Like every eologies, danceologic aims to provide readers with a greater insight to dance! With a new introduction to new genres of dance each week, it is close to impossible that you won't be coming back for more! ENJOY:)
I'm always intrigued by the Indian culture and the way their day-to-day life revolve around their religion - hinduism. I must say, in my opinion, they are one of the few seen religious people. I decided to do a search to see if the way they dance has any inclination to Hinduism. And indeed, it did. So here's what i got!
(IMAGE BY GOOGLE)
A little history...
Dance in India first started out in the temple as a form of worship to the Lord. Their repertoire contained many for the use of worshippingwhile displaying spiritual love. However, it is rather upsetting to know that temple dancers are unheard of in this present context due to several several reformations. Nonetheless, with the help of some visionaries, Indian dance forms have been taken to greater heights through modernisation.
(IMAGE BY GOOGLE)
The dancer's espression
The dancer's face plays a vital role in the dance. It is as though all her expression is concentrated there. Other than the dancer's facial expression, the dancer's body serves as an extension of the face. The eyes of the dancer is the most important facial feature above all. It is usually choreographed last as it is suppose to project a supernatural brightness. It is believed that dancers can successfully depict that brightness only when they are possessed by thier character. The eyes are used to convey everything - expression, rhythm, gestures and story.
I found this site which actually talks about the dancer's expression a little more in depth. It mentions about how each bodily movement relates to the dance! you can read on more if you are interested:)
(IMAGE BY GOOGLE)
The link between Hinduism and dance
In Hinduism, a lot of respect is given to nature. From animals, to plants and the earth itself. According to this site, one evident example of this in all Indian dance forms is the concept of ‘Bhuminamaskar’. Throughout the course of the dance, the dancer prays to her ancestors, God, her guru, the audience for their support and begs apology from Mother Earth for striking her foot while dancing. Dancers perform inside the sanctum according to rituals.
INTERESTING FACTS TO KNOW!
1. The Indian dance system is the oldest and the most comprehensive dance form in the entire world and ot dates right back to 2000years.
2. In medieval times, dancers were mainly women and they were very decicated to the temple. Although they were not married by status, they were ritually married to the God of the temple.
3. In Bharata Natyam (one kind of Indian dance form), there is one part of the dance which is purely dedicated to techniques. The dancer stamps different intricate movements with their feets while their hands and eyes do ornamental movements. The other part of the dance require the dancers to use their hands and eyes together with their bodies to portray different stories from the Hindu mythology.
To read on more of such interesting facts, look here ! They give you more information on Bharaya Natman. I hope it serves you well:D
That's all this week! I hope it helped you gain a greater insight to dance and Hinduism :)
P/S: thank you google images for all the pictures!
привет! yes, that's hello in russian (according to google translator). Today's topic would be on Russian Folk Dance. For those who have had done ballet before, you might have had a taste of it before. The "character" section of the graded Royal Academy of Dance (RAD) syllabus was inspired by the strong russian accent in dance. Here is a video of the 2009 Chingay Parade, Eurasian Association contingent performing "Eurasiana!" I'm somewhere in the video:) ENJOY!
A variation of Russian Dance, Eurasiana!
A little history of Russian Dance...
Traditional Russian dance date a long way back and to historians, they think that elements of this dance form was derrived from workers who stretched to keep themselves warm. This form of dance is still kept a vital part of the Russian culture because it is customary that Russian dukes have performers perform for them routinely.
Today I will introduce a variety of russian folk dances.
what's this picture of horses on sleighs for?!
(IMAGE BY GOOGLE)
Troika
By definition, "Troika" means sleigh. Troika involves two women and one man imitating horses as they pull along their sleighs. It follows a fast to slow, and then back to fast again, rhythm. The dance is made up of quick moving steps where dancers jump from one foot to another very swiftly on the spot. The ballet "Nutcracker", performed by many dance troupe was first inspired by Troika! If you are actually interested in how Troika is done, or you want to get a feel of it, you can try looking up this site:)
Barynya
Barynya, meaning landlady, is a russian folk dance that combines both poetry and spirited dancing. The dance does not have a set of choreography. The whole dance consists of fancy stomping and squatting. According to this site, The refrain "Barynya, barynya, sudarynya-barynya" (landlady, landlady, madam-landlady), is also typically repeated throughout the course of the dance.
(IMAGE BY GOOGLE)
Khorovod
Khorovod is a very popular type of Russian folk dance performed by young girls. Its is danced in a round shape which is believed to symbolise the sun or and eternal circle of life. People form a circle and move from east to west, just like the sun do! These steps are related to ancient pagan rites and slavic festivals when the people worshiped the God of Sun, Yarilo. Khorovod is danced to display Russian's national character - joyfulness, creativity and enthusiasm. It is considered a symbol of beauty. Khorovod feels something like an impromtu dance. Kharovod usually starts off with 2 or 3 girls humming a tune and then some boys come in as accompaniment and then after some time, they join hands and dance in a cricle. As Khorovod is a way for young Russian girls to attract young men or their future husbands, parents more than one daughters usually do not allow their young daughters to do the dance. It is believed that the eldest should be given more priority to chosing a husband. For a heavier read of Khorovod, you might want to look up this site to read on. They give a greater insight to this dance, like how it varies from region to region, how the dance take place in different seasons, the different types of Khorovod and much more!
That sums up today's sharing on Russian Dances! Come back for more next week:)
P/S: thank you google for your pictures!!!
In this competitive society, ballet is one of the most frequently learn form of dance. I'm sure many of you reading this would have experiences with your parents bringing you for such classes every weekend. I'm not sure whether you enjoyed it or not, but as for me I really did! I've danced since the age of 4, once or sometimes, twice a week.
(IMAGES BY GOOGLE)
A little history of ballet....
Ballet was first performed in Italy, in the 1600. When the first ballet school opened in 1661, ONLY MALES WERE ALLOWED TO DANCE! (see, ballet was for guys at first. who says ballet is girly?) It was only later in 1681 that females were given a chance to perform. Ballet did not start out as just a dance performance, but also poetry and song recitals. One of the few things that remains in ballet would be the steps taught long ago in France and still taught in French. The arms and legs movements were created to aid ballerinas to maintain a good balance while looking graceful! (For a list of step names and translations or just to read more, look up this site !)
Anaheim Ballet on ballet dancers
Misconception #1.
One of the major misconceptions about ballet dancers is that dancing is not hardwork.From the video, you might ask youself "what is so difficult about jumping around the room, doing a few swirls?" well, you're wrong! It IS difficult. Apart from determination and perserverance, it is vital that dancers are phyisically equiped with good stamina and flexibility. "Someone once said that dancers work just as hard as policemen, always alert, always tense, but see policemen don't have to be beautiful at the same time."
(IMAGES BY GOOGLE)
Misconception #2.
Another misconception is that dancers are all anorexic. Well, I have to agree that some bellerinas are more conscious about their weight compared to normal people. But not ALL of them are anorexic. I think it is a matter of mindset and the way we look at ourselves and feel good rather than the dance itself. Ballet leotards do not mask that little weight that we have gained throughout the week but it is important that dancers keep a balanced diet because they need the strength for jumps. In fact, my ballet teacher encourages us to have a bar of chocolate before lessons for that sugar rush!
For all the dancers who are reading this post, you might want to try out these few tips that I've tried and tested with. I hope it might help you in some ways!
1. When dancing, be it during exams or just class, try to imagine that you're dancing on stage. Always project your vision. This can help you overcome your fears of dancing as a soloist. Before you have to do a routine, close your eyes and imagine yourself on stage, dancing for few thouands of people, hear their applauses for you.
2. When doing balances, always balance on your big toe. Put all your weight on your big toe, whether you are on pointe or not. You'll be amazed at how well you can balance. Of course, always look up and project your vision. This might help a little too!
3. When fitting on new pointe shoes, NEVER bend them till they break. Always break them in by walking around your house on tiptoes and try bending the shoes where your arch is and not just at the centre of your shoes. Also, you might want to use a scissors and make a few scratches on the ball of your pointe shoes. This gives your new shoes some friction and it won't be too slippery when you wher them for the first time.
4. For all those rosin eaters, rosin only helps a bit. It makes the floor less slippery for you. However, how well you turn ultimately depends on how secured you are, where your centre of balance is and how you drill your foot into the ground. My ballet teacher always remind us that too much rosin is bad for your turns. If possible, don't rely on them at all! Remember, dancers from the past never had rosin and they manages well too!
5. No matter how painful you feel while dancing, how difficult your routines are, how much your hate making mistakes, always rememer to mask it and not show it on your face! By doing so, audiences sometimes can look pass those mistakes, and only see the beauty in your dance.
That's all folks! I hope these tips can help you out a little here and there. REMEMBER, its most important that you project far, look ahead, hear those applauses for you.
FUN FACTS!
1. A tutu (some ballet costume) costs up to about $2000 to make.
2. The same tutu takes about 60-90hours of labour and 100yards of ruffle to make.
3. A 3hours ballet performance is roughly equivalent to two 90minutes soccer games back o back or running 18miles!
4. A prima ballerina can complete 32 fouette turns, while staying in the exact same spot on the floor. After the turns, her pointe shoe tip is hot to touch and it is so worn out that it is then used only for rehearsals.
This post is spcially dedicated to my fellow Grade 8 batch, WE MADE IT TO THE FINISH LINE TOGETHER! Special thanks to my partner, Ahlian, who is always there when i feel like giving up and always there to back me up. Sylvia, who is always making sure that i attend lesons, pushing me on when I'm all used up. Elvina, Liting, Cinyee, Rochelle, Selina, Jonit, Valerie, Clara, Shobha and Annie, i can't thank you all one by one (if not it will be never ending). All the times we had together, the tears, joys and laughters, will always remain close to my heart. Most importantly, to my ballet teacher, Ms McCully, thank you everything through these 13 years. I'm really terrified of you. Not because you are scary but because I look up to you and you are one of the top on my "most respected list". Our distinctions, we owe it to you.
Elvina, Liting, Nat, Ahlian
My beloved group member, Ahlian, Nat, Sylvia
"Dancers are not made of techniques but passion"
That's all for this week's post! PLEASE COME BACK NEXT WEEK FOR MORE!
P/s: thank you google images for all your images!!!
