and women were banned from performing it. It was performed on a simple stage with the performers wearing masks. This was very different than Kabuki which consisted of elaborate staging and makeup. Kabuki was created for the entertainment of the merchant class, unlike Noh. Butoh is known as the dance of darkness. 

Something that struck me while I was reading was how women were not allowed to participate in these dances. This is very different than dances performed in western cultures and I was curious as to why these rules are present in these Japanese dances. 

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First Day

We love the first day