African America Still Dance Analysis

Some of the movements executed by the dancers are similar to those executed by dancers in a stepping performance and also in a tap dance presentation. This presentation falls into the group of the new trends of modern dance, in which the choreographer are taking more and more liberty with various dance combinations, and including strong messages in their work. I would definitely attend other dance performance, not only from this company, but also by other companies; and would also recommend this performance, especially to people going through a dark period in their life. This performance finished convincing me that dance is surely the most communicative of the art forms, and that a single presentation can convey more than one

This chapter takes a broad look at the relationship between human movement, framed as dance, and important identities such as religion, ethnicity, gender, and social status. While not specifically focused on issues of identity in America, this chapter will provide an important foundation in understanding the broader scope of how dance can be seen as a representation of cultural values, which will underlie the remainder of our coursework.

Firstly, three of the dancers gave a short story about their history, some can trace their ancestry back to foreign countries, some just to the slave trade and some just know that their parents moved from one state over. Their statements all dealt very personal and added to the communal aspect of this particular multi-generational dance.

At 3:00 PM on Sunday April 13th, 2014, I attended the performance “Shared Graduate Dance Concert at the Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center-Dance Theatre. Walking into the theatre I had anticipated experiencing an upright performance. This sensation came as I visited the website for the Shared Graduate Concert and saw a breath taking photo that entailed a person behind a curtain holding their hand up and a fuzzy person in front of a curtain. Also, I knew I was in for a good ride after I saw Meghan Bowden in the pamphlet.

The overall time and energy of the dance is what I will be discussing next. The time of the piece, it seemed to have a certain pulse to start with. The beat of the music gave the dancers a pulse to listen for to move positions. The overall energy of this dance was sharp and the weight was strength because it was an impact and most of the dancers were pushing to been seen (not literally but usually). Lastly the energy flow was bound because it was whoever the spot light was on is who held all the

The pathways used by the dancers were very remedial. The direction of the movement always seemed to move upstage right then back down to downstage left. The speed of not just the movement of the dancers, but the whole play in general was high beat and high tempo as well as some parts becoming super dramatic. The rhythmic patterns of the material performed were to a beat while being sung. There was a pulse in every song the dancers/actors were executing. But, there was not one off beat movement or part, that I could notice anyways, throughout the production. The overall piece of the performance was marvelous, I enjoyed sitting and watching. My favorite thing about this play was that the actors actually interacted with the crowd and didn’t just treat the audience like they weren’t there. I think that the director/choreographer was trying to put the message of it doesn’t matter what you look like, as long as you can act/dance/perform to the best of your abilities. Also, the performance was well put together and obviously had some time put into

In this production the costumes did well to represent the characters and their personalities. For the character Emily in the beginning of the show she was wearing normal clothes that you would see any old day which is what she was planning on it being that day. Emily's costume was very realistic and this helped make the play more believable in the beginning and towards the end. somewhere around halfway through the production Emily was stripped of her clothes and given a new outfit, a red robe. This red robe adequately showed her struggle and how all of her dignity had been stripped away. The doctors, nurses, and amy also wore very realistic outfits for their current profession and role in the play. Even though many things played a part in this production it truly was the lighting and the set that brought true greatness to this piece. The lights themselves had a great impact on the piece and the way it was present. From the flashing lights, to the stable lights all of them were important. The red lights in particular helped the audience to see the struggle and the confusion happening inside Emily's mind and also allowed the audience to see that something is clearly wrong. In addition the flashing and moving lights successfully demonstrated the confusion going on in the character's head. There was only one issue with the lights that needs to be addressed and that is where they are exactly

The theme of the pieces reflected the type of music. The music by John Levis in the first piece, "Inner Sun," was tribal-like in my opinion. I thought the dancers were in the same tribe. When they danced individually, it reminded of me of how each person plays their own role in contributing to society. The dancers even demonstrated the arguments everyday people have by yelling and pushing each other. However, they forgave each other and came back together to dance as one in the end.

Our heavy breaths were inaudible compared to the claps and cheers delivered from the audience. As the audience gave us a standing ovation, we all knew we proved our point. Our voices were heard through dance. The stage grew dark and we walked off in unison, Latino and proud. We were able to physically, emotionally, and intellectually captivate audiences.

Alvin Ailey’s Revelations quickly became a defining dance document of African American culture for all of its audiences. “For Ailey, Revelations realized the largely untapped potential of black dancers to inform concert dance with the profound cultural heritage of African American experience” (DeFrantz, 25).

Their knees wobbled as a nimble tower made of toothpicks would when a raging wind howls through, their hands shook, and their eyes were downcast. You could see any African American who suffered through critical times throughout our history in each of their faces. You watched them struggle across the stage, dancing like they were just discriminated, or judged. They danced as if they were their ancestors working in the cotton fields and drinking out of a black only drinking fountain. Later, I found that the dancer’s on the stage(in order to get them in the feeling of the Civil Rights Movement) were forced to practice in a small tight studio, or practice in a large, airy studio depending on their ethnicity. This showed the black dancers what African Americans suffered through and gave them mentality of what separation was like, so they could live in the choreography. And the realistic being of this art, of this movement, brought the audience back in time…and it made us cry and wail and

Dance was not a new element in the theatre realm. It had been used for years as a way of interpretation of feelings of a character that the writer or director wanted the audience to feel visually. Through movement, expression of those feelings was portrayed and helped the audience to somewhat

In the third section Ms. Donna Wood looks like an African goddess and her body has an unexpected gracefulness. Even stage color was bright reddish, warm atmosphere around the dancer, like a sunrise in the morning. Stage would fill with colors. Music and performer are singing together. A sound of music tempo gets faster. She has the happiest face ever, no pain and no slavery. She jumps, she swings her leg and arms, and even she pulls her dress up and shows her leg an entire dance. Sound and lightening create the environment and good mood. She uses high level of dance than in previous two sections. She moves in between melody. I liked how she uses

The piece was trying to convey the idea of freedom. Liberating the soul by expressing what it feels in a form of dance, which is something that can be seen. The movements were free, the performers moved around the stage depicting natural dance movements.

The dance that I will be focusing on is entitled: thinking sensing standing feeling object of attention. The dance, to me, symbolizes the socialization of persons in Western civilization concerning gender roles. In the beginning there are gestures that are separated from emotion and full-embodiment, but as the dance progresses the gestures become more meaningful and recognizable. The lighting starts out very specific and narrow, then the light encompasses the entire stage, and eventually the dancers are silhouetted as they return to a familiar movement motif in the end. The music is mainly instrumental with occasional soft female vocals, and the lyrics suggest emotion, which is interesting because the dancers do not convey emotion until