Dance in the 21st Century

Dance in the 21st Century Worldwide history of dance Hip Hop dance Thesis- A thorough deconstruction of this sort of dance reveals that history and various tools today (most of which involve technology) have helped to catapult it to be one of the most influential styles of dance in contemporary times.

First Support Type of Hip Hop dance Breakdancing to dance troupes Happy medium -- the Pharcyde Fluid, compelling, unique Second Support "Boy band" Hip Hop dancing New Edition Bobby Brown exemplifies with autonomous, agile footwork Third Support Evolution of dance James Brown inspired the Jacksons (Mike), who inspired New Edition and the Pharcyde who in turn inspired Michael Jackson Conclusion Technology provides the bridge for dance memes and influence Mobile devices, internet access The history of dance is a lengthy and decorative one, which is certainly worthy of serious scholastic pursuit.

It encompasses numerous styles and reasons for dancing, as well as a plethora of cultures, ethnicities, races and religions. Numerous aspects of these different facets of dance are still highly visible in the 21st century, especially in a country such as the United States which is a virtual hodgepodge of people from varying socio-economic divisions.

However, despite the multitude of dance types, the one that has consistently excited me ever since I became aware of dance from a fully conscious perspective is what is commonly referred to now as hip hop dance. Although the term hip hop is widely used with a variety of differences, the type of hip hop dancing I am referring to is that which accompanies hip hop music.

The vast majority of such music is rap, although there are some songs in which people sing (typically in a variation of rhythm and blues) in which they dance in this sort of style as well. A thorough deconstruction of this sort of dance reveals that history and various tools today (most of which involve technology) have helped to catapult it to be one of the most influential styles of dance in contemporary times.

The true history of hip hop dance began alongside hip hop itself, in the streets of the South Bronx in New York City during the 1970's. Hip hop has always encompassed three different elements -- music (mostly rapping and deejaying), dancing and graffiti. When the hip hop culture was first forming, breakdancing was the form of dance which usually accompanied this music.

Still, there is a clear distinction between the contemporary version of hip hop dancing that I am partial to and formal breakdancing, in which individuals would spin around on their backs and heads. It is also noteworthy that the type of hip hop dancing that I am most attracted to is not the sort of maneuvers with extensive companies that are performed in dance troupes, or the sort of thing that artists such as Justin Timberlake or Robin Thicke perform.

The dancing that I like is less rigid than breakdancing, and definitely more fluent than anything those aforementioned artists do in their videos and concerts. Specifically, the dancing of the Pharcyde, a seminal Los Angeles-based hip hop collective from the 1990's is the type of dancing that I like. The four original members of this group can move in a way that I have never conceived of, and are one of the few groups (or actually dancers period) whose dances truly, truly move me. In fact they do so viscerally.

In all honesty I have never seen anyone dance quite like the Pharcyde. This link shows glimpses of their unique dancing. Additionally, I should mention that the form of dancing that I find exciting as well is that performed by New Edition, a six-man group largely hailing from Roxbury, Boston, which made its debut in 1983.

Although they do engage in typical coordinated moves that a number of the subsequent "boy bands" which have populated contemporary culture perform, there are certain members of this group, such as Bobby Brown, whose footwork is so effortless, whose agility and dexterity seemingly defies physics.

Again, I would posit that his best dancing, which is considered a form of hip hop dancing, is not that in which he participates in coordinated efforts with the rest of his group, but that in which he freely improves and simply moves as the music moves him. This same tendency where the dancer takes a sort of autonomy with the music is also what excites me the most about the Pharcyde's dancing.

I remember watching a Whitney Houston concert on television in which Brown performed a couple of solo dance moves and was completely captivated with how he moved. An example of Bobby Brown dancing is found here, particularly in the scenes when he is not posturing. The rows of girls engaged in uniform hip hop dancing display the type of hip hop dancing I do not care for.

There is no denying the fact that contemporary hip hop dancing and that performed by the two aforementioned groups is part of an evolution that has become increasingly dependent upon technology in the 21st century. The Pharcyde was said to have inspired some of the more recent moves of Michael Jackson prior to the turn of the 21st century.

At the heart of Bobby Brown's peak, which occurred in the transition from the 1980's to the 1990's when he released his multiplatinum album Don't Be Cruel, people believed that his dancing and music videos was inspired by the Jacksons -- specifically Michael Jackson. Michael Jackson's dancing and elaborate stage show while performing, in turn, was widely believed to have been influenced by that of James Brown. Thus, there is a living, modern.