American Music and Culture

American Music and Culture: Jazz Dance Jazz dance, is defined as any dance to Jazz accompaniments, composed of a profusion of forms. Jazz dance paralleled the birth and spread of Jazz itself from roots in black American society and was popularized in ballrooms by the big bands of the swing era (1930s and '40s). It radically altered the style of American and European stage and social dance in the 20th century. The term is sometimes used more narrowly to describe popular stage dance (except tap dance) and Jazz-derived or Jazz-influenced forms of modern dance.It excludes social dances lacking Jazz accompaniment ?† the rumba and other Latin-American dances. The original steps were exemplified out in the plantations, and Jazz dance itself came about as a crossbreed of American culture, European Jigs and the music and movement were tradition of the African slaves. Jazz music obviously inspired some of the first documented Jazz dance choreography, and this further adds to the rich and diverse history of Jazz dance.Europe lent elegance to the technique; Africa gave it its movement and rhythm, and America allowed it to have the exposure and growing popularity that has sustained it as a cherished dance style today. Jazz dance developed from both 19th- and 20th- century stage dance and traditional black social dances and their white ballroom offshoots. On the stage, minstrel show performers in the 19th century developed tap dancing from a combination of Irish Jigging, English clog dancing, and African rhythmic stamping.Tap dance and such social dances as the cakewalk and shuffle became popular vaudeville acts and appeared in Broadway revues and musical comedies as these replaced vaudeville early in the 20th century. In addition, comedy, specialty, and character dances to Jazz rhythms became standard stage routines. By the 1940s elements of Jazz dance had appeared in modern dance and in motion picture choreography. The History of Jazz Dance During the early 1900's we find more and more blacks performing outside of the narrow stereotype of the minstrel show. Again the traveling shows spread the music and dance culture of black people far and wide.In addition to the spreading of culture, there was another important aspect to the events taking place: it was the beginning of the musical theatre. The black musical revue offered comedians, singers and dancers an opportunity to perform without making fun of their race. Out of such erformances, one became aware of new dance developments: cakewalks, grinds, comedy dance, etc. Another important factor in this discussion on the historical development of modern Jaz dance is always the constant dance involvement and development in the everyday lives of black people.Dance has always been a part of the expression of black people in church, at social gatherings, etc. Probably the social or vernacular dance, as Stearns calls it, is more important than any one particular form that evolved out of it. So as the da nce of the musical revue evolved, it was directly associated with and tied to the everyday dance of the people. Prior to 1900 there were such black shows as The South Before the War, The Creole Show, Oriental America, etc. Many of the dance movements associated with Jazz dance can be traced to Atrican intluences.Slaves captured in Atrica brought their dancing traditions across the Atlantic. Once in the new country, the African slaves continued to use dance as a means of self-expression and an emotional outlet, despite being forbidden to dance by their owners. Until the mid 1950s, the term â€Å"Jazz dance† often referred to tap dance, because tap dancing (set to Jazz music) was the main erformance dance of the era. During the later Jazz age, popular forms of Jazz dance were the Cakewalk, Black Bottom, Charleston, Jitterbug, Boogie Woogie, Swing dancing and the related Lindy Hop.Although the stage popularized certain social dances, many others were transmitted mainly in social gatherings. The dances that gave rise to social forms of Jazz dance developed from rural slave dances. In both early dances and 20th-century Jazz dances, there is a noticeable continuity of dance elements and motions. The eagle rock and the slow drag (late 19th century) as well as he Charleston and the Jitterbug have elements in common with certain Caribbean and African dances.In addition, the slow drag contributed to the fish of the 1950s; the ring shout, which survived from the 18th into the 20th century. After the 1950s, pioneers such as Katherine Dunham took the essence of Caribbean traditional dance and made it into a performing art. With the growing domination of other forms of entertainment music, Jazz dance evolved on Broadway into the new, smooth style that is taught today and known as Modern Jazz, while tap dance branched off to follow its own, separate evolutionary path.The performance style of Jazz dance was popularized to a large extent by Bob Fosses work, which is exe mplified by Broadway shows such as Chicago, Cabaret, Damn Yankees, and The Pajama Game. Modern Jazz dance continues to be an essential element of musical theatre, and it can often be seen in music videos and competitive dance. Jazz Dance Techniques Throughout its history, Jazz dance has developed in parallel to popular music. This pattern of development has resulted in a few elements of movement key to the dance style, the most important being that Jazz is they physical embodiment of the popular music of a given time.An example of this is that during a down time of Jazz dancing from 1945-1954, when big bands and dance halls were declining, the vernacular of the dance followed less Jazz music and leaned more toward rock and roll, creating moves like â€Å"The Monkey† and â€Å"The Jerk† Syncopated rhythm is a common characteristic in Jazz music that was adapted to Jazz dance in the early twentieth century and has remained a significant characteristic Isolations are a qu ality of movement that were introduced to Jazz dance by Katherine Dunham.Improvisation was an important element in early forms of Jazz dance, as it is an important element of Jazz music. A low center of gravity and high level of energy are other important identifying characteristics of Jazz dance. Jazz, tap and musical theatrical dance are â€Å"cousins. † These forms of dance are tied to everyday music, songs and rhythms. Jazz dance involves a range of lively, often sensuous body movement and percussion techniques, with a mix of tap steps, social dances and ballet.New forms of Jazz dance developed with new music, such as the Charleston, swing, rock and roll, and the Caribbean reggae. Other elements of Jazz dance are less common and are the stylizations of their respective choreographers one such xample are the inverted limbs and hunched-over posture of Bob Fosse. Fosse was an American actor, dancer, musical theater choreographer, director, screen- writer, tilm editor and til m director. He won an unprecedented eight Tony Awards tor choreography, as well as one for direction.He was nominated for an Academy Award four times, winning for his direction of Cabaret (beating Francis Ford Coppola for The Godfather). His third wife, Broadway legend Gwen Verdun, helped to define and perfect his unique and distinct style simply referred to today as â€Å"Fosse. â€Å". Jazz Dance Pioneers and African Americans Katherine Dunham was an anthropologist fascinated by dances of the Caribbean. She researched them and then devised her own style of dance and teaching methods. She went on to dance on Broadway and to form her own school.Her school in New York was very influential in the 1950s and her technique of pelvic and spine isolations is now a part of almost every Jazz class. Jerome Robbins was the greatest Broadway Jazz choreographer of our time. He dealt with action, humor and adolescent themes in his Broadway musicals and films. He choreographed Fancy Free and Wes tside Story among others. His choreography was powerful and appealed to huge audiences. His influence on Broadway is still felt today. Gus Giordano has received many awards for his outstanding lifetime contribution to Jazz dance.He has been involved in all facets of dance: dancer, teacher, choreographer, author, and founder of Gus Giordano Jazz Dance Center in Chicago. Giordano's book, Anthology of American Jazz Dance , was the first book of its kind and was instrumental in helping turn the study of Jazz dance into a respectable and important American dance form. Gus has been involved in dance for T. V. , film, stage and commercials. His companys current goals are to seek out talented new choreographers and dancers and highlight their work.Also to educate, as well as create, an awareness of Jazz dance as a true artistic expression of American life, both nationally and internationally. Major Events of Jazz Dance and Jazz Dance Today In 1931, when the New Negro Art Theatre presented a recital which included a suite of interpretive dances based on Southern spirituals, old limitations were defied and a precedent was established. 6 A pioneer black dancer in the interpretive field, Hemsely Winfield, was the moving spirit behind the program.The suite dealt with an area of black life which had never before been presented through dance on the stage. The subject matter and approach of the dance went beyond the scope of the black dance tradition and in doing so the suite set a precedent for future interpretive presentations of black music and dance. Vaudeville, or the variety show, was initially a European tradition of traveling performers moving from town to town with their skits, songs and dances. In America, this provided opportunity for a range of popular entertainers to thrive, such as Bill â€Å"Bojangles† Robinson a black tap dancer.Show ancers Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers blended flowing ballet movements with more abrupt rhythmic movements of Jazz. Conce rt Jazz dance developed as a revue or series of separate Jazz dance productions. Musical comedy/theatre evolved from variety shows. Themes, story lines and chorus work developed into the musical theatre we know today. Agnes de Mille, who choreographed Oklahoma, elevated the impo rtance ot dance in the theatre prod uction. Today, Jazz dance is present in many different forms and venues. Jazz dance is commonly taught in dance schools and performed by dance companies around the world.

Frankenstein: The Meaning behind the Words Essay

Upon receiving all the books that we had to read during this course, Frankenstein was the one that I was looking most forward to reading. Most horror fiction novels have the same story line with no actual meaning behind the writing, but as I opened this novel and continued to read, I really became interested in the deeper meaning of Frankenstein and I just had to continue reading to find out more. Unlike most horror fiction novels, Frankenstein in my opinion has the ability to keep its readers interested instead of boring them. Mary Shelley used her writing ability to tell a great story that involved the relationship between man and mans creation. A major observation that I made while reading Frankenstein was of all the several themes made throughout the whole entire book. Some themes where obvious, others you really had to think about it. All though many people may think Shelley’s Frankenstein is just another normal horror fiction novel, I believe this novel provides several themes throughout the entire story line because it shows the themes of human injustice towards outsiders, ignorance is bliss, and society’s sexist viewpoints. The main theme that I noticed while reading Frankenstein, was the idea of human injustice towards outsides. All throughout the novel, the monster has to face man’s cruelty to those who are different. Frankenstein’s monster is indeed an outcast and he doesn’t belong in human society. The monster’s alienation from society, his struggle for revenge, and his unfulfilled desire for a companion, are all shared by his creator. I noticed while reading the novel how quickly Victor became similar his creation. Both Victor and his creation live in isolation from society, they both hate their miserable lives, and both Victor and his creation are suffering. Shelly did a very good job showing the relationship with man and his relationship with outsiders, and how cruel society can be when it comes to being different from everyone else. The monster states, â€Å"When I looked around I saw and heard of none like me. Was I, the, a monster, a blot upon the earth from which all men fled and whom all men disowned?† This quote explains itself. The monster was different, and therefore he was alone in the world. This was the easiest theme to recognize, in my opinion, because this theme plays a big role in society. Shelly’s writing shows exactly what people in society that are different go through, by showing it through Victor and his creation. A second theme that really stood out to me was the idea that ignorance is bliss. With the power of human reason, through science and technology, it challenged a lot of concepts about world and man’s relationship with his creator. This was the idea of Shelley’s time. Although this was a big concept, many questioned stressing the limits of human capacity. Shelley uses this theme in her book. She uses the idea in chapter four when Victor warns Walton to not follow in his footsteps stating, â€Å"Learn from me, if not by my precepts, at least by my example, how dangerous is the acquirement of knowledge and how much happier that man is who believes his native town to be the world, than he who aspires to become greater than his nature will allow† (38). During Shelley’s time, including many others, some aspects of nature should never be discovered by man. Shelly used both the new sciences of chemistry and electricity of life to conjure up the bodies of the dead. Victor is a man that clearly wanted to discover and did discover these aspects of nature and he stole the idea of creation from God and used it for his own ill-advised purposes. The third theme that I analyzed while reading Frankenstein, was the indicting towards society for its sexist viewpoints. Throughout Frankenstein, Victor sets the view for women as weak, suffering, non useful human beings who live to serve and depend on the men in their lives. Many people believe Shelly could have experienced these sexist points at one point in her own life, but she may or may not have agreed with it. In Frankenstein, Victor puts the name of a barbarian to the monster because the monster has a very good notion of the opposite sex. The monster, unlike Victor, believes that men and woman are equal and both should be treated equally. The monster, throughout the novel seeks companionship from a female, which does not convey a desire to rule a women or that a woman should have to depend on the men in her life. The monster states, â€Å"I am alone and miserable: man will not associate with me; but one as deformed and horrible as myself would not deny herself to me. My companion must be of the same species and have the same defects. This being you must create† (129). His desire for companionship just shows the monsters need for equal companionship with someone to share his sufferings. Frankenstein expressed several different themes all throughout the novel. The three themes discussed in this paper really stood out to me and I felt they played the biggest parts in the novel, but many of the other themes expressed in Frankenstein played a big role in making the novel what it is today. Shelly used these themes for her novel Frankenstein, to suggest the monster from the novel is some sort of metaphor of our own culture. Shelly’s way of using actual real world themes in her novel allowed her to show how these themes are actual portrayed in the world. Frankenstein is definitely one of the best horror fiction novels; not just because of the story, but because of the deeper meanings you can get from reading the novel. WORKS CITED Shelley, Mary. Frankenstein. New York: Dover, 1994.

Assessing user needs in tourist information centres Essay

Assessing user needs in tourist information centres - Essay Example About 32% of the travellers stopped to get tourism related information. Common reasons of staying at tourist information centres were easy reach, rest rooms and comfort and not leaving the interstate. 52% of the surveyed welcomed the idea of tourist information centres away from the interstate locations. Tourist information centres are, thus, crucial communication channels in tourism promotion by arousing curiosity of travellers about tourist destinations. The survey indicates the dire need of developing some system to fulfill travellers’ information-needs (Fesenmaier, 1994). A visitor information centre is a First Stop for travellers. Its refreshing, appealing and aesthetic surrounding adds to the charm of a visiting place. The visitor centre of Old Naples is a model of the reputation and growth, the Old Naples has made. The visitor centre is equipped with interactive bells and whistles, booths, kiosks, and visuals. Features include: Visitors stop by the information centres for a number of other reasons like to view the calendar of events on roll, to pick up their savings card, avail internet access, read restaurant recommended and reviewed, avail discounted hotels and get reservation, get information on visiting destinations and rental’s information (http://www.napleschamber.org/chamber/vic.aspx). According to research made by Li, Hwang, and Fesenmaier, University of Illinois, tourist information centres are used mostly to get information on highway maps (82.1%), Illinois Travel Guide (26.9%), Appealing information (23.7%), residing information (21.7%), and recreational activity information (13.8%). The least accessed information was on area guides (6.4%), shopping (5.1%), and Golf Illinois Guide (3.4%). Interesting thing came to the notice was that those who visited the information centre for information gathered a good chunk of travel material in comparison to other visitors. Relevancy of trends was

Reaction paper i will post the steps Term Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Reaction i will post the steps - Term Paper Example GDP is also an indicator of people’s level of happiness and satisfaction and this justifies its application in informing economic policies that relate to welfare (Oulton, 2012). Opponents of the application of GDP in informing economic decisions however downplay these augments. Stiglitz notes that statistics have failed in accuracy and this problem has been evident in economics. Differences in opinions and demands over GDP also mean that its value and meaning are not absolute among different stakeholders. Another challenge to application of GDP is its lack of basis for measuring all outputs and inability to measure government output is an example. Results of government outputs are also unreliable and GDP fails to measure such aspects as depletion of natural resources. These, according to the author, undermine validity of GDP and its potential applications in policymaking (Stiglitz, 2009). Stiglitz, J. (2009). The great GDP swindle: Chasing GDP growth results in lower living standards. Better indicators are needed to capture well-being and sustainability. The Guardian. Retrieved from:

Discussion Board Post Response Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 23

Discussion Board Post Response - Essay Example Provision of safe care is one of the main aims of quality care. In my course project, a balanced scorecard is focused on reducing clinic wait times. In this regard, a balanced scorecard is used as a basis for quality improvement in all aspects of healthcare. There are many performance tools that can be used to monitor and manage quality improvements. I agree that performance prism is one of the performance measures. The needs of stakeholders are largely focused on quality. Utilizing performance tools links performance measures (Kaplan and Norton, 1992) and a result help identify problems areas that need improvement. I also agree with your discussion that performance prism combines processes, strategies, and capabilities and aligns them appropriately to meet the needs of all stakeholders. As postulated by the Balanced Scorecard (2012), quality improvement tools allows healthcare leaders or managers to view or look at their business in a range of perspectives. In your discussion, stakeholders perspective is clearly illustrated. In regard to stakeholders perspective, I concur that achieving a higher percentage of defect-free charts twenty four hours before surgery is of

Will be doing a video essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Will be doing a video - Essay Example Being such, I would know which area of study I should work harder to become better in my practice. This pursuit of becoming better as a nurse by pursuing a Master’s Degree does not only improves the prospect of my career in the long run but also makes me a more effective, compassionate nurse and in a way, an instrument that improve and make people’s lives better. This is consistent with Georgetown University’s mission of â€Å"promoting health and well-being for all people, with its emphasis on preparing students to be morally reflective health care leaders and scholars† which to my understanding is to genuinely care for people’s health and well-being as well improving myself as a nurse. I anticipate that the academic environment at Georgetown University will be rigorous considering that it is one of the best universities in the world in the field of nursing. This however for my own good because those rigorous training will make me a better

Our company is considering entering the manufacturing market for snow Research Paper

Our company is considering entering the manufacturing market for snow skis. You have been asked to examine all material(s) that - Research Paper Example A number of companies mainly in United States and Europe are currently producing Snow skis. Throughout the history, various materials have been used in making of skis and advancement continues to be seen. Skis manufacturing have a long history. Based on archeological studies, a wooden ski was first identified in at Lake Sindor in Russia, the skiing equipment was dated to have been in use between 6300 and 5000 BC.(Burov 393). This is the earliest evidence involving the use of skis. Apart from artifacts of skis, many historical drawings and paintings have shown skiing activities where individuals use the skis. Ski construction started becoming dominant in the end of nineteenth century especially in Austria and Switzerland (Classic skis 1). The architecture of these early alpine skis was simple but they were wide and short. These characteristics enabled the skis to have high agility, hence capable of the ability to penetrate areas with deep snow and elevated areas. Since these early tim es, the designs, shape and the materials used in making skis has continued to diversify. Different types of wood have been used in the construction of the skis, varying from wood, plastics, metals or a blend of the three. The main materials in making of skis have been wood for the better part of the twentieth century. Different wooden materials have been in use depending on the place where the skis are located. Today some companies have retained the use of wood but the technology seems not attract many of the skiers. The initial wooden skis were curved using hands, to make simple skis (Wooden skis 1). In the modern setup, this design has completely changed with the adoption of a torsion box architecture that is more sophisticated and requires additional materials to make. Because of the water-properties of wood, other materials have taken its place. This has created limited use of wood in the modern context. Skis are simple skiing equipment but they are made up several parts. It is important that a ski buyer is familiar with it in order to get the best ski for the desired skiing. The base is the part of a ski that has direct contact with or faces the ground surface. Most of the skis’ bases in the modern times are made of aluminum or fiberglass. The camber is space that is evident at below the centre of the ski. Contact points are the positions of attachment between the ski and the snow without the rider imparting pressure on it. The waist is the part of the ski that is narrowest, usually appearing at the centre of the side cut. Other parts of the ski include the top or otherwise called the deck where the bindings are placed. It also has the effective edge, the tip, the shovel, and the side cut (ABC of Skiing 1). Various categories of the modern day skis are manufactured depending on the material used. The classic wooden skis are curved using hands; they are long and have thin sides, an aberration from the original design. In addition, they have a rectan gular shape but have a curve in one of the ends. Another form of skis was advanced to use steel, these are the so-called edges, and their architecture varies because of the screwed steel at its bottom. Wood and metal laminates have also been developed, the wooden laminate involves pieces of wood that are glued together, and these are flexible, stiff and are lighter. Metal laminates were initially made of aluminum but proved inefficient; they had to blend aluminum with wood. Advancing with the technology the