Rhythms that Dance Chapter 5

Vocabulary Conjunto Ballet Mambo Cha-cha Charleston Tap dancing Lindy Hop Tango Samba

What you Will Learn Describe several dance traditions brought to America Compare and contrast classical dances such as ballet with Broadway show dancing Identify and explain the origins and forms of various popular dances, including the Charleston, tap dancing, the Lindy Hop and disco

Musician Profile Leonard Bernstein

Dance Traditions in America In America, dance is both a popular social diversion and a creative athletic art form Native Americans developed a rich tradition of dance Many dances were influenced by Europe and Africa

European Influences Ireland was a large influence Music and dance were brought with the early Irish settlers The music became part of American folk music The dances became popular in social and theatrical settings Reels – danced to quick music in 2/4 (simple duple) meter Group dances for 2 to 16 dances Forerunner of square dancing

Jigs – use 6/8 (compound duple) Ceili and step dances Includes vigorous up and down body movements Ceili and step dances Ceili dancing includes mainly reels and jigs danced at a ceili(traditional Irish and Scottish social dance Solo dances – called step dances Step dances concentrate on close to the ground foot work Often called clog dancing or clogging Riverdance – music event broadcast in 1994 brought world wide attention to Irish step dancing Activity 1, p. 99 CD 3:20 & 21 “The Wild Swans at Coole” “The Flock of Wild Geese”

Conjunto Dances Conjunto: A dance music created by Mexicans in Texas, tejanos Based on the study duple polka rhythm Tex-mex music – from a mix of European and Mexican culture Activity 2, p. 100 CD 3:22 “Ay te dejo en San Antonio”

The richness of the hula A dance form Hawaii Movements tell a story Accompanied by the ukulele – a four stringed guitarlike instrument Hula kahiko (ancient hula) was developed thousands of years ago by Hawaii’s original Polynesian settlers Became part of religious practices King David Kalakaua (1874-1891) made it the national symbol of the Hawaiian Islands

Expression of poetry in physical form Told life stories, recounted family histories “He Mele Kaua No Kamehameha” depicts the last battle of King Kamehameha the Great Comprised of olapa – those who execute movements and Ho’opa’p – chanters The ho’opa’a are playing ipu heke a Hawaiian idiophone made of 2 gourds

Classical Dance: From Ballet to Broadway A refined style of classical dance emphasizing the verticality of the body, an outward rotation of the legs, with fluid foot and leg work, and virtuosic turns and jumps Began in Italy and France in the 16th century Pas de deux – duet dances It has its roots in European court dances which were refined dances of the common people Court dancers displayed their grace in upright postures and in their controlled, coordinated movements

Court ballets became spectacular pageants The basics of ballet were taught through state- supported dance academies This created the occupation of professional dancer Ballet was important throughout the 19th century Russia was pivotal in the development Classic ballets, music by Tchaikovsky, choreographed by Marius Petipa Swan Lake Sleeping Beauty The Nutcracker The most performed Christmas ballet Depicts the dreams of Clara on Christmas

Activity 4, p. 103 CD 3:23-25 The Nutcracker contains many dances representing different nations They are performed to entertain Clara and the Prince See if you can tell which is which Example 1 Spain (“Chocolate”)– compound duple meter, bolero feel, accompanied by castanets Example 2 Russia (”Trepak “) – the fast and accelerating tempo combined with the folk-lie quality of the dance suggests its Cossack origins Example 3 Austria (“Waltz of the Flowers”) – among the most famous of the dances, like the Viennese waltz, elegant

Ballet breaks new ground Early in the 20th century the Russian ballet performed in Paris and was very popular In 1913 Vaslav Nijinsky choreographed The Rite of Spring by Russian composer Igor Stravinsky It was one of the most scandalous nights in theatre history Audiences were shocked Music was not typical ballet music Driving primal rhythms Frequently changing meters Established rules of ballet were broken Dancers’ legs bent and turned in Controversial pagan story line A riot broke out and people threw things at the stage Now it is considered a central Modernist work

Theatrical Dance In the 19th century dances were common in minstrel shows In the 1900’s operettas contained dancing Dance is standard in Broadway musicals

West Side Story Jerome Robbins choreographed West Side Story by Leonard Bernstein Dance was an integral part of the story. Modern day version of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet Portrays the conflict between the Jets and the Sharks and the love story of Tony and Maria The music is a blend of styles – jazz, Latin American The music tells the story as much as the dance and the dialogue Bernstein include mambo and cha-cha music Bernstein made an arrangement of the dances in a separate work for orchestra: Symphonic Dances from “West Side Story”

Activity 5, p. 205 CD 4:1-3 Mambo: Cha-cha: A type of ballroom dance that originated in Cuba Cha-cha: A rhythmic Latin American dance with the basic pattern of 3 steps and a shuffle Rumble – fight between the Jets and Sharks Leonard Bernstein, composer Jerome Robbins, choreographer

Leonard Bernstein (1918-1990) American composer and conductor Helped advance music throughout the United States and the world Started on piano 1944- got his break when he conducted the New York Philharmonic orchestra He was chief conductor of the orchestra from 1958- 1969 He introduced and televised concerts for young people He would discuss music so that the amateur could understand it Performed as a piano soloist Most famous for his musical theatre compositions His music mixed jazz, dance, and popular rhythms and styles with classical elements

Assignment Write a summary of the history of classical dance, based on the content of section 2.

Popular Dances Popular dance and the youth culture Discovery of new popular dance forms has long been a special interest of teens Adults usually disapprove of the new dance forms Charleston 1920’s hot jazz became popular The 19th Amendment allowed women to vote Prohibition was passed Radio became popular Short skirts and short hair for women became popular Youthful rebellion against straitlaced standards

Charleston An athletic dance that includes kicks and inward leg rotations on syncopated beats of the music Popular in the jazz age Introduced in 1923 in the successful African American musical Runnin’ Wild Danced to the tune “Charleston” by pianist James P. Johnson It represented a shift away from couple dancing toward individual expression James P. Johnson

Tap Dancing A step dance in which foot movements produce audible rhythms emphasized by small metal plates on the soles of the dancer’s shoes American dance with roots in the African American community Originated from the rhythmic dances of enslave Africans that merged with the fancy footwork of Irish step dancing, known as clogging The feet are used a percussive instruments “buck and wing” evolved as a syncopated tapd done to Ragtime

Bill “Bojangles” Robinson Most famous of this style Grandson of an enslaved African “discovered” in a 1928 dance revue at the age of 50 He appeared in 14 Hollywood movies His “Stair Dance” remains an all time tap classic

Tap Gene Kelly Eleanor Powell Racial prejudice restricted the roles played in films by most African American tap dancers White dancers starred in Hollywood musicals: Gene Kelly, Ruby Keeler, Eleanor Powell, and Fred Astaire Fred Astaire was considered the best dancer of his generation Ruby Keeler Fred Astaire & Ginger Rogers

From the 1940’s through the 1960’s taps wasn’t popular Eubie (1970 musical featuring the music of Eubie Blake) made tap more popular The star, Gregory Hines (1946-2003) became a national celebrity Tap(1989) movie) introduced Savion Glover who was 14 at the time Famous as a choreographer Starred in Bring in the Noise, Bring in Da Funk – shows African American history and culture through the medium of tap and other dance styles Eubie Blake Gregory Hines Savion Glover

Lindy Hop A jazzy dance in which couples swing, balance, and twirl The Great Depression ended the jazz age African Americans found escape in dance in the Savoy Ballroom in Harlem It had a dance floor a city block long A new jazz style called Swing was developed The Lindy Hop was the dance done to this music It was the most important dance of the 1930’s Breakaway Dance partners separated to freely improvise any movement they choose before coming back together Activity 8, p. 110 CD 4:6

The Latin Influence The dance music of Cuba became popular in America during the 1930’s and 1940’s Conga – African-Cuban dance popular for its catchy rhythm and because it was easy and fun The roots of the Latin dances can be traced to Africa Throughout the Americas, dance music shares some basic features Syncopated rhythms Improvised drumming Variety of percussion instruments

Latin Dances Tango: Samba Activity 9, p. 112 CD 4:7 & 8 A Latin American dance performed at a moderately slow walk-like tempo in 4/4 meter The accents occur on 1 and 3 Samba An African-Brazilian dance that is faster and jazzier than the tango Activity 9, p. 112 CD 4:7 & 8

Rock and Roll Combination of rhythm and blues, country, and gospel Introduced in the middle of the 20th century Radically changed popular music Played by small instrumental combos 1951 – Cleveland disc jokey Alan Freed gave the music it’s name From the song, “My Baby Rocks Me with a Steady Roll” Elvis Presley – “King of Rock and Roll” His dance moves shocked the country Alan Freed Elvis Presley

The Twist Both a dance and a song by rock singer Chubby Checker It became an international craze Solo dance Activity 10, p. 113 CD 4:9 Why do you suppose the dance was so popular?

Assignment Create a time line of highlights of popular dance in the 20th century, based on the information is this section.

Let’s Go Dancing Disco – short for discotheque, record library An eclectic mix of rhythm and blues, gospel, soul, and Latin dance music by the late 1960’s the focus of Rock and Roll became listening Disco became popular in the 1970’s Focus was on playing recordings instead of a live band Created the new profession of disc jockey or DJ It’s heavy on the beat and features brass and other instrument not used in rock Greatest hits “I will Survive” Gloria Gaynor “Stayin’ Alive” the BeeGees The Hustle Some dancing is free form, some is set step patterns

Activity 12, p. 115, TRB 5-3 CD 4:10-12 Which songs would you prefer for dancing? From the Top Susie Kim CD 1:9 & 10

Review - Terms Ballet Cha-cha Charleston Conjunto Lindy Hop Refined style of classical dance emphasizing the verticality of the body, an outward rotation of the legs with fluid foot and leg work, and virtuosic turns and jumps Cha-cha A rhythmic Latin American dance with the basic pattern of three steps and a shuffle Charleston An athletic dance that includes kicks and inward leg rotations on syncopated beats of the music. Popular in the jazz age Conjunto A dance music created by Mexicans in Texas (tejanos) Lindy Hop A jazzy dance in which couples swing, balance and twirl

More terms Mambo Samba Tango Tap dancing Breakaway The Twist A type of ballroom dance that originated in Cuba Samba An African-Brazilian dance that is faster and jazzier than the tango Tango A Latin American dance performed at a moderately slow, walk-like tempo in 4/4 meter Tap dancing A step dance in which foot movements produce audible rhythms emphasized by small metal plates on the soles of the dancer’s shoes Breakaway Part of the Lindy Hop where dance partners separate to improvise movement before coming back together The Twist A dance and song performed by Chubby Checker

Rock and Roll Hula Roots of Ballet Irish Dances Riverdance 20th century musical form radically changed the course of popular music Hula movements tell a story From Hawaii May be performed seated Who composed The Rite of Spring? Igor Stravinsky Roots of Ballet European court dances Irish Dances Reel Quick music in simple duple time Jig Group dances in compound duple time Riverdance created a renewed interest in Irish step dance From where are the roots of many Latin American and Caribbean musical styles? Africa West Side Story composed by Leonard Bernstein Included mambo and cha-cha music

Why is the Rite of Spring considered a ballet that broke new ground Why is the Rite of Spring considered a ballet that broke new ground? How did the audience at the premiere react to the ballet? Stravinsky’s score was not typical Driving primal rhythms Frequently changing meters Nijinsky’s choreography did not follow the rules of classical ballet Dancers’ legs bent and turned in Pagan story line was controversial The audience rioted and threw things at the musicians and dancers Explain the term disco and describe the music. What new profession did it create? short for discotheque meaning record library named for the clubs where recorded music was played Disco music Eclectic mix of rhythm and blues, gospel, soul, and Latin dance Playing recorded music created the new profession of disc jockey