It was intriguing to read about how modern art was influenced by black culture right after the civil war. Sometimes we don’t even think about what helped make things the way they are today. It’s really great the after many African-Americans overcame the struggles of slavery they were able to incorporate their traditions and culture into works of art that they could share with everyone.
Being someone who rarely attends dance related events, I entered this exploration of modern dance with basically a clean sheet. I initially started with the video of Kyle Abraham’s dance show because I prefer to experience things visually first. I was in awe of how fluid and sequential the whole performance was, with all the dancers in sync as if they were one person. It was incredible to watch the dancers preform these abstract movements with such flexibly and dexterity. But the best part of the entire performance is that the meaning and motivation behind the dancer’s movements are left entirely up to the audience to interrupt. This unparalleled freedom in interpretation gives modern dance a unique feature that one can’t get with other forms of artwork. 
After watching the video, I was interested in further understanding Abraham’s mission in creating these performances, so I delved into the article about him. I learned that Abraham was attempting to “create an evocative interdisciplinary body of work.” It seems as if he wants to meld together multiple art fields to create a master piece. I was truly baffled by how he was able to narrate stories through his .
I too have little to no experience with dance. The things that the performers can do with their bodies are unique and truly incredible. I like that we are left to our own devices when trying to interpret the dances, this certainly widens the appeal of the art form. Even from the little clip we saw, I can see that Abraham is very adept at telling a story through his choreography.
I, too, have little experience with modern dance so I was curious to learn about its origins. I never knew how influential African American dance was in modern art; I previously only knew about black music and writers. Abraham really does take a unique approach to dance in general. The way he choreographs creates a sense of unity and fluidity. It’s remarkable that he shows stories of race history in the U.S by incorporating both white and black dancers, who sometimes mirror each other during the performance. I am definitely really excited about Thursday and I can’t wait to see what kind of dance performance we will be exposed to.
I agree with you, Brandon, and Keti in that dance is not an art form that is very stressed in our lives, because of that we have little or no experience to dance. After reading these articles and watching these videos about dance, I realize that Dance can convey any and all ideas that other forms of art can. I too, enjoyed Kyle Abraham’s video of dance first because visually is always easier to connect to than textually I feel.
Unlike you, Borys, I actually found that reading the article before watching the video was more beneficial for me. I like to know the background about things before I see them visually.
One sentence that I particularly liked in your writing was, “It seems as if he wants to meld together multiple art fields to create a master piece.” This is a very interesting point and it makes me think about music and art and dance as a whole.