When I was nine years old my mom took me to see my first dance performance, The Nutcracker. Since that day, every year around Christmas time we go to any theatre we can find and watch the show in awe as if we have never seen it before. To me, dance is one of the most beautiful forms of expression. There is so much emotion and passion behind it, you can’t help but to submerge yourself in the allure of it.
I was surprised while reading the history of dance in the black community. I have learned that slaves used songs to cope with their harsh conditions, but I have never heard of slaves using dance to build up their stamina to prepare themselves for uprisings against their white masters. Dance has been a part of their culture and a way to get by for centuries. I think it is amazing that choreographers, such as Kyle Abraham, include the traditions of their ancestors in dances today. For example, “The Watershed”, one of the performances he choreographed, is inspired by the 150th anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation, the 1960s, and the Civil Rights Movement. He considered the gains and losses that African-Americans have had over the years and how they view them today to create a story and convey those feelings through the choreography.
In another one of his works, titled, “When the Wolves Came In”, he used a unique subject and related it to the message of the dance. Abraham came across a local news story in his hometown of Pittsburgh about a boy that fell into a pit of Africa dogs in the zoo and was mauled to death. Instead of building a higher fence or placing the dogs in a different part of the zoo, they killed them. The incident grabbed Abraham’s attention, and he connected it to our views about “perception, race and identity”. He was able to link modern human behavior with the history of maltreatment that African-Americans had to endure.
When we think of art, dance is not usually the first thing we think of. However, throughout history it has been a vital means of expressing ourselves. It is important to consider dance just as significant as any other artistic expression because it usually has a story and meaning behind it.
The nutcracker was also the first dance show i got to experience!! But i didn’t just watch it, i preformed in it. I can completely agree with you that dance has this power aura to it that is hard to describe. When you watch performers dance, they perform their movements with such fluidity it’s as if they are a piece of paper floating with the wind. You are just left in awe at what there modern dancers are able to execute.
I agree with you in how amazing it is for artists such as Kyle Abraham to be able to incorporate the history of the black community into his productions. There is just so much to take in and yet when you look at the performances, like Mr.Abraham says, there is already a story. To be able to use our perception and knowledge to create a performance full of expression is amazing.
I was also very surprised when I read about how slaves used song and dance to cope with the brutalities of slavery. The fact that they used body movement as a way of preparing themselves for physical punishment, is an idea that is completely beyond me. But what that revealed to me was the true power and impact of dance, and the emotional “benefits” it could have on a person. Which, when I think about it, makes a lot of sense. I think that is why we hear it so often today in society that a healthy body, is a healthy mind. And its interesting to think how such dance movements— even simple gestures!!— can channel a person’s ability to express and cope with certain emotions!
I completely agree that it’s really beautiful how the audience and the people on stage are able to connect as they are. I have seen The Nutcracker and I was also amazed at how in sync and how united the dancers were. It’s indescribable. And art really is just as important and valuable as any other artistic form of expression and I think sadly it’s a bit less appreciated in education. I have a bigger appreciation for it now after reading about Kyle Abraham and his work. You put it well into words.
What I found most interesting was how dance was employed not only as an art form for African slaves, but it was used as a way to increase stamina and endurance for the excessive labor that they faced each day. Knowing that adds a narrative or suffering and strength behind black dance culture. It was not just about the community, but the struggle and the strife, as well as the desire to prevail and succeed. I find that incredibly impactful, and it reminds me how culture is deeper than just the beauty of art. I appreciate how Abraham uses this concept in his dance, and tries to initiate a conversation through the beauty of his choreography.