RHYTHMS THAT DANCEChapter 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) 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

Ballet: 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:

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

Jerome Robbins, choreographer

Leonard Bernstein, composer

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

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

Gene Kelly

Fred Astaire & Ginger Rogers

Eleanor Powell

Ruby Keeler

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

Gregory Hines

Eubie Blake

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: 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

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

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

Hula• movements tell a story• From Hawaii• May be performed seated

Rock and Roll• 20th century musical form• radically changed the course of popular music

Who composed The Rite of Spring?• Igor Stravinsky

Irish Dances• Reel• Quick music in simple duple time

• Jig• Group dances in compound duple time

From where are the roots of many Latin American and Caribbean musical styles?• Africa

Riverdance• created a renewed interest in Irish step dance

Roots of Ballet• European court dances

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? 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