Dance in the United States
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The United States of America is the home of the hip hop dance, swing, tap dance and its derivative Rock and Roll, and modern square dance (associated with the United States of America due to its historic development in that country—twenty three U.S. states have designated it as their official state dance or official folk dance) and one of the major centers for modern dance. There is a variety of social dance and performance or concert dance forms with also a range of traditions of Native American dances.[1]
The
African American dance
African American dances are those
Placing great value on improvisation, African American vernacular dances are characterized by ongoing change and development. Because they exist in social spaces and their main 'purpose' is self-expression, they are continually changing to reflect the needs, interests and personalities of their participants.
Alvin Ailey and the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater is an important example of African American involvement in performance or concert dance.
Swing dance
The term "
Dances such as the
Swinging jazz music features the
Swing dance is now found globally, with great variety in their preferences for particular dances.
Modern dance
American modern dance developed in the early 20th century alongside American music. Among the pioneers of modern dance were Isadora Duncan, the dance company of Ruth St. Denis and her husband-partner, Ted Shawn, and their pupils Doris Humphrey and Martha Graham. The early modern dance makers broke with European classical forms by giving into the weight of gravity, initiating movement from the center rather than the limbs, and emphasizing an emotional directness in their choreography. Many of Graham's most popular works were produced in collaboration with leading American composers -- "Appalachian Spring" with Aaron Copland, for example.
Later choreographers, Merce Cunningham introduced chance procedures and composition by field, and Alvin Ailey incorporated African dance elements and black music into his works. Recently, Mark Morris and Liz Lerman have shown that graceful, exciting movement is not restricted by age or body type.
Dance and society
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Dance is ingrained in society through events, the media, and awards like the
Some popular competition televised events that are made for dance are Dancing with the Stars, So You Think You Can Dance and America's Best Dance Crew. These dancing shows allow society to interact with them, choosing who they think suits best in the competition.
Popular songs like
American folk dances
- Cajun Jig
- Cajun Jitterbug
- Contra dance
- Clogging
- English Country Dance
- Square dance
- Virginia Reel (dance)
- Zydeco (dance)
Other American dances
- Bomba
- Boogaloo
- Breakdancing
- Cakewalk
- Charleston
- Country/Western Two-step
- Country/western dance
- Crip Walk
- Harlem Shake
- House dance
- Hula
- Jazz dance
- Jive
- Modern western square dance
- Moonwalk
- Perreo
- Plena
- Rock and roll
- Rumba
- Salsa
- Turkey Trot
- Twerking
- Urban dance
- Waacking
Noted dancers
Companies
Ballet companies
- Allen Civic Ballet
- Alameda Civic Ballet
- American Ballet Theatre
- American Ballet
- Anaheim Ballet
- Aspen Santa Fe
- Ballet Met
- Ballet Nouveau
- Ballet San Jose
- Ballet West
- Boston Ballet
- Carolina Ballet
- Chicago Festival Ballet
- Cincinnati Ballet
- Colorado Ballet
- Dayton Ballet
- Houston Ballet
- Joffrey Ballet
- Kansas City Ballet
- Los Angeles Ballet
- Miami City Ballet
- Nevada Ballet Theatre
- New York City Ballet
- New York City Center
- New York Theatre Ballet
- Pacific Northwest Ballet
- Oregon Ballet Theatre
- San Francisco Ballet
- The Sacramento Ballet
- The Washington Ballet
Other companies
- Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater
- American Indian Dance Theatre
- Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Company
- Paul Taylor Dance Company
- Nevada Ballet Theatre
- Dance Box Theater
- Chicago Dance Crash
- Dance Theater Workshop
- Judson Dance Theater
- Ririe-Woodbury Dance Company
- José Limón Dance Company
- Pilobolus Dance Theater
- Martha Graham Dance Company
- Cedar Lake Contemporary Ballet
- Hubbard Street Dance Chicago
- Lar Lubovitch Dance Company
- Mark Morris Dance Group
- Trisha Brown Dance Company
- Shen Wei Dance Arts
- The Rockettes
- Snappy Dance Theater
- Rock Steady Crew
- Duquesne University Tamburitzans
- Ice Theatre of New York
- Columbia City Jazz Dance Company
- Dance Theatre of Harlem
- Nimbus Dance Works
Former dance companies
- Merce Cunningham Dance Company
Dance education
- The Juilliard School
- National Dance Education Organization
- The Conservatory of Dance
Festivals
- American Dance Festival
- Jacob's Pillow is a home for dance in the United States founded by Ted Shawn and Ruth St. Denis, were America's leading dance couple. It is a National Historic Landmark located in the town of Becket, Massachusetts, in the Berkshires. It encompasses an internationally acclaimed summer dance festival (the first and longest-running in the United States), a professional school, rare and extensive archives, an intern program, and year-round community programs.
- Fall for Dance Festival
- DanceAfrica
See also
- Modern dance in the United States
- National Museum of Dance and Hall of Fame
- Performing arts presenters
- List of U.S. state dances
References
- ^ About the USA > Arts > Dance
- ^ Fox Renews So You Think You Can Dance and Hell's Kitchen Archived 2006-11-27 at the Wayback Machine, Movieweb.com. (Accessed July 28, 2006)
- ^ "Nice People Suddenly Get the Urge to Become Vulgar" The Afro American 14 June 1941. 1