|
Structure
Interesting Questions, Facts and Information
- There are a total of 170 general entries. We are selecting 30 for display.
Special Topics
|
 Interesting Questions, Facts, and Information
 Dance
Mark Morris. Mark Morris was born in 1956 in Seattle WA. He had no formal training in modern dance when he came to choreography. He got his reputation for his choreography's tendency to confront steroetypes and challenge expectations. He is also characteristically loud-mouthed, provocative, and openly homosexual.
| The dancers in Pilobolus are known for what kind of background? | Modern Dancers
|
Non-dance. Pilobolus was formed in 1970 by 4 male Dartmouth students with no previous dance experience. It has developed since then into a blend of athleticism and dance technique, as more dancers with varying backgrounds have joined. It is still known for being a company with dancers coming from non-dance backgrounds, despite the few with traditional training.
Barnard College. Twyla graduated in 1963 with a BA in art history. There wasn't a dance major at Barnard at the time. Although she did attend Pomona, she transferred to Barnard before graduating.
| The Alvin Ailey dance company typically performs work dealing with what sort of content? | Modern Dancers
|
African American culture. The Alvin Ailey dance theater works mostly with the black dance tradition, and, in fact, most of the members of the company are African American.
| 'Does not the power, the magnificence of all creative art lie in knowing how to force chaos into form?' | Quotes from Dancers
|
Mary Wigman. Wigman was the leading force in German modern dance for many decades in the early 20th century. Her style, which ranged from gentle to macabre, was influenced by her heritage and the atmosphere of Nazi Germany.
| What was the name of the person who invented the Foxtrot music? | Dancesport
|
Harry Fox. The Foxtrot is probably the most popular Social Dance. It is a very elegant dance, and the dancers must look like they are floating on the floor, making the Foxtrot look very easy - actually, this isn't {true;} a lot of practice is required in order to achieve that floating 'look'.
| The Slow Waltz evolved in Boston from what earlier dance? | Dancesport
|
Viennese Waltz. The popular Slow Waltz is the easiest Standard Dance. The German composer Johann Strauss made the Waltz famous.
| In what country did the Tango originate? | Dancesport
|
Argentina. The Tango originated in the poor neighborhoods of Argentina ('bordellos'). It is the most sensual Standard dance. It is different from the other four Standard dances: the hold is tighter (the lady's arm is under the man's) and there is no rise-and-fall motion (the knees are flexed continuously).
| The Viennese Waltz takes its name from the capital of what country? | Dancesport
|
Austria. The Viennese Waltz is extremely popular in both Europe and America, and is often the 'first dance' performed at a wedding.
| In what country did the Cha-Cha originate? | Dancesport
|
Cuba. The Cha-Cha is a Latin dance I particularly enjoy! The Cha-Cha rhythm is used in many of today's pop songs.
| From what dance did the Cha-Cha originate? | Dancesport
|
Mambo. The Cha-Cha is the Latin dance easiest to learn.
| In what Latin American country did the Rumba (as we now know it) originate? | Dancesport
|
Cuba. It was derived, of course, from many sources, especially the rhythms of Africa. The Rumba is the most sensual Latin dance and is known as the 'dance of love'.
At waist level. The proper and most respectful way was at waist level; that way, the lady did not have to strain her arm(s). The man's hand was always under the lady's, supporting her.
A step similar to a goose step. The French had chosen this step in order to mimic the German military. Hence the name! ('Allemagne' is French for 'Germany').
The Sultan appointed his brothers as teachers in a school of dance.. Prior to this time, knowledge of the dances had been restricted to the royal courts. The school was established so that any child of a good family could have a chance at learning the dances.
| Utdets and sampours are both scarves used in Javanese court dances, but what is the difference between them? | Indonesian Dance Traditions
|
Utdets are worn by women, and sampours by men.. The terms 'utdet' and 'sampour' are different words to refer to the same garment, depending on the gender of the person wearing it - the scarves themselves are the same. These scarves are used in classical Javanese dance as very important decorative features, extending the lines of the movement and allowing certain effects that would otherwise be impossible to achieve.
| Traditional Javanese dance is distinguished as either Surakarta or Jogjarkarta style. What do these words refer to? | Indonesian Dance Traditions
|
Surakarta and Jogjarkarta are regions of the kingdom.. In 1755, Dutch explorers divided the kingdom into these two smaller kingdoms. The styles that evolved retain the mark of origin.
| 'Joged bumbung' is a social dance still performed in Bali. What is unique about this dance when seen in the context of other Balinese dances? | Indonesian Dance Traditions
|
It is unusually sensuous.. The dancer, one of a group of young girls, uses her posture and hips in a suggestive way not seen in other traditional Balinese dances. A member of the audience joins the performer (thus, the 'social' title) and they dance a sex scene. I find it interesting that in a generally chaste art form, it is the young female dancers who are the only ones expected to perform in an erotic context.
silk fan. In the Balinese tradition, props are used very little, but silk fans are employed in the dances. Some other Indonesian traditions make more liberal use of props. Javanese dance, for example, sometimes incorporates swords and pistols and other props.
The men dance with tambourines.. The tambourine was brought to the region by Islamic invaders who used them to accompany their ritual praises to Allah.
The Bissu are inhabited by spirits during the dancing.. The Bissu usually enter a trance state, sometimes demonstrating the power of said state by taking swords and pushing them into their bodies. The swords do not puncture the flesh, thus proving the realism of the spirit possession. Interestingly, the Bissu are one of five recognized genders in the region: men, women, men who live as women, women who live as men, and Bissu - supposedly a combination of both man and woman. Bissu are often chosen because they are born as hermaphrodites or display other variations on the conventional sex organs. Traditionally, Bissu would be castrated in adulthood once their status was assumed, but this practice has become rarer.
A 'topeng' is a masked dance.. Masks play an important role in many Indonesian dance forms. The performers usually accumulate many masks over the years, and develop a certain relationship to each of them. Every mask portrays a particular character individual to that mask.
The gamelan is the musical accompaniment used for dance.. Gamelan performances almost always accompany dance performances in this region. The music is rich and varied, and often the dancers relate to each instrument differently with their movement.
| What's the term for a Polish lively round dance for eight couples? | History of Dance
|
Mazurka. This lively dance, performed in 3/4 time, originated in Masuria, Poland, in the sixteenth century. It's similar in form to the polka.
| What item of clothing was first worn by Italian dancer Virginie Zucchi in 1885 at the Imperial Theatre in St. Petersburg, Russia? | History of Dance
|
Tutu. Although Virginie was the first to wear the now-ubiquitous short tutu, it was actually designed several years earlier by French painter Eugene Lami, in the form of a mid-calf skirt.
1364. Believe it or not, dance marathons, known as "derbies", were performed in England in the fourteenth century. These events reached their height in the Depression era of the 1930s, when dancers went to great lenghts to compete for monetary prizes. The longest recorded marathon lasted 22 weeks, three days. Whew!
| Break dancing, popular in the 1980s, originated from where in the US? | History of Dance
|
Bronx. This acrobatic and energetic type of dance, usually performed to rap or hip-hop music, originated in the south Bronx, New York, in the late 1970s. Moves such as head-spinning or moon-walking could be performed individually or in competition.
Hips. Yes, we do dance with our bellies (though not as much as you might think). When it comes to fully expressing the music, the hips are it.
| When most people think of a "belly" dancer, chances are they envision a sultry woman clad in sparkly bra and matching belt, swirling skirts and diaphanous veil. What do dancers call the bra and belt? | The Sensual Art of Middle Eastern Dance
|
Bedlah. Bedlah is only one of many costume options for the Middle Eastern dancer. Many of us eschew baring our midriff, choosing instead to wear folkloric, historic, or more modern caberet style outfits that cover more than a bra and belt.
| The origin of Middle Eastern dance remains a mystery, although dance researches and historians have put forth many theories. One interesting theory holds that a tribe of nomadic people brought the dance out of India to the Middle East. Who are these wandering People? | The Sensual Art of Middle Eastern Dance
|
Gypsies . Rroma still perform in Egypt and Turkey to this day. Incidently, most Rroma dislike the term "Gypsy", as it is often used in a deragatory manner.
|
Fun Trivia | 
Quizzes | 
Games
| 
People | 
Services | 
Help | 
Me
