Thesis Statement Cultural forces in subcultures such as African American dance forms have shaped major American dance forms such as modern and jazz dancing. In the opinion of the author, modern American dance relies heavily upon elements that were "confiscated" (taken) from non-European dance and then fused with European forms to make distinctly American dance forms. Modern and Jazz Dance Conserving Culure Modern/contemporary dance helped to conserve the cultural values, traditions and heritage of Caribbean and African dance forms and other forms as well Modern and jazz dance are intricate and involve techniques gained only through many years of training. In modern or contemporary dance, movement is free and constantly creating and defining new steps. Such movement is based upon the use of gravity, breathing, momentum and abstract theory to create steps. A major component of the art of modern dance is the perfection of the flexible use of gravity and balance. Such factors in combination with the natural momentum of falling or turning bodies and responding to gravity generated movement mixed well with African or Caribbean styles.
Dance
Cultural forces in subcultures such as African-American dance forms have shaped major American dance forms such as modern and jazz dancing. In the opinion of the author, modern American dance relies heavily upon elements that were "confiscated" (taken) from non-European dance and then fused with European forms to make distinctly American dance forms.
Modern and Jazz Dance
Conserving Culure
Modern/contemporary dance helped to conserve the cultural values, traditions and heritage of Caribbean and African dance forms and other forms as well Modern and jazz dance are intricate and involve techniques gained only through many years of training. In modern or contemporary dance, movement is free and constantly creating and defining new steps. Such movement is based upon the use of gravity, breathing, momentum and abstract theory to create steps. A major component of the art of modern dance is the perfection of the flexible use of gravity and balance. Such factors in combination with the natural momentum of falling or turning bodies and responding to gravity generated movement mixed well with African or Caribbean styles.
More often than not, the result was modern and abstract in style. Contemporary/modern dance has been very experimental from its birth and does not always have set themes or a story line. Modern dance makes use of other sources for its inspiration just as other styles also do, but from which modern dance is much more known for. This often takes the form of everyday ideas or actions and also makes a statement of feeling through new movements. An example of modern/contemporary dance is the work of the Alvin Ailey Company and the Paul Taylor Company which bring in a number of different forms from Europe, African-American, Caribbean and others. Since modern/contemporary dance is very abstract in form, the moves always proceed towards new ideas to be more free and fluid.
Innovation
Modern/Contemporary dance certainly of course has innovative aspects, but even more so in the opinion of this author is that jazz openly challenges the status quo of American culture and/or the accepted societal behaviors. It is one of the most popular forms of American dancing and is more upbeat and fast in tempo and movement. The jazz dance form encompasses a very wide variety of styles in this type of form.
Different types of jazz will include classic and/or stylized, street-funk and lyrical and many others. The classic and/or stylized format consists of some regular clear lines (for example, definite shapes of the human body) and also sharp (that its, fast and precise) dance movements. These movements can also be quick they have a flow to them as well. This also goes hand and hand with the experiences of musical theater. This is the kind of dance form that one would see in a Broadway show like Chicago or Fosse (movie or show) a TV show like "Fame," or even a Las Vegas show. Lyrical jazz, another jazz form has a more ballet feel and look to it.
In jazz dance, the motions are mostly slower and also have a fluidity that goes on to create longer lines and also to express stronger emotional connections. The movements are more strongly based upon the lyrics of a song and they express a similar if not identical ideas. Street-funk is also very similar and is related to hip-hop. However it also falls under the jazz format because it also uses more technical movements that originate from jazz dance . Street-funk is also sometimes called jazz-funk or just. This type of jazz format makes use of modern hip-hop touch in order to create fun and fast and dances. A low (to direction of the ground) brisk style is usually best described as explosive in form. This can be seen in cheer leading competitions or in dance competitions. Jazz style dance movements are based upon techniques from ballet, but they also use unfixed forms.
Jazz is unique in that it fuses and also innovates heavily upon Caribbean and African forms. The classic dance styles are not the only sources of dance. The former types are forms that come from many other cultures that make wide range movements. This type of dance variety invites for easy expression in ideas that the dancer may have about anything at all. Such expression through the medium of dance is artistic because the vast majority of what it is created upon is based on the movement aesthetics. The way it appears is what then determines what the form means, just like the writing in a book reveals what the volume is about. This can make dance boring, exciting, difficult, old, easy, or even new. So long as there is expressed movement, then art is created. In this way dancing is and art form.
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