Jazz & Ragtime - Mira Amin

Ragtime, a musical genre which originated in the United States, experienced its peak between 1897 and 1918. It began as dance music within communities of highly concentrated African American prostitution and sex-oriented businesses in New Orleans and St. Louis. Ragtime was highly influenced by Cakewalk, African American Folk Music, Beguine, and American March Music. Benjamin Robertson Harney, an American songwriter and entertainer, pioneered Ragtime and is now known as the “Father of Ragtime.” Some popular Ragtime music composers are Anton Davorak and Claude Debussy. Through their legacy, Jazz music was created. Like Ragtime, Jazz also originated within black communities in southeastern United States, and was also influenced by Folk Music, March, and Blues. Its mainstream popularity lasted between the 1920’s and 1970’s. Jazz in its prime was innovated by artists such as Louis Armstrong and Coleman Hawkins, and was originally created in 1910 in New Orleans, Louisiana.

Ragtime music is primarily played on a piano, but is sometimes played on a banjo orchestra or brass band. Some of its derived forms are Stride, Novelty Piano, and Honky Tonk, and some of its fusion genres include Jazz, Boogie Woogie, and Bluegrass. Dancing to Ragtime was a very enjoyable way to spend time in an era where the style was seen as scandalous. Many Americans began to find it “modern” to dance their Two-Step to this new Ragtime fad. The African American Cake Walk was even accepted in some high society ballrooms as “the popular fad of popular society.” During the early 1900’s, Ragtime music began to gain a wider acceptance and was soon accompanying the new Four-Step and a phase of “animal dances” such as the Turkey Trot, Grizzly Bear, Bunny Hug, and Camel Walk. This was especially popular with the lower class. By 1910, the popular phrase was, “Everybody’s doin’ it now.”  Jazz dance, on the other hand, is a vibrant and highly intensified style of ragtime. Jazz dancing involved clothing that was relatively flexible and tight in a materialistic respect. Dancers were required to wear unconstricting clothing in order to show off their fast paced flexible motions. Exploding with energy, Jazz dancers are encouraged to add a little bit of their own flared flavor into their moves.

TO VIEW JAZZ DANCING, PLEASE CLICK ON THE LINK.

Citation

"History of Ragtime [article]:Article Description: Performing Arts Encyclopedia, Library of Congress." American Memory from the Library of Congress - Home Page. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Mar. 2013. <http://lcweb2.loc.gov/diglib/ihas/loc.natlib.ihas.200035811/default.html>.

"What Is Ragtime - Description of Jazz Style Ragtime." About.com Jazz - Jazz Music News, Reviews, and More by Guide Jacob Teichroew. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Mar. 2013. <http://jazz.about.com/od/historyjazztimeline/a/ragtime.htm>.

Russian Imperialism-Ricky Patel

Russian Imperialism Ballet was known as the “Grand Ballet” because of the very dramatic costume designs to the stage decorations. Some famous Russian imperial ballets are The Nutcracker and Sleeping beauty.

            The Russian imperial ballet was made into a unique and articulate dance with the help of Sergei Diaghilev who was the director of the Ballets Russes after the Russian revolution of 1917.

            The dances performed were filled with sharp and athletic movements. The technique was created by Agrippina Vaganova and was called the Vaganova technique.



The Firebird

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6h6WvIeodfs

Igor Stravinsky was one of the main composers for Diaghilev’s Ballets Russes. He was known for his stylistic diversity and some of his first performances were The Firebird, Petrushka and The Rite of Spring.

Cited Sources:

Plisetskaya, Maya . "Russin Ballet." Russia-IC. N.p.. Web. 18 Apr 2013. <http://www.russia-ic.com/culture_art/theatre/155/

http://www.thedctraveler.com/2006/11/the-nutcracker-ballet-a-christmas-tradition/ (Picture in magazine)

Contemporary/Merce Cunningham-Ricky Patel

Contemporary Dance is an exploration of the complete possible movements of the body. Contemporary dance includes a little of classical and modern dance. Some of the major ideas of the dance style include: stress on the torso, disordered technique, unpredictable rhythm, speed and direction. This dance is thought to have originated between 1950’s and present time in the western culture.

John Cage and Merce Cunningham: Variations V (Excerpts)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ca2iVll-N0g 

Star Spotlight:

Merce Cunningham- a student of Martha Graham. A bold man whose curiosity and originality created the Merce Cunningham Dance Company to broadcast over 150 of his pieces internationally.

Born: Centralia, Washington on April 16,1919.

Died: July 26, 2009

Type of dance: Contemporary

Most famous work: Variations V (1965)

Other Works:

Occupation: Dancer, Choreographer

His life:

 Merce Cunningham was a visionary in the world of dance. He imaginatively thought of this aesthetic of dance that was so unpredictable, disordered, and just limitless in creative possibilities. Contemporary dance was first debuted in 1944 when he performed his first solo act. He later on in his life formed the Merce Cunningham Dance Company.

            This dance company was the beginning of a revolutionary change in dance to a one were there was no set technique that had to be followed. Is was created at the Black Mountain College and included many dancers and musicians such as, pioneer in indeterminacy music , John Cage. This dance company was all about change and differences in not only dance but in music; they commissioned more work from contemporary composers than any other dance company. This company continues to advance Cunningham’s idea of creativity in dance even after his death through the Cunningham Dance Foundation and the Merce Cunningham Trust.



Most famous work: Variations V (1965)

Other Works:

Suite for Five (1956–1958)

Rainforest (1968)

Sounddance (1975)

Ocean (1994)

BIPED (1999)

Nearly Ninety (2009)

Achievements:

1964-Medal of the Society for the Advancement of Dancing      

1984-Inducted as an Honorary Member into the American Academy and Institute of Arts and Letters

1988-Dance/USA National Honor

2002-Kitty Carlisle Hart Award for Outstanding Achievement in the Arts

Cited Sources:

Bedinghaus, Treva. "What is Contemporary Dance?." About.com. N.p.. Web. 18 Apr 2013. <http://dance.about.com/od/typesofdance/f/What-Is-Contemporary-Dance.htm>.

Pilar Naranjo Rico, Mairia del Pilar. "CONTEMPORARY DANCE HISTORY." Contemporary-dance. N.p.. Web. 18 Apr 2013. <http://www.contemporary-dance.org/contemporary-dance-history.html>.

Minstrel Musical Theatre- Kamalia Blunt

Minstrel Musical Theatre

This form of musical theatre is considered a black mark in musical theatre history, both figuratively and literally. The most popular shows on stage from the 1840s to the early 1900s debut White men with blackened faces mimicking and representing what was assumed to be the Negro race for the amusement of mainly other White people (However, people of all races were amused). This born-and-raised American entertainment displayed racial hatred and popularized stereotypes of Blacks as unsophisticated slaves and petty thieves relishing in their adoration of “Massuh.”

In order to achieve “Blackface,” a cork would be burned, then it could be smudged onto the face like make-up and ready for a show. “Blackface,” was actually quite popular before its introduction to minstrelsy. White men would engulf this “Negro” persona and attempt to sing, dance and talk in Negro dialect. As a matter of fact, between the mid 1700s and early 1800s, blackface was included in over 5,000 circus and theatre productions. 

  

Cotton and Chick Watts Comedy Minstrel Show

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-_swtbIi2F0

Citation:
Kenrick, John. "A History of the Musicals: Minstrel Show." Musicals101.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Apr 2013. <http://www.musicals101.com/minstrel.htm>.