Speaking Through the Movement of Dance.
Speaking Through the Movement of Dance Summary: Many people think of dance as human communication at its most basic level. Some form of dance can be found in every culture, regardless of its location or stage of development. It is easy to see that dance is a natural, universal human activity. But what most people overlook to see is that dance can be found as a form of writing just like any other genre out there. So this explains how and why dance is a form of writing, and goes specially into choreographed dancing and how routines are a part of writing. What’s the first thing that pops in your head when you think about dance or dancing?
That its form of writing right? WRONG! When thinking about dance or dancing the first thing most people think about is shaking their butts across the dance floor while grooving to the latest jams. But what most people don’t realize is that dance is a form of writing, weird right? I would of never guessed that either, until I went on a recent trip back to Chicago, and one of my best friends invited me to a dance performance at her school, not only was the show very entertaining. I learned that dance is more than moving to the rhythm of the beat to your favorite song, but that dance tells a story.
Which most people don’t realize. Dance routines are very unique and explore states of mind and feelings such as pleasure and pain. I’ve heard people who like to dance mention things like dancing is form art and writing. They say some people dance to express their feelings and emotions. Other people dance to feel better, but dance can be used to tell a story. As if it is a language or written in a book. It utilizes many of the elements that can be found in other forms of writing and genres like tattooing’, graffiti, Facebook post and many more.
But what is dance really? You +1’d this publicly. UndoDance is when people move to a musical rhythm. They may be alone, or in a group. The dance may be an informal play, part of a ritual, or part of a professional performance. There are many kinds of dance, and every human society has its dances. Dances may be planned in detail, or they may be whatever dancers feel like doing. However, most dancing does follow some general style or pattern. Dance takes as its subject matter moving visual patterns, feelings, states of mind, and narrative, in various combinations.
The form of the dance, the details and the parts as they work together to organize the structure, gives us insight into the subject matter. However, the details, the parts, and the structure are not as easily perceived as they are in painting, sculpture, or writing. Because when in dance you have to pay very close attention to the little details and follow and feel what the dancers are doing. In this article I want to take a closer look only on choreographed dancing and how it’s a form of writing because the word choreography literally means “dance-writing”. Choreography is not just stringing together steps and figures.
That’s boring. When choreographing a dance you need to first ask yourself why the audience is there. What do they want to see? What would interest them? Why should they like your piece? Or even if they don’t like it, how will it impact them. What will hold their attention at each moment? Keep your audience in mind during every step of your design. Just like an author when writing a book or any writing you still need to follow the same kind of steps in order for people to recognize and acknowledge your work because no one wants to read a boring book nor want to see a boring dance. hat’s why practice makes perfect. Writing, obviously, is my favorite form of expression. It allows me to dance with words, spin with anecdotes and tap out my frustrations. Just like dancing, it is not always easy or a graceful performance. Sometimes I falter, fall, miss a step and tap off beat. I sweat a lot when I’m on deadline and I doubt my abilities when the task is difficult. But at other times, my words gracefully fly off the page like a ballerina mastering a leap. When I keep trying and practicing, the steps get easier and encourage me to keep dancing along.
I can also express myself as a writer, expanding my repertoire with different styles. Just as dancers switch from tap and ballet to hip hop and jazz, writers also strengthen their skills and express themselves by varying the tone, organization and style. When I’m frustrated, I tap out an opinion piece to persuade my audience. When I’m happy, I compile a light-hearted narrative or anecdotal piece. When I’m feeling sassy, I throw a little attitude into a blog post and quite often, I spruce up my wording to jazz up an article. In reality, writers are dancers at heart.
We sway to the words, we feel the meaning we wish to express and we type to a rhythm with every piece. And sometimes, we pop, lock and drop it just for fun. Work Cited Page: “Dance. ” Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 12 Aug. 2012. Web. 5 Dec. 2012 “What Is Dance to You? ” Yahoo! Answers. Yahoo! , n. d. Web. 11 Dec. 2012. “What Is Choreography? ” What Is Choreography? N. p. , n. d. Web. 3 Dec. 2012. Annette Lamb and Larry Johnson,. “Dance. ” Dance. N. p. , n. d. Web. 24 Nov. 2012 Unknown. “Dance Quotes. ” Dance Quotes. N. p. , n. d. Web. 30 Nov. 2012
