Bob Fosse's Influence On American Dance

The music changes now as the musicians start to play a march. The dancers then remove the flower from their hats pull their hats down low to resemble a soldiers headwear. In addition, they turn their canes upside down holding them as if they were guns and start marching off stage. Simultaneously, the lights turn dark blue on stage and the dancers faces turn serious. Their once extravagant and lighthearted movement is now stiff and somewhat serious. The audience however, laughs at this shift in theme. All the dancers march off stage except the center girl, she continues to march in a circle making faces and poking fun at the others. Finally, she leaves the stage laughing loudly and dramatically at herself. She comes on one more time only to

Dance is found in all cultures. It is considered a way to communicate without talking. During the Renaissance period, ballet was considered a Russian specialty. The highly qualified and sought after dance companies would tour the world performing in front of those who had never experienced ballet before. By exposing ballet to the United States of America, the Russians inspired and sparked a demand for legitimate ballet in America. It took place throughout the 20th century, currently known as the Russo-American Era.

The ever so sharp, showbiz man himself, Bob Fosse, strategically choreographed his personal movement styles on his dancers in order to achieve his meticulous vision. This flashy man was not looking to put something on the stage that is easy; he wanted the audience to experience the realistic, graphic, and relatable scenarios that life throws at you, on a stage and in 3D. Fosse misrepresented cultural styles, which he included into his pieces and even altered most of the styles he was trained in. The basis of his work was shown through comedy, and in his translation, he tweaked the movement of his technical training in order to attain the comedic center of his work. He never truly meant to make fun of distinctive cultures by utilizing their forms, but because of the circumstance that he never formally trained in these various cultural practices or studied their form and meaning, he used them in his choreography, which almost always used either sexual content or comedy, his choreography is a misrepresentation because it does not properly embody the cultures.

Bob Fosse was greatly involved in the arts, as he was a actor, dancer, choreographer, screenwriter and director. His shows were made famous by his use of props, hats, and gloves. He formed a different style that is now used in modern dance. His style included

suited to film. It is no accident that he was the composer for some of

Debbie Allen was born to Vivian Ayers and Arthur Allen on January 16, 1950. At age three she started dancing and at age four she knew she wanted to be a professional dancer. Her parents divorced in 1957, and her mother was Debbie and her siblings were encouraged to be creative and independent. In 1960, Vivian Ayers took her children to Mexico. When they came back to Texas, Debbie auditioned for the Houston Ballet School but was denied because the color of her skin. A Russian teacher at the school saw Debbie perform and secretly enrolled her. When she was sixteen, she auditioned for the North Carolina School of the Arts but was rejected because her body was “unsuited” for ballet. While she was in high school she put her studies first and went

Graeme Murphy, past artistic director of the Sydney Dance Company is known to be Australia’s greatest and most productive choreographer, of all time. Through the 30 years of being artistic director, Murphy has created outstanding pieces and inspired

Bob Fosse was a dance prodigy; with pigeon toes and slouching posture, Bob Fosse hardly fit the dance ideal so he focused more on rhythm and style to make up for what he lacked physically. Bob

Robinson had no doubts that he was the best at what he did, a self-confidence that some took to be arrogance and that was mixed with a sometimes brooding depression at the fact that, because he was black, he had to wait until he was in his sixties before he could enjoy the fame and fortune given to less talented white dancers. In fact, he appears to have been a remarkably generous man and in addition to his massive workload, he never refused to appear at a benefit for those artists who were less successful or ailing. It has been estimated that in one year he appeared in a staggering 400 benefits. In 1930 Robinson had made a film, DIXIANA, but it was not until he went to Hollywood in the middle of the decade that he made a breakthrough in this medium.

Alvin Ailey was an accomplished dancer and choreographer whose African-American heritage influenced his works in the 20th century. His successful dance career has gained international recognition and acclaim thus rendering a significant legacy. Ailey’s background as a dancer and choreographer had many strong influences from social, cultural, economic and political aspects during his early life. His African-American heritage has greatly influenced his works. Alvin was the founder of the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater (1958-), galvanized and stabilized an African American presence in theatrical dance. An outstanding performer, choreographer, company director, and mentor to scores of dance artists, Ailey oversaw the growth of his small, pick-up group of seven dancers into a large, carefully managed, internationally-renowned enterprise including several ensembles of dancers and a thriving school in New York City housed in the largest building devoted to dance in the United States. Along the way, Ailey changed the landscape of modern dance by developing new audiences for its performance through a consistent combination of exceptional artistry and wellcoordinated community outreach programs. In all, Ailey invigorated the art of dance with his distinctive creative imagination, his “blood memories” of cultural formations he witnessed as a child-- including the jook joint and the black church --and the strong survivalist ethic he learned as an African American man born in the

On May 30, 1930, Lawrence proposes to Flossie, and they get married on the 14th of November. To keep his new family out of debt, Lawrence Jr payed his wife in multiple large checks to pay for her college debt and the price of their rather expensive wedding.

Bob Fosse still lives as the most prominent figure in the field of jazz dance. Fosse was an artist, his dances were a direct reflection of him: provocative, creative, motivated, driven, tough, ruthless, and full of humor. His choreography was sexual, highly demanding of even the most trained and skilled dancers, full of humor and at other times bleak cynicism. Throughout his works, Fosse tackled the full spectrum of human emotions. As an artist, Fosse was known for his uncompromising modern style. It grew to be unmistakable with his sexually suggestive forward hip-thrusts; the vaudevillian humor of hunched shoulders and turned-in feet; and the mime-like articulation of hands. It was through this unique voice and innovative style that Fosse

Dance is the word that is broadly that used to define a human behavior characterized by expressive movements of the body. It is the grace, artistry, and classicality and precision that distinguishes ballet from other dance styles. People have danced for many different reasons such a religious, entertainment, tribal rituals, exercise or to simply to express something that cannot find voice in words. For as long as people inhabited Canada, there has been dance and it has subsequently played a role throughout Canadian history. In Canada dance history began with indigenous dance of First Nations Peoples, but with the arrival of European settlers came more European dance forms such as ballet, which have shaped dance in Canada into what it is

Renowned choreographer Alonzo King is the Balanchine of a new style of dance, his style of dance, a style shying away from the expected and catapulting its audience into a state of wonderment. Alonzo King uses sharp lines intertwined with severe movements all engaging a classical technique in order to create movements, unseen to the dance world. King’s impressive résumé includes having trained with a number of world-renowned ballet companies, and setting works on an even more substantial number of companies, along with establishing his own celebrated company: Alonzo King’s LINES Ballet in San Francisco, California.

Just when social dancing was at its height, World War 2 put a stop to its popularity. Lack of attendance, plus the intricate rhythmic patterns of modern jazz music, which were too complex for social dancing, led to the closing of dance halls and ballrooms. With the demise of social dance, the growth of jazz dance as a professional dance form began. During the 1940’s, jazz dance was influenced by ballet and modern dance. By blending the classical technique of ballet with the natural bodily expression of modern dance, jazz developed a sophisticated artistic quality. Unlike early jazz dance, which was performed by talented entertainers without formal training, modern jazz dance was performed by professionals trained in ballet and modern dance.