Dance to me is a way to express. The movements, music, everything conveys an emotion. Yet we don’t know why and/or where these emotions stem from
The article, “History of Black Dance: 20th-Century Black American Dance“, explores the origins and story behind the choreography as well as the dancers. Dance is a culture and its history told in movements. Especially inspiring is black dance and the story it tells. Many don’t realize that the stem of historic dance trends often stem from Harlem. The oppression and constriction that blacks faced back then did not stop them from expressing themselves. Whether it was enjoy themselves or to get themselves ready to overthrow their masters, the form of dance was a type of freedom that everyone has. Dancers like Josephine Baker, Florence Mills, and Buddy Bradley are only a few black dancers who are an inspiration to many. They stood behind their restraints and achieved so much.
In the article Choreographer Kyle Abraham discusses “The Watershed” and “When The Wolves Came In”, Quinn Peterson shares the interview with Mr.Abraham. Kylie Abhraham brings up a great point that, “when you put a Black body on the stage, there’s already an inherent story that’s going to be told. And when you put that Black body on stage with any other dancer, the story shifts based on the history that whoever is watching it has already experienced.” As a artists who has achieved a lot, its amazing to see his point of view from the history to the story of dance and its meaning.
These articles allowed me to view a different side to dance and not only the movements but also the story behind each performer. With this background in my mind, watching the video performance gave me a different feeling. It made me view the performance as not just dance but also a story.
I agree that after reading the article we get a whole different view on the dance. We know that there is a story behind it, and that the dancers are trying to convey the emotions through their body. With the knowledge of the background, we can better figure out what they are trying to convey. I think it is absolutely beautiful that it does not matter who you are or where you come from, anyone can use dance to express themselves.
I liked that you wrote about the history of Black Dance and the oppression that Black dancers faced. The movements that the dancers create are reflective to all the societal factors that the dancers were part of. The story that the dance conveys is clearer after reading some background of the formation of the dance moves. I agree with you that dance is a type of freedom that everyone has.
I never really thought about the history behind dance. When watching a dance performance, I rarely look for a narrative, yet thinking about the history behind the dance was completely lost to me. However, the significance of art belongs to the eyes of the beholder, therefore, the history that is being applied to art by the viewer is imperative to how the art is being perceived. In some ways this diversifies the experience of dance, however, it may also limit the perspective of a viewer by tying a history to a completely objective performance. I agree with you in that, keeping all of this in mind, I’ll be more careful about how I perceive dance performances whilst considering the history behind the dance and the dancers.