Jazzing Up For Jazz

Jazz as we all know it is one of the most popular forms of dance all across the globe. The fun beats and the swift movements make jazz a charming dance. Jazz is one of the few dance forms that also has a music genre for itself. Though, other forms of dances too have their specific kind of music but none of them are as popular as jazz. Jazz as a dance calls for a specific technique and skill. To be able to perform well, the foot movements in jazz need to be mastered.

Jazz has its root in the African American vernacular dances. Initially, very close to tap dancing, jazz then evolved to become one of the most popular dance genres of the world. The modern day Jazz is seen to be influenced to be influenced by dance styles like ballet, contemporary, lyrical and hip hop. It is the unique technique of the dance that lends it the beauty. The key to good jazz dancing is controlling the center of the body as all the movements take birth from the center of the body. Perfecting the balance is crucial to honing the art of jazz dancing. Turns such as pirouettes and fouettes are also central to the dance. Spotting is the technique that helps the dancer in keeping to minimum the dizzy feeling during repetitive turns.

Another thing that is essential to mastering the art of jazz dancing is the right kind of jazz shoes. As in jazz the emphasis on foot movement is immense, the shoes that you use are incredibly important. Your shoes can be made of soft leather which gives a comfortable fit and does not restrict the free movement of the feet. For jazz clothing there are a lot of options available. Mostly people prefer special jazz pants which allow free and unrestricted movement of the body. If you know of a dance costumes sale nearby, it is best to grab a pair of jazz shoes as they are never enough. www.justforkix.com is one of the best places to look for all kinds of dance merchandize, dance clothes, accessories etc.

Whether 8 or 80- Dance As Much As You Want To

There are some things in life that are better than others- things that can bring a smile on your face no matter who, where or what you are. Things like chocolates, smiling babies, roses, sea, stars and dance have the infinite potential of filing you with an ecstasy so strong at the most impossible of moments. A very nice and intelligent quote says that we do not stop smiling as we grow old but we grow old because we stop smiling. Many people take aging as an antonym to laughter, to enjoyment, to craziness, to feeling happy without a reason, in short to life itself.

But our age in no way can or should keep us from the good things in life. It’s never too late- literally! If you have not got a chance yet to set your feet tapping, you can always choose the free time that comes with your retirement. Dance has already proved itself to be a great stress buster, better than any medicine or drug. It’s safe and effective and fun too! Dance is also great for your physical health in many ways. It improves your cardio-vascular system and also sets right all the over bulging and protruding curves. You just need to grab your dance shoes and hit the floor. The rest will be taken care of automatically. Your age doesn’t matters; it’s your passion that does.

If you really want to do it, you can do it for sure, no matter what age you are. There are a number of types of dances that suit the above 40s. Dance does not necessarily mean the jumps and electrifying moves that they show in “So You Think You Can Dance?” but there are dances with much subtle movements which suit the not so young ones. There’s a lot to choose from: ballroom, Latin, Street Latin, salsa, rock ’n' roll, Ceroc (modern jive), tango and so on. A teeny-weeny problem might be finding the right partner. But once that is done, you can get into a dance class or a dance camp that you feel suits you the best and you are all set to take the world by your stride. Remember- Dancing is like dreaming with your feet! – Constanze.

Dances from the Indian Subcontinent 1- Kathak

India is a land of spices, colors, deities, dances and a lot more. This diverse and ancient land is a host to numerous cultures. The Indian subcontinent is rich in almost all kinds of arts- the ancient scriptures are a beautiful example of the legendry literary skills imbibed in the soil of the country. Great art has been seen in art and architecture of the region. In dance and music too, the land fares far better than many other ancient civilizations.

Kathak is one of the eight classical dances of India. It was originated from the local cultures of Northern India. The word “Kathak” is derived from a Sanskrit word, “Katha” meaning story. This dance was hence originated from the local story tellers who incorporated dance in their art of storytelling. They were basically the local bards who used to narrate tales from the Holy Scriptures. Animated hand gestures and facial expressions were used. It was the typical local form of theatre. Local instruments and vocals were used to accessorize the narratives.

There are three basic schools or ‘gharanas’ of the kathak dance- Jaipur, Lucknow and Benaras, from which they take the lineage. Kathak dance was the most prominent dance forms in the Mughal courts. The dance in itself has undergone many changes. With the advent of British in India, Kathak took a backseat and was not given much importance. But in the free India, Kathak rose once again in an attempt to preserve culture and art form. The dance incorporates minute details with respect to facial expressions and hand gestures. Kathak once again gathered popularity and the ancient dance form is still being learnt, practiced and popularized in various parts of the country as well as the world. It is now one of the eight officially sanctioned dance forms of India.

Dance Costumes and dance accessories form a major part of the Indian dances. Most of the dances use elaborate dance dresses to accentuate the dance and its effects. Kathak too uses beautiful dance apparels to beautify the dance. As far as dance shoes are concerned, most of the Indian dances including Kathak are performed barefoot as these dances are considered to be a form of worship. The most important part of kathak is ghungroo, they are an essential dance accessory. Ghungroos are small metal bells fastened along leather or a cloth strip, worn around the ankle. They make noise in accordance with the footsteps of the dancer and are the main attraction of the dance. The sound made by the ghungroos is central to the dance.

Female dancers may use saris and a tight fitting blouse as dance dresses. They can be tied as in everyday use or a bit high so as to allow a greater freedom of movement. But more commonly lehnga-choli is chosen as a performance dress. A lehnga-choli can be a much more elaborate and fancy dance dress. Lehenga allows gives a greater degree of freedom of movement. During the Mughal era the most popularly used dance apparel was the angh-rakha. This type of garment fitted tightly till above the waist and after that a free flowing skirt follows. A belt of zari material adorned with precious stones was often used as an accessory. Among other accessories were a small pointed cap and a waistcoat.

Male dancers usually used just a dhoti as a dance costume and remained bare-chested. Though, in the Mughal period they often used to wear a churidaar and kurta.
Kathak is an important part of the Indian cultural heritage. It is still growing as a legacy and is reaching new heights of popularity with grand performances being done on national and international scale.

Ballroom Dancing Dresses

Dance has been a part of the human society since its inception. It has been since ever used at social gatherings for various reasons ranging from mere entertainment to as outrageous as warding off of evil spirits. One of the most prominent dances at the social gatherings has been the ball dance. Considered to be one the most sophisticated and suave dance forms, ballroom dancing was a favorite with the upper social circles.

With science and technology not offering many modes of entertainment, these dance parties were at the centre of the society. The dance dresses and the dance shoes commanded special attention as everybody had their eyes fixed on the belle of the ball. Balls were a major attraction in the Victorian era. They were the centers for social interactions and hence for marriage proposals too. Consequently young girls took hours to dress up for the ball. Since then ballroom Dance Dresses became an inevitably important part of the dance. Great care is taken while choosing the dance dress and the dance shoes.

Now in the market there are n numbers of options for ballroom dance dresses. There are multiple options for the customers to choose from depending whether they want a dress for personal use or competition or some dance event. For personal use the type of dress depends on the individual’s preferences and choices. One can either choose simple gowns or some real designer, flashy stuff. Though the dance dresses for a dance competition or a dance event should be more elaborate. Now there are also a number of online stores that offer a huge variety in ballroom dance gowns and dance shoes. So go ahead and find yourself a dress online that will surely make all the heads turn in your direction.

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.

It Takes Two to Tango

Influenced by the Spanish, the dance form took birth in Argentina and Uruguay in around 1850- 1890. The dance was originated in the lower middle classes in Buenos Aires among the former slave people, as it was performed at their candomble ceremonies. The music that was used was created by combining a number European music types as the people who practiced it were mainly European immigrants, chiefly French, Spanish and Italians.

The term “Tango” was associated with dance in the year 1890. Earlier the dance was quite obscure as any other type that sprung up in those days. Soon the dance gained popularity and spread across borders, changing a little in form every time it travelled. The dance in time also crept into theatres and clubs and had started to have well defined performances. Over the time the dancers and orchestras travelled to various countries and this helped the fame of the dance spread across continents and became popular in many other countries like Paris, London and Berlin. Towards the end of 1913, it hit New York in the USA.

As it travelled places and times, the dance form saw many alterations and variations. It carried them along and now we have various sub- types in the dance. Some of the popular sub types in the genre are- Tango Argentino, Tango Oriental (uruguayo), Tango Canyengue, Tango Liso, Tango Salon, Tango Orillero, Tango Milonguero (Tango Apilado), Tango Nuevo (New Tango), Show Tango (also known as Fantasia), Ballroom Tango, Finnish Tango etc. All these sub types use variations in the techniques and the music used. The dance changed as much as it moved from one place to another as it changed over decades.

The dance can be performed in an open embrace where there is space left between the bodies of the lead and the follow or a close embrace where the lead and the follow connect either from chest to chest or the upper thigh, hip area. The factors that have altered the dance form range from time and geographical area to clothes in fashion and the space available for the dance. For example the Milonguero is a dance form that uses a real close embrace and short steps. This happened as the dance form was originated in the crowded downtown clubs in the early 50’s.

Be the sensual technique or the flirty dance dresses, the dance soon became a favorite of half of the world. The dance uses special dance apparels and heels as dance shoes this also influenced trends all over. All in the entire dance is beyond doubt a favorite across half of the world!!!