Category: Dance

Dance transcends being a mere pastime, evolving into a fervor that fuels one’s spirit. The dynamism, cadence, and motion of dance serve as a global means of articulating emotions and uniting individuals. As an avid dancer, the prospect of joining a dance team represents the realization of a long-held aspiration. The exhilaration of performing and spreading the happiness of dance with others is an experience I deeply crave. In this composition, I will explore my motivation for becoming a member of the dance team and how my expertise and enthusiasm for dance qualify me as a valuable addition to the ensemble.

Personal Motivation

Personal motivation for joining the dance team can come from a variety of experiences. For example, the author may have been inspired by watching a dance performance, participating in dance classes, or simply enjoying dancing as a hobby. Whatever the reason, the author should explain how these experiences have led to a desire to join the dance team. They should also explain how these experiences relate to the field of dance and why they are passionate about it. Finally, they should describe the impact these experiences have had on their decision to pursue a spot on the dance team, including any goals they hope to achieve through this experience.

Passion for Dance

Dance has been an integral part of my life since childhood, and my passion for it has only grown stronger with time. For me, dance is not just a form of exercise or entertainment; it is a way of expressing myself, channeling my emotions, and connecting with others. Through years of training and performance, I have gained a deep appreciation for the artistry and athleticism of dance, as well as the discipline and dedication required to excel in it. 

Whether I am practicing in a studio, performing on stage, or simply dancing for joy, I feel alive and invigorated by the power of movement. This passion is what drives me to pursue a spot on the dance team and continue my journey as a dancer.

Relevant Skills and Qualifications

As someone who is passionate about dance, I possess several relevant skills and qualifications that make me a good fit for the dance team. I have extensive training in various dance styles, such as ballet, contemporary, and jazz, which has given me a strong foundation in technique and performance. I also have experience performing in front of large audiences, both as a soloist and as part of a group. 

In addition, I am able to work well in a team setting, taking direction from choreographers and collaborating with other dancers to create cohesive performances. These skills and qualifications would be beneficial as a member of the dance team, allowing me to contribute to the group’s success and growth.

Opportunities for Growth and Development

As a trained dancer with years of experience performing in various styles, I believe I possess the skills and qualifications necessary to be a valuable member of the dance team. I have received formal training in ballet, contemporary, jazz, and hip hop, and have performed in numerous dance competitions and shows. Additionally, I have experience choreographing and teaching dance to others.

These skills and experiences would be beneficial to the dance team in several ways. As a versatile dancer, I can adapt to different styles and choreography quickly. My performance experience has also taught me how to work well under pressure and to present myself professionally on stage. Furthermore, my experience teaching and choreographing dance would allow me to contribute to the team’s creative process and help develop new routines. Overall, I believe my skills and qualifications would make me a strong asset to the dance team.

Conclusion

Being a member of the dance team is a dream that I have been pursuing for years. Dance has been a passion of mine since childhood, and I have dedicated myself to honing my skills and gaining experience in various styles. I am excited about the opportunity to join the dance team and contribute to their performances and routines. 

Not only would being a part of the team allow me to continue pursuing my passion for dance, but it would also provide me with the opportunity to connect with other talented dancers and develop my skills further. I am confident that my skills and experiences make me a strong candidate for the team and I look forward to the opportunity to showcase my abilities.

PHE hall, I was teaching my teammates my 7X8 dance with a typical workout. I had stretching and march.

Everyone in my group had 15 minutes to explain their dance to the group. Everyone in my group managed to present their dance and their exercise to my group and everyone also managed to dance everyone’s dance.

The problem was that while dancing the other people’s dance my group including me made mistakes so we had to do the move again. That was pretty difficult to repeat the move, the solution for that would be that the people explaining the dance would do a more basic version of the dance and then when everyone had mastered the more basic version we would go to the more difficult version.

The next time I will make a dance and explain it to a group of people I will make a more basic version and explain the more difficult version.

The three Korthagen skills I would improve for next time would be:

• Decision making
• Non-verbal communication
• Problem-solving

I would work decision making because when I was making my dance I just made it simple. Because of that decision, I felt a bit embarrassed showing my group my dance because mine was so simple and boring I think I should have thought more about my dance and make it a bit more fun for my group to dance. Next time I would have for my dance no eight beats the same type of dance like march and bounce etc. I was inspired by one of my team members she used different types of dances in every eighth beat.

I would want to improve non-verbal communication because while I was dancing I found it hard to communicate exactly how I wanted my dance to go. To improve that I should find another way to communicate, maybe to show them every step in detail.

I would also like to improve my problem-solving because when I made a mistake I didn’t know what to do so next time I think I should communicate with my group and make a plan when you make a mistake because then I knew what to do when you made mistakes and when I do something, not by plan you didn’t have to solve the problem at the same time the problem occurs because it’s hard.

When I was explaining my dance to my group I used verbal communication which was a bit hard that’s the reason why next time I would want to use more non-verbal communication. When making my dance and when my group what move the group should end with me as an individual and my group had to use decision making. When my group members were explaining their dance I had to use listening skills. I had to be focused on what they were saying not focused on something else.

50% of my group explained their dance in too much detail in my opinion and the first time they were explaining the dance they wanted to have everything perfect I think next time they should have a little more patience with their group because we were just learning the dance for the first time so obviously we will make mistakes. And when we asked questions about the dance they should have shown us the part we were asking about so they should work on their listening skills.

A person in my group kind of forgot his dance so he made mistakes while showing us the dance so the rest of the group got confused. I think he should’ve used a bit more problem-solving and decision-making because he should have solved the problem, I would’ve solved the problem by deciding on what dance I thought was right so by using decision-making.

My goals went excellently, and in my belief, I think that I accomplished my goal. I feel like I find it easier to do the exercise in the dance and I can be on beat with my group. I tried to follow my plan as much as I could I couldn’t do exactly what I wrote in my goal because I had other things to do.

By the 1930’s in America, “Graham had developed a succinct dance vocabulary within her technique that spoke to more taboo forms of movement and emotional expression” (Mapes, 2012). For example, the introduction of Graham’s stylized breathing concept, which she dubbed ‘contraction and release’, not only formed the basis of her unique dance terminology, but also her ‘weighted’ dance style. As a result, “a Graham contraction is a movement that originates from deep within the pelvic muscles, that in amalgamation with the abdominal muscles, aims to pull the spine and torso into a grounded, concave arch” (Gutelius, 2014). Whilst the ‘release’ of this movement denotes returning to a linear torso, the force of a Graham contraction ensures that dancers use weight and effort as a dramatic tool to move their body through space.

To cross even further artistic boundaries, as well as incorporate a sense of volatility within her technique, Graham added the terms ‘spiral’ and ‘floorwork’ in her dance glossary. Whilst Mécène describes the spiral as the “twisting of the torso around the spine” (Mécène, 2012, p. 23), floorwork on the contrary aims to manipulate the body’s center of gravity. This exploitation therefore allows dancers to “not only have a heightened sense of awareness of being grounded on the floor” (Legg, 2006, p. 112), but also enables the body to “appear to be pushing through a heavy mass, much like the pressure confronted when walking through water” (Rado, 1997). Thus, instead of producing suave transitions between movements, as in classical ballet, exertion and conflictual dynamics were now blatantly discernible in Graham’s technique.

A third fundamental term in Graham’s technique is her signature cupped hand position, which “has two versions – the formal cup, whereby the fingers are straight, with the thumb bent in, and the soft cup in which the fingertips are splayed with the energy coming from the heel of the hand” (Theys, 2016, p. 88). Collectively, these hand positions are used as a stylistic component in Graham’s choreography to augment her larger-than-life characters; but is also “part of her rebellion…of creating movement that other people simply weren’t doing” (Macel, 2009).

Taking these dance techniques into account, in 1939, Merce Cunningham danced as a soloist for six years at the Martha Graham Dance Company. Inspired by Graham, he launched his own dance company to “begin pursing movement that was devoid as possible of emotional implications” (Cooperland, 2004 p. 3), consequently leading him to develop ‘choreography by chance’. This process enabled Cunningham to construct dances that opposed the traditional ways of storytelling in dance, whilst at the same time also imitated Graham’s intense physicality. Similarly, in 1955, Paul Taylor danced as a soloist at the Martha Graham Dance Company, whereby he was heavily inspired by Graham’s ‘psychoanalytical’ notion on dance. This encouraged Taylor to establish his own dance company, as well as begin choreographing pieces that “relied upon blending everyday natural gestures with the expressionistic dance techniques he was taught at Graham’s Dance Company” (Woodruff, 2018). As such, many of his well-recognized performances such as ‘Three Epitaphs’ (1956), ‘Aureole’ (1962) and ‘Speaking in Tongues’ (1988), all illuminate love, piety, morality, sexuality, feminism, conflict and religion – themes which he copied from Graham, further underlining her impact on both Cunningham’s and Taylor’s choreographic work.

The style of Jazz was developed during both the 19th century and 20th century and it radically altered the style of American and European stage and society in the 20th century. On the stage, the minstrel show performers, who were white people who would paint their faces black and they would perform, comedic skits, variety acts, dancing, and music performances, and these people created what we know now as tap from a combination of, Irish Jigging, English clog dancing and African rhythmic stamping. Tap dance and many other dances like the catwalk and the shuffle became popular in Broadway and musical comedies as these replaced most vaudeville acts in the early 20th century. Vaudeville acts were American entertainment that was very popular between the 1890’s to the early 1930’s. They consisted of 10 to 15 unrelated acts and these could go from, magicians, acrobats, comedians, trained animals, jugglers, singers, or dancers. The Vaudeville is similar to the music hall and variety show we have here.

Even though Broadway popularized some dances, many dances got themselves into social gatherings. The dances that gave rise to social forms of jazz dance developed from rural slave dances. The Eagle Rock, the Slow Drag, and the Charleston, for example, both have many elements that look very Caribbean and African. Also, the slow drag contributed to the fish lift in the 1950s and the ring which survived from the 18th to the 20th century in many isolated areas. This then influenced the cakewalk.

Some very famous jazz choreographers are Bob Fosse, Jack Cole, and Fred Astaire. Bob Fosse was an American dancer who was born on the 23rd of June 1927 and died on the 23rd of September 1987. He was the first person ever to with an Oscar, Emmy, and Tony in the same year which was 1973 and it hasn’t been done since then. He was a choreographer, director, and dancer himself. He revolutionized musicals with his extremely unique and provocative dance styles. He often uses props; signature moves that are still around today and provocative steps. Foss’s dance style, which incorporates complex moves and imagery drawn from vaudeville, was instantly popular. When you see a Bob, Fosse move in modern-day musicals you instantly know it’s a Fosse move because he has done so much for the musical world. Some of his best-known musicals are Sweet Charity, Pippin, and Tony award-winning Chicago and Cabaret.

Jack Cole was born on the 27th of April 1911 and died on the 17th of February 1974, he was also a dancer, choreographer, and theatre director and he was known as the “father of theatrical jazz dance” because he would mix ethnic which he called urban folk dance. movement with jazz moves. Jack Cole’s first musical he choreographed something for the boys in 1943. Lots of Coles musicals that he choreographed did poorly or flopped with the critics but still, his choreography was always singled out and praised by many. Coles’s signature style involved huge leaps from deep pliés, rapid direction changes, long knee slides, syncopation, and isolations of the head, arms, and fingers. Most of his work would feature a soloist, who would most likely be female, who is backed up by male dancers, who would be male. Some of his Broadway and film choreography include Gilda which was a film in 1946 and Cole choreographer “blamed Mame” which is a glove strip tease, Gentlemen Prefer Blondes was a film made in 1953 and he worked with Marilyn Monroe on the song “diamonds are a girl’s best friend” and this led to many partnerships between the two. Also, Cole was nominated for a Tony on the musical Man of La Mancha in 1965 for his choreography on the show. 

There are many individuals out there with wonderful talents. Some people in this world can move their bodies in unimaginable ways while others have intellectual minds that can solve almost any problem they come face to face with. There are many possibilities out there, in which, people can use their talents to show who they truly are. I like to consider myself to have a couple of talents, but the most important one that stands out is dancing.

Dance is an art form consisting of movements in a smooth sequence. Dancing is pretty easy, but some complicated moves take time to learn. For example, windmills are a breakdance move, which requires insane strength in your upper body. While most dancers are built in muscle, there are possible ways for some individuals to learn crazy steps. As an eighteen-year-old, I have tried my best to learn the hardest moves out there, and believe me, it is difficult. There is a South Indian movie called ABCD. The title itself is an acronym that stands for Anybody Can Dance. This movie and its title are one of my few inspirations. This tells people that even if you think you can’t dance, you basically can. Each movement you make is dancing. You can make walking into a way of dancing. William W. Purkey said, “You’ve gotta dance like nobody is watching, Love as you’ll never be hurt, Sing like nobody is listening, And live like it heaven on earth.” I mean look at that quote. That right there is a strong statement. “Dance like nobody is watching” is literally what it is. You have to close your eyes and start moving around. Never be afraid to show who you truly are.

Dancing has been part of my life since I was eight years old. I started becoming interested in dancing after I watched the movie called “Step Up.” It showed how much the characters put into their moves. You can see them put their blood, sweat, and tears into dancing. Even though it was on TV, I could feel their passion like it reached out to me. I tried to learn from them, so I just kept watching the movie over and over again. Each time I saw it, my love for dance rose to reach the heavens. Dance leaves a mark on your spirit or soul. There is a quote by Shirley MacLaine that says, “Dance is an art that imprints on the soul. It is with you every moment, it expresses itself in everything you do.” 

Racism is an issue that has long been influential in almost every field of work in the wWesternworld and dance is not excluded from this. Two choreographers who fought the stigma against people of color in dance are Jose Limon and Alvin Ailey. They are two influential choreographers who transformed the face of dance. Both men were racial minorities in the white-dominated field of dance in the United States of America. Both men took their heritage and cultural backgrounds and used them to influence their bodies of work. Both men trained under some of the masters of Modern dance and developed their styles and eventually their own dance companies. Both men took the events that were occurring in the world and turned them into art. Their legacies in art continue to shape dance. Both men, however, have fundamental differences like their work and the legacies they left. Limon worked more in the concrete while Ailey tended to choreograph pieces that were much more abstract and conceptual. Despite their differences as artists, Jose Limon and Alvin Ailey shaped the world of dance, and their similarities as artists in their training and bodies of work shaped their similar legacies that continue to impact the world.

Jose Limon was born in nineteen o-eight in Mexico. He immigrated to the United States as a child and lived in Los Angeles where he studied painting and music. He moved to New York in nineteen twenty-eight and began dancing with Doris Humphrey and Charles Weidman. Limon excelled in their company and began choreographing for them as well as for various Broadway performances. At nineteen forty-six he started the Jose Limon company (now Limon cCompany following his service in the United States Army during World War Two where Doris Humphrey served as the artistic director. His works were known for their display of the human spirit and resilience and their highly emotional content. His most rrenownedpieces include Moor’s Pavane, an interpretation of Shakespeare’s Othello popularized by Rudolph Nureyev, Missa Brevis which focuses on the strength of the human spirit in the face of hardships, and La Malinche based on a Mexican folk-tale (Owen).

Alvin Ailey was born in nineteen thirty-one in Rogers, Texas. He was raised by a single mother meaning they often moved around the United States looking for ways to make a living and support themselves. When Ailey was twelve he and his mother moved to Los Angeles where he fostered his love for the arts, sneaking into theaters to view dance and music acts. A friend introduced Ailey to Lester Horton, the only director who would accept African American students at that time, where he developed and flourished as a Modern dancer. At nineteen fifty-three when Horton died, Ailey took over the company and began his career as a choreographer but the company eventually dissolved without Horton holding it together. Alvin Ailey continued to prosper despite this setback and trained under artists such as Martha Graham and Katherine Dunham. At nineteen fifty-eight he began the Alvin Ailey dance company and by the nineteen seventies, it had become one of the top dance companies in the world. His most famous pieces include Cry which details the journey from slavery to emancipation, Revelations which at the highs and lows of the human soul, and Memoria which was inspired by the death of Alvin Ailey’s friend Joyce Trisler (Earley).

Alvin Ailey and Jose Limon are similar in their works, their foundations as dancers, and their legacies as artists. Alvin Ailey and Jose Limon were both racial minorities living in times of great racial discrimination in the United States. They both used their experience as minorities to create art Jose Limon created multiple pieces based on Mexican Folklore and Alvin Ailey often choreographed works on the African American experience. Both men used personal experiences to inspire their dancing and they both portrayed similar themes in their dances. Jose Limon fought in World War Two and this experience influenced many of his works including Missa Brevis which has been interpreted by many to be about a recovering world following World War Two. Likewise, Alvin Ailey was inspired by events in his life to create his pieces and used the racial discrimination he and his ancestors had experienced to create pieces such as Cry. Both men also looked at the triumphs and tragedies of the human condition and sought to create art that inspired them. Both men are also similar in that they trained under the greats of Modern dance. Jose Limon under Lester Horton and Doris Humphrey and Alvin Ailey under Martha Graham and Katherine Dunham. Both men in turn greatly influenced the art of modern dance. They both started major dance companies that are still active today and both men choreographed pieces that rrenownedthroughout the world to this day. These men also broke barriers in the dance world with Alvin Ailey bringing dance to African American communities and Jose Limon acting as an arts ambassador for the United States to Latin America.

Alvin Ailey and Jose Limon are different in that, while they had similar influences in their works, there are some fundamental differences, and their legacies while both iconic differ in certain aspects. Jose Limon often took concrete stories and interpreted them through dance. He adapted multiple Mexican folktales as well as other stories such as Moore’s Pavane based on Shakespeare’s Othello. His works were often character-driven with distinct sets and costumes. Alvin Ailey on the other hand focused on more abstract concepts in his works. He rarely had a set storyline and more so looked at emotions and ideals. Many of his works, such as Revelations deal with the human condition but look at it from a nonconcrete point of view. Ailey’s pieces often had no distinct sets and if they did they were not recognizable images from the real world and his costumes tended to be plain and similar for all dancers within the piece. The legacies of these two men are also different. Alvin Ailey became known as one of the most influential artists of the twentieth century and while Limon was also highly influential, he was viewed by many to be old-fashioned and less revolutionary, and thus his imprint on dance is not as great. On the other hand, Limon technique is still taught internationally while Ailey did not create a set technique and often utilized the dance structure of Martha Graham in his pieces.

Jose Limon and Alvin Ailey opened doors for racial minorities in dance and furthered the art of Modern dance. These two men differ in certain aspects of their works and legacies but overall their similarities outweigh what differences they do have. These men created pieces that inspired the world around them and made beauty out of the horrors of racial prejudice and war. These men were fostered by the founders of Modern dance and in turn, drove this art form and increased its depth. These men brought the arts to those who otherwise would not have been exposed and in turn made the world a better place. Both men created legacies that live on today and continue to inspire dancers and choreographers.

Works Cited

1. Earley, Charity Adams. “Alvin Ailey”. Black History Now, June 8th, 2010. http://blackhistorynow.com/alvin-ailey/
2. Owen, Norton. “Jose Limon”. Dance Heritage Coalition, 2012. http://www.danceheritage.org/treasures/limon_essay_owen.pdf
3. “Revelations”. Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. https://www.alvinailey.org/performances/repertory/revelations
4. “Missa Brevis”. Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. https://www.alvinailey.org/performances/repertory/missa-brevis-1958  

We as a whole love to do and learn new aptitudes to show signs of improvement. Each individual on this planet has a leisure activity which they like to appreciate and keep as a hobby. Dance is something other than getting fit, it’s an expandable art form to show your passion. I increased my dancing skills at the age of 10 and now I am on the Waterloo Warriors dance team. Each of my instructors throughout the years pushed me beyond my limits for me to become a distinguished dancer. Dance is something you’re trying hard to do, something you’re putting your extra time and effort into. Once the day of the dance competition arrives, you’re taking everything you’ve learned about dancing over the years and showcasing it to hundreds of people who enjoy watching this particular art. No matter how tired you are on the dance floor, no matter what. You’ve got to dance until the finish. You have to train during your spare time at home to be the best move you can be. The best way to get first in a dance competition is to rehearse constantly, ensure your outfit looks on point, and perform like you’ve never performed. Our bodies are the instruments through which the dance is made and created. The nature of this craftsmanship essentially relies upon the physical characteristics and aptitudes that artists have. The more grounded and progressively adaptable an artist’s body, the more fit it is of a wide scope of development. About every expert artist begins preparing at a youthful age to shape and build up their bodies effectively. Durability is developed in the correct areas, for instance, the bone-connecting ligaments which are so dependent on the flexibility of the joints are stretched early before they start to harden. At the end of the day, it depends on your confidence and how you overcome fear.

The reason why I chose dance as an activity to participate in is because it is a way for me to cope with stress and depression. “There are positive emotional and empowering consequences of having a personal choice”(Schwartz, 2005). As a child, I was bullied a lot and I did not appreciate the way I was being treated. As the years passed by, I came across a dance video on YouTube that changed my life. The person in this specific video was confident in what he was doing and had no flaws because all of his moves were crisp and clean. Ever since that day, I started watching dance videos day and night and practiced myself with no help. Although people looked at me weirdly, I still did my own thing and I started overcoming my fear. Once I got into highschool, I thought of myself getting better as a dancer and wanted to compete in a university team to show off my dance skills to the world. So I started small by joining the high school team. We competed in dance competitions and conquered each one in first place. Since I did not get to showcase my skill, I decided that I would post videos on social media of me dancing and it turned out good for me. The next day, various dance artists reached out to me to do a collaboration or join their varsity team and I was only in ninth grade. This exceeded my expectations just because I aimed to conquer my fear and become more confident. That 10-year-old kid who watched dance videos growing up had finally stepped up and became a public figure for everyone in the dancing community. I was proud of myself and was happy. After this happened to me, I wanted to pursue my part-time carer in teaching people the fundamentals of dance. I worked with a lot of great people and learned various styles of dance every time I met someone new. By the time I got to 12th grade, the Waterloo dance team reached out to me and I decided to join the varsity team. I was intimidated by the older people just because I was the youngest, but I was there putting on my best show and now I lead the team and I am in my second year. It’s great how I grew out of my shell and became an idol in the dancing industry. Everyone loves seeing me dance and I enjoy dancing for the crowd. I am content that I reached my goal of becoming confident and becoming the best-skilled dancer there is. Although I am a good dancer, I still want to expand my knowledge and grasp more dance styles.

While participating in dancing, I have experienced the progression of flow. “Flow happens when there is a correlation between the activity task and the skill level of the individual” (Csikszentmihalyi, 2004). Flow often occurs when the individual’s talents are fully engaged in overcoming a task that is just about fair, and it’s like a catalyst for learning new skills and growing difficulties. If the difficulties are too small, one returns to the stream by extending them. Out of the probability that challenges are completely impossible, one can return to the state of the stream by learning new skills. (Csikszentmihalyi, 2004). You are invested in the movement, in the progress, in the state of dance flow. You experience a strong and simple bond with your accomplice, and each development follows another. You’re not under any pressure to keep up with speed, bearing, or evolving. You lose your feeling of time, your constraints, your tension, your muscles hurting, and whatever else is in the back of your psyche daily. You’re not working in your cage but in complete amicability. Nothing can split your concentration at that moment, you’re connected to the transfer. A portion of the requirements added to the flow were the convergence of action and mindfulness, fast and unmistakable feedback, absolute spotlight on the main job, feelings of individual power over the situation and the outcome, lack of familiarity with the physical needs, feeling so concentrated around the moment that you forget about passing time and losing your hesitation. The Autotelic encounter was a significant situation. “An individual does so for the sake of his well-being, in the light of the fact that he is inherently fulfilling” (Csikszentmihalyi, 2004).

This experience that I am witnessing is a great success for me. Growing up as a youthful artist would require tremendous amounts of work to have the degree of commitment, ambition, and obligation to become a dancer. I realized nobody would do it for me, and that it was dependent upon me to accomplish my fantasy about dancing in front of an audience. When I became more developed, dancing became more and more important, and I felt it was not only necessary to cherish dance but also to pursue the meaning of dance. Tirelessness was fundamental, and careful discipline produced promising results. Artists have a lot of dismissal and analysis in their vocations. It’s serious, and they don’t generally land the job they’re longing for, or get recognized by their preferred tryout organization. They will figure out how to ignore it when it turns out to be poor, or they will not land the position, and they will remain positive, knowing the significance of the correct disposition. Artists value wellness, well-being, and good dieting. Artists realize that they have to eat food that helps them build up their vitality levels and stamina. I always strive to be fully mindful of how much it takes to achieve the goals. I enjoy what I do, and people realize that all their hard work is justified, given all the turmoil that has been going on for a long time. All things considered, they fulfill their strength. Compulsiveness is a characteristic that can give the impression that it is negative, but artists live to sharpen their art, and they understand that training is dealing with the situation. I feed my inner fire to remain focused, as everyone understands that their occupations are limited and important. Staying focused without anyone else’s hard-working mentality and feeling of inspiration is the way to go. Lastly, certainty is a brilliant and attractive quality. It takes confidence and self-esteem to exceed expectations, and they know that increasing their trust would allow them to see and enable them to make progress in their career. 

Seven years ago, I made the best decision of my life. When I was ten years old I decided to quit soccer, tumbling, cheer, and guitar lessons for the one sport that would change my life. Now that I am seventeen years old, I still pursue this sport and will continue to love it, as long as I am able to do it. Dance really means a lot to me. I’ve had many experiences in dance that have changed the way I see and perceive life.

Last year, I had a very eventful weekend in Davenport, Iowa at a dance competition. Me, my mom, and my mom’s boyfriend Matt drove all the way up to Davenport at two in the afternoon to meet my grandma, cousin, and aunt at a beautiful hotel. After the two-and-a-half-hour torturous drive of listening to my mom and her boyfriend sing horribly the whole way up, we made it to the hotel. When I got out of the car, I immediately had to stretch my legs and arms, as a dog would do from sitting for what seemed like days. When I got out of the car, it was hot and humid and very cloudy.

The hotel was covered in purple glass windows and pleasing chandeliers in the lobby of the enormous hotel. On the inside, many of the workers were setting up black square tables for Mother’s Day brunch for the next day. When my extremely sweet grandma and mom checked into our three hotel rooms, they handed me a purple Black Hawk key to our room on level eleven. After the long walk to our hotel room, I decided I should put on the pounds of makeup I have to wear to compete and get my hair ready in a slick tight bun so I could go down to the competition and hang out with my new friends I became close with last year. Once I walked down to the competition, I changed into my white and black shimmery costume in the very cold and musty dressing room and found one of my new best friends, named Bianca.

“We are running production already. You are late”, Bianca said. At a dance competition, you have to arrive exactly two hours early; however, I was a little late. I ran up the stairs, out of breath to the second floor, where eighty kids were running one of our very long and huge dances that is seven minutes long. After we ran it three times and our coaches gave us corrections on things to fix, we all sprinted back down the stairs quickly to go backstage. Backstage is a dark place where all of our nerves start to kick in while we watch the other terrific dances on stage. We waited backstage for what seemed like hours, but it was only twenty-five minutes. We finally got to dance on stage as a team again.

Being on stage as a company and dancing with my best friends is a kind of feeling most people will never get to feel in their life. Dancing on stage and doing something I love with the people I love is the greatest feeling in the world. When I was on stage with my whole company I could feel all their energy radiating into my body and making me dance bigger and better. It’s a feeling most people will never understand.

After a long awards ceremony and winning first place, it was time for my solo. I practiced my solo with five other soloists on my team. We always have to compete against each other, but for whoever wins, we are always happy for them. I had butterflies in my stomach while I was walking backstage with five of my best friends. When we got backstage, our coach talked to us individually to wish us all luck. She told me, “Be beautiful. I know you will”. Two of my friends went on the hard, black, Marley floor before me. Marley floor is like hard tar. When I was backstage I started hyperventilating because I got so nervous and excited at the same time. Both my friends had finished dancing and it was my turn. The time went by so fast while I was on stage. It went by in seconds, however, it was the greatest seconds of my life. Once I was off stage and watched three more of my terrific teammates dance, the rest of our teammates came running backstage along with our coach. Their hair was dancing in the wind as they ran. We all had tears running down our faces, we were sitting in a circle backstage, hugging each other. I will always remember what my coach told us while we were sitting on that floor in a small circle in the dark backstage. “This is a moment to remember. This is why we dance and enjoy dancing together and watching each other dance. Most people in their life will never get to feel these moments that dancers feel when they dance or watch their best friends dance. It’s a moment to remember why we are here today. Take a moment to realize why you love dancing and being with each other so much. I love you all so much”, my coach said. With tears running down her face, “I love you all so much”, one of my teammates said.

Dance is a sport I will always get to enjoy with my friends. It has taught me great lessons. It has also taught me to cherish every little event in life because sometimes they can become so great and terrific. Sitting behind the stage in a circle has reminded me again why I dance. It showed me how great the feeling is when you see your best friends on stage dancing and pouring their hearts out to the audience for everyone to see.

Festival dance is a cultural dance performed to the strong beats of percussion instruments by a community of people who share the same culture, generally performed to honor the patron saint or as a thank-you for the rich harvest. Festival dance can be religious or secular in nature. However, the best thing about the festival is that it adds to the fun of the place where the festival is held and the atmosphere of the festival, which is why it is ultimately called a festival dance. Festival dance uses unique movements, costumes and tools to drag people’s way of life. Filipinos mainly hold festivals to celebrate harmony in different cultures.

The value of diligence and effort to bring about a rich harvest is also one of the reasons for the celebration. Whether we celebrate some festivals, festival dance reveals unity to honor religious icons, cultures, traditions, beliefs and industries. Filipinos to maintain resilience in economic, social, environmental, cultural and political challenges. Religious festival dance is a dance characterized by the movement of paying homage to religious icons that are allegedly mediated by personal life. The Philippines, where the majority of the population is Catholic, has a gorgeous festival. This festival is an expression of appreciation for the support or demand received through rich harvest and divine arbitration. Festivals are an expression that commemorates glorious heritage, culture and traditions. They are meant to please the special moments and emotions of our lives with our loved ones. They add structure to our social life and play an important role in connecting us with our families and backgrounds. They inspire us to tire the repetition of life and remember the important moments of life to divert our daily lives. A festival has begun to pass on legends, knowledge and traditions to the next generation. What kind of culture is every festival.

There are various types of cultural festivals, such as country, religion, and season. They all serve the purpose of bringing happiness and strengthening community consciousness in our lives. Religious festivals are important to the family. To keep this simple, we can agree that religious festivals will help teach principles and ethics to the next generation. All other religious festivals get the same message of love, forgiveness and understanding. In such cases, we thank God for the special work and events that began at this special festival. An example of this is the Marinzuke Moriones Festival. Moriones Festival is an annual festival held during Holy Week on the island of Malinzuke, Philippines. ‘Moriones’ are men and women wearing costumes and masks that mimic the costumes of biblical Roman soldiers, interpreted by the inhabitants. Moriones or Moryonan’s traditional cultural practices and folk sagas were built into street festivals and influenced the creation of other festivals in the Philippines. A colorful festival that takes place on the island of Marinduque in the Philippines. Participants use Morion masks to depict Roman soldiers and Syrian mercenaries from the story of the Passion of Christ.

The mask is named after the Morion helmets of the 16th and 17th centuries. Moriones is a masked and dressed confessor who marches around the village for seven days to find Longinus. Morions roam the village distance from sex Monday to Easter Sunday and participate in mischief and surprises to scare and draw attention to children. It is a folk religion festival that recreates the story of Roman centurion Longinus, who lost one eye. This week’s long celebration begins on Sex Monday and ends on Easter Sunday. Another example of a religious festival that actually dances is the AtiAtihan Festival dance. The Philippines commemorates the three versions of the world-famous Mardi Gras, the hardest of which is AtiAtihan. Atia Tihan held in the village of Kalibo first in honor of San Toni (Baby Jesus) and then two celebrations commemorating the peace treaty between the two fighting tribes in 1210. Celebrating a 7-day festival is the perfect excuse for a full-fledged party in a tropical paradise on an island. AtiAtihan’s highlight is definitely the ‘Big Three Days of Spiritual Street Dance’, 3 nights 3 nights drinking and dancing craze. The air is filled with music from over 80 groups and all are vying for the 1 million peso prize awarded for the best performance. Some drinkers, whose costumes fill the streets, blacken themselves with soot to mimic the basic Attis tribe. Unlike other Mardi Gras, AtiAtihan welcomes glamorous and unusual outfits, and thanks to their numerous participation, AtiAtihan is an absolute winner.

Audiences voluntarily participate in the parade, which is difficult but agnostic to the conga line and other lines. Secular festivals and secular celebrations, which are distinguished from rituals, on the other hand, do not focus on the sacred meaning of the event. Secular festivals are generally held intentionally to honor a good person, to commemorate an important historical or cultural event, or to recreate an important folklore. Gods and gods. Like the Metro Manila Film Festival, which takes place every December in the Philippines, some non-religious festivals are held to give people fun and joy. The origins of communal festivals are a matter of family among scholars. Folklorists believe that the first festivals arose because of the anxiety of early people who did not understand the forces of nature and wanted to reconcile with them. The oldest festivals were associated with the time of planting and harvesting, or in honor of death. Although the festival was conducted as a way for humans to communicate with the existence of God, there is a general consensus that it was originally of a religious nature. But when these celebrations became a necessity of human life, they soon took on a dimension other than religion.

Many continue in modern times as secular festivals with some religious significance, but only as a matter of historical relations. It’s a secular festival, perfect for describing shinuroyaki. It starts with a private dance that wishes for safety, health, fine weather and a rich harvest. After that, people thought it would be more effective to pray together. They started dancing Sinulog in a group. And when they did, it began to look like a public celebration. Indigenous Details Ah Sinulog was performed by a small group of individual dancers on a church patio for a long time after North’s conversion to Christianity. There was no unified choreography. Each dancer invented his own procedure. The Sinullog Dance, with its special prayer Chumin, is still clearly visible among the old woman dancers of the Santo Heroes Boys Cathedral. This is a religious Sinulog. The dance performed during the Sinulog Grand Parade is different. Kadaugan sa Maktan in Lapuulapu City is a historical festival, and Panagbenga in Baguio City is a cultural festival in Cebu City, just as it is a seasonal festival. March in the form of prayer at the Sinulog parade. However, some people find it disrespectful to make religious activities other, as in the case of Sinulog, for example. Dissatisfaction comes mostly from people who belong to the Christian faith. But keep in mind that this prayer dance had no Christianity from the beginning. To date, religious Sinulog performances are restricted to a small garden in front of the church entrance. It is not clear whether the Catholic Church is credible and Christianly recognized for consciousness dance. However, the opposition to the frenzied naughty behavior that often appears during the Sinulog parade is that it’s actually worth investigating. Sinulog needs to dig deeper into history to see if Ceburowdiness and hoots are actually part of the former Sinulog dance during the ancient pagan era, which will become a true cultural festival. As society changes, so do the characteristics of their traditional festivals.

New festivals like Sinulog will disappear and appear in other festivals. Today, we no longer have the famous theater festival Linham Bay with old details. Some festivals have remained unchanged for generations, but many of the surviving festivals have taken on other characteristics. The value of Sinulog as a secular festival is clear. It is a tonic for participants. Great entertainment for observers. And we will acquire the driving force equivalent to the local economy. But this does not mean that the annual festival would not have enjoyed the same benefits as if it had remained in a very dignified event. The two types of festival dances listed are certainly beautiful in their own way. All we have to do is appreciate what we have and of course respect it. I really enjoy it in the Philippines.

Ballet and Indlamu dance are both forms of dance which depict their respective origins – the Sun King’s Court and the demonstration of the expertise of isiZulu warriors. Both dance forms are immensely influenced by their respective political contexts which illustrate how the forms may or may not be displayed in concert theatre in South Africa in the 20s to 40s.

From the 16th century the creation and evolution of ballet from its origin – the Sun King’s court- was utilised to depict status, aristocratic power and a hierarchy in Renaissance Italy in its Romantic form to France by Catherine de’ Medici to the form that is now recognised as as classical ballet. Ballet has been defined by its steps, attires, poses or formal gestures which aim to convey a story, atmosphere, emotion or theme (Collins, M & Jarvis, J, 2016). With specific reference to Romantic ballets, it was characterised by female ballerinas being portrayed as fragile beings who were effortlessly lifted thus creating the illusion of floating in the clouds and air and dancing en pointe. Dancing en pointe is defined as the point at which the dancer’s leg and toes are relatively perpendicular to the dance surface whilst on the tip of their toes, hence en-pointe (Bruckner, 2005). Although this is one characteristic, it can be said that the definition of ballet itself differs depending on how it may be understood, who is questioning the form, who responds to the question and the various translations of gender from different languages and the multiple connotations that may be attached. In this instance it should be noted that the definitions of ballet have often been constructed and defined around eurocentric intentions.

From the stages forms of entertainment at King Louis XIV’s French court to the introductory exhibition in the seventeenth century of what was perceived as professional dances at the Paris Opera the elements and aesthetics of costume, style and dance techniques changed drastically (Collins, M & Jarvis, J, 2016). Though the elements and aesthetics gradually began to change it is important to acknowledge that the French Revolution initiated the popularity and independence of ballet as it developed into more than an extension of the Opera, but rather gained it’s owned identity through the assistance of King Louis XIV. During the middle years of King Louis XIV’s reign in the 1660s, dance began to shift towards the theatre from court. Simultaneously, King Louis XIV’s court ballets were exhibited as part of a musical, dance and voice spectacle that were designed to impress the ambassadors, courtiers and other visitors who were able to identify as wealthy, tasteful or the magnificence of the court. In his time King Louis XIV was recognised as an experienced and proficient dancer whereby he often showcased his expertise in productions that were referred to as ‘ballets de cour’ which is reiterated in the following extract: “Since his childhood, this prince, who had received from the hand of Nature a noble and majestic figure, had loved every sort of physical exercise and had added to his natural gifts every grace that could be acquired” (Collins, M & Jarvis, J, 2016).

WIth specific reference to South Africa, dance forms can be defined as political as they are inextricably intertwined into the socio-political, religious and economic tool utilised to express the lives that people. Although ballet was a form of expression which consisted of heightened emotions and mythical, it’s introduction to South African theatre can be categorised as political for example Pink Lemonade and The Square which mimicked cultural life in Cape Town during the 1950s and 1960s (Jaeger and Pretlow, 2019). The art of classical ballet was introduced to Cape Town through professional ballet dancer Dulcie Howes (Samuel, 2019). Taking into consideration that a white woman introduced ballet to Cape Town, one can analyse how the bodies that were introduced to this dance form were colonised. Therefore, ballet both directly and indirectly becoming a political statement. Additionally, the fact that French terms were utilised in South African court dances in the 20s – 40s to choreograph and create ballet performances and still have not been translated into respective African languages is an evidence of the influence of King Louis XIV’s Académie Royale de Dance in 1661.

Muchlike ballet, indlamu dance is also a cultural expression which is specifically utilised by isiZulu people to celebrate the inauguration of a King, the birth of a child, winning a war or weddings. When indlamu dance was first introduced it was a military drill exercise, developed with the intention to teach and enforce a system of discipline within the ‘Black’ isiZulu male community and prepared the members of each unit in the army for way (Welsh-Asante, 2000). Though the war dance has been said to not have been influenced by Western ideologies, during colonisation whereby foreign colonies were forcefully established throughout African countries to introduce ‘civilisation’ and ‘culture’ (Seodial F. H, 2001), the hegemonic aspirations of colonisers left a legacy of complex political and social functions. Due to post colonial countries such as South Africa still negotiating their culture and aesthetics, most dances that formed part of South African dance theatre were contemporary (Samuel, 2019).

The reason why dance was used to enforce discipline was because dance is due to the intriguing form of body motion that that is provided. Dance can be described as an intensive energy exercise that makes use of muscle strength, muscle energy, momentum development and force of gravity (Mazrui, 1977).Though it may be true that dance stimulates an emotional journey, the term art indicates that dance is incapable of creating an experience in reality. Additionally, the perception of dance to Zulu people and African people as a whole is not limited to pure entertainment or ‘arts for arts sake’. This is because African dance dance, specifically indlamu dance, utilises polyrhythmic and polymetric body movement that signifies a deeper meaning (Ikibe, n.d.). Therefore the term ethnic respective expression would be more appropriate to describe ritually and culturally rooted dances such as indlamu dance.

Zulu dances fulfilled the purpose of symbolising power which represented dominance and self-control, hence indlamu dance emerging out of the war dances of the isiZulu warriors (Mazrui, 1977). According to Kariamu Asante in ‘Zimbabwe Dance: Rhythmic Forces, Ancestral Voices: an Aesthetic Analysis’, the remarkable Zulu King Shaka Zulu prefered that his soldiers walked for kilometers to harden their feet in order for their feet to have the ability to trammel over sixty miles each day in the most challenging terrain. Through this, in the indlamu dance the hardened feet became responsible for the high-powered stamping of alternate feet in single or double lines whereby the intensity of repeated movement was distinguished (Manyeneng, 2019).

The dance forms identified as ballet and indlamu dance are both a reflection of their respective origins- The Sun King’s Court and the demonstration of the prowess of isiZulu warriors. Additionally, through their respective socio- political contexts, their function, form and influence in theatre is comprehensible.