Category: Reading Responses (Page 3 of 11)

Modern dance is a very unique form of dancing that puts itself in its own category. What makes modern dance so original? Modern dance takes in many different forms of dancing and mashes them all together to form a completely new form of dancing. It is very interesting that a good part of modern dance was born right in our backyard, Harlem.

Being taught to be a classical musician for the most part of my life, there was little room to actually deviate from the actual piece that was given in front of you. Later on, when I started experimenting a little bit with jazz music, I realized that jazz in sense took aspects of classical music while breaking every other rule that I was taught growing up. Phrasing, note values and style of playing jazz went completely against the conventions of “standard” music playing, but it did bring a completely different vibe to music that classical music could never do. Modern dance basically took various aspects of dancing and broke many rules that are associated with classical dancing. Modern dance can convey a message that classical dancing could never convey to the audience. There is a lot more emotion that goes in modern dance because there isn’t a definitive set of “rules” that constrict the emotions a dancer from expressing.

After watching the video, it seemed like everyone on stage had their own interpretation of the music, yet they were in sync with one another in an unconventional manner. At first I thought it was a complete free-for-all and each dancer could do whatever they wanted to dance to, however I was so wrong. The dances vary from very abrupt/dramatic to very gentle and expressive; the whole group of dancers were working well together to emphasize each person’s solo dance/idea. The message was quite clear that the dance had to do something that was extremely important to society.  Only after reading the article I could see the connection with the dancing and the Civil Rights Movement; there was so much passion in the dancing that it showed the struggles of the past and how much will power was needed to give equality to African Americans. Kyle Abraham’s work has opened my eyes to different forms of communicating different ideas and social problems that exist or existed in our world.

When people aren’t bounded by a set of rules then people’s creative ideas can go into complete overdrive and express ideas that no one thought could be possible. Modern dance has broke the traditional sense (while taking a lot of aspects from other dancing styles) of dancing which has led many people to experiment with dancing to another level, bringing another level of emotions and ideas.

Kyle Abraham

The Harlem Renaissance was the birthplace of black dance and music in that it became a place where both black and white New Yorkers brought together dance and music that was enthralling and lively. Not only did dances such as the Charleston, Lindyhop, and the Jitterbug come from these areas, but also Jazz music. Because of the Harlem Renaissance, its influence in music and dance in the 1920s spread later on to Europe.

It was disheartening to see sometimes black dancers such as Josephine Baker as not popular in America during her time period because of racial tension that continued to marginalize the form of art. However, through time, black dancers continued to progress their artistic movement, and eventually Buddy Bradley became the first African-American  to run a British white company.

It is interesting to see that Kyle’s Abraham’s approach to black dance is one that is influenced by  hip-hop culture of the late ’70s, and its goal is to delve into identity in relation to a personal history. His works are inspired by historical events such as the 150th anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation in “The Watershed” and the 20th anniversary of the abolishment of apartheid in South Africa in “When the Wolves Came In. ” Abraham currently wants “The Watershed” to give the audience thoughts about what the gains and losses that we’ve had. “When the Wolves Came In” has a ceremonial vibe, but is really about perception, race, and identity.

Abraham admits to the interviewer that being a choreographer, it’s hard for him to tell stories that aren’t too abstract to the audience. When the audience sees a black man and a black woman, or a black man with a white man there is immediately politics involved in the situation. Abraham brings into question the racial tension that exists in modern day society that not only permeated from historically influenced plays. According to him during the Watershed scene, the audience feels tension as two black men dance intimately while a white man cuts a watermelon in half. His artwork brings light to our current expectations of certain scenarios, and hopes that we can make sense of them. He tries to incorporate many different sources into his works of dance. Indeed according to him, he is “drawing a line between history and a contemporary aesthetic as well.”

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.

Filled with death, fear, love, and sacrifice, Turandot is a whirlpool of emotions for its viewers. Though often to the extreme, this opera highlights certain aspects of humanity that can be seen in all individuals. We as humans can relate to the characters each in some way, or, at least identify the message they are meant to portray.

Liu is a big symbol in this story for loyalty. Committed to her master, as a slave, she first demonstrates this characteristic when she cries out for help as Timur falls to the ground. She is driven by her love for his son, Calaf. As a slave she knows that their love can never be, but she continues on anyway with the little hope she can have that something might become of her and her love. Once Calaf declares his love for Turandot and he is put in a dangerous situation, things take a turn for Liu. Put in a position where she or Timur will be killed if they do not tell comply with the guards and reveal Calaf’s name, Liu sacrifices herself for the ones she loves. To her, her love was worth more than her life. I find this an admirable tragedy.

In the opening scenes, Turandot orders for the execution of a young prince who failed to win her love over in riddles. She is introduced as seemingly cold and heartless. As the characters develop, we are able to see that Turandot masks behind her harsh actions a fear of her fate. She refuses to be forced into the hands of another man and has seen too many suitors die before her to have any hope left that she will find the right one. It isn’t until Calaf kisses her and takes away her fear that she finally accepts the feeling of love.

Calaf falls for Turandot through what most consider “love at first sight.” Determined to win her over, he answers the riddles correctly and passes the test that no other suitor has been able to complete. When the shock finally hits her and she refuses to marry him, Calaf gives Turandot the option of killing him if she can figure out what his name is by dawn. He, like Liu, is compelled by love and will do anything for it. But unlike Liu, he succeeds in winning over his love.

If we are not willing to risk and to sacrifice, no progress can be made. Unfortunately, Liu is an example of the danger that comes from the uncertainty of taking chances. She gave her all for her love and ended up dead. But, it does not always end this way. For both Calaf and Turandot, after their struggles, their lives end happily in love. I felt like these situations, although excessive, can pertain to ones in real life and that made me appreciate it more. I enjoyed reading this text and am excited to see it come alive on stage.

Reading Turnadot, I found the plot to be overlly dramatic and in general unbelievable. However if looked closely, it is similar to that of our Disney princesses in which we admire and look up to. Princess Turnadot is an undeniably beautiful women who men die for, literally. This play displays not only the naive ideals of love but also incorporates the desperation and blind following of it by the young.

The play begins with the execution of a persian prince who has failed the task in which he would either marry or die for the princess. The tasks, seemingly and easy one, is that you have to answer the three riddles the princess gives you and if you successfully answer them you can marry her but if you fail to then she will execute you. This is seen as exaggerated and unbelievable that someone would agree. However this emphasizes the princesses beauty. The unknown prince, also known as prince calaf also falls in love with her. Despite having only recently reunited with his father he is willing to risks his life for “love”. Which ends the first act.

Following this introduction, eventually prince Calaf does answer all three of Princess Turnadots riddles,however she does not wish to marry him. And so, he gives her a tasks in which if she learns his name she does not have to marry her and he will be killed also. With a twists a servant of his, Liu kills herself in order to protect Calafs name. This is where we see the one-sided love from a lowly servant to that of her prince. This not only broke my heart to read but also made me dislike prince Calaf a bit more. Personally, I enjoy rooting for the underdogs of the story but that is not the only reason why i dislike prince Calaf. Although i commend him for his bravery, he fell in love with the princess looks and despite having someone who cares so much about him near him, he chose beauty. Princess Turnadot however, fell in love with Calafs personality. Even though she does find out his name, she doesnt say because she begins to like him and eventually she does marry him.

This play is full of twists and turns that it was hard to keep up. Despite how dramatic and unrealistic this may of been, it was interesting to read because usually I watch shows that present the same plots. However I believe that watching and reading provide two different views and evokes different feelings. I’m looking forward to watching this opera!

Turandot, written by Giacomo Puccini, is definitely not your typical love story. Prince Calaf falls in love with the cold hearted and unobtainable Princess Turandot, but the only way to acquire permission to marry her is to solve three riddles. Any wrong answer results in death.  Although Calaf answers all three of the questions correctly, Turandot still refuses to marry him. He gives her the option to learn his name by dawn, and if she succeeds he will die the next day. Although Turandot does learn his name, she refuses to say it. Instead, she changes her mind and marries him at the end, adding an unexpected plot twist to the story.

Having never read an opera, I had no idea what to expect with Turandot. From the beginning, there is an execution of a prince while a crowd is narrating what is happening. Although it seemed confusing at first, I quickly understood the situation. Prince Calaf, who reunites with his father at the beginning of the first act, is set on risking his life to marry Princess Turandot. Liu, Calaf’s father’s servant who helps him find his son, is madly in love with him and ends up committing suicide so that she does not have to give his name away. Princess Turandot, who is able to kill many suitors without a second thought, has a change of heart when she falls in  love with Calaf.

The story uncovers the truth behind love and the impact it can have on a person. Like in many love stories, people sacrifice their lives for the people they love. Without reciprocation, life becomes meaningless for the characters. It does not matter to Calaf that he has not seen his father in such a long time, because he is blinded by his feelings for Princess Turandot. I admit, it seems ludicrous to choose some princess whom Calaf does not really know over his own father. However, when in love, people do very illogical and questionable things. I feel that Calaf did not know the princess well enough to be in love with her. Loving a person requires you to love every part of them and in order to do that, you have to know every part of them. Calaf falls in love with Turandot simply based on her beauty, which makes me question if he was actually in love with her. He was willing to risk his life for a woman who not only rejected him, but whom he does not really know. Turandot, on the other hand, changes her mind about Calaf when she sees the kind of person that he is. She falls in love with him because of his good heart, rather than his looks. This could symbolize what each gender considers important in finding a partner. Men tend to focus on beauty while women base their decisions off of someone’s personality and kindness. Although this might not necessarily be true, it seems to be the case in a lot of love stories. Turandot shows us the implications of love. It might seem irrational to risk your life for another person, but it is a feeling that cannot be matched with any other. Love is the biggest motivator in life.

The progression of this opera was very interesting and; in a sense, I expected but did not expect the plot line at the same time. I state this because the plot line sort of reminds of the plot lines that occur in the average ancient Chinese dynastic dramas. However, since this opera was written by a Italian, I did not expect for such a connection in plot line to modern dramas about dynastic China.

What stood out to me in the opera was the cruelness of Princess Turnadot. I did not expect Princess Turnadot to be so coldhearted and ruthless when telling her ministers to continue torturing Liu when she would not expose the Prince’s name. The beheading of The Persian Prince, in the beginning, also further demonstrates how ruthless Princess Turnadot is. Personally, knowing that she is a princess and the female lead of this opera, I expected Princess Turnadot to have a more positive image in the opera. However, the opera just emphasized the negative traits of Princess Turnadot. I perceive that the writers probably decided to let Princess Turnadot be more of an ‘evil’ character  so that there would be more of a shock and  contrast when Princess Turnadot actually returns the Prince of Tartary’s love.

Like many people who have read this opera, I think that it came as quit a shock that Princess Turnadot actually decided not to kill the Prince of Tartary, but instead marry him. However, I felt like that ending was a bit abrupt and I would have like to see the opera expand more on what happens after the couple gets married. I think that there should have been a sequel to this opera, just to expand on the marriage life after the couples wedding. This marriage is not necessarily a  normal relationship, where people move from being in a relationship to getting married. So I think there could potentially be a lot of marital problems that the sequel could go into. I would definitely read/ watch the sequel because of the drama that may occur.

Overall, I think that the opera storyline is relatively easy to follow and I definitely look forward to seeing the opera live. I just hope that the entire opera does not feel as long as it is.