So it all began in Harlem.
When I think of Harlem, I automatically thought of the popular meme, Harlem Shake. After doing some research on the dance, it turns out the popular Harlem Shake is actually not the original one. The original Harlem shake, also known as Albee, originated from Harlem in the 1980s and it was based on Eskista, a traditional Ethiopian dance. The dance involves shaking, shimmying and popping your torso, shoulders and arms. This is one example that shows how black culture (Ethiopian) had an influence in dance in the 20th century.
Katherine Dunham
I really enjoy learning that the black modern dance is influenced by many different cultures and the experiences that they have been through. For example the L’ag’ya introduced by Katherine Dunham that was “based on the rhythms and martial arts dances of the slaves who used to dance to develop their stamina in preparation for uprisings against their white masters” (History of Black Dance: 20th-Century Black American Dance). Many black dancers use dance as a way to share the social and political pressure they are under in America. As we have seen, art is a very powerful tool that can be used to start a change. Sometimes words are not enough to convey the emotions they felt. I feel that with the influence of their culture and environment, black modern dances are unique and well-worth enjoying and analyzing.
I accidentally watched the video with Kyle Abraham’s choreography of “When the Wolves Came in” and “The Watershed” before reading the article. When I watched it, I didn’t understand what was going on and I was quickly bored. However, after reading the article, it gave me more insight on the meaning of the dances. “The Watershed” is a response to the 100th year anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation. The dance conveys the struggle and achievements during that time period from the perspective of the viewers. “When The Wolves Came In” is derived from the story that a kid fell into the African dog pit in the zoo and was killed, in turn the dogs were also killed although they could have simply built a taller fence so no other people will fall into it. This piece has to do with “perception, race and identity”. After reading the stories Kyle Abraham is trying to tell through his dances, I find it much easier to interpret the dance and understand what each of the movements meant.
I completely agree with you that art expresses an idea that sometimes words can’t fully express. During the 20th century, blacks were mostly segregated until the late 1900s. With that said, they lacked a good education that was received by the affluent Whites of the time. Since they can’t communicate clearly with words, art became their mode of expression. The beautiful thing about art is that it eliminates boundaries. It eliminates language barriers, social backgrounds/stereotypes, and etc.
Dancing can show so much and hide so much. It was really interesting that slaves danced to increase their stamina and martial art skills in order to prepare for their uprising against their slave masters. Dancing cannot be described with words because there is so much to each move and the emotion that is put behind it. I didn’t even realize that the Harlem Shake was based off an Ethiopian traditional dance. Maybe all of dancing these days are inspired by many different forms of dancing, which create a language much different from the past.
Dance is a huge outlet for creativity. I totally agree with you in that when you watch the video and don’t understand its meaning, it can become a little boring and long. However, once you understand the message the dancers are trying to communicate, the dance becomes more appealing and interesting. I love the fact that you researched the Harlem Shake. I had no idea it was an actual dance performed in traditional Ethiopian culture.
I found it pretty interesting that you brought up the harlem shake because i never actually thought about it like that. Technically the meme is a form of modern dance. In addition to that i also completely agree with you that dance was a good outlet for black dancers to express their frustrations with society. They have truly left their mark in black modern dance.
I laughed to myself when I saw that your post brought up “The Harlem Shake.” This popular dance took over the world in 2013, but has since faded from the media and popular culture. And while the Harlem Shake we know is not the original, the older and the newer share a similarity: they both took had a significant impact on the art world. Everyone knew about the Harlem Shake back then, and everyone knows about the Harlem Shake now-the creative expression is just different. However, the main difference is that the original Harlem Shake still subsists in modern society; the Harlem Renaissance’s legacy lives on through modern dance today and continues to have an impact on the art world. The timelessness of the original shows how black dance continues to significantly impact modern society today.