What is ballet?
By: Julia Jester
Classical ballet is the foundation from which nearly all dance styles have developed. It requires strong technique, athleticism, and grace.
Originating in the Italian Renaissance courts of the 15th century, ballet de cour began as a casual pastime before Catherine de Medici, an ardent patron of the arts in Florence, helped develop it into a cohesive form performance complete with themes, geometric choreography, and theatrical elements. She then funded the art form in the French court, where King Louis XIV, a ballet dancer himself, elevated ballet to a professional endeavor requiring rigorous training. Louis XIV's personal teacher Pierre Beauchamps is credited for standardizing the five fundamental positions of the feet through which all balletic movements move.
In the mid-1700s, French ballet master Jean Georges Noverre diverged from the standard opera ballet to create ballet d'action, emphasizing the storytelling element of the form. Romantic ballets emerged in the 19th century, at which time dancing on the tips of toes, called en pointe, became the standard for ballerinas. During this period, ballet became overwhelmingly popular in Russia, where both choreographers and composers collaborated to create some of the world's most enduring ballets — for example, The Nutcracker, The Sleeping Beauty, and Swan Lake. As movement sequences became more difficult, the original romantic tutu consisting of a calf-length tulle skirt was replaced by a shorter, stiffer tutu, which revealed the intricate footwork and precise lines of the dancers.
Ballet was revolutionized in the 20th-century, when the Russian-born choreographer George Balanchine immigrated to America and founded the New York City Ballet. There, Balanchine transformed the art form by creating neo-classical ballet, which aimed for the purity of expression by eliminating distracting theatrical elements. He also introduced the contemporary plotless ballet, in which movement rather than storyline is designed to convey emotion.
American Ballet Theatre artistic director Mikhail Baryshnikov, modern choreographer Twyla Tharp, and Joffrey Ballet founder Robert Joffrey also greatly contributed to American ballet. Today, both classical and contemporary ballet companies, such as The Washington Ballet and Complexions Contemporary Ballet, respectively, continue to develop the style.
Some identifying elements of ballet include:
By: Julia Jester
Classical ballet is the foundation from which nearly all dance styles have developed. It requires strong technique, athleticism, and grace.
Originating in the Italian Renaissance courts of the 15th century, ballet de cour began as a casual pastime before Catherine de Medici, an ardent patron of the arts in Florence, helped develop it into a cohesive form performance complete with themes, geometric choreography, and theatrical elements. She then funded the art form in the French court, where King Louis XIV, a ballet dancer himself, elevated ballet to a professional endeavor requiring rigorous training. Louis XIV's personal teacher Pierre Beauchamps is credited for standardizing the five fundamental positions of the feet through which all balletic movements move.
In the mid-1700s, French ballet master Jean Georges Noverre diverged from the standard opera ballet to create ballet d'action, emphasizing the storytelling element of the form. Romantic ballets emerged in the 19th century, at which time dancing on the tips of toes, called en pointe, became the standard for ballerinas. During this period, ballet became overwhelmingly popular in Russia, where both choreographers and composers collaborated to create some of the world's most enduring ballets — for example, The Nutcracker, The Sleeping Beauty, and Swan Lake. As movement sequences became more difficult, the original romantic tutu consisting of a calf-length tulle skirt was replaced by a shorter, stiffer tutu, which revealed the intricate footwork and precise lines of the dancers.
Ballet was revolutionized in the 20th-century, when the Russian-born choreographer George Balanchine immigrated to America and founded the New York City Ballet. There, Balanchine transformed the art form by creating neo-classical ballet, which aimed for the purity of expression by eliminating distracting theatrical elements. He also introduced the contemporary plotless ballet, in which movement rather than storyline is designed to convey emotion.
American Ballet Theatre artistic director Mikhail Baryshnikov, modern choreographer Twyla Tharp, and Joffrey Ballet founder Robert Joffrey also greatly contributed to American ballet. Today, both classical and contemporary ballet companies, such as The Washington Ballet and Complexions Contemporary Ballet, respectively, continue to develop the style.
Some identifying elements of ballet include:
- Five positions: the basic positions of the feet and arms through which most ballet skills move through
- Well-maintained posture, extension, and precision
- Body alignment: the rotation of the legs from the hip so that the feet are facing outward (known as "turnout"), correctly placed arms, and centered upper-body
- Complicated patterns of dance moves, challenging steps such as leaps and turns
- Graceful athleticism: muscular, toned physique combined with elegant, fluid motions
JAZZ
JAZZ What is jazz dance?
By: Brandon Ambrosino
Jazz dance is an umbrella term encompassing several different styles of dance that became popular in the early 20th-century. Though jazz dance has mixed roots extending back through both African and European traditions, it's a uniquely American creation, which developed simultaneously with jazz music in New Orleans. Unlike in other parts of the United States, slaves in New Orleans were allowed to retain and practice elements of their African heritage, and on Sundays, would gather to sing and dance.
Eventually, this kind of social song and dance became popularized throughout America. Social dances like the Charleston and the Jitterbug caught on. In the 1940s, the improvised, social aspect of jazz dance began to be replaced with intricate choreography as more dancers with training in ballet and Modern took up the dance form, especially on Broadway stages. This emerging style of technical jazz became codified in the movement of Jack Cole, Jerome Robbins, Gwen Verdon, and Bob Fosse.
Some recent and contemporary pioneers of jazz dance are Katherine Dunham, Michael Jackson, Luigi Faccuito, and Michael Bennett. Noted jazz choreographers on SYTYCD include Wade Robson, Mandy Moore, and Sonya Tayeh.
Some identifying elements of jazz dance include:
By: Brandon Ambrosino
Jazz dance is an umbrella term encompassing several different styles of dance that became popular in the early 20th-century. Though jazz dance has mixed roots extending back through both African and European traditions, it's a uniquely American creation, which developed simultaneously with jazz music in New Orleans. Unlike in other parts of the United States, slaves in New Orleans were allowed to retain and practice elements of their African heritage, and on Sundays, would gather to sing and dance.
Eventually, this kind of social song and dance became popularized throughout America. Social dances like the Charleston and the Jitterbug caught on. In the 1940s, the improvised, social aspect of jazz dance began to be replaced with intricate choreography as more dancers with training in ballet and Modern took up the dance form, especially on Broadway stages. This emerging style of technical jazz became codified in the movement of Jack Cole, Jerome Robbins, Gwen Verdon, and Bob Fosse.
Some recent and contemporary pioneers of jazz dance are Katherine Dunham, Michael Jackson, Luigi Faccuito, and Michael Bennett. Noted jazz choreographers on SYTYCD include Wade Robson, Mandy Moore, and Sonya Tayeh.
Some identifying elements of jazz dance include:
- Isolations: a dancer isolates one specific part of her body, such as her rib cage or wrist
- Grounded movement: dancers keep a low center of gravity, and often bend their knees
- Syncopation: accenting an offbeat or note of the musical accompaniment that surprises the audience
- Contractions: motivated by her breath, a dancer will make a C-shape with her core
Howcast.com Jazz Moves for Beginners
For the full playlist...copy this URL and watch these tutorials for Jazz moves.
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLF6166F725D8AA1DE
This channel is interesting because it a series of short and very clear 1-3-minute tutorials on different Jazz movements. The first step, in the jazz series, is below. Continue and click on additional steps when you have completed the video or copy the complete playlist above. Learn 4 steps or learn them all throughout the summer.
Post your combinations to the flipgrid link below.
For the full playlist...copy this URL and watch these tutorials for Jazz moves.
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLF6166F725D8AA1DE
This channel is interesting because it a series of short and very clear 1-3-minute tutorials on different Jazz movements. The first step, in the jazz series, is below. Continue and click on additional steps when you have completed the video or copy the complete playlist above. Learn 4 steps or learn them all throughout the summer.
Post your combinations to the flipgrid link below.