Hi! It's me, Maeve! This is my reseach report on different styles of dance. Also, be sure to check out my other pages!

Styles of Dance

By Maeve P., 4th Hour

          All around the world and through time, people have expressed themselves through dance. Just as there are different people and cultures from different times that dance, there are different dances, too. There are many styles of classical and modern dance, and many aspects about them.

            Two of the most well known styles of classical dance are Ballet and Ballroom. Their names are both derived from the Latin term “ballare”, meaning “to dance”, and these styles are both about as classic as they come.

As I mentioned before, one of the most well known classical dances is Ballet. Ballet is a formalized type of performance dance typically done to classical music. Ballet first emerged in the Renaissance courts of 15^th century Italy, which carried over to 16^th-17^th century France, which was then developed further in England, Italy, and Russia as a concert dance form. Later developments include Expressionist Ballet, Neoclassical Ballet, Contemporary Ballet, Post-Structural Ballet, and some elements of modern dance. There are 5 styles of Ballet, and they are the Vaganova (Russian) Method, the Cecchetti (Italian) Method, the Bournonville (Danish) Method, the Balanchine (American) Method, and the Royal Academy of Dance (English) Method. 

When people think of Ballet, they think of a single girl, by herself, wearing a tutu, and dancing on the very tips of her toes, or rather, the points on her Pointe shoes. This is called Ballet Blanc and is one of the better-known forms of Ballet. When doing Ballet Blanc, the ballerina wears Pointe shoes and a tutu, but for other forms of Ballet, people wear different things. For daily wear, ballerinas wear tights, a leotard, regular Ballet flats or Pointe shoes, and maybe a wrap skirt or leg warmers. One thing is for sure: for performances, Ballet costumes are always elaborate.

Another type of Classical dance is Ballroom. Ballroom dance dates back to the 16^th century, where it evolved from city and country style regional dances. Later, in the 19^th century, aristocratic gatherings called “balls” contributed to the evolution of Ballroom style dance.

There are many Ballroom dances, but I’m just going to name two: the Waltz and the Tango. The Waltz is a Ballroom dance done to Classical music in ¾ time performed in closed position. The attire for men is a tie and tails, and for women, an exquisite gown or dress of some sort. Both partners normally wear dance heels.

The Tango is a musical genre and its associated dance forms that originated in Argentina. The attire for men is, again, a tie and tails, and the women have the option of either wearing a Ballroom gown or a Tango costume. The men wear dance heels and the women have the option of dance heels or Tango boots.

There are different types of Modern dance, too. When people think of Modern dance, they think of the hip-hop style, Break Dance. However, in this report, I will also be talking about a less widely known dance, known as Popping.

Break Dancing is a street dance style that evolved during the hip-hop movement in Manhattan and the South Bronx of New York City that became a cornerstone element in hip-hop dance. It begun as a youth culture alternative to urban gangs but became popular when DJ’s would string together rhythmic breakdown sections (or “breaks”) of dance records. Now, it is normally danced to sections of pop, funk, or hip-hop music.

When Michael Jackson performed the “Robot Dance” in 1974, it showed Break Dance to a broader audience and helped it become more popular. Also, dance teams like the Rock Steady Crew and the New York City Breakers changed Break Dance into a pop-culture sensation, and attracted attention from the media. Break Dance’s popularity died down in the mid 1980’s, but was later accepted in many types of media. As quoted from a Wikipedia article, “Today, Break Dancing is an amazing discipline between those of dancers and athletes”, and is accepted worldwide.

Break Dancing involves 4 types of movement and many sub-categories. It involves Toprock (movement done while standing up), Downrock (movement done on the ground), Freezes (pauses in movement), and Power Moves (large movements, often rotational). Some examples of Toprock are Basic Toprock, Indian-Step, and Uprock. Some examples of Downrock are the 6-Step, the Helicopter, and Zulu Spins. Some examples of Freezes are Elbow Chair, Table Top, and the Hong 10 Freeze. Finally, some examples of Power Moves are the Air Flare, the Air Track, and the Nightcrawler.

Fashion is a defining aspect of identity for people that Break Dance, a.k.a. b-boys. Although times change, a definite constant in b-boy fashion is dressing “fresh”, although definitions of “fresh” may vary. Matching gear is a rule in b-boy fashion. Sometimes all the members in a crew will try to match each other to symbolize that they are in a group together.

B-boy fashion has two requirements: it must be “fresh”, but it must also be functional. That’s why nylon tracksuits are popular with b-boys, especially hooded ones (easier to do head spins). That’s also why some wear helmets under their hats (also to improve head spins), and some wear bandannas under all headwear (to help with the discomfort of the fabric pulling on their hair). B-boys look for shoes with low weight, good grip, and a durable sole, and wristbands are worn to help lower friction and provide protection.

Some things just never go out of style, and that’s why b-boys still wear kangols, track pants, nylon clothes, modern sneakers, hats, and trucker hats. They also still wear flat-soled Adidas, Puma, and Fila shoes with thick, intricately patterned laces. Some images just never go out of style either, and the popular Break Dancing image has almost always been a b-boy with an oversized sheet of cardboard to act as a dance floor and a large boom box.

Another little known style of Modern dance is Popping. Popping was created by Sam Solomon (Boogaloo Sam) of the Electric Boogaloos. “The Lockers” and the 1960’s fad dance, “The Jerk”, inspired him. Sam created the “popping” technique by contracting and relaxing his muscles rapidly, and when he would do this he would say, “pop”, leading to the dance being called “Popping”. The Electric Boogaloos contributed to the spread of popping popularity with their appearance on Soul Train, and Michael Jackson made Popping more popular with his “Moonwalk” and “Robot”, but this caused confusion because his “Moonwalk” was already the “Backslide” in Popping. Popping attire is similar to that of Break Dancing and is danced to pop, hip-hop, or Electronica.

In conclusion, there are many technical aspects about Classical and Modern dance that can be similar or different, but there is one thing that remains constant for any style of Dance. Dance is a fun way to express yourself, whatever style you choose. 

Bibliography

“Ballet” http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ballet

Modified and retrieved Feb 6

“Breakdance” http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Breakdance

Modified and retrieved Feb 10

“Dance” http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dance#Dance_classification_and_genres

Modified Jan 18     retrieved Feb 5

Grau, Andreé, Dr.    Eyewitness Dance 

Dorling Kindersley, New York © 1998

“List of Breakdance Moves” http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_breakdance_moves

Modified and retrieved Feb 11

“Tango” http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tango_(dance)

Modified Feb 11    retrieved Feb 12

 “Popping” http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Popping_(dance)

Modified Feb 8    retrieved Feb 11

“Waltz” http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waltz

Modified Feb10    retrieved Feb 12

Pictures from…

www.last.fm

www.postershop.com

upload.wikimedia.org

cultureconnection.ning.com

www.smh.com.au

  Feel free to post your comments about my report!