During Monday’s class, we focused on Isadora Duncan’s perception of modern dance and dance in general. Her perception of dance was to use it as a mechanism to search our inner souls and find its connectedness with nature (Brown 7). We began an exercise concentrating solely on our breaths. Since Duncan believed in liberation and individuality, breathing is an action that we all individually own and is used as a tool to access our inner thoughts and our souls. During the breathing exercises, I fell into a deep state of meditation, focusing on the subtle inhales and exhales of my breath, and eventually felt invigorated afterwards. With each breath, I felt a release of this uninvited ball of negative energy, which had itself wrapped inside my core,…
The Shadow Throne, by Jennifer A. Nielsen, is the third and final book in the Ascendance trilogy. It is an action and adventure fantasy story about a young King. The story mainly takes place in a country called Carthya, in the middle ages when Kings and Queens ruled the land. King Jargon has many adventures while trying to protect his country, his people, and his friends in the fight for Carthya’s future.…
Senior year is like listening to a broken radio that repeats the same phrase over and over again. As an incoming freshman in college, we are still unable to throw this broken radio out. We've been forced to listen to the phrase "How are you going be successful in college?" I believe that everyone has a different definition of being successful in college. For me, being successful in college is keeping up with my grades and living my life to the fullest.…
In Bakari Kitwana's book Why White Kids Love Hip-Hop, he share his views on why white kids love hip-hop, Kitwana also acknowledges the shifts in hip-hop from an old generations radical views of hip-hop into a new cultural movement were young whites begin emulating blacks as cool due to technology advances that has made Hip-Hop mainstream. Mainstream connects hip hop and popular culture which creates an acceptance for hip-hop and alters the way young Americans look at race, giving people around the world a chance to embrace Hip-Hop. In return creating new racial politics that help confront race as a National reality and move…
Beyonce is recognized as an icon of women empowerment. She is one of the most influential celebrities in the world. In Beyonce’s music video, “Pretty Hurts,” femininity is shown through the struggles and pressures women go through to meet the unrealistic standards of beauty. Compared to the topic of femininity, the representation of masculinity is very limited in the music video. Also, the music video challenges the gender stereotypes and deals with third wave feminism.…
Ballet “Cry” simply showed to us real life of all African women. Every single American people know what kind of life they went through. Therefore it touched their heard. Alvin Ailey’s “Cry” presented wonderfully combined movements, technique and emotion. Ms. Donna Wood uses tragic face, a mask of sorrow. It is a face born to cry, but when she smiles it is with an innocent radiance, joyfulness that simple and lovely. She never tries consciously to please an audience. He was not only concentrating in movements and physical performance, but also using flowing white gown with a long white scarf for the dancer. A long sleeve white blouse is slim, to show the dancers body. Especially her movement and technique. It made dance more interesting to audience. This beautiful piece of modern dance consists of three sections. Ms. Donna Wood performed solo dance for 16 minutes from section to section. Her ways through the dance are different in movement quality that she gives to each passage. In this tribute to black women, the free sprit or the African women comes through in the energy of her dancing.…
In today’s society the African American community still dominates the music industry with song and dance. Recording artists such as Michael Jackson, Jay Z, Whitney Houston, Beyonce, Chuck Berry, Little Wayne, and Janet Jackson are few of the many African American artists that have influenced America with their traditional ethnic rituals of song and dance.…
The article, “Cissy Houston on Whitney: ‘She was raised well, she knew better’ than to use drugs” is about Whitney Houston’s mother talking about Whitney’s childhood. Whitney’s mother is still mourning for her loss, but tough minded about her drug addictions. She believes that good parents do not always have good children and vice versa. Whitney’s mother says it is the person’s responsibility, when they reach a certain age, to choose to be a bad or good person. Cissy discussed how she raised Whitney in a good home and gave her the tools to choose not to do drugs. Cissy thinks that being called “Whitey” early in the music business and her marriage to Bobby Brown may have led to her drug abuse.(1)…
Throughout this class, we have been introduced to several ways of viewing work. From the Dolores Dante’s “Waitress from Working,” to the movie 9 to 5, and Chapter 6 of Matthew B. Crawford “Shop Class as a Soul Craft.” In Dolores Dante reading “Waitress from Working” Dolores Dante talks about how she’s a waitress and she works as waitress too support her family. And despite needing the extra money, she still loves her job and is proud of her work. The movie 9 to 5 describes 3 women’s attempt to change their way of work, by kidnapping their boss and pretending to be him. A section of Matthew B. Crawford’s “Shop Class as a Soul Craft” Matthew wonder’s if a degree is needed in the work world.…
A lot of people are starting to understand that young people can make a difference and Hip Hop is apart of it. Though honestly, hip hop makes the world go around. Just think about a world without Hip Hop. Kind of boring right. “Hip Hop has indeed been altered as social, economic, political, and cultural realities have changed”(Black Empires,White Desires). Hip Hop is not just changing the hip hop world but it is changing the world around us.…
The music industry has changed media forever. Artists have introduced us to many different cultures and their music as well. Artist like Lady gaga have paved the road for young adults not to be afraid to speak up or reach high for their dreams. Beyoncé has also paved the road for woman all over the world to feel empowered by their femininity and stand strong. Centuries ago women could not freely express themselves the way they do now. In addition, this has helped shaped a new lifestyle for many of us. The media provides full coverage of the lavish life styles of the many celebrities…
Hip hop music itself creates such attitudes and behaviors among African American youth. Most times hip hop empower black youth in dangerous and glamorous ways. Teens are driven with the wealth and fantasies and glamour.…
Everyone has an opinion about the influence of hip--hop music on our nations youth. Many people, such as politicians and the ultra conservative, feel the influence is destructive and incites violent behavior. Some people, for instance the media, believe hip- hop glamorizes inappropriate behaviors and actions while promoting the demoralization of women in general, but more specifically black women. Few people are willing to speak out and defend hip-hop music as communicative form of art. In the article “In Defense of Hip Hop” Cathleen Rountree argues people, young and old alike, are hasty to blame hip-hop in justification of their atrocious tirades, actions, and behaviors without fully understanding what hip-hop is, and what it represents.…
Music has been around for the ages but the question arises how has it had an impact on how it has been able to shape American cultures and values. We have been able to see through the years how it has aided in the shaping of identities, providing comfort when there was no other means from childhood to adulthood. It has been during this time that we have been able to see how it has affected relationships between parents and their children, schools and government all because of persons not approving of perhaps lyrics, sounds or even what those two areas may have caused young people to do in regards to dancing. Even back in the early twentieth century, young persons were condemned by religious leaders because of the Tango, a dance that was allegedly causing a negative impact on the French youth. However, now it is a form of ballroom dancing and is viewed with high esteem when performed. Other music and dances that would fall in line with the Tango would be the Charleston and jitterbug. Both were inspired from jazz music however, it was recognized then as music and dancing that inspired unrestrained dances. Again these dances and music now are ever so accepted within the American culture.…
Dance differs from sport in that it is not concerned with movement purely as a means of performing but rather with the artistic intent and quality of the movement (Macmillan, 2010). The Jive movement originated from the USA in the early 1930’s. It is a very energetic, boppy dance that encounters a number of fast tricky steps. Biomechanics is an analysis process that detects ways to improve athlete’s performances and techniques. It allows the athlete and the coach to understand how force acting on the athlete’s body determines the movement or performance. From having a thorough knowledge of biomechanics you can detect problems or faults with techniques and to justify changes in technique to perform at an enhanced level. The principles of force,…