Dance in the United States

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Dance in the United States
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There is great variety in dance in the United States of America. It is the home of the hip hop 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—nineteen U.S. states have designated it as their official state dance) and one of the major centers for modern dance^{[citation needed]}. There is a variety of social dance and concert or performance dance forms with also a range of traditions of Native American dances.

The reality shows and competitions So You Think You Can Dance,^[1] Americas Best Dance Crew, and Dancing with the Stars have broadened the audience for dance.

African American dance

Main article: African American dance

See also: Lindy hop and Hip hop dance

African American dances are those vernacular dances which have developed within African American communities in everyday spaces, rather than in dance studios, schools or companies. African American vernacular dances are usually centered on social dance practice, though performance dance and concert dance often supply complementary aspects to social dancing.

Placing great value on improvisation, African American vernacular dances are characterised 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

Main article: Swing (dance)

See also: Lindy hop

Mia Goldsmith and Peter Loggins swing dancing at the 100th anniversary of the Moore Theatre (Seattle, Washington), 2007.

The term "swing dance" refers to a group of dances that developed concurrently with jazz music in the 1920s, 30s and 40s. The prototypical swing dance is lindy hop, a popular partner dance that originated in Harlem and is still danced today. While the majority of swing dances began in African American communities as vernacular African American dances^{[citation needed]}, some forms, like Balboa, developed within Anglo-American or other ethnic group communities.

Dances such as the Black Bottom, charleston and tap dance travelled north with Dixieland jazz to New York, Kansas City, and Chicago in the Great Migration (African American) of the 1920s, where rural blacks travelled to escape persecution, Jim Crow laws, lynching and unemployment in the South (during the Great Depression).

Swinging jazz music features the syncopated timing associated with African American and West African music and dance — a combination of crotchets and quavers which many swing dancers interpret as 'triple steps' and 'steps' — yet also introduces changes in the way these rhythms were played — a distinct delay or 'relaxed' approach to timing.

Swing dance is now found globally, with great variety in their preferences for particular dances.

Modern dance

Isadora Duncan

Main article: Modern dance in the United States

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.

American folk dances

Cajun Jig Cajun Jitterbug Contra dance Clogging English Country Dance

Square dance Tango (dance) Virginia Reel (dance) Whip (dance) Zydeco (dance)

Other American dances

B-boying Cakewalk Cha-cha-cha Charleston Country/Western Two-step

Country/western dance Jazz dance Maxixe Modern Western square dance Turkey Trot Rock and roll

Noted Dancers

• Fred Astaire
• Gene Kelly
• Ginger Rogers
• Donald O'Connor
• Gregory Hines
• Savion Glover
• Suzanne Farrell
• Edward Villella
• Mr. Wiggles
• Nicholas Brothers
• Marilyn Miller
• Patrick Swayze
• Hunter Johnson
• Sono Osato
• Justin Timberlake
• Ariella Rush
• Jonathan Roberts
• Michael Jackson

Ballet companies

• Alameda Civic Ballet
• American Ballet Theatre
• American Ballet
• American Chamber Ballet
• Ballet Magnificat!
• Ballet Rejoice
• Ballet San Jose
• Carolina Ballet
• Chicago Festival Ballet
• Dayton Ballet
• Folsom Lake Civic 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
• Placer Theatre Ballet
• San Francisco Ballet
• The Mendocino Ballet
• The Sacramento Ballet

Dance companies

• Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater
• American Indian Dance Theatre
• Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Company
• Paul Taylor Dance Company
• Merce Cunningham Dance Company
• Nevada Ballet Theatre
• Dance Theater Workshop
• Judson Dance Theater
• Ririe-Woodbury Dance Company
• Jose Limon 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 (not performing since 2004^[2]) however its Dancing Through Barriers Ensemble continues to perform

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

• Dance US - Dance Studios, Lessons, Classes, Resources in USA
• Argentine Tango Dance, History, Tango Dance Studios and Classes in USA
• Modern dance in the United States
• Performing arts presenters
• List of U.S. state dances

Notes

1. ^ Fox Renews So You Think You Can Dance and Hell's Kitchen, Movieweb.com. (Accessed July 28, 2006)
2. ^ Where Are All the Black Swans?, New York Times, published: May 6, 2007 (accessed May 6, 2007)

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