History of Dances
Savanah Jones
Computer Technology
11-4-12
How long has dancing been around?
Dancing has been here
since the time of 3000 BC.
Acro
•
•
•
Acrobatic dance emerged in the
United States and Canada in the
early 1900s as one of the types of
acts performed in vaudeville.
Acrobatic dance did not suddenly
appear in vaudeville; rather, it
appeared gradually over time in a
variety of forms.
The most significant aspect of this
evolution is the integration of
ballet technique as the foundation
for dance movements bringing into
acro dance and movement that
was absent in vaudeville acrobatic
dance.
Ballet





The history of ballet began in the
Italian Renaissance courts of the
fifteenth and sixteenth centuries.
It quickly spread to the French
court of Catherine de' Medici
where it was further developed.
The creation of classical ballet as it
is known today occurred under
Louis XIV performed in ballets by
Pierre Beauchamp and JeanBaptiste Lully.
In 1661 Louis founded the
Académie Royale de Danse (Royal
Dance Academy) which was
charged with establishing
standards for the art of dance and
the certification of dance
instructors.
In the 20th century, ballet had a
strong influence on broader
concert dance.
Chicken Dance
 The name of the original Swiss song was "Der
Ententanz" (The Duck Dance). Sometime in
the late 1970s, the song acquired the name
"Vogeltanz" (The Bird Dance) or "Vogerltanz"
although these names never caught on
seriously in Germany.
 Since 1963 Werner Thomas had played it in
restaurants and hotels. During one of Thomas'
performances, Belgian producer Louis van
Rijmenant heard the song. Van Rijmenant had
some lyrics created and in 1970 released it to
the public through his publishing company
Intervox Music without much success.
 In 1980, Dutch local band "De Electronica's"
released an instrumental version called "De
Vogeltjesdans" ("The dance of the little birds")
as the B-side of a single. The A-side wasn't a
hit, but local radio stations in the south and
east of the Netherlands decided to flip the disc
and started playing "De Vogeltjesdans". The
record entered the Dutch charts and stayed
there for over seven months, and started the
international success of the song. On some
recorded releases of the music Werner
Thomas is listed as the sole composer, while
on others other authors are listed, e.g., as
"Thomas/Rendall/Hoes", the last name
referring to Dutch singer/producer Johnny
Hoes, who re-arranged the song for the
Electronicas recording (which was released on
Hoes' own record label, Telstar Records). He
Dougie
The dance first originated in Dallas, Texas,[2][3] where it
took its name from similar moves performed by 1980s
rapper Doug E. Fresh.[1][4][2] In 2007, Dallas rapper Lil' Wil
triggered the movement with his hit "My Dougie".[3] Then,
an individual[who?] who attended Texas Southern
University returned home to Southern California and
taught[why?] the future members of Cali Swag District the
dance.[2][5] Cali Swag District recorded the song "Teach Me
How to Dougie" and filmed the music video in Inglewood,
California during the summer of 2009.[2][4] Subsequently,
the video along with the dance went viral on YouTube.[2]
External videos
Kate Upton's 6 million view Dougie
posted on April 3, 2011
Montae Ray Talbert, known as "M-Bone" of Cali Swag
District, was killed in his car by an unidentified gunman.[4]
According to the Cali Swag District spokesman, Greg Miller,
"He was the best at doing the dance, and on tour he was
always the one in the forefront … He helped bring it to the
masses."[4] At the funeral, mourners did the dance for a
tribute video, and Talbert's grandmother did it as part of her
eulogy.[4]
According to Cali Swag District: "We are not looking forward
to making another dance move. The 'Dougie' just picked up
organically, we had no idea it would become so popular."[6]
In late 2010 and throughout 2011, the Dougie was
performed by a number of athletes and celebrities, including
Chris Brown, Henri Lansbury, Reggie Bush,[2] Dez Bryant,[2]
DeMarcus Cousins and Hassan Whiteside,[2] Glen "Big Baby"
Davis,[1] Nate Robinson,[2] John Wall,[1][7] Braylon
Edwards, Gaël Monfils[8][1] Wolf Blitzer,[4][9] Kate
Upton,[10][11][12] and Michelle Obama.[13] In 2012,
gymnast Gabby Douglas performed the Dougie upon
winning the U.S. Olympic trials [14] and 2012 Summer
Olympics U.S. gymnastics team gold and vault silvermedalist McKayla Maroney taught Jenna Hager, daughter of
former President of the United States George W. Bush, how
to do the Dougie while the gymnastics team was touring
London on top of a doubledecker bus.[15]
English Country Dance
ublished instructions for English Country Dance first appear
in John Playford's The English Dancing Master of 1651. This
collection was reprinted, revised, and enlarged many times,
with a final edition published sometime around 1728.[1]
Playford was not the author or choreographer of these
dances; he was a music publisher, for whom dance manuals
were a profitable sideline. By the early 18th century, other
publishers began to issue collections of dances as well; a
conservative estimate of the number of dances in the
English style published between 1651 and 1810 would run to
around 20,000[citation needed]. Most of the dances we
have from the 17th and 18th centuries are anonymous,
notable exceptions being Nathaniel Kynaston and Thomas
Bray. Most of these dance collections, unfortunately, offer
little or nothing by way of description of steps; at best, they
suggest 'floor tracks.'
English Country Dance was also popular in France. André
Lorin visited the English court in the late 17th century and
after returning to France he presented a manuscript of
dances in the English manner to Louis XIV. In 1706 Raoul
Auger Feuillet published his Recüeil de Contredances, a
collection of "contredanse anglais" presented in a simplified
form of Beauchamp-Feuillet notation and including some
dances invented by the author as well as authentic English
dances. This was subsequently translated into English by
John Essex and published in England as For the Further
Improvement of Dancing. Copies of these books may be
found online.[2]
In the early 20th century, ECD was revived in England by
Cecil Sharp, who also was known for collecting folksongs.
ECD continues today as a social dancing form, in Britain, the
United States, and around the world. There are several
related dance forms, such as Scottish country dance, Irish
dance, American Contra dance, and square dance. There is
also English Ceilidh style; a very energetic form that uses
simple country dances, newly composed dances and
traditional dances that were collected in the twentieth
century.
Foxtrot
Two sources credit African American dancers as the source of the Fox Trot:
Vernon Castle himself, and then dance teacher Betty Lee. Castle saw the
dance, which "had been danced by negroes, to his personal knowledge, for
fifteen years, (at) a certain exclusive colored club".[1]
The dance was premiered in 1914, quickly catching the eye of the husband
and wife duo Vernon and Irene Castle, who lent the dance its signature grace
and style.
W.C. Handy ("Father of the Blues") notes in his autobiography that Noble
Sissle told a story that Handy's "The Memphis Blues" was the inspiration for
the Foxtrot. James Reese Europe, the Castles' music director, would play
slowly the Memphis Blues during breaks from the fast paced Castle Walk and
One-step. The Castles were intrigued by the rhythm and Jim asked why they
didn't create a slow dance to go with it. The Castles introduced the "Bunny
Hug" in a magazine article. They went abroad and in mid-ocean sent a
wireless to the magazine to change the "Bunny Hug" to the "Foxtrot."[2] It
was later standardized by Arthur Murray, in whose version it began to imitate
the positions of Tango.
At its inception, the foxtrot was originally danced to ragtime. Today, the
dance is customarily accompanied by the same big band music to which
swing is also danced.
From the late teens through the 1940s, the foxtrot was certainly the most
popular fast dance and the vast majority of records issued during these years
were foxtrots. The waltz and tango, while popular, never overtook the
foxtrot. Even the popularity of the lindy hop in the 1940s did not affect the
foxtrot's popularity, since it could be danced to the same records used to
accompany the lindy hop.
When rock and roll first emerged in the early 1950s, record companies were
uncertain as to what style of dance would be most applicable to the music.
Notably, Decca Records initially labeled its rock and roll releases as "foxtrots",
most notably "Rock Around the Clock" by Bill Haley and His Comets. Since
that recording, by some estimates, went on to sell more than 25 million
copies, "Rock Around the Clock" could be considered the biggest-selling
"foxtrot" of all time.[3]
Over time, the foxtrot split into slow and quick versions, referred to as
"foxtrot" and "quickstep" respectively. In the slow category, further
distinctions exist between the International or English style of the foxtrot and
the continuity American style, both built around a slow-quick-quick rhythm at
the slowest tempo, and the social American style using a slow-slow-quickquick rhythm at a somewhat faster pace. In the context of International
Standard category of ballroom dances, for some time the foxtrot was called
"Slow Foxtrot", or "Slowfox". These names are still in use, to distinguish from
other types of foxtrots.
Galop
In dance, the galop, named after the fastest running
gait of a horse (see gallop), a shortened version of the
original term galoppade, is a lively country dance,
introduced in the late 1820s to Parisian society by the
Duchesse de Berry and popular in Vienna, Berlin and
London. In the same closed position familiar in the
waltz,[citation needed] the step combined a glissade
with a chassé on alternate feet, ordinarily in a fast 2/4
time. The galop was a forerunner of the polka, which
was introduced in Prague ballrooms in the 1830s and
made fashionable in Paris when Raab, a dancing
teacher of Prague, danced the polka at the Odéon
Theatre, 1840. In Australian bush dance, the dance is
often called galopede.
The galop was particularly popular as the final dance
of the evening. The "Post horn Galop" written by the
cornet virtuoso Herman Koenig was first performed in
London, 1844; it remains a signal that the dancing at a
hunt ball or wedding reception is ended.
Numerous galops were written by the "Waltz King"
Johann Strauss II. Dmitri Shostakovich employed a
"posthorn galop" as the second, Allegro scherzo of his
Eighth Symphony, 1943. Franz Schubert also
composed the fourth movement of his Symphony No.
2 on the galop. Particularly famous is the "Devil's
Galop" by Charles Williams.
Some Galops were also written by Nino Rota. George
Gershwin composed the galop "French Ballet Class (for
two pianos)" for his score to the film Shall We Dance.
Hip-Hop Dancing
Hip-hop dance is a broad category that includes a variety of urban styles. The older dance
styles that were created in the 1970s include uprock, breaking, and the funk styles.[1]
Breaking was created in The Bronx, New York, incorporating dances that were popular in
the 1960s and early 1970s in African-American and Latino communities. In its earliest form,
it began as elaborations on James Brown's "Good Foot" dance[1][2] which came out in
1972. Breaking at this period was not primarily floor oriented as seen today; it started out
as toprock which dancers perform while standing up. An influence on toprock was
uprock[3] which was created in Brooklyn, New York.[4][5] It looks similar to toprock, but it
is more aggressive and looks like a fight. Uprock is done with partners, but in toprock, and
in breaking in general, each person takes turns dancing.[6] In 1973 DJ Kool Herc invented
the break beat.[7][8] A break beat is a rhythmic, musical interlude of a song that has been
looped over and over again to extend that instrumental solo. Kool Herc did this to provide
a means for dancers who attended his parties to demonstrate their skills.[8] B-boy and bgirl stands for "break-boy" and "break-girl"; b-boys and b-girls dance to the break of a
record.[8] Further influenced by martial arts[9] and gymnastics, breaking went from being
a purely upright dance style—toprock only—to becoming more floor oriented.
At the same time breaking was developing in New York, other styles were being created in
California. The funk styles refers to several street dance styles created in California in the
1970s that were danced to funk music.[10] These styles include roboting, bopping, hitting,
locking, bustin', popping, electric boogaloo, strutting, sac-ing, dime-stopping, etc.[11] The
most popular and widely practiced of the funk styles are locking and popping which were
created by African-Americans Don Campbell and Sam Solomon respectively. Locking is
older than popping and it was created in the late 1960s whereas popping was created in
the 1970s.[12] The television show, Soul Train, helped to spread locking and popping's
popularity. Both The Lockers and the Electric Boogaloos—dance crews responsible for the
spread of these urban styles—performed on this show.[10]
It would be historically inaccurate to say that the funk styles have always been considered
hip-hop. The funk styles were adopted into hip-hop in large part due to the media. Once
hip-hop activist and DJ, Afrika Bambaataa, used the word "hip-hop" in a magazine
interview in 1982, "hip-hop dance" became an umbrella term encompassing all of these
styles.[13] Due to the amount of attention locking and popping were receiving, the media
brought these styles under the "breakdance" label causing confusion about their
origin.[14][15] They were created on the west coast independent from breaking and came
out of the funk cultural movement rather than from the hip-hop cultural movement.[10]
As breaking, locking, and popping were gaining popularity in the 1980s, hip-hop social
dancing (party dancing) was growing as well. Novelty and fad dances such as the Roger
Rabbit, the Cabbage Patch, and the Worm appeared in the 1980s followed by the Humpty
dance and the Running Man in the 1990s.[16]:48 The music of the day was the driving
force in the development of these dances. For example, 1980s rap group Gucci Crew II had
a song called "The Cabbage Patch" that the dance of the same name was based off
of.[16]:33 Another rap group, Digital Underground, had a song called the "The Humpty
Dance" which made its respective dance popular. More recent social dances include the
Cha Cha Slide, the Cat Daddy, and the Dougie. The previously mentioned dances are a
sample of the many that have appeared since hip-hop developed into a distinct dance
style. Like hip-hop music, hip-hop social dancing has continued to change as new songs are
released and new dances are created to accompany them.
Ice dancing
Ice dancing is a discipline of figure skating
which draws from the world of ballroom
dancing. It was first competed at the World
Figure Skating Championships in 1952, but
did not become a Winter Olympic Games
medal sport until 1976.
As in pair skating, dancers compete as a
couple consisting of a man and a woman. Ice
dance differs from pair skating by having
different requirements for lifts, requiring
spins to be performed as a team in a dance
hold, and by disallowing throws and jumps.
Typically, partners are not supposed to
separate by more than two arm lengths;
originally, partners were supposed to be in a
dance hold the entire program, though this
restriction has been lifted somewhat in
modern ice dancing.
Another distinction between ice dance and
other disciplines of skating is the usage of
music in the performances; in ice dancing,
dancers must always skate to music that has
a definite beat or rhythm. Singles and pair
skaters more often skate to the melody and
phrasing of their music, rather than its beat;
this is severely penalized in ice dance.
In some non-ISU competitions, solo dancers
may also compete.
Jazz
The term "Jazz" was first applied to a style of
music and dance during WWI.[1] Jazz in a
dance form, however, originates from the
vernacular dances of Africans when they
were brought to the Americas on slave
ships.[2] This dance form developed
alongside jazz music in New Orleans in the
early 1900s.[3] Beginning in the 1930s and
continuing through the 1960s, Jazz dance
transformed from this vernacular form into a
theatre-based performance form of dance
that required a highly trained dancer.[4][5]
During this time, choreographers from the
modern and ballet dance worlds
experimented with the jazz dance style.[4]
This includes choreographers like George
Balanchine, Agnes de Mille, Jack Cole, Hanya
Holm, Helen Tamiris, Michael Kidd, Jerome
Robbins, and Bob Fosse.[4] All of these
choreographers influenced jazz by requiring
highly trained dancers to perform a specific
set of movements, which differed greatly
from the colloquial form of New Orleans in
the 1900s.[3][4] Also during this time period
(circa. 1950) jazz dance was profoundly
influenced by Caribbean and other Latin
American dance styles which were
introduced by anthropologist and dancer
Katherine Dunham.[6]
Krumping
The root word "Krump" came from the lyrics of a song in the 90s.[4] It is
sometimes spelled K.R.U.M.P., which is a backronym for Kingdom Radically
Uplifted Mighty Praise,[3][4] presenting krump as a faith-based artform.[5]
Krumping was created by two dancers: Ceasare "Tight Eyez" Willis and
Jo'Artis "Big Mijo" Ratti in South Central, Los Angeles, California during the
early 2000s.[2][3][6][7] Clowning is the less aggressive predecessor to krump
and was created in 1992 by Thomas "Tommy the Clown" Johnson in
Compton, CA.[1][3] In the 1990s, Johnson and his dancers, the Hip Hop
Clowns, would paint their faces and perform clowning for children at birthday
parties or for the general public at other functions as a form of
entertainment.[8] In contrast, krump focuses on highly energetic battles and
dramatic movements[3] which Tommy describes as intense, fast-paced, and
sharp.[8] CBS news has compared the intensity within krump to what rockers
experience in a mosh pit.[9] "If movement were words, krump would be a
poetry slam."[1] Krump was not directly created by Tommy the Clown;
however, krump did grow out of clowning.[1][7][10] Ceasare Willis and
Jo'Artis Ratti were both originally clown dancers for Johnson but their
dancing was considered too "rugged" and "raw" for clowning so they
eventually broke away and developed their own style.[2] This style is now
known as krump. Johnson eventually opened a clown dancing academy and
started the Battle Zone competition at the Great Western Forum where
krump crews and clown crews could come together and battle each other in
front of an audience of their peers.[3][9] David LaChapelle's documentary
Rize explores the clowning and krump subculture in Los Angeles. He says of
the movement: "What Nirvana was to rock-and-roll in the early '90s is what
these kids are to hip-hop. It's the alternative to the bling-bling, tie-in-with-adesigner corporate hip-hop thing."[11] LaChapelle was first introduced to
krump when he was directing Christina Aguilera's music video "Dirrty".[2]
After deciding to make a documentary about the dance, he started by making
a short film titled Krumped.[2] He screened this short at the 2004 Aspen
Shortsfest and used the positive reaction from the film to gain more funding
for a longer version.[2] This longer version became Rize which was screened
at the 2005 Sundance Film Festival and several other film festivals
abroad.[12] Aside from Rize, krump has appeared in several music videos
including Madonna's "Hung Up", Missy Elliott's "I'm Really Hot", The Black
Eyed Peas' "Hey Mama", and Chemical Brothers "Galvanize".[8] The dance
has also appeared in the movie Bring It On: All or Nothing, the television
series Community, and the reality dance competitions So You Think You Can
Dance and America's Best Dance Crew. Russell Ferguson, the winner of the
sixth season of So You Think You Can Dance, is a krumper. The original web
series The Legion of Extraordinary Dancers also featured krump in season one
during the fifth episode, "The Lettermakers".
Limbo
The word 'limbo' is used to denote a
form of dance that dates back to the
1950s. Limbo is a Trinidadian English
derivative of 'limber'. Limber is a
sixteenth century word used in the
dialectical sense to refer to a cart
shaft, alluding to its to and fro motion.
"Consistent with certain African
beliefs, the dance reflects the whole
cycle of life".[4] "The dancers move
under a pole that is gradually lowered
from chest level, and they emerge on
the other side, as their heads clear the
pole, as in the triumph of life over
death".[4]
Mambo
Mambo is a Latin dance of Cuba. Mambo
music was invented during the 1930s in
Havana by Cachao and made popular by
Perez Prado and Benny Moré. In the late
1940s, Perez Prado came up with the
dance for the mambo music and became
the first person to market his music as
"mambo". After Havana, Prado moved his
music to Mexico, where his music and the
dance was adopted. The original mambo
dance was characterized by freedom and
complicated foot-steps. Some Mexican
entertainers became well known dancers
like Tongolele, Adalberto Martínez, Rosa
Carmina, Tin Tan and Lilia Prado. Most of
these accompanied Prado in live
presentations or were seen in Mexican
films.
The original form of the dance and music
are alive and well in Cuba and in taught in
dance studios in Mexico City. An example
of authentic Mambo dance can be seen
in the film The Motorcycle Diaries.
The Nutbush
he Nutbush is a dance categorized as a line
dance, performed to Tina Turner's song
"Nutbush City Limits" and has gained massive
popularity in Australia.
In the 1950s, the dance was known as "The
Madison".[1] Inspired by Tina Turner's song,
a variation of the dance emerged again as
"The Nutbush" in the 1970s disco era. A
comparison of the step sheets, however,
does not support the conclusion the dances
are the same.
The song of the same name by Tina Turner is
generally recognised as being 'the song' to
which the dance is performed. The dance is
generally performed by a group of people
both male and female at a social function
where dancing is appropriate. Also, the dance
is performed with the dancers roughly in a
box configuration, like that of a chess board.
The steps are fairly simple, such that one
who does not know them can generally pick
them up by watching other dancers. A key in
the song and dance being a popular
combination is that the song has a
moderately long introduction before the
strong dance beat starts, which allows people
who are sitting down to get up and to the
dance floor and for all dancers to assemble
themselves in a grid. For comparison, see
"Bus Stop" (song).
Odissi
The first clear picture of Odissi dance is found in
the Manchapuri cave in Udayagiri which was
carved during the time of Emperor Kharavela.
Flanked by two queens, Emperor Kharavela was
watching a dance recital where a damsel was
performing a dance in front of the court along
with the company of female instrumentalists.
Thus, Odissi can be traced back to its origin as
secular dance. Later it got attached with the
temple culture of Orissa. Starting with the rituals
of Jagannath temple in Puri it was regularly
performed in Shaivite, Vaishnavite and Sakta
temples in Orissa. An inscription is found where it
was engraved that a Devadasi Karpursri’s
attachment to Buddhist monastery, where she
was performing along with her mother and
grandmother. It proves that Odissi first originated
as a court dance. Later, it was performed in all
religious places of Jainism as well as Buddhist
monasteries. Odissi was initially performed in the
temples as a religious offering by the Maharis
who dedicated their lives in the services of God.
It has the closest resemblance with sculptures of
the Indian temples.[5]
The history of Odissi dance has been traced to an
early sculptures found in the Ranigumpha caves
at Udaygiri (Orissa), dating to the 2nd century
BCE. Odissi appears to be the oldest classical
dance rooted in rituals and tradition. In fact, the
Natya Shastra refers to Odra-Magadhi as one of
the Vrittis and Odra refers to Orissa.[6]
Palo de Mayo Dance
Palo de Mayo, or Maypole, is a
celebration welcoming rain, production,
new life and [2] including a maypole,
which is a tall wooden pole, decorated
with several long, colored ribbons
suspended from the top. There is no
definite answer as to how it got to
Nicaragua. Many historians point out that
there are many differences in the
celebration and that it came from the
Nicaraguan Creoles that inhabited
Nicaragua's Caribbean coast, other
historians believe it came indirectly from
Jamaica.[3] Wherever it came from it has
long been a part of Nicaragua's AfroCaribbean culture. In Belize, plaiting of
the maypole along with coconut tree
climbing and greasy pole competitions.
This is because most of the Creole
population of the RAAS region in
Nicaragua, moved to British Honduras
(later to become Belize) after British
secession of the region in 1787.
Quickstep
The Quickstep evolved in the 1920s from a
combination of the Foxtrot, The Chase G Chug,
Charleston, Shag, Peabody, and One-Step. The
dance is English in origin, and was standardized in
1927. While it evolved from the Foxtrot, the
Quickstep now is quite separate. Unlike the
modern Foxtrot, the man often closes his feet
and syncopated steps are regular occurrences (as
was the case in early Foxtrot). Three
characteristic dance figures of the Quickstep are
the chassés, where the feet are brought together,
the quarter turns, and the lock step.[2]p126
This dance gradually evolved into a very dynamic
one with a lot of movement on the dance floor,
with many advanced patterns including hops,
runs, quick steps with a lot of momentum, and
rotation. The tempo of Quickstep dance is rather
brisk as it was developed to ragtime era jazz
music which is fast-paced when compared to
other dance music.
By the end of the 20th century the complexity of
Quickstep as done by advanced dancers had
increased, due to the extensive use of
syncopated steps with eighth note durations.
While in older times quickstep patterns were
counted with "quick" (one beat) and "slow" (two
beats) steps, many advanced patterns today are
cued with split beats, such as "quick-and-quickand-quick, quick, slow", with there being further
steps on the 'and's.
Robot Dancing
he robot (or mannequin) is an
illusionary street dance style – often
confused with popping – that attempts
to imitate a dancing robot or
mannequin. Roboting gained fame
after Michael Jackson used the dance
when he performed "Dancing
Machine" with his brothers, and later
performed the dance during his solo
career in songs such as Billie Jean.
Salsa
Salsa is a syncretic dance form with
origins from the Cuban Son (circa 1920s)
and Afro-Cuban dance (specifically AfroCuban rumba).[citation needed]. It is
generally associated with the salsa music
style, although it may be danced under
other types of tropical music.[citation
needed]
Salsa is normally a partner dance,
although there are forms such as a line
dance form "Salsa suelta",[1] where the
dancers dance individually and a round
dance form "Rueda de Casino" where
multiple couples exchange partners in a
circle. Salsa can be improvised or
performed with a set routine.
Salsa is a popular social dance
throughout South America as well as in
North America, Europe, Australia, and
some countries in Asia and the Middle
East.
Tango
Tango is a dance that has influences from European and
African culture.[5] Dances from the candombe ceremonies
of former slave peoples helped shape the modern day
Tango. The dance originated in lower-class districts of
Buenos Aires and Montevideo. The music derived from the
fusion of various forms of music from Europe.[6] The word
"tango" seems to have first been used in connection with
the dance in the 1890s. Initially it was just one of the many
dances, but it soon became popular throughout society, as
theatres and street barrel organs spread it from the suburbs
to the working-class slums, which were packed with
hundreds of thousands of European immigrants, primarily
Italians, Spanish and French.[7]
In the early years of the 20th century, dancers and
orchestras from Buenos Aires travelled to Europe, and the
first European tango craze took place in Paris, soon followed
by London, Berlin, and other capitals. Towards the end of
1913 it hit New York in the USA, and Finland. In the USA
around 1911 the word "tango" was often applied to dances
in a 2/4 or 4/4 rhythm such as the one-step. The term was
fashionable and did not indicate that tango steps would be
used in the dance, although they might be. Tango music was
sometimes played, but at a rather fast tempo. Instructors of
the period would sometimes refer to this as a "North
American tango", versus the so-called "Argentine Tango". By
1914 more authentic tango stylings were soon
developed[which?], along with some variations like Albert
Newman's "Minuet" tango.
In Argentina, the onset in 1929 of the Great Depression, and
restrictions introduced after the overthrow of the Hipólito
Yrigoyen government in 1930 caused tango to decline. Its
fortunes were reversed as tango became widely fashionable
and a matter of national pride under the government of
Juan Perón. Tango declined again in the 1950s as a result of
economic depression and the banning of public gatherings
by the military dictatorships; male-only Tango practice---the
custom at the time---was considered "public gathering".
That, indirectly, boosted the popularity of rock and roll
because, unlike Tango, it did not require such gatherings.[8]
In 2009 the tango was declared as part of the world's
"intangible cultural heritage" by UNESCO.[9]
Universal Peace Dancing
The Dances of Universal Peace were first
formulated in the late 1960s by Samuel L.
Lewis (SAM = Sufi Ahmed Murad Chisti,
1896–1971) and were then conducted in
California.[7] The original dances were
strongly influenced by Samuel Lewis'
spiritual relationships with Ruth St. Denis,
a modern dance pioneer, and Hazrat
Inayat Khan, a Sufi master. The influence
on the dances of Sufi practices such as
Sema and The Whirling Dervishes are
apparent, although Samuel Lewis was
also a Rinzai Zen master and drew on the
teachings of the major religious and
spiritual traditions, including native.[3]
Dances were originally performed at
camps and meetings with a distinctly new
age and alternative feel but have
increasingly come to be offered in diverse
places of worship, schools, colleges,
prisons, hospices, residential homes for
those with special needs, and holistic
health centers.[8] The Dances have since
developed into a global movement.[4]
The Network for the Dances of Universal
Peace has members in 28 countries.[9]
Vogue
Inspired by Vogue magazine, voguing is characterized
by model-like poses integrated with angular, linear,
and rigid arm, leg, and body movements. This style of
dance arose from Harlem ballrooms by African
Americans and Latino Americans in the early 1960s. It
was originally called "presentation" and later
"performance".[2] Over the years, the dance evolved
into the more intricate and illusory form that is now
called "vogue". Voguing is continually developed
further as an established dance form that is practiced
in the gay ballroom scene and clubs in major cities
throughout the United States—mainly New York City,
Los Angeles, Atlanta, Philadelphia, Washington D.C.,
Miami, Detroit, and Chicago.
Formal competitions occur in the form of balls held by
"houses"—family-like collectives of LGBT dancers and
performers.[2][5] Some legendary houses include the
House of Garcon, the House of Icon, the House of
Khanh, the House of Evisu, the House of Karan, the
House of Mizrahi, the House of Xtravaganza, the
House of Ebony, the House of Revlon, the House of
Prodigy, the House of Escada, the House of Omni, the
House of Aviance, the House of Legacy, the House of
Milan, the House of Infiniti, the House of Pend'avis,
the House of LaBeija, the House of McQueen, the
House of Ninja, and the House of Andromeda among
others. ("Legendary" in ballroom terms refers to a
house that has been "serving", that is, walking or
competing on the runway, for twenty years or more.)
The House of Ninja was founded by Willi Ninja, who is
considered the godfather of voguing.[5][6] Members
of a house are called "children". Sometimes children
legally change their last name to show their affiliation
with the house to which they belong.[2][5]
Waltz
There are several references to a sliding or gliding dance,- a waltz, from the 16th century
including the representations of the printer H.S. Beheim. The French philosopher
Montaigne wrote of a dance he saw in 1580 in Augsburg, where the dancers held each
other so closely that their faces touched. Kunz Haas, of approximately the same period
wrote that, "Now they are dancing the godless, Weller or Spinner."[1] "The vigorous
peasant dancer, following an instinctive knowledge of the weight of fall, utilizes his surplus
energy to press all his strength into the proper beat of the measure, thus intensifying his
personal enjoyment in dancing".[2] The wide, wild steps of the country people became
shorter and more elegant when introduced to higher society. Hans Sachs wrote of the
dance in his 1568 Eygentliche Beschreibung aller Stände (1568).[1]
At the Austrian Court in Vienna in the late 17th century (1698) ladies were conducted
around the room to the tune of a 2-beat measure, which then became the 3/4 of the Nach
Tanz (After Dance), upon which couples got into the position for the Weller and waltzed
around the room with gliding steps as in an engraving of the Wirtschaft (Inn Festival) given
for Peter the Great.[3]
The peasants of Bavaria, Tyrol, and Styria began dancing a dance called Walzer, a dance for
couples, around 1750. The Ländler, also known as the Schleifer, a country dance in 3/4
time, was popular in Bohemia, Austria, and Bavaria, and spread from the countryside to
the suburbs of the city. While the eighteenth century upper classes continued to dance the
minuet, bored noblemen slipped away to the balls of their servants.[4]
In the 1771 German novel Geschichte des Fräuleins von Sternheim by Sophie von La Roche,
a high-minded character complains about the newly introduced waltz among aristocrats
thus: "But when he put his arm around her, pressed her to his breast, cavorted with her in
the shameless, indecent whirling-dance of the Germans and engaged in a familiarity that
broke all the bounds of good breeding—then my silent misery turned into burning
rage."[5]
Describing life in Vienna (dated at either 1776 or 1786[6]), Don Curzio wrote, " The people
were dancing mad [...] The ladies of Vienna are particularly celebrated for their grace and
movements of waltzing of which they never tire." There is a waltz in the second act finale
of the opera "Una Cosa Rara" written by Martin y Soler in 1786. Soler's waltz was marked
Andante con moto, or "at a walking pace with motion", but the flow of the dance was
sped-up in Vienna leading to the Geschwindwalzer, and the Galloppwalzer.[7][8]
In the transition from country to town, the hopping of the Ländler, a dance known as
Langaus, became a sliding step, and gliding rotation replaced stamping rotation.[9]
In the 19th century the word primarily indicated that the dance was a turning one; one
would "waltz" in the polka to indicate rotating rather than going straight forward without
turning.
The Viennese custom is to slightly anticipate the second beat, which conveys a faster,
lighter rhythm, and also breaks of the phrase. The younger Strauss would sometimes break
up the one-two-three of the melody with a one-two pattern in the accompaniment along
with other rhythms, maintaining the 3/4 time while causing the dancers to dance a twostep waltz. The metronome speed for a full bar varies between 60 and 70, with the waltzes
of the first Strauss often played faster than those of his sons.[10]
Shocking many when it was first introduced,[11] the waltz became fashionable in Vienna
around the 1780s, spreading to many other countries in the years to follow. It became
fashionable in Britain during the Regency period,[12] though the entry in the Oxford
English Dictionary shows that it was considered "riotous and indecent" as late as 1825. The
waltz, and especially its closed position, became the example for the creation of many
other ballroom dances. Subsequently, new types of waltz have developed, including many
folk and several ballroom dances.
Xibelani dance
The xibelani dance or shibelani dance
is an indigenous dance of the
Shangaan or Tsonga women of the
Limpopo province in northern South
Africa. The name of the dance comes
from the native Xitsonga language.
Africans came up with the dance
YMCA
Executive producer Henri Belolo recalls that he saw the
YMCA sign while walking down the street with composer
Jacques Morali, who seemed to know the institution fairly
well: "Henri, let me tell you something. This is a place where
a lot of people go when they are in town. And they get good
friends and they go out." And Henri got the idea: "Why don't
we write a song about it?" However, Willis recalls it was
actually Morali who, while in the studio, asked him, "What
exactly is the YMCA?" Willis then quickly wrote the famous
lyrics and melody and it was the last track created for the
album Cruisin'.[citation needed]
Upon its release, the YMCA threatened to sue the band over
trademark infringement and concerns about the song's
double entendres. The organization ultimately dropped the
lawsuit when it noticed that membership significantly
increased in the wake of the song's popularity.[5]
The song became a number one hit throughout the world
(although not in the United States where it lost to Rod
Stewart's "Da Ya Think I'm Sexy?"). It has remained popular
at parties, sporting events, weddings and functions ever
since.
In 2011, Willis filed a notice of copyright termination to the
song as lyricist under the Copyright Act of 1976 which allows
recording artists and writers to reclaim their master
recordings and publishing rights initially granted to record
companies and publishers.
In a landmark ruling in 2012, the United States District Court
for the Southern District of California ruled that Victor Willis
can terminate his copyrights granted to the publishers Can't
Stop Productions and Scorpio Music because "a joint author
who separately transfers his copyright interest may
unilaterally terminate the grant."[6] YMCA and other hits
written by Willis (for Village People and other Can't Stop
acts) will revert back to him beginning in 2013. At a
minimum, Willis will own (recapture) 33% of his songs; this
percentage may increase to 50% if the songs are proved to
be written solely by Willis and Jacques Morali, with no
contribution from Henri Belolo.[7]
Zumba
Zumba is a Colombian dance fitness
program created by dancer and
choreographer Alberto "Beto" Perez
during the 1990s.[1]
Zumba involves dance and aerobic
elements. Zumba's choreography
incorporates hip-hop, soca, samba,
salsa, merengue, mambo, martial arts,
and some Bollywood and belly dance
moves. Squats and lunges are also
included.[2] Zumba Fitness, an
organization that sells Zumba videos
and products, does not charge
licensing fees to gyms or fitness
centers.[3] Approximately 14 million
people take weekly Zumba classes in
over 140,000 locations across more
than 150 countries.[4]