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Dimara Coulouras Ms. Camargo English 1102 March 25, 2014

What is Dance When you hear the word dance , what do you thin! o"# Do you thin! o" $ointe shoes and tutus, or do you thin! o" street dance and snea!ers# Do you thin! o" the clu%, or Martha &raham# Do you thin! o" other cultures and their cele%rations or a hot and stic!y 'a(( routine# )" you thought o" any o" these *isuals, you would %e correct. +owe*er where did it all start# +ow did dance e*ol*e "rom an ancient "orm o" cele%ration to a modern, day "reedom o" e-$ression# Dance e*ol*ed in a roller coaster "ashion, at a roller coaster $ace. Dance started as "reedom o" moment, %ut o*er the years was %ro!en down and restricted, howe*er recently has %ecome more and more "ree. Dance is no longer a structured techni.ue, or a $olite way to touch a $retty girl. )t has turned into a "reedom "or artists to $lay with, %ut also a meaningless way "or a man to touch a woman.

)n /merica howe*er, dance e*ol*ed "rom many di""erent sources. 0ince /merica is a melting $ot 1meaning $eo$le o" all %ac!grounds li*e here2, /merican Dance came "rom many di""erent sources, mostly Euro$e. England and 3rance in $articular started to hold more %alls around the late 14405s to esta%lish re$utation, so /merica "ollowed. 6he /merican dance "orm called ta$ e*ol*ed "rom /"rican /merican and )rish roots. Com$leting the melting $ot o" /merica.

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6he $icture to the right dating around the year 1717, is called /s!ing to Dance . 6his was a re"erence guide o" dance ste$s and gestures to a*oid %allroom %lunders . 3lirting in the %allroom could %e dis$layed through hand!erchie"s, "ans, glo*es, and $arasols. )" a lady twisted her hand!erchie" in her right hand, a gentleman $ursuing her would !now to %ac! o"" %ecause that meant she had interest in another man. 6his !ind o" "lirtation did not re.uire any words to %e s$o!en, eliminating em%arrassment and 'ealousy. 6hrough her accessories, a lady could communicate without words her "eelings towards a gentleman 1+istory o" Dance 2. / trend in the %allroom %ecame mimic!ing the sla*es. 6he sla*es were "orced to dance to entertain $arty guests. 6he $arty,goers would then %egin to dance li!e the sla*es as a 'o!e. 6he dances that came "rom this moc!ery were8 6he 9igeon Wal! , 6he :u((ard ;o$e , 6he :rea!down , and 6he Charleston 1+istory o" Dance 2./ll o" these dances %ecame $o$ular in the %allroom and most didn5t e*en !now why. 6hese dances lost their meaning as they got more and more $o$ular. 9eo$le started to "orget that the 'u%ilant dances they $er"ormed actually came "rom the one 'oyous thing that was ta!en away "rom sla*es. When the <oarin5 20s hit, 1o%*iously in the 1=20s2, a whole new dance scene was e-$osed. 0ince there was a $rohi%ition on drin!ing, it %ecame more $o$ular to %e into-icated. 6his %rought women who wanted a change. / change in the dress and mannerisms o" a lady . 6hese women wanted to let their hair down, %ut not only that, %ut to cut their hair almost %oy, length. 6hese women didn5t only want to cut their hair, %ut also their dresses. / new !ind o"

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"reedom came to these women when they decided to throw away their corsets and wear %aggy dresses that did not constrain their %ody. 6his idea, as o" many in /merica, came "rom Euro$e 1+istory o" Dance 2 6hese women were, with their short hair and dresses, now !ic!ing their legs u$ high, sometimes to a $oint where one could see their undergarments. 6hese women were none other than the re*olutionary 3la$$ers. 10hown %elow2

6his era died out when 6he &reat De$ression hit. 6his started the >a((,age and <oc! ?5 <oll. )t was no longer a %ig deal "or women to wear shorter dresses, the "la$$ers changed all o" that. Dancers started to learn swing dances. 9o$ular dances around this time was 6he 0wing , 6he >itter%ug , ;indy , 6he :oogie Woogie , and 6he Do$ 1+istory o" Dance 2 6hese dances were much more "ast $aced than those o" the $ast. 6hese dances e-$lored $artnering in a more $hysical way. )nstead o" one $artner %eing there to hold hands with, these dancers e-$lored li"ts and weight sharing. 6his "ast,$ace new way o" dancing sha$ed /merican 'a(( dance.

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?e-t came the era e*eryone claims they are glad ended8 Disco. Disco dancing "eatured $artner and solo wor!. 6he ela%orate attire that was necessary to e*en thin! a%out disco dancing included a %lend o" $u""y shirts, ele*ator shoes, tight $ants that e-$anded at the %ottom, and 3arrah 3awcett on to$. 6his was an era o" dancing until you dro$ . Dance clu%s arose and e*ery one who was anyone was at them. Dancing was always cool and in style. 6his era was made $o$ular %y the "ilm starring >ohn 6ra*olta, 0aturday?ight 3e*er . 6his mo*ie ca$tured the essence o" Disco dance and it5s music. +owe*er this era had to end. 6he ne-t era is one that is still $resent today, hi$ ho$. Dancers too! in"luences "rom /"rican /mericans dancing in ?@C and started to street dance. ?ow no one !nows, what came "irst the music or the dance, %ut hi$ ho$ has %ecome a way o" li"e now. +i$ ho$ has %ecome so $o$ular that though it has roots in 'a(( dance, it has %ecome its *ery own dance style. +i$ ho$ is $o$ular today and it is not only $o$ular "or the music, %ut also the dance. +i$ ho$ dancing is "ound in the streets as dance %attles %ut has lead dance to a new era in the media. 6here are many reality 6A shows a%out dance now %ecause o" hi$ ho$. +i$ ho$ made dancing loo! cool again, it was socially acce$ta%le to %e a dancer. 6he media $u%lici(es dance more now which

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only ma!es getting a dance 'o% that much harder.

;e"t is a $icture o" /:DC

+i$ ho$ %ought a new light to dance. Dance has always %een around, howe*er the media created shows on M6A and 3BC that %ecame *ery $o$ular. 0oon e*eryone wanted to dance. 6his is a $ro%lem though %ecause $eo$le who are not trained in dance try to dance and end u$ in'ured. When learning to dance you are taught a certain way to not get in'ured, this is techni.ue. 0hows such as 0o @ou 6hin! @ou Can Dance and /merica5s :est Dance Crew 1/:DC2 are

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shows that $romote hi$ ho$ dancing. 6his dance correlated to the music it was %ehind. 6his music then ins$ired ra$. ?ew ra$ music was $redominately created %y males. /nd %oys %eing %oys turned ra$ into an acce$ted way to say ina$$ro$riate things. 6his music turned into dance. Dances at clu%s %ecame more $ro*ocati*e as the music insinuated. 9o$ular social dance now can hardly %e called dance. 6he music turns the dance into a sensual action %etween a cou$le. Dance has turned "orm a gesture o" courting to a sensual mo*ement. 6he music, dance, and attire has ra$idly changed o*er the years. 9eo$le ha*e %ecome more $u%licly acce$ting o" "reedom o" e-$ression. 6his is currently %eing ta!en ad*antage o". &irls are gi*en the o!ay to show o"" their %ody and dance in an attracti*e way to men 1or women2. 6his is o!ay, howe*er when men e-$ect a girl to dress that way and it is un"lattering to her, they thin! it is o!ay to call them "at. Many girls are "aced with an o*er%earing image they ha*e to stri*e "or 1 shown %elow2.

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)n my own $ersonal e-$erience, ) went to a dance clu% in D$town Charlotte called 9heoni-. ) ha*e ne*er hated dance more. Dancing is one o" my "a*orite things to do, so this is a %ig statement. ?o matter how hard ) tried, ) could not dance alone. ) was "orced to dance with guys ) could not e*en see. /lthough the de"inition o" dance is any mo*ement that e-$resses rhythm, ) can not call what ) saw at the clu% dance 1D$town Clu%2. 6he actual art o" dance is dying and ) encourage e*eryone to attend a %allet or dance showing o" any !ind. ) $romise you will not see what you see in the clu%. 6hrough the years, dance has made a total 170 change. +owe*er, so has society. ) %elie*e that the reason "or the change in dance can %e $aralleled to the change in out country. /s our country %ecomes more acce$ting and "ree, so does the dance. 0ince certain "ads, re*olutions, and "ashions ha*e changed, so has dance. /s the clothes and music get ris!ier, so does the dance. Dance is a human reaction and e-$ression that can only %e altered through time.

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Wor! cited 1 2014. 2 E)ntroductionF / +istory o" 0ocial Dance in /merica ,, //0 Bnline E-hi%ition.E E+istory o" Dance.E , 3rom /ncient <ituals to Modern Dances. ?.$., n.d. We%. 25 Mar.

)ntroductionF / +istory o" 0ocial Dance in /merica ,, //0 Bnline E-hi%ition. ?.$., n.d. We%. G0 Mar. 2014. G 4 E<agtime Era Dance.E <agtime Era Dance. ?.$., n.d. We%. G1 Mar. 2014. D$town Clu%. :y 9hoeni- Clu%. 9hoeni- o" Chalotte G00 ?orth College 0treet,

Charlotte, ?C 27202, Charlotte, ?C. 20 3e%. 2014. 9er"ormance. 5 D$town Clu%. Dir. Coyote >oeHs. 4I21Wil!inson :l*d, Charlotte ?C 27207, Charlotte,

?C. 21 3e%. 2014. 9er"ormance 9icture Citations 1)n order o" $icture2 htt$FJJwww.americananti.uarian.orgJE-hi%itionsJDanceJinde-.htm htt$FJJwww.adored*intage.comJinde-.$h$#mainK$ageL$ageMidL1IMcha$terL10 htt$FJJen.wi!i$edia.orgJwi!iJ0aturdayK?ightK3e*er htt$FJJwww.listsandgrades.comJ#$L524 htt$FJJwww.original%lac!"riday.comJlittle,%lac!,slee*eless,mini,dress,%y,!d,dance,se-y, seducti*e,elegant,coc!tail,$arty,to,night,clu%,dance,"loors,always,"ashiona%le,24,hour,stretch, !nit,com"ort,made,in,yor!,city,usaJ