The requirments for the project were that the student's Personal Dance Manifestos were incorporated, and that the performance/event reflected knowledge and understanding gleaned during the course.
Each Project is listed as a link to a video and the script the group used is included with the link/title of the project.
Everlasting
Script for Everlasting: pending
Concert Dance
Script for Concert Dance: pending
Social Dance
Script for Social Dance:
Smith – We are the social dance group and we want to convey that social dance has a place in many different dance forms, some you wouldn’t even think of. Many dances that we know a certain way today originated from social dance, like ballet, step, Irish, clogging and ballroom.
Kailee – Our presentation represents a pendulum in time, swinging back and forth between concert and social dance. It somewhat gives a chronological order, but the focus is more on how one dance form influenced another. Stephanie and I will represent the concert aspect and Leslie and Leslie will represent the social aspect.
Spitz - Ballet –Ballet originated in Renaissance Italy as an outgrowth of court pageantry. A ballet of the Renaissance was a far cry from the form of theatrical entertainment known to audiences today. The choreography was adapted from court dance steps. Early ballet was participatory, with the audience joining the dance towards the end.
Steph - Ballet – Bend and straighten. Pull up your center. Never forget to point your toes. The foundation of ballet started in the 15th and 16th Italian Renaissance court. Ballet was codified by Louis the 14th in the 17th century. Soon it spread around the world. Choreographers like Balanchine highly influenced the use of ballet as concert dance. Audiences have become accustomed to seeing ballet performed on stage. The Joffrey Ballet is a prime example of the popularity of ballet as a concert dance form.
Smith - Swing: Swing dancing came about when America needed it most, during the 1920-1940s. Through the Great Depression and World War II, people found comfort and entertainment in doing dances like the lindy hop and the jitterbug. It was a way of socializing and getting to know the opposite sex. Swing was about cutting loose and having fun, not performing or having perfect technique.
Kailee - Jazz: Jazz is free and full of self-expression. It is whatever you want it to be because limits don’t exist. It feels for all people- rich, poor, beautiful, ugly. It is loose in meaning and open ended when it comes to its results. When heard, it is evident that Jazz can be anything so to classify something as a Jazz dance means it is open ended, free and it doesn’t fit into other categories of dance. Jazz represents the leftovers that aren’t concrete dance styles set in stone.
Spitz - Clogging: Clogging is a type of folk dance with roots in traditional European, early African-American, and traditional Cherokee dance in which the dancer's footwear is used musically by striking the heel, the toe, or both in unison against a floor. In the past this was used as a social gathering to unwind and today it is both a social and competitive dance form.
Steph – Tap: Tap dancing derives from many different influences including stepping, clogging, Irish step dancing, and Flamenco dancing. It can be seen in movies such as “Singin’ in the Rain” or on Broadway with musical like “Anything Goes.” Tapping is a form of rhythmic percussion and can be done with music or acapella. For classical tappers, it is important to stay light on the feet and make every sound very distinct and crisp.
Smith - Step: Step dancing is both social and concert. Step is rooted with the African culture from as far back as the 1900s. It is stepping a cappella, but the steps are the music. It consists of stomps, claps, snaps, and any other percussive sounds that can be made on the body. Though it can be done individually, it is mainly performed in groups for competitions.
Kailee - Irish: Irish dance is also both social and concert. Irish dance is a traditional dance form that originated as a social, cultural dance style and grew into a competitive, performance art form. It is unique for its upward movement and main focus on the bottom half of the body. It’s rapid foot movement and unique musicality is what sets this dance form apart from others like tap and clogging.
Smith - African: African dance is derived from Africa, but is more closely related to the specific African style of music. It is a very grounded dance style and is all about expressing an emotion through the body. Typical movements involved are rolls through the shoulders, arms, and hips.
Steph – Indian: Indian dance is rich in culture and religion. Some dancers perform Indian dance as a tribute to multiple gods. Others perform it because they take interest in their own personal family history. The dances often tell stories and the moves involved are very intricate, symbolic, and expressive. Facial expression is an important aspect to the dance as is the elaborate costume.
All say – Modern.
Spitz - For me, dance is a gift, but should not be only for others entertainment, but your personal joy and growth as well. Dance should express an emotion and be a cathartic experience for the performer. “Dance with your feet, body, and heart - not your mind.”
Kailee – The heart whispers the dancer into movement and eventually the mind may begin to understand. To understand how far dance has traveled to get to the dancer. How it has influence, fought, transformed, and breathed into its current existence. Once a dancer begins to realize the conversation they have entered, they may join in and present their heart’s vulnerability to the world.
Smith - Dance is a language. Dance is selfish and selfless. Dance is freedom of wordless expression. Dance can be an escape from your life or the center of your life. Dance should not be stressful. And above all, dance should involve leaving little pieces of your soul wherever you go.
Steph - Dance is free and contained and full of love and hatred. It is both flirtation and hindered emotion. Dance can speak but it’s silent. It is colorful while it’s dark. It is open to interpretation but can have set boundaries. It can’t have a maximum without a minimum, though neither exists indefinitely. Dance is anything and everything. It is just a dance.
Twenty QuestionsTwenty Questions Script: Pending
