Dance since centuries has been used as a mode of expression; it helps in conveying feelings and emotions in an artistic and a beautiful way. Also dance has extensively used as a mode of entertainment. Either in social gatherings or privately, dance has been an important part of the human society. Initially dance was used as a source of entertainment as hardly any other source was available. But the force of dance as an activity was so strong that it soon became a passion for many.
One of the most popular forms of dance is Belly Dance. Primarily Arabic or more appropriately a Middle Eastern dance, Belly Dance has travelled far and wide since ages to become of the most popular dance types. The term “Belly Dance” is somewhat a misnomer as the dance involves movement of almost every part of the body, though the main emphasis is on the hips. Depending on the country and the region, the dance has many forms. The changes are seen in terms of both costumes and dance style. In the Western countries the dance styles have evolved considerably and have become more exotic. Although contemporary forms of the dance have generally been performed by women, some of the dances, particularly the cane dance, have origins in male forms of performance.
Raqs sharqi literally "oriental dance") is the style more familiar to Westerners, performed in restaurants and cabarets around the world. It is more commonly performed by female dancers but is also sometimes danced by men. It is a solo improvisational dance, although students often perform choreographed dances in a group.
Raqs baladi literally "dance of country", or "folk" dance) is the folkloric style, danced socially by men and women of all ages in some Middle Eastern countries, usually at festive occasions such as weddings.
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
Dances from the Land Of Fairies
Ireland has long been associated with fairies and folklore. The music and dance of such a place would also be like that in a fairyland. The folk dance and music of Ireland is quite stylish, vibrant and beautiful.
Mainly the Irish dances can be divided into two types the Performance Dances and the Social Dances. The Irish Social Dances can further be divided into two types- ceili dancing and the step dancing. The Performance Dance constitutes the famous tap dance. The ceili is performed in various formations and can be performed by as many as eight couples or at least one. The Set Dance is a quadrille i.e. it is done by four couples arranged in a square. The two dances vary significantly in style but are nonetheless a very important part of the Irish society.
The Performance Dance is basically the popular Step dance. It owes it origin to the days when the sailors use to tap dance to entertain themselves. They used the tap in absence of any music. The Tap dance came into the world view in 1994 with the world famous dance show “Riverside”. The main feature of this dance was rapid foot movement with the arms and most of the body as stationary as possible. Though the technique was born out of practicality but it soon became very popular and the defining dance of the rich Irish folk culture.
Along with the peppy dance came the exuberant Dance dresses and dance shoes. The dance costumes and the dance accessories used were quite elaborate and interesting. In the Tap Dance, the dance shoes are of vital importance to produce the correct sound effects. There are two types of shoes. The first is the soft shoe, otherwise known as ghillies, and Hard shoes for the heavy dances, such as horn pipe---- The hard shoe is similar to tap shoes, except that the tips and heels are made of fiberglass, instead of metal, and are significantly bulkier. The hard shoes were originally made of wood in the 19th century and early 20th century. The first hard shoes had wooden or leather taps with metal nails. Later the taps and heels were changed into resin or fiberglass to reduce the weight and to increase the footwork sounds. The soft shoes, which are called ghillies, resemble a ballet shoe minus the hard toe, the ribbons for laces, and the pink color for black. Gillies are only worn by girls, while boys wear a black leather shoe called a reel shoe, which resembles a black jazz shoe with a hard heel. Boy's soft-shoe dancing features audible heel clicks.
Mainly the Irish dances can be divided into two types the Performance Dances and the Social Dances. The Irish Social Dances can further be divided into two types- ceili dancing and the step dancing. The Performance Dance constitutes the famous tap dance. The ceili is performed in various formations and can be performed by as many as eight couples or at least one. The Set Dance is a quadrille i.e. it is done by four couples arranged in a square. The two dances vary significantly in style but are nonetheless a very important part of the Irish society.
The Performance Dance is basically the popular Step dance. It owes it origin to the days when the sailors use to tap dance to entertain themselves. They used the tap in absence of any music. The Tap dance came into the world view in 1994 with the world famous dance show “Riverside”. The main feature of this dance was rapid foot movement with the arms and most of the body as stationary as possible. Though the technique was born out of practicality but it soon became very popular and the defining dance of the rich Irish folk culture.
Along with the peppy dance came the exuberant Dance dresses and dance shoes. The dance costumes and the dance accessories used were quite elaborate and interesting. In the Tap Dance, the dance shoes are of vital importance to produce the correct sound effects. There are two types of shoes. The first is the soft shoe, otherwise known as ghillies, and Hard shoes for the heavy dances, such as horn pipe---- The hard shoe is similar to tap shoes, except that the tips and heels are made of fiberglass, instead of metal, and are significantly bulkier. The hard shoes were originally made of wood in the 19th century and early 20th century. The first hard shoes had wooden or leather taps with metal nails. Later the taps and heels were changed into resin or fiberglass to reduce the weight and to increase the footwork sounds. The soft shoes, which are called ghillies, resemble a ballet shoe minus the hard toe, the ribbons for laces, and the pink color for black. Gillies are only worn by girls, while boys wear a black leather shoe called a reel shoe, which resembles a black jazz shoe with a hard heel. Boy's soft-shoe dancing features audible heel clicks.
Friday, September 17, 2010
Samba
There are innumerable types of dances all across the globe. A few have broken all the boundaries of time and geography. Samba is one such dance that is now extremely popular on all continents and all age groups. Samba is a lively, rhythmical dance of Brazilian origin in 2/4 time danced under the Samba music. However, there are three steps to every bar, making the Samba feel like a 3/4 timed dance. Its origins include the Maxixe.
The Samba music rhythm has been danced in Brazil since its inception in the late 19th century. There is actually a set of dances, rather than a single dance, that define the Samba dancing scene in Brazil; thus, no one dance can be claimed with certainty as the "original" Samba style. Another major stream of the Samba dance besides the Brazilian Samba dancing styles is Ballroom Samba which differs significantly.
Samba no pé is a solo dance that is most often danced impromptu when samba music is played. The basic movement involves a straight body and a bending of one knee at a time. The feet move very slightly - only a few inches at a time. The rhythm is 2/4, with 3 steps per measure. It can be thought of as a step-ball-change. It can be described calling it and-a-one, and-a-two, and then back to one. The basic movement is the same to either side, where one foot moves to the outside lifting up just before the first beat, lifting on the "and-a “and replacing itself on the floor on the one beat (i.e. the right leg moves slightly to the right) and leg is kept straight as a . The other foot moves slightly towards the front and closer to the first foot. The second leg bends lightly at the knee so that the left side of the hip lowers and the right side appears to move higher. The weight is shifted to this inside foot briefly for the next "and-a", then shifted back to the outside foot on the "two", and the same series of actions is repeated towards the other side.
The dance simply follows the beat of the music and can go from average pace to very fast. Men dance with the whole foot on the ground while women, often wearing heels, dance just on the balls of the foot. Professionals may change the steps slightly; taking 4 steps per measure instead of 3, and often add various arm movements depending on the mood of the music.
There are also regional forms of the dance in Brazil where the essential steps are the same, but because of a change in the accent of the music people will dance similar movements to the slightly changed accents. For instance, in Bahia the girls tend to dance tilting their legs towards the outside instead of keeping their knees close to each other as in Rio de Janeiro.
This is the type of Samba one sees in the Brazilian Carnival parades and in other Samba carnivals over the world. This is also one of the most popular sambas.
Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samba_(Brazilian_dance)
The Samba music rhythm has been danced in Brazil since its inception in the late 19th century. There is actually a set of dances, rather than a single dance, that define the Samba dancing scene in Brazil; thus, no one dance can be claimed with certainty as the "original" Samba style. Another major stream of the Samba dance besides the Brazilian Samba dancing styles is Ballroom Samba which differs significantly.
Samba no pé is a solo dance that is most often danced impromptu when samba music is played. The basic movement involves a straight body and a bending of one knee at a time. The feet move very slightly - only a few inches at a time. The rhythm is 2/4, with 3 steps per measure. It can be thought of as a step-ball-change. It can be described calling it and-a-one, and-a-two, and then back to one. The basic movement is the same to either side, where one foot moves to the outside lifting up just before the first beat, lifting on the "and-a “and replacing itself on the floor on the one beat (i.e. the right leg moves slightly to the right) and leg is kept straight as a . The other foot moves slightly towards the front and closer to the first foot. The second leg bends lightly at the knee so that the left side of the hip lowers and the right side appears to move higher. The weight is shifted to this inside foot briefly for the next "and-a", then shifted back to the outside foot on the "two", and the same series of actions is repeated towards the other side.
The dance simply follows the beat of the music and can go from average pace to very fast. Men dance with the whole foot on the ground while women, often wearing heels, dance just on the balls of the foot. Professionals may change the steps slightly; taking 4 steps per measure instead of 3, and often add various arm movements depending on the mood of the music.
There are also regional forms of the dance in Brazil where the essential steps are the same, but because of a change in the accent of the music people will dance similar movements to the slightly changed accents. For instance, in Bahia the girls tend to dance tilting their legs towards the outside instead of keeping their knees close to each other as in Rio de Janeiro.
This is the type of Samba one sees in the Brazilian Carnival parades and in other Samba carnivals over the world. This is also one of the most popular sambas.
Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samba_(Brazilian_dance)
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
It’s Rocking!!!
Dance and music are as inseparable as the sun and the sunlight or the flower and the fragrance. There is no dance without music and music without dance is sort of boring. It might not be the dance of the body necessarily but a good piece of music always sets the heart and soul tapping to the rhythm. At times dances owe their origin to a specific type of dance and at times it was the other way around.
One genre of dance and music that has broken all the confines of time and geography is the rock and roll. It is an athletic and competitive form of dance that came in the lime light in the late 1950s. The dance took long to acquire its current form. The dance took to its fetal form when the swing dance came into being, around in the 1920s. From swing branched Lindy hop, it was the first ever partner dance to use acrobatics. With the modifications in the Lindy Hop in the 1940s came the Boogie Woogie. And finally with further modifications to the Boogie Woogie, came the Rock and Roll. The dance was supposed to be highly co- ordinate with the music. It required a flexible body and undue tension on the legs and the arms. The dance tends to leave a personal space for the dancer for display of facial expressions and interpretation in style, movement and at times the manner too.
The dance alternates the speed. It starts on slow beats and move to the faster ones, coming back to the slower ones. The kicks form the somewhat core of the dance. Most of the major moves revolve around the kick. With the kicks in the air the movements like the lifts, flips, jumps and throws take place. The dance form has evolved drastically over the years. The only thing common between the present day dance and the yesteryears form seems to be the name. Now the dance is mostly used in competitions, shows and concerts. The dance is usually done in pairs or a formation. Formerly a six- step basic step was used which was later altered to the nine- step basic step. The degree of the acrobatics used the dance has increased considerably. High demanding movements such as the somersault and the double somersault have been introduced. Even the body wave movement was modified to make it more demanding on the part of the dancers.
As per the dance apparels, the originally worn jeans and petticoat are no longer used. Instead the dancers now use multicolored costumes as their dance dresses that are made of artificial elastic fiber. This makes up for the durability and the flexibility required now. The dance shoes play a very important role in rock and roll dance. The shoes need to be high on both the grip and the slip. Most commonly light jazz shoes are used. In case of high level acrobatics involved, sneakers or shoes made for aerobics are used. All in all rock and roll has been a very popular form of dance and continues to be so.
One genre of dance and music that has broken all the confines of time and geography is the rock and roll. It is an athletic and competitive form of dance that came in the lime light in the late 1950s. The dance took long to acquire its current form. The dance took to its fetal form when the swing dance came into being, around in the 1920s. From swing branched Lindy hop, it was the first ever partner dance to use acrobatics. With the modifications in the Lindy Hop in the 1940s came the Boogie Woogie. And finally with further modifications to the Boogie Woogie, came the Rock and Roll. The dance was supposed to be highly co- ordinate with the music. It required a flexible body and undue tension on the legs and the arms. The dance tends to leave a personal space for the dancer for display of facial expressions and interpretation in style, movement and at times the manner too.
The dance alternates the speed. It starts on slow beats and move to the faster ones, coming back to the slower ones. The kicks form the somewhat core of the dance. Most of the major moves revolve around the kick. With the kicks in the air the movements like the lifts, flips, jumps and throws take place. The dance form has evolved drastically over the years. The only thing common between the present day dance and the yesteryears form seems to be the name. Now the dance is mostly used in competitions, shows and concerts. The dance is usually done in pairs or a formation. Formerly a six- step basic step was used which was later altered to the nine- step basic step. The degree of the acrobatics used the dance has increased considerably. High demanding movements such as the somersault and the double somersault have been introduced. Even the body wave movement was modified to make it more demanding on the part of the dancers.
As per the dance apparels, the originally worn jeans and petticoat are no longer used. Instead the dancers now use multicolored costumes as their dance dresses that are made of artificial elastic fiber. This makes up for the durability and the flexibility required now. The dance shoes play a very important role in rock and roll dance. The shoes need to be high on both the grip and the slip. Most commonly light jazz shoes are used. In case of high level acrobatics involved, sneakers or shoes made for aerobics are used. All in all rock and roll has been a very popular form of dance and continues to be so.
Monday, September 6, 2010
May I Have A Dance With You???
It was my grandparent’s 55th wedding anniversary. An amazingly long time for a couple to stay together!!! We used to visit my grandparents twice a year. Meeting them was wonderful in many ways. Ours was a predominantly a party oriented family. We needed the slightest provocation to start with the music and dance. Normally also when we all used to get together it was almost an occasion. This time we didn’t need an excuse, we already had the perfect occasion to dance our feet off. But before we could actually start circling and swirling and bouncing away, we had this long chat session- the entire family huddled together, near the celeb couple. It was then that the story came up again- the story how my grandparents met and fell in love. Though we had heard it many times, but its charm was still intact, even now my mother ended up in tears and my father holding her in his arms.
It so happened that it was the wedding of my granny’s sister. She was obviously the bridesmaid and my grandfather was from the groom’s side. After the first dance of the bride and the groom, people started to spread over the dance floor. Then my grandfather came across a lonely maiden sitting aside in a corner. He was intrigued by the girl sitting alone. He thought she was too lonely for a bridesmaid. He being a shy and modest not-so-modern guy, gathered up all the courage he could, to ask her to dance with him. To his surprise and his too, she agreeed. That was the first time he asked her “may I have a dance with you?” and this is how it started. They danced and they danced perfectly with each other.
Soon they started dating and their dates usually comprised of dance classes, dance events and dance shows. With the help of each other they mastered the art so perfectly that they soon became the stars instead of the audience. They did dance shows together, took dance classes and held dance events. As their fame grew so did their love. They married when they were at the peak of their careers and continued to live for each other and for dance.
They quit when they had their first child, my father. But till date they are dancers at their heart. They dance to each other’s company; they dance with and for each other. Dance is the most beautiful feeling in the world. It tied these two in a harmonious, rhythmic bond that has lasted half a century.
It so happened that it was the wedding of my granny’s sister. She was obviously the bridesmaid and my grandfather was from the groom’s side. After the first dance of the bride and the groom, people started to spread over the dance floor. Then my grandfather came across a lonely maiden sitting aside in a corner. He was intrigued by the girl sitting alone. He thought she was too lonely for a bridesmaid. He being a shy and modest not-so-modern guy, gathered up all the courage he could, to ask her to dance with him. To his surprise and his too, she agreeed. That was the first time he asked her “may I have a dance with you?” and this is how it started. They danced and they danced perfectly with each other.
Soon they started dating and their dates usually comprised of dance classes, dance events and dance shows. With the help of each other they mastered the art so perfectly that they soon became the stars instead of the audience. They did dance shows together, took dance classes and held dance events. As their fame grew so did their love. They married when they were at the peak of their careers and continued to live for each other and for dance.
They quit when they had their first child, my father. But till date they are dancers at their heart. They dance to each other’s company; they dance with and for each other. Dance is the most beautiful feeling in the world. It tied these two in a harmonious, rhythmic bond that has lasted half a century.
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