The history of the origin of dance for children. The origin of the dance

The history of the origin of dance began in ancient times. In confirmation of this, it can be mentioned that the first images of this action are contained in rock paintings dated to the 6-8th century BC.

Dancing in rock art

It is worth noting that initially the dance was far from entertaining and cultural in nature. It was a way of communication, self-expression, enlightenment, and even a way of mass suggestion. In ancient times, people expressed all the most important events (love, war, hunting, etc.) in ritual dances, which often copied the habits of various animals. The plots of such choreographic compositions were mainly of a domestic nature - with their help, people turned to the gods, expressed their feelings and raised their morale before any battle or hunt. Such ritual dances contributed to the overall organization and maximum cohesion, which was very important in those days.

Very often, dances were used as a rather powerful tool for mass suggestion and strong manipulation of people. Among the most striking examples of such dances are the ritual pas of shamans and African dances. The combination of the rhythm of musical instruments (mainly percussion) and the tempo of dance movements, which gradually became more complex and accelerated, had a very strong effect on the participants in this ritual. Similar choreographic compositions have been used to put people into trance states to achieve enlightenment and mass relaxation.

African dances

With the development of mankind, dance also developed, because it was an integral part of life. With the maturation of the concepts of society and culture, the set of movements took on a “form”, a concept, filled with meaning and harmony.

Development of dance in different cultures

Each culture had its own concept of dance, its purpose and content. For example, the choreographic compositions of the Japanese and Chinese peoples were distinguished by grace and a special rhythm. Each movement had its own semantic meaning, and the dance in general can be compared with the art of writing hieroglyphs. In Europe, dances had a compositional character and embodied a harmonious holistic combination of the movements of the soloist and the ensemble. Unlike Indonesian choreography, which is based on fixed strict steps, Indian dance art is full of smooth movements that express mood and various feelings. It is worth noting that Indian dances are considered the most ancient. According to the legend of Hindu belief, the deity Shiva, performing a beautiful dance, turned the general chaos into the Universe.

Eastern dance

From primitive movements to modern choreography

The history of modern dance began with the advent of rock and roll in the 50s. This type of dance created a real revolution in society. With his appearance, the style of clothing, demeanor and even the moral principles of youth have changed. Rock and roll is a combination of music, in which European and African motifs are intertwined, and dance movements, where some kind of aggressiveness, complex support and careless attitude towards a partner can be traced.

Modern rock and roll

A lot of people considered this type of choreography vicious and unacceptable for decent people. But, despite this, rock and roll gave a good impetus to the emergence and development of a huge number of new types of dances, which are still very popular.

The history of modern dance has its roots in the distant past. The first dance movements were a reflection of the sensual impressions of people received from the outside world.

The art of dance is the oldest manifestation of the original creativity of different peoples of the world. The dance was born simultaneously with the appearance of man, as it was a natural physiological need for rhythmic movements.

In ancient times, dance was an integral part of various public holidays and religious events. Therefore, the term dance covers a wide variety of movements that differ in their style and manner of performance.

Received active development at the beginning of the last century. While famous ballerina Isadora Duncan and a few of her like-minded people decided to challenge the traditional choreography. They opened their own schools, where they taught the basics of modern ballet. The main idea of this dance direction was free choreography based on improvisation and expression of one's own emotions.

Most modern dances do not have clear standards and norms. All of them are based on democracy and freedom of execution. Almost every dancer brings his own personality to the dance, especially this fact is manifested in the so-called street dances.

Some types of modern choreography have already experienced the peak of their popularity, but they are still loved by performers and in demand by the audience. And such dances as breakdance, hip-hop, rhythm and blues or tectonics, on the contrary, are experiencing their rise.

Hustle is one of the most popular dances among young people. It's true universal direction appeared at the end of the last century. They dance it almost everywhere: at a party, disco, tanpolle or on the street. Moreover, this dance can be performed absolutely to any music and with any partner.

A little over two decades ago, such a dance as krump appeared. His distinctive feature is the power and strength of the performer, aimed at freeing the dancer from negative energy, by splashing out his emotions from the stage.

The 20th century brought with it such a way of demonstrating choreographic skills as battles. These impromptu competitions of dancers to this day do not cease to change and incorporate new fashion trends.

Send your good work in the knowledge base is simple. Use the form below

Students, graduate students, young scientists who use the knowledge base in their studies and work will be very grateful to you.

Posted on http://www.allbest.ru/

Federal State Budgetary Educational Institution of Higher Professional Education

MOSCOW STATE UNIVERSITY OF CULTURE AND ARTS

Faculty of Social and Cultural Activities

Department of Cultural and Leisure Activities

COURSE WORK

on the topic: the history of dance

in the academic discipline: "History and theory of socio-cultural activities"

Moscow 2013

Introduction

Section 1 The Origin of Dance: From Ancient Times to the Birth of Ballet

1.1 Reasons for the appearance of dance and its origin

1.2 Ancient Egypt, China, India, Greece, Rome

1.3 Folk dances in Europe of the Middle Ages to the Renaissance

Section 2 The era of ballet abroad and in Russia

2.1 Ballet in the West

2.2 Russian ballet

Section 3 Modern dance directions

3.1 Jazz dance

3.2 Modern dance and modern jazz

3.3 Contemporary classics abroad

3.4 Ballroom dancing

Conclusion

Sources and literature

Introduction

Let's talk about dance. In our time, the time of electronics, fast rhythm, the majority will call dance what happens in nightclubs, when the movement is lowered to the primitive. However, the dance consists not only in "two stomp, three stomp". It has its own history, it is one of the oldest forms of art along with music, maybe even older, the question is debatable. The dance has gone through a long path of change, breaking up into many forks in style. Therefore, the question at the very beginning of our journey is even more relevant: what is dance?

Dance- rhythmic, expressive body movements, usually built into a specific composition and performed with musical accompaniment. Dance, as mentioned above, is perhaps the oldest of the arts: it reflects the need of a person dating back to the earliest times to convey to other people their joy or sorrow through their body. Besides, dance is democratic. He invites the body to talk, gives him the opportunity to speak. Dance helps to expand creative and personal potential, get rid of various complexes, disappear fear of public speaking, teaches you to relax.

Dance arose from a variety of movements and gestures associated with labor processes and emotional impressions of a person from the world around him. The movements were gradually subjected to artistic generalization, as a result of which dance was formed, one of the oldest manifestations of folk art. Initially associated with the word and song, the dance gradually acquired an independent meaning. Almost all important events in the life of a primitive man were celebrated with dances: birth, death, war, the election of a new leader, the healing of a sick person. Dance expressed prayers for rain, sunlight, fertility, protection and forgiveness, it was an integral part of various sacraments, mysteries, from primitive societies to Egypt, China, Greece. What was the result of the dance? How was it systematized? Formed "pa".

Dance pas (fr. pas - "step") originate from the basic forms of human movement - walking, running, jumping, jumping, jumping, sliding, turning and swinging. Combinations of such movements gradually turned into pas of traditional dances.

The main characteristics of the dance are:

Rhythm - relatively fast or relatively slow repetition and variation of basic movements;

Drawing - a combination of movements in the composition; dynamics - varying the scope and intensity of movements;

Technique is the degree of mastery of the body and mastery in the performance of basic pas and positions. In many dances, gestures are also of great importance, especially hand movements.

Currently, choreographic art covers both traditional folk and professional stage art. Dance art is present in varying degrees, forms in the culture of each ethnic group, ethnic group. And this phenomenon cannot be an accident, it is of an objective nature, because traditional folk choreography occupies a paramount place in the social life of society as early stages development of mankind, and now, when it performs one of the functions of culture, it is one of the peculiar institutions of the socialization of people and, first of all, children, adolescents and youth, and also performs a number of other functions inherent in culture as a whole.

dance history folk ballet

1. The origin of dance: from ancient times to the birth of ballet

1.1 Reasons for the emergence of dance and its origin

So where did the dance come from, how did a person develop a craving for movement to a certain rhythm? Highly interesting article Chernikov Konstantin Petrovich about what there is a dance and, in fact, its occurrence, will tell about it perfectly.

In fact, dance, as a purely public, social phenomenon, is a whole layer that reflects, through its methods and techniques, the historical, social and cultural development of human society. This layer is very interesting and not deep enough, in my opinion, "plowed" by modern science. Historians have focused more on aspects of the economic and socio-political development of society, art critics pay much more attention to architecture or painting, and on modern theatrical and especially pop stages, dance plays a far from the first role in comparison with vocals or the same conversational genre. Why such disgrace? After all, choreographic art is perhaps the oldest in the world, it has survived millennia, originating in the human environment at a time when there was essentially no civilized society with its economy and politics. Why is dance, which at the dawn of human history, along with cult and magic, was the most important of all types of mental and socio-cultural activities of people, now faded into the background? When and why did this happen? In all this variety of questions, we will try to figure it out.

It is clear that dancing is not something without which a person cannot live, such as without water or food. Man, as a species, has gone through a long and very difficult path of evolution, on which his main task was survival.

It means that if an ancient man spent part of his precious time not on obtaining food or arranging life, but on practicing these very rhythmic body movements, then this was really very important for him. What could have been so important for our distant ancestors? Many tend to believe that these are ritual rites. Yes, it's logical. Gods and demons are not to be trifled with. They must be constantly revered, appeased, made sacrifices, but, you see, for honoring and sacrificing it is not at all necessary to jump, jump, rotate and wriggle at a certain pace and rhythm. You can do everything much more rationally and with less effort, which will still be needed on a hunt or in a war with neighbors. Most likely, the cause of the dance lies a little deeper than is commonly believed.

If you believe the explanatory dictionaries and encyclopedias that are numerous today, then you can generally define dance as an art form that displays the external manifestations of life in a figurative and artistic form, through the movements of the human body, facial expressions and pantomime. Dance. Isn't he what we see? Yes, it is, but not really. Not everything can be explained only by a simple reaction of a person to the world around him. What is the outward appearance of living nature, if not an ever-changing manifestation of the inner? Dance is based on action. But there can be no external action without internal action. All external actions, expressed in movements, gestures, postures, dance steps, are born and formed inside - in thoughts, sensations, feelings, experiences. Here we come, it seems to me, to the source. The root cause of the origin of dance, as well as religious cult became the psyche, the inner, spiritual world of man.

The psyche became the initiator of the emergence of dance, as social phenomenon. Of course, at first it was closely intertwined with the cult and magic, it was impossible to separate them from each other. The separation and narrower specialization of these phenomena occurred much later. And the cult gradually took over.

The supremacy of the cult is explained by the fact that magicians and priests were smart people and creative in their own way, so it was not difficult for them to figure out how to “swindle” and put pressure on their relatives, and the main motivator in this matter is fear of an unknown force.

Under these conditions, the dance faded into the background and began to only “serve” the rituals, decorate them and enhance the factor of psychological and energy-emotional impact on the participants in religious rites and ceremonies. We will talk about the impact of dance on the human body, but now let's return to the question of the reasons for its origin.

When did dance start? According to the logic of things, the most likely, in a chronological sense, the time of the emergence of dance traditions is the Madeleine period (15 - 10 thousand years ago).

It was during this period that primitive art and, above all, cave painting, reaches its highest level of development. It is logical to assume that it was during this period, when the increasingly complex human psyche and communication initiated the emergence of a need for fine arts, that a need for other forms of art could also arise - including dance, rock paintings in the caves of France and Spain serve as confirmation of this, where out of 1794 drawings - 512 depict people in different poses and moments of movement, which are periodically repeated, in addition, about 100 drawings are dedicated to some kind of human-like creatures. Considering that cave painting is very realistic, even photographic, the artist could not yet think abstractly, he did not invent anything and painted what he saw with his own eyes, then you can ask - what did he see? If we discard the version of aliens or mutants, then most likely they are people dressed up in animals or some kind of spirits that they imitate.

Ancient man painted imitation of animals and spirit. But if people did it then, what is it if not a dance? At the same time, the birth of music and musical instruments takes place. All types of art were very closely connected, therefore, music was also connected with dance. The answer to the first question has been given. The dance does not leave such an exact “monument” as painting or architecture, but the birth of dance could hardly have happened before. Society was not ready. Next question: how did the origin of dance culture happen?

We have already said that dance art originated in the depths of the increasingly complex human psyche and became an external manifestation of a person's need for a certain kind of body movements. With such needs, we meet with you all the time. In addition to instinct and natural reflexes, a person has a bio-mechanical memory. Man cannot live without muscle movement! If some organ, for one reason or another, is inactive for a certain time, then it will inevitably atrophy. We need movement to live! Everything in this world is in constant motion, everything vibrates and changes. Man is a child of this world and cannot exist apart from its objective laws. “Nothing lasts forever”, “Everything flows, everything changes” - says folk wisdom. Therefore, a person was forced, in addition to the necessary production movements, listening to the voice of nature, to make additional movements to maintain his vitality. It would seem, why should he do this, because primitive life was physically difficult and full of dangers, a person already received a lot of physical activity and obviously did not suffer from hypodynamia. But no!

We are beings with a complex and highly organized psyche, our feelings and thoughts affect our energy fields and therefore the mental, spiritual charge is even more important for us than the physical one, since it is our psyche that controls all physical processes in our body through bio-electrical impulses. I am convinced that it was this need for periodic mental recharging that initiated the earliest human need for rhythmic body movements. Pay attention - not in simple, but in rhythmic body movements. Why is that? Yes, because all our internal organs, the whole body and the nervous system are in constant vibration and pulsation, which have their own rhythm: the heart beats in a certain rhythm, the respiratory cycle is also carried out strictly rhythmically, etc. Therefore, psycho-energy charging should also be carried out rhythmically, so as not to fall into dissonance with the natural biological rhythms of the body. AT this case we are not talking about dances familiar to us, but about the culture of the earliest forms of rhythmic body movements accompanied by primitive, most likely voice and noise accompaniment, which can be classified as the very beginning of dance culture.

Among other things, listening to pleasant music and moving for pleasure produces the hormone of happiness, which is one of the indirect causes of dance.

The very psyche of ancient man became the initiator of dance art. The need for self-knowledge, the world, self-expression and pleasure. And representatives of the cult did not miss the opportunity, using dance in rituals. Most likely they were massive, which enhanced the effect through the "herd effect". In primitive society, it was almost impossible not to obey this effect, so the priests and leaders dictated the rules.

The first dances of antiquity were far from what is called this word today. They had a completely different meaning. With various movements and gestures, a person conveyed his impressions of the world around him, putting his mood, his state of mind into them. Shouts, singing, pantomime play were interconnected with the dance. The dance itself has always, at all times, been closely connected with the life and way of life of people. Therefore, each dance corresponds to the character, the spirit of the people from whom it originated. With the change in the social system, living conditions, the nature and themes of art changed, and the dance also changed. Its roots are deeply rooted in folk art.

Dances were very common among the peoples of the ancient world. The dancers strived to ensure that every movement, gesture, facial expression expressed some thought, action, deed. Expressive dances were of great importance both in everyday life and in public life.

For a man of a primitive society, dance is a way of thinking and living. In dances depicting animals, hunting techniques are practiced; the dance expresses prayers for fertility, rain and other urgent needs of the tribe. Love, work and ritual are embodied in dance movements. The dance in this case is so connected with life that in the language of the Mexican Tarahumara Indians, the concepts of "labor" and "dance" are expressed by the same word. Deeply perceiving the rhythms of nature, people of primitive society could not but imitate them in their dances.

Primitive dances are usually performed in groups. Round dances have a specific meaning, specific goals: to expel evil spirits, heal the sick, drive away misfortune from the tribe. The most common movement here is stomping, perhaps because it makes the earth tremble and submit to man. In primitive societies, squatting dances are common; dancers love to spin, twitch and jump. Jumps and whirling bring the dancers to an ecstatic state, sometimes ending in loss of consciousness. The dancers usually do not wear clothes, but do wear masks, elaborate headdresses, and often paint their bodies. As an accompaniment, stomping, clapping, as well as playing all kinds of drums and pipes made of natural materials are used.

Primitive tribes do not have a regulated dance technique, but excellent physical training allows the dancers to completely surrender to the dance and dance with absolute dedication, up to frenzy. Dances of this kind can still be seen in the islands of the South Pacific, in Africa and in Central and South America.

1.2 Ancient Egypt, China, India, Greece, Rome

So the dance began to develop. In different countries, cultures, but everywhere it had a place to be, moreover, it played an important role.

culture ancient egypt, in which the level of society was quite high, was saturated with music and dancing. The Egyptians were very fond of fun and not a single holiday and not a single event passed without dancing to musical accompaniment. In ancient Egypt, the art of dance was highly valued. And, based on the fact that this state was isolated for a long time due to a certain geographical location, the culture of their dance developed independently and without the intervention of other peoples and cultures. Therefore, dances in ancient Egypt were special and unlike anything else. Per long years During the development of culture during the time of the pharaohs, a large number of types of choreography arose: dances for entertainment, harem, ritual, religious and even military dances.

Important visual information about the development of dance in ancient Egypt can be gleaned from hieroglyphic records, wooden reliefs, images carved in stone, sculpture and various objects from ancient tombs. In Abydos - the place where, according to the beliefs of the Egyptians, the god of the dead Osiris was buried - during the summer solstice rituals were held with dances and music. Groups of singers and dancers lived at the temples and participated in the worship of the gods. One of the main holidays was the rite dedicated to the bull Apis, with secret dances performed by the "servants" of the bull.

The sense of theatricality was very strong in the people of Ancient Egypt. Even their temple dancers performed acrobatic tricks, and in the reliefs one can see a woman doing the splits, or a woman being thrown into the air and then picked up by two partners, and a man standing on one leg and about to pirouette.

Funeral and ceremonial dances were distinguished by strictness and simplicity, but over time, other, more decorative types of dance began to appear. Slaves and female slaves were taught to dance for domestic entertainment. Dancers from other countries were brought to Egypt. There were traveling troupes of professional actors who acted out pantomimes, performed acrobatic numbers to the accompaniment of tambourines and castanets. For some time, dances of black pygmies were popular.

In the works of ancient poets, writers, artists, the names of dances and their participants are found, the rules of performance are described.

When talking about folk dances in Chinese culture, most people immediately imagine the colorful dance numbers of representatives of various ethnic groups different from the Han. Meanwhile, from the most ancient times, those tribes that later began to be united by one common name - the Han nationality, had various forms of ritual dances. Early folk dances in China, as well as other forms of primitive art, were mainly a ritual form of various superstitions and beliefs. These dances were performed in order to ask the gods for a good harvest or a good hunt.

Much later, during the Han Dynasty (206 BC - 220), the folk dances of most of the ethnic groups inhabiting China developed. The folk dances that appeared at this time also reflected the superstitions and beliefs of the people. They believed that by making ritual offerings to the gods, they could convince them to provide them with even greater benefits in the future.

The main Chinese folk dances are images and the Lion Dance. They were originally part cultural heritage only Han Chinese, but over time, representatives of other ethnic groups living in China began to perform these dances. In addition to this, one of the most subtle forms of Chinese folk dance is the Court Dance, which is sometimes also called the Palace Dance. Initially, it originated at the court of the Han emperors during the reign of the Qin dynasty (221 BC - 206 BC). Other Chinese emperors, including those with Mongol and Manchu roots, continued to develop this type of dance art. The dragon dance and the lion dance are usually performed during the Lunar New Year celebrations.

Based on the interpretations of Hindu mythology, the origin of the dance took place precisely in India, and the creator was the god Shiva, who, dancing, turned the general chaos into the Universe. It was believed that only celestials had the right to dance, and in no case mere mortals. At the festivities in the heavenly palace, beautiful semi-divine dancers writhed in the dance, delighting and delighting everyone around. The god Shiva himself was considered the most excellent dancer, all other deities had the honor to compose an accompaniment to him. Dancing became available to ordinary earthly people only after the great sage Bharata, who earned the right to visit the divine palace and enjoy the spectacle of dance by his good deeds, turned to the gods Brahma and Shiva with a request to teach ordinary people this art.

In ancient India, dance is considered an expression of the soul, one's inner state in the highest form. Due to the special attitude of Hinduism to any art as the embodiment of the divine inner beauty in man, art was equally equated with religion. Therefore, it is not surprising that the people of Ancient Hindustan, long before they learned to write, read and create stone sculptures, expressed their faith in the gods and their obedience to them with the help of body movements. Dance for Hindus in the ancient world was an integral part of religious rites and rituals. Initially, these choreographic compositions were quite primitive, but soon they gained almost perfection. In general, it is believed that classical Indian dance is a kind of yoga form, which harmoniously combines spiritual energy and physical endurance. The fact that dance in ancient India was an integral part of life and life among the people is confirmed in numerous writings, stories of sages and in various figurines depicting dancers frozen in intricate poses.

It is worth noting that Indian dances are not just a beautiful set of different movements, but a full-fledged story of a particular story. This feature has been preserved to this day. Modern dancers use strictly defined steps, swings, hand movements, hands, and even a look that reflect certain feelings, actions, or even entire events. Even in ancient India, young and beautiful specially selected girls who had not yet reached puberty became the wives of the gods to whom the temple was dedicated. They performed dances naked, which was a demonstration of their feelings for the deity.

Another striking feature of the dance culture of the ancient Hindus is the interpretation of texts to the accompaniment of choreographic steps. Each dancer performed stories and dance due to his skill and special outlook. This action was completely saturated with one or another semantic load and education of those around.

After a certain time, dances in India began to lose their religious essence, and already in the Middle Ages, dances were performed mainly as court entertainment and colorful action. The participants in the dances sang not the gods, but their patrons. Modern Hindu dance has incredible elegance, grace and richness of feelings. Indian choreography is special and unparalleled in the whole world.

Sacred dances according to legend were transferred to Greece from Egypt by Orpheus. He saw them during the temple festivals of the Egyptians. But he subordinated the movements, gestures to his own rhythm, and they began to correspond more to the character and spirit of the Greeks. These dances were performed to the sounds of the lyre, and were distinguished by their strict beauty. Holidays, and hence dances, were often dedicated to different gods: Dionysus, the goddess Aphrodite, Athena. They reflected certain days of the labor calendar year.

Military dances in ancient Greece played a big role in instilling courage, patriotism, and a sense of duty among youth. Usually military, pyrrhic dances were performed by two. There were such mass pyrrhias in which only young men danced, and sometimes girls danced along with the young men. Military dances reproduced the battle, various combat formations, these were complex choreographic compositions. In the hands of the dancers were bows, arrows, shields, lit torches, swords, spears, darts. In the plots of heroic dances, as a rule, myths and legends about heroes were reflected.

Dances in honor of the Greek god of fertility and winemaking, Dionysus, were distinguished by uncontrollable and violent fun. Dionysius was celebrated in the spring, when the vineyards began to turn green and nature came to life. In a purple-gold robe, they carried a statue of Dionysus in front, followed by mummers: half-naked nymphs and naiads with flowers and vine leaves in their loose hair and satyrs with goat horns in animal skins. Probably Dionysia were the first masquerades.

Stage ancient Greek dances were part of theatrical performances, where each genre had its own dances. During the dances, the performers beat the time with their feet, for which they put on special iron or wooden sandals, beat the time with their hands with the help of castanets, oyster shells, worn on their middle fingers.

During the decline of the Roman Empire, dances and pantomimes turned into immoral spectacles, and were treated with contempt by the honorable citizens of Rome. Cicero and Horace wrote about the dances of the Romans in their treatises.

1.3 Folk dances in Europe from the Middle Ages to the Renaissance

Middle Ages. This era was characterized by a keen sense of fear of death; the image of death, like the devil, is constantly found in medieval symbolism. The image of dancing death arose already in ancient times; the figure of death also appears in the dances of many primitive societies. But it was in the Middle Ages that the image of death turns into a symbol of tremendous power. The "Dance of Death" (danse macabre) was especially widespread in Europe in the 14th century, during periods of the plague. In a social sense, this dance, like death itself, equalized representatives of different classes. During the years of the plague, the "dance of death" often developed into hysterical fun. It usually began with a quick dance; then one of the dancers suddenly fell to the ground, representing the dead, and the rest continued to dance around him, presenting in a parodic way the mourning of the dead. If the dead man was portrayed by a man, he was brought back to life by the kisses of the girls; if a girl, men kissed her. After the “resurrection”, a general round dance followed.

Many stories have come down from the Middle Ages of a manic obsession with dance. During Christian holidays, the people suddenly began to sing and dance at the temples, interfering with the church service taking place in them. These crazy dances were observed in all countries. In Germany, they are called "Dance of St. Witta", and in Italy - "tarantella".

Dance was not only a necessary means of relaxation, but also the main entertainment. Medieval dance was still largely an improvised act. The people loved round dances, but there were no stable dance rules. Dancing was an accepted form of courtship; their performers accompanied the dance with singing; the movements were the simplest. In the XII century. the cult of romantic love and chivalry to a large extent transformed the dance, muffling its frankly erotic features. Dancing was one of the usual activities for a knight and acted as a kind of domestic parallel to outdoor tournaments. Usually the dance was led by one couple, joined by others, slowly moving in a circle; the type of this dance was in many ways reminiscent of the polonaise.

In the late Middle Ages, a difference appears between the court couple dance and the village group dance. In social terms, a rigid watershed did not yet exist. The villagers could imitate the court dance, and the knights sometimes liked to join the rural round dance. The peasants danced with unrestrained spontaneity, the knights danced more strictly, following court etiquette. The folk dance was still improvised, while the court dance became more and more campy. The main form of palace art was the figure dance, where a group of dancers successively formed dance formations.

Of great importance in the development of court dance was the emergence of professional dance teachers, who not only taught the nobility, but also acted as arbitrators in the field of etiquette and manners and usually had a great influence on the atmosphere at court.

Dance was a regular part of religious practices in most major religions, and was common in Christianity until the 13th century. It was considered an adjunct to musical worship, whether vocal or instrumental. Social events and secular celebrations, which were often associated with religious celebrations, also featured dance, as did official ceremonies such as royal visits and coronations. But this physical manifestation of joy and praise was not limited to special occasions. Dancing was also part of everyday life. There are many reports of afternoon dancing and the use of dancing to create a healthy body. This connected dances with military exercises, most of which were done on the feet and required not only physical endurance, but also agility and quick footwork.

In the Renaissance, everyday dance acquires great importance. Not only balls, evenings, but also magnificent street festivities, sometimes reaching extraordinary brightness and splendor, cannot do without it. In the palace halls of the Italian nobles, theatrical interludes with songs and dances are arranged. Dancing forms the basis of these sumptuous spectacles.

The development of theatrical dance during the Renaissance is associated mainly with Northern Italy, although a little later, when the dance spread throughout Europe, the French courts became the source of its exquisite stylization and baroque beauty. The rulers of the Italian city-states paid more and more attention to magnificent spectacles. A set of dance techniques gradually developed with a number of mandatory rules. The lively rural dance did not suit the ladies of the court and gentlemen. Their clothes, like the halls or gardens in which they danced, the very structure of their thoughts absolutely did not allow for unorganized movement. To restore order and strengthen discipline, there were special dance masters for whom the dance was the embodiment of restraint and sophistication. There was nothing “popular” left in him now; the dance became more and more theatrical. Professional dance masters rehearsed individual pas and figures with the nobles in advance and directed the movements of groups of dancers, while other courtiers were spectators.

Development musical art in the Renaissance was closely connected with the development of dance, since almost all major composers focused on dance in their compositions.

Masquerades, momerias and carnival processions, favorite entertainments in the Middle Ages, especially spread during the Renaissance. Most of all, during the Renaissance, they were fond of masquerades, that is, masked dances, and masks were of particular importance in this era. People who wished to remain incognito traveled in masks; representatives of the warring noble families hid their faces under masks. The most striking example is Romeo, who entered the Capulet ball (Shakespeare's tragedy "Romeo and Juliet").

Carnivals also made a great contribution to dance as a public entertainment. The most magnificent of them were the so-called triumphs - performances on mythological subjects with skillfully executed scenery. Somewhat more modest were the curries, the masquerades of artisans and merchants in Italian cities, where crowds of masked people marched behind the decorative symbols of their professions.

Varieties of medieval dance.

Bass dance - from fr. basse danse - "low dance" - the general name of the sliding "jumpless dances" of the 16th century; they first appeared at the Burgundian court. "Low dance" - contrasted with "high dance" (danse haute), which is characterized by high jumps and bouncing. Bass dance was a ceremonial dance similar to a polonaise, i.e. connected more with walking than with dancing as such. Bass dance is considered the forerunner of estampi. The dance could be performed both in two-part (usually) and in three-part meter. The bass dance consisted of three parts: the bass dance itself, its repetition and the tordion - a skipping dance. The bass dance disappeared in the 16th century, supplanted by the pavane.

Estampie (estampie), or estampida - a medieval instrumental form and dance from Provence. Medieval authors mention a stantype, possibly a Latinized name for an estampida. Each stantype consisted of a series of "dots" (puncti): each punctum (dot) consisted of two parts with identical beginnings (apertum) and different endings (clausum). An addition to the stantype was the ductia, which also consisted of “dots”, under which they danced. Estampi can be considered one of the main dances of the Middle Ages.

Saltarello is an energetic Italian dance in a fast tempo, in three-part, sometimes two-part meter. The name comes from saltare - "to jump". Saltarello was especially common in the 16th-17th centuries, but it is found in English and Italian manuscripts as early as the 14th century. In the XVI century. saltarello was paired with bass dance and passamezzo (after them). Today the saltarello is danced in Italy and Spain in the same way as the tarantella.

Moresca (morisco) is a pantomimic dance known since the early Middle Ages. The dancers, in keeping with the strongly romanticized notion of the Moors, wore grotesque costumes with bells at the ankles; the music was dominated by dotted rhythms and exotic timbres. Often the faces of one or more of the dancers were painted black. In Europe, the dance spread to those regions where there was contact between Muslims and Christians. The European sea originates in Spain, where it is mentioned already in the 15th century.

Courante is a dance in two-part meter, originally pantomimic, known since the 16th century. Gradually, the chime acquired a three-part meter and in the 17th century. began to be performed in tandem with the allemande (after it). A characteristic feature of the chimes of the XVII century. are frequent changes in meter from 3/2 to 6/4 and back, which corresponded to the alternation of the two main dance figures - pas de courante and pas de coupe.

Gigue is an English dance popular in the 16th century. The name comes either from the Old French word giguer ("to dance"), or from the Old English word giga (folk fiddle). At first the gigue was in 4/4 time, later gigi were composed in 6/8 time with punctuated eighth notes.

Pavane - the dance that opened the balls of the 16th-17th centuries, in a two-part (sometimes in a three-part) size, which was a slow, stately procession. Pavana comes from Spain, its name is associated with the word pavo ("peacock"); perhaps the pavane is a late form of bass dancing. In the 17th century the pavane was usually followed by a fast, leaping galliard. In Italy and Germany, padovana (from the name of the Italian city of Padua) often acted as a synonym for pavanes. German composers in the period after 1600 wrote solemn, magnificent compositions, which they called "pawans". Pavanes were also composed by the English madrigalists W. Byrd, J. Bull, O. Gibbons and J. Dowland.

Galliarda is a cheerful, lively dance of the 16th-17th centuries, at first quite fast, later performed at a more restrained pace, in triple meter. Originally a two-part, the galliard then changed its meter and became a "pair" to the pavane or passamezzo (performed after them). Galliard was one of the favorite European dances of the 17th century.

Branle is a generic name for dances of the 16th-17th centuries. There were different versions of the branle in different provinces of France - Burgundy, Poitou, Champagne, Picardy, Lorraine, Aubara, Brittany. In the XV century. branle completed the bass dance, in the XVI-XVII centuries. became an independent dance, the varieties of which were combined into suites. The order of parts in the branle suite is as follows: branle double, branle simple, branle cheerful, montirande and gavotte; the order may change, but the gavotte always comes at the end. Branle was often included in baroque ballets, even when the dance itself had already fallen into disuse.

Bergamasque - dance of the XVI-XVII centuries. in size 2/4 or 4/4, came from the Italian city of Bergamo. Shakespeare mentions the bergamasque in A Midsummer Night's Dream, so this dance was already known in England in the 16th century. In the manuscripts of that time, the bergamask has a specific melody, which is often a basso ostinato (i.e. constantly repeating bass) with variations.

Chaconne is a Spanish dance of the 16th-18th centuries, close to the passacaglia. According to the descriptions of the authors of the 16th and 17th centuries, the dance came to Spain from the West Indies. In its original form, sensual and temperamental, the chaconne in the 17th century. turned into a slow stately dance, musically - with a variational development based on basso ostinato.

Allemande - from fr. allemand - "German" - a dance of the 16th-18th centuries, as its name implies - of German origin. Like the pavane, the allemande is a moderate tempo dance in two beats. This calm dance was usually followed by a lively three-beat chime.

In the Renaissance, secular entertainment, drop by drop, becomes more sophisticated and sophisticated for everyone who is not lazy. Elements of theater and dance penetrated into both old and young spheres of life of the feudal lords - sometimes feasts in castles resembled a theatrical performance: in the middle of serving individual dishes, invited artists and musicians played small dance and pantomime scenes in front of the guests, sang arias and played musical instruments. By the 15th century, the dances had changed a little - they became more complicated, became stronger, faster and more mobile, today jumps and even light lifts were performed - sooner or later a lady with the help of a cavalier rose into the air. Many new dances appeared, each had certain movements (pa). Moreover, it was necessary to know them - both dances and movements - in the same way as the rules of etiquette.

Thus the dance developed into what we call ballet or classical dance. Let's take a closer look at his story.

2. The era of ballet abroad and in Russia

2.1 Ballet in the West

In the fifteenth century, at the very end of the Middle Ages, there was an interest in culture in ancient greece, which led to such a thing as the Renaissance. During the Renaissance, priorities changed in cultural life, and dancers were associated with ideal people. Ballet was born, like the Renaissance itself in Italy. The very name "ballet" is also closely related to Italy, because ballo means dance. Performances were staged in the palaces for the local nobility, and the dancers adorned this theatrical performance. At the earliest stages of the ballet, at the end of the performance, the audience took part. Of course, compared to contemporary ballet, during the medieval period, the choreography was much weaker. The main movements consisted of steps based on court dances. This is also explained by the fact that there were very few people who could be considered choreographers.

Thanks to Catherine de Medici, an Italian who married the French King Henry II, the art of ballet began to spread beyond Italy. She fully supported and financed the production of dance performances. Basically, performances were staged on well-known state events, for example, the arrival of Polish ambassadors. Later, the ballet was fully supported by the French and Italian monarchs, and special theaters began to be created to perform for money in front of ordinary spectators.

At the beginning, it was like a dance scene united by a single action or mood, an episode in a musical performance, an opera. Borrowed from Italy, the court ballet flourishes in France as a magnificent solemn spectacle. The beginning of the ballet era in France and throughout the world should be considered October 15, 1581, when a spectacle was presented at the French court, which is considered to be the first ballet - “The Comedy Ballet of the Queen” (or “Cerce”), staged by an Italian violinist, “chief intendant Music" by Baltasarini de Belgioso. The musical basis of the first ballets was court dances, which were part of the old suite. In the second half of the 17th century, new theatrical genres appeared, such as comedy-ballet, opera-ballet, in which a significant place is given to ballet music, and attempts are made to dramatize it. But ballet becomes an independent type of stage art only in the second half of the 18th century thanks to the reforms carried out by the French choreographer Jean Georges Noverre (his work “Letters on Dance” is especially important). Based on the aesthetics of the French Enlightenment, he created performances in which the content is revealed in a dramatic way. expressive images, approved the active role of music as "a program that determines the movements and actions of the dancer."

The founder, progenitor of the ballet was also Louis XIV, the Sun King, who loved dancing. At the age of twelve (1651) he made his debut in the so-called "ballets de cour" - court ballets, which were staged annually during the carnival.

The carnival of the Baroque era is not just a holiday and entertainment, but an opportunity to play in the “inverted world”. For example, the king for several hours became a jester, an artist or a buffoon, at the same time, the jester could well afford to appear in the form of a king. In one of the ballet performances, which was called "The Ballet of the Night", young Louis had the opportunity to appear for the first time before his subjects in the form of the Rising Sun (1653), and then Apollo - the Sun God (1654).

When Louis XIV began to rule independently (1661), the court ballet genre was put at the service of state interests, helping the king not only create his representative image, but also manage the court society (however, like other arts). The roles in these productions were distributed only by the king and his friend, the Comte de Saint-Aignan.

In 1661, Louis XIV founded the first ballet school in the world, the Royal Academy of Dance. The head of the school was Lully, who determined the development of ballet for the next century. Since Lully was a composer, he decided the dependence of dance movements on the construction of musical phrases, and the nature of dance movements - on the nature of the music. In collaboration with Molière and Pierre Beauchamp - the dance teacher of Louis XIV - the theoretical and practical foundations were created ballet art. Pierre Beauchamp began to create the terminology of classical dance. To this day, the terms for designating and describing the main ballet positions and combinations are used in French.

The further development and flourishing of ballet falls on the era of romanticism. Back in the 30s of the XVIII century. The French ballerina Camargo shortened her skirt and abandoned the heels, which allowed her to introduce slippers into her dance. By the end of the XVIII century. the ballet costume becomes much lighter and freer, which to a large extent contributes to the rapid development of dance technique. The dramatization of ballet required the development of ballet music. Beethoven, in his ballet The Creations of Prometheus (1801), made the first attempt at symphonizing a ballet. The romantic direction is established in Adam's ballets Giselle (1841) and Le Corsaire (1856). Delibes' ballets Coppelia (1870) and Sylvia (1876) are considered the first symphonic ballets. At the same time, a simplified approach to ballet music was also outlined (in the ballets of C. Pugna, L. Minkus, R. Drigo, etc.), as melodic music, clear in rhythm, serving only as an accompaniment to dance.

At the end of the 18th century, a new trend in art was born - romanticism, which had a strong influence on ballet. Trying to make their dance more airy, the performers tried to stand on their fingertips, which led to the invention of pointe shoes. In the future, the finger technique of female dance is actively developing. The first to use pointe dance as a means of expression was Maria Taglioni. The dancer abandoned the heavy outfits inherent in ballet, wigs and makeup, dancing only in a modest light dress. In the Paris Grand Opera in March 1832, the premiere of the ballet Sylphide took place, which marked the beginning of the era of ballet romanticism. It was then that Taglioni introduced a ballet tutu and pointe shoes. Before Maria, pretty ballerinas conquered the audience with their virtuoso dance technique and feminine charm. Taglioni, by no means a beauty, created a new type of ballerina - spiritual and mysterious. In La Sylphide, she embodied the image of an unearthly being, personifying an ideal, an unattainable dream of beauty. In a flowing white dress, taking off in light jumps and freezing at her fingertips, Taglioni became the first ballerina to use pointe shoes and make them an integral part of classical ballet. At this time, many wonderful ballets appeared, but, unfortunately, romantic ballet became last period flourishing dance art in the West. From the second half of XIX century ballet, having lost its former meaning, has become an appendage to the opera. Only in the 1930s, under the influence of Russian ballet, did the revival of this art form begin in Europe.

2.2 Russian ballet

Undoubtedly, Russian ballet will remain in history for centuries. It is replete with dance geniuses, ballet classics, choreographers, and neo-classical, modern, but this is not the topic of our work, so let's highlight major events who developed the Russian "classics" and promoted it to the world.

The first ballet performance in Russia, according to I. E. Zabelin, took place on Shrovetide February 17, 1672 at the court of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich in Preobrazhensky. Reitenfels dates this performance to February 8, 1675. The production of the ballet about Orpheus by the composer G. Schutz was directed by Nikolai Lima. Before the start of the performance, an actor portraying Orpheus came on stage and sang German couplets, translated to the tsar by an interpreter, in which the beautiful properties of the soul of Alexei Mikhailovich were extolled. At this time, on both sides of Orpheus, there were two pyramids decorated with banners and illuminated with multi-colored lights, which, after the song of Orpheus, began to dance.

Later, by special decree of Emperor Peter the Great, dancing became an integral part of court etiquette. In the 1730s in St. Petersburg, at the court of Anna Ivanovna, regular performances of opera and ballet performances were arranged. Dance scenes in operas were choreographed by J. B. Lande and A. Rinaldi (nicknamed Fossano). Noble youth were obliged to learn dancing, so in St. Petersburg, ballroom dancing became a mandatory discipline in the gentry cadet corps. With the opening of the summer theater in the Summer Garden, and the winter theater in the wing of the Winter Palace, the cadets begin to participate in ballet dances. The dance instructor in the building was Jean-Baptiste Landet. He was well aware that the nobles would not devote themselves to ballet art in the future, although they danced in ballets along with professionals. Lande, like no one else, saw the need for a Russian ballet theater. In September 1737, he filed a petition in which he managed to justify the need to create a new special school where girls and boys of simple origin would study choreographic art. Soon such permission was given. So in 1738 the first ballet dance school in Russia was opened (now the A. Ya. Vaganova Academy of Russian Ballet). Twelve girls and twelve slender young men were selected from the palace servants, whom Lande began to teach. From 1743 former students Lande begin to pay salaries as ballet dancers. The school very quickly managed to give the Russian stage excellent corps de ballet dancers and excellent soloists. The names of the best students of the first set remained in history: Aksinya Sergeeva, Avdotya Timofeeva, Elizaveta Zorina, Afanasy Toporkov, Andrey Nesterov.

At the beginning of the 19th century, Russian ballet art reached its creative maturity. Russian dancers brought expressiveness and spirituality to the dance.

Ballet at that time took a privileged position among other types of theatrical art. In the history of our ballet theater often there are names of foreign masters who played a significant role in the development of Russian ballet. First of all, these are Charles Didelot, Arthur Saint-Leon and Marius Petipa. They helped create the Russian ballet school. But talented Russian artists also made it possible to reveal the talents of their teachers. This invariably attracted the largest choreographers of Europe to Moscow and St. Petersburg. Nowhere in the world could they meet such a large, talented and well-trained troupe as in Russia. In the middle of the 19th century, realism came to Russian literature and art. Choreographers feverishly, but to no avail, tried to create realistic performances. They did not take into account that ballet is a conditional art and realism in ballet differs significantly from realism in painting and literature. The crisis of ballet art began. The content of the performances was primitive, uncomplicated plots served only as an excuse for spectacular dances in which the artists demonstrated their skills. For the dancers, the main thing was the refinement of the form and technique of classical dance, and in this they achieved virtuosity. A new stage in the history of Russian ballet began when the great Russian composer P. Tchaikovsky first composed music for the ballet. It was " Swan Lake". Prior to that, ballet music was not taken seriously. She was considered the lowest form of musical creativity, just an accompaniment to dancing. Thanks to Tchaikovsky, ballet music became a serious art along with opera and symphonic music. Previously, music was completely dependent on dance, now dance had to obey music. New means of expression and a new approach to creating a performance were required. The further development of Russian ballet is connected with the name of the Moscow choreographer A. Gorsky, who, having abandoned the outdated techniques of pantomime, used the techniques of modern directing in a ballet performance. Attaching great importance to the pictorial design of the performance, he attracted the best artists to work. But the true reformer of ballet art is Mikhail Fokin, who rebelled against the traditional construction of a ballet performance. He argued that the theme of the performance, its music, the era in which the action takes place, each time require different dance movements, a different dance pattern. When staging the ballet "Egyptian Nights" Fokine was inspired by the poetry of V. Bryusov and ancient Egyptian drawings, and the images of the ballet "Petrushka" were inspired by the poetry of A. Blok. In the ballet Daphnis and Chloe, he abandoned pointe dancing and, in free, plastic movements, revived antique frescoes. His "Chopiniana" revived the atmosphere of romantic ballet.

...

Similar Documents

The history of the appearance and evolution of court ballroom dance: polonaise, quadrille, gallop, pas de patiner ("modern polka"), pas de Grace, chaconne, cotillion. Exploring the history of ballroom dancing in the 20th century: European and Latin American ballroom dancing.

term paper, added 10/27/2010

The history of the development of dance as a very special kind of art. Dance is one of the most effective forms of magical (sacred) ritual. Magic dance yesterday and today, poses and positions. Symbolism of the dance. Basic provisions and concepts. History of belly dance.

abstract, added 04/28/2011

The history of the creation of the Georgian Folk Dance Ensemble. Evolution and reform of Georgian dance, national character ballet. Georgian Folk Dance Ensemble at the present stage. Ensemble folk song and dance "Erissini", Georgian polyphonic melodies.

abstract, added 07/12/2010

Definition of dance, its directions and types. a brief description of the creative path of the ballet dancer Igor Moiseev. Folk stage dances. The specificity of the choreographic display of reality. The role of magic dance in the education of academicism in children.

abstract, added 04/08/2009

The origin of oriental dance as the fusion of the human body with music. Comparative evaluation of different styles of belly dance: Egyptian, Lebanese, Turkish, Persian, Arabic, Greek, American. Performing a dance with a scarf, cymbals and sabers.

test, added 04/28/2012

Background and reasons for the emergence of ballroom dance in Russia, its development on Russian soil. Modern ballroom dance as a synthesis of sport and art. Features of the teacher's work with different categories of students. The influence of dance on personality development.

term paper, added 06/25/2011

Jazz as an artistic phenomenon. The development of jazz dances in the 30-50s. XX century. The main varieties of jazz dance. The development of jazz in the 60s. The emergence of jazz modern dance. Importance of improvisation in jazz dance. Essence and features of jazz dance technique.

abstract, added 05/16/2012

Classical, folk, characteristic, historical and everyday, ballroom and variety dances. Origins of modern Russian ballet. Professionalization of Russian folk dance. The emergence of theatrical dance in Russia. The beginning of choreographic education in Russia.

abstract, added 04/20/2015

Ballet and varieties of stage dance. Creation of a choreographic image on stage. Dance techniques and styles of the XX-beginning of the XXI centuries, formed on the basis of American and European dance Modern and dance Postmodern. Free plastic dance.

presentation, added 10/16/2014

Shaman dance as a prerequisite for the emergence of Altai dance, the history of its development. The role of folklore groups in broadcasting national traditions. Dance Theater "Altam" as the first professional group of choreographic art of the Republic of Altai.

v. Staroyurevo

INTRODUCTION

The relevance of research

Dancing is one of the most beautiful art forms. This is an expression of emotions, feelings, thoughts, a story about what is happening, the past and the future with the help of music, plasticity, gestures, rhythmic movements. Each time period has its own musical culture which gives rise to new types of dance. Each dance can be called modern, but for its time.

In our age of urbanization and the latest technologies, the rhythm of human life has changed. We rush along it at the speed of an express train, trying to be in time everywhere. Along with humanity, the style of dance art is also changing - the smooth and unhurried waltz melodies are being replaced by jazz syncopations. Without detracting from the importance of classical and folk dance, modern teenagers choose the ragged rhythms of street dances, since it is this music that is close to their rebellious spirit of youth, it is she who liberates and frees thoughts and feelings, giving rise to a free, universal dance that has no standards. Although this music is strange and incomprehensible to the older generation, modern dance, which often represents a mixture of different techniques, styles and trends, is gaining more and more sympathy among people of the 21st century.

Adolescence is a time of "trial and error", a time to search for "yourself", a time for self-realization, experiments with appearance and relationships. Through the art of modern dance, the child expresses his feelings and emotions, which are difficult to say out loud. For the younger generation, modern choreography becomes the personification of the rapid movement of time.

Research novelty

Just a decade ago, the art of modern dance in the Tambov region was practically unknown. However, now it is of interest not only to performing groups, but also to the broad masses of the population. The novelty of the work is to trace the stages of the creation of the modern dance theater in the Tambov region, to establish the significance of the penetration of new styles into the dance culture.

Objective: study of the development of the art of contemporary dance in the Tambov region.

Work tasks:

To form an idea of the historical roots of dance art;

To study the history of the emergence of the direction "modern" in the choreographic art;

Get acquainted with dance groups - the founders of modern dance in the Tambov region;

To identify the influence of modern dance art on the physical, emotional and cultural development of students.

Hypothesis: the appearance of dance groups and modern dance studios in the Tambov region expanded the scope of the choreographic culture of youth.

Location of the study: Tambov, Staroyurievsky district.

MAIN PART

Research methods

During the creation research work the following methods were used:

Working with information sources (popular science, reference literature, memoirs, personal archives, Internet resources, etc.);

Questioning, survey;

Analysis and processing of the obtained results.

The history of the emergence of dance as an art

The origins of dance art lie in ancient times. Evidence of this is the rock paintings depicting dancing figures, created presumably in the Neolithic period (8 - 5 thousand years BC).

For a man of primitive society, dance was a way of thinking and living. In dances depicting animals, hunting techniques are practiced; the dance expresses prayers for fertility, rain and other urgent needs of the tribe. Love, work and ritual are embodied in dance movements. Deeply perceiving the rhythms of nature, people of primitive society could not but imitate them in their dances.

The dances of the ancient Greeks can be divided into sacred (ceremonial, ritual), military, stage, social and domestic. Approximately the same character dances were among other peoples.

The stage dances of the ancient Greeks were part of theatrical performances, and each genre had its own dances. During the dances, the performers beat the time with their feet, for this they put on special wooden or iron sandals, sometimes they beat the time with their hands with the help of peculiar castanets - oyster shells, put on their middle fingers.

Public dances accompanied family and personal celebrations, city and national holidays. Dances were domestic, urban, rural. They were diverse in subject and compositional drawing, in the composition of the performers. It was social dances that had a great influence on the emergence of stage dance.

The stern Roman warriors of the first centuries of our era especially loved the martial dance in memory of the abduction of the Sabine women. According to legend, it was introduced by Romulus. There were also dances of the priests, glorifying the gods, they looked more like a solemn procession.

Medieval dance was still largely an improvised act. The people loved round dances, but there were no stable dance rules. Dancing was an accepted form of courtship; their performers accompanied the dance with singing; the movements were the simplest. In the late Middle Ages, a difference appears between the court couple dance and the village group dance. The folk dance was still improvised, while the court dance became more and more campy. The main form of palace art was the figure dance, where a group of dancers successively formed dance formations.

Masquerades and carnival processions, favorite entertainments in the Middle Ages, especially spread during the Renaissance (15th-16th centuries). The dances have changed a little - they have become more complicated, they have become stronger, faster and more mobile, today jumps and even light lifts were performed - sooner or later a lady with the help of a gentleman rose into the air. Many new dances appeared, each had certain movements (pa). Moreover, it was necessary to know them - both dances and movements - in the same way as the rules of etiquette.

In the 17th century, the concept of folk dance arose. Folk dance - a dance that is performed in its natural environment and has certain movements, rhythms, and costumes traditional for the area. The Mazurka, with its characteristic triplets, embodies the Polish character, while the polka, with its abrupt rhythm, embodies the spirit of the Czech people. Czardas, consisting of two parts - a slow circular dance of men and a fiery pair dance - corresponds to the general idea of the Hungarian character, with its unaccountable longing and violent passions.

Folklore motifs often play a big role in ballet. Since the 1940s, a craze for authentic, ethnographically authentic dance folklore began to spread. There are many professional dance troupes that have achieved international fame by showcasing the stage forms of folk dances, such as the Igor Moiseev Russian Folk Dance Ensemble, Ensemble Ukrainian dance, the ensemble "Birch", etc.

Ballet, the highest stage of choreography, in which the art of dancing rises to the level of a musical stage performance, emerged as an aristocratic court art much later than dance. The term "ballet" appeared in Renaissance Italy in the 16th century and meant not a performance, but a dance episode. Ballet is a synthetic art in which dance is the main expressive means of ballet, closely connected with music, with the dramatic basis - the libretto, with scenography, with the work of a costume designer, lighting designer, etc.

"Modern" - modern dance

The direction of modern dance is entirely the brainchild of the 20th century. In literal translation, modern dance is modern dance. Unlike jazz or classical dance, the direction of modern dance was created on the basis of the creativity of a particular person.

In modern dances, the performer's attempt to build a connection between the dance form and his inner state is essential. Most modern dance styles have been shaped by some clearly stated philosophy or vision of the world.

The founders of Art Nouveau are Isadora Duncan, Martha Graham, Merce Cunningham. All of them had an extremely negative attitude towards ballet. Isidora Duncan thought it was ugly, pointless gymnastics. Martha Graham saw in him Europeanism and imperialism, which have nothing in common with the Americans. Merce Cunningham, despite using some of the basics of ballet technique in his teaching, approached choreography and performance from a position directly opposite to traditional ballet.

By the eighties of the 20th century, classical dance returned to its starting point, and modern dance (by this time already contemporary dance) became a highly technical weapon for professionals. Today, dance art is imbued with creative competition, and choreographers often strive to ensure that their work is called the most shocking. However, there is still beauty in art, and the dance of modernity amazes with such professionalism, strength and flexibility, which have never been before.

artistic feature jazz dance - the perfect freedom of movement of the entire body of the dancer and individual parts of the body, both horizontally and vertically of the stage space. Jazz dance is, first of all, the embodiment of the dancer's emotions, it is a dance of sensations.

Jazz dance developed from the dances of African tribes. Jazz dance was brought to America by slaves from Africa in the 17th and 18th centuries. Once in America, they quickly restored their holidays and customs and adapted: instead of drums, they used clapping their hands and beating out the rhythm with their feet. For several centuries, there was a merger of two cultures, African and American, and as a result a unique incendiary dance arose.

In the XIX century. street performances developed, including songs and dances to jazz music. At first, such performances were given only by black dancers for black spectators. In the 20s. In the 20th century, jazz music and dance gained immense popularity among both blacks and whites and spread to Europe. Professional dancers began to perform on the stage, who brought new techniques to the jazz style and began to teach jazz to others. At the same time, jazz was enriched with elements of European dances.

In the 40-50s. popular music has undergone significant changes, and dance has changed with it. Styles of modern jazz emerged during this period. Today, there are many styles of jazz that dance to different types of music. But all these styles combine energetic and rhythmic movements. Rhythm and coordination are the most important aspects of jazz dance. It often uses the movements of the hips and pelvis, they give the dance a special expressiveness. Isolated movements are main feature dance jazz. With isolated movement, only one part of the body is movable, while the whole body remains stationary or moves in the opposite direction. Like the rotation of the hips, isolated movements emphasize the rhythm of the music. It seems as if the music passes through the body of the dancer.

By the end of the 60s, jazz dance had firmly taken its place in a number of areas of modern choreography, and at the same time the process of merging the main schools of modern choreography began. Jack Cole was the first teacher and choreographer to combine modern and jazz dance techniques in his work. Luigi (Eugene Louis) synthesized the technique of classical dance and jazz. Gus Giordano in 1966 published the first textbook on the technique of modern jazz dance. Gradually increasing interest in modern jazz dance and in Western Europe, American educators conduct the first seminars.

Thus, by the beginning of the 70s, a new phenomenon arose - modern jazz dance. This school has conquered many countries of the world, it allows you to educate the dancer's body in the most comprehensive way. Jazz dance is constantly changing, partly because of that. That dancers can bring their own movements to the dance, and also because jazz is danced to a wide variety of music.

Currently, there are several types of modern jazz.

-Classical Jazz or traditional. These are early forms of jazz dance performed by Africans.

-Afrojazz is an attempt to connect today's jazz with its African ancestor. The difference lies in the fact that African dance carries a large functional load and is not as virtuoso as its current interpretation.

-Broadway Jazz- arose in the 20s, got its name from the name of the street in New York, on which there are many theaters and music halls. It was here that the musical began to develop and its own jazz style and movement technique (simultaneous performance of a vocal and dance part) arose. For virtuoso performance dances in Broadway productions used dancers with a classical school. Jazz acquires the features of a classical form, which becomes one of the ways of its further development. Famous choreographers J. Balanchine, H. Holm. Broadway is a very energetic and emotional style of jazz.

-Step or tap dance. Tap dancing originated in America in the 19th century, its roots lie in the Irish jig and the English rural tap dance - dances of the first settlers. Gradually, European dances mixed with African slaves brought to the USA. The main feature of the tap dance, which is called jazz, is free movement, which makes the dance very graceful and smooth. The European style of tap dance is more like an Irish or English dance, which is danced in wooden shoes (country tap dance). The movements of this style are more springy, and the body of the dancers remains motionless.

- "Soul"(lyric jazz). This name is known among vocalists and in its dance part it is distinguished by a large number of different movements per unit of tempo, performed very softly without visible tension. The movement, with all its complexity, is performed with the maximum stretching of them in time.

-Flash(Flash) - translated from English - flash. This is the most virtuoso and bright direction in jazz dance. All his movements are fast and dynamic. Looking at the performers of this style, you are amazed at their strength endurance and elasticity, the instantaneousness of the transitions of dance steps, the complexity of dance tricks. It seems that the whole body is subordinated to one task - to dance every note and throw maximum energy at the viewer. This style became popular in the late 80s and early 90s. and is the heir to disco, but with an admixture of elements of break - and hip-hop culture.

- "Street Jazz" refers to street dancing. This style originates from jazz-modern dances, to which street dancers "had a hand". Street jazz has undergone the least change. All modern youth trends: break, rap, house and the former twist, Charleston, shake, boogie-woogie and many other one-day dances are the offspring of jazz and its combination with historical and everyday dance.

The history of the dances of the peoples of the West (Europe and countries that were formed by immigrants from Europe) is characterized by great diversity and rather rapid changes. While most Eastern dancers practiced highly sophisticated dance forms that remained virtually unchanged for many centuries or even millennia, Western dancers showed a constant willingness, even aspiration, to adopt new forms and ideas for their dances. Even the earliest references indicate that Western dance has always encompassed a huge variety of communal or ritual dances, and that social dances were used by many different sections of society. It should be noted right away that Western art cannot always be clearly distinguished from “non-Western”. This is especially clear in a number of countries of the former Soviet Union, where some dances are Asian, while others are European in origin and character. This article is devoted to the dance of Western peoples, excluding, where possible, the corresponding influence of other cultures.

From Antiquity to the Renaissance

Before the first written records began to appear, a huge period of time passed, about which scientists can only guess. Rock art in Spain and France, in which dancing figures of people can be clearly distinguished, has led to the hypothesis that religious rites and attempts to influence surrounding events through sympathetic magic were the central motifs of primitive dance. Such assumptions have been partly confirmed by observing the dances of primitive peoples in the modern world, although the connection between ancient people and modern "primitive cultures" is completely denied by many scientists.

If the dances recorded in early written sources developed directly from prehistoric dances, it may be possible to assume that there were prehistoric work dances, war dances, erotic dances and group dances. Today, in the 20th century, one Bavarian-Austrian dance, the Schuplatter, has survived, which, according to historians, dates back to the Neolithic, that is, from about 3000 BC.

Dance in the ancient world

There are many written records of dances in the civilizations of Egypt, Greece and neighboring islands, as well as Rome. In addition, one can single out the ancient Jewish dance, about which a lot is already known today. In Egypt, formalized rituals and ritual dances were practiced, in which the priest symbolized the god. These dances, which were the culmination of a ceremony representing the death and rebirth of the god Osiris, became more and more elaborate, and eventually could only be performed by specially trained dancers.

Also from Egypt, the earliest written evidence of dances has come down to modern times. These records speak of a class of professional dancers who were originally "imported" from Africa to entertain wealthy people during their leisure hours and also to perform at religious and funeral festivities. These dancers were considered highly valuable "acquisitions", especially the dwarf dancers who became known for their skill. One of the pharaohs, after his death, was honored with the performance of the “dance of the dwarf god”, and Pharaoh Neferkare (3rd millennium BC) instructed one of his associates to bring “a dancing dwarf from the Land of Spirits” to his court.

Today, scientists suggest that the famous belly dance, which is performed today by dancers from the Middle East, is actually of African origin. Back in the 4th century BC. in Egyptian Memphis, a pair dance was described in detail, somewhat similar to the rumba, which had a clearly expressed erotic character. The Egyptians also knew acrobatic staged dances, similar to modern adagio dances. They also stood out for their sensuality and attracted people with the graceful movements of scantily clad dancers. A painting from the tomb of Sheikh Abdul-Qurn (which is currently on display in british museum) shows the dancers wearing only bracelets and sashes, apparently intended to enhance their attractiveness.

Soon the dances in Egypt began to develop and become more varied and complex. In addition to their own temple dance rituals and pygmy dancers brought in from the headwaters of the Nile, there also appeared Hindu dances of girls from conquered countries in the east. These new dances no longer had the characteristic sweeping movements of men or the rigid, angular postures found in many Egyptian stone reliefs. Their movements were soft and smooth, without sharp inclinations. These Asian girls brought a feminine style to Egyptian dances.

Dance in classical Greece

Many Egyptian influences can be found in Greek dance. Some came to Greece through Cretan culture, others through Greek philosophers who went to study in Egypt. The philosopher Plato (c. 428 - 348 BC) was one such person and it was he who became an influential dance theorist. According to his teachings, dances differed from awkward movements like convulsions in that they emphasized the beauty of the body. The dances of the Egyptian cult of the sacred Apis bull later found their embodiment in the Cretan bull dance around 1400 BC. It was he who inspired the creation of dances in the labyrinth, which, according to legend, Theseus brought to Athens upon his return with the boys and girls freed from the labyrinth.

Another form of dance that originated in Crete and flourished in Greece was the pyrrhic dance with weapons. It was practiced in Sparta as part of military training, and was also the basis for the assertion of the philosopher Socrates that the best dancer is best warrior. Other group dances that came to Athens from Crete included two dances dedicated to Apollo and a dance in which naked boys imitated wrestling. Women's dignity was emphasized by the majestic and pious round dance in honor of the gods, which was performed by girls.

Numerous vases, paintings and sculptural reliefs have helped modern scholars prove that an ecstatic dance existed in Greece, associated with the cult of Dionysus. It was performed at the festival of "sacred madness" during the autumn grape harvest. In his drama The Bacchae, Euripides (c. 480-406 BC) described the rampage of Greek women called Bacchae or Maenads. In this dance, they circled frantically and rhythmically minted steps, falling into a trance. Such dances were a manifestation of possession, which was a characteristic of many primitive dances.

The Dionysian cult led to the creation of Greek drama. After the women, men dressed in masks of depraved satyrs entered the dance. Gradually, the priest, singing the life, death and return of Dionysus, while his minions immediately portrayed his words with dances and pantomime, became a real actor. The scope of the dance slowly expanded to include objects and characters taken from Homeric legends. A second actor and chorus were also added. In lyrical interludes between plays, dancers recreated dramatic themes through movements adopted from earlier ritual and Bacchic dances. In comedies, the very popular “kordaks” was performed - a masked dance, which was famous for its debauchery. In tragedies, the choir performed "emmeleya" - a sedate dance accompanied by playing the flute.

These dances and plays were performed by experienced amateurs. However, at the end of the 5th century BC, a special class of dancers, acrobats and jugglers arose, in which the women belonged to the "hetaray" or courtesans. Just as they used to do in Egypt, they entertained guests at feasts and banquets. The historian Xenophon (ca. 430-355 BC) in his Symposium tells of the praise Socrates lavished on the dancer and dancing boy. Elsewhere, Xenophon describes a dance representing the union of the legendary heroine Ariadne with Dionysus, an early example of narrative dance.

Dance in Ancient Rome

There was a significant difference between the Etruscans and the Romans in their approach to dance. Today, little is known about the Etruscans, who inhabited the area north of Rome to Florence and flourished between the 7th and 5th centuries BC. But thanks to the fact that their tombs were found, on the walls of which numerous paintings were found, it became obvious that dance played an important role in how the Etruscans enjoyed life. In these frescoes, paintings of Etruscan women were found performing funeral dances in chains, as well as lively, energetic couple dances. All these dances were performed in public places without masks and had the character of courtship.

The Romans, by contrast, had a different attitude towards dance, which reflected their sober rationalism and realism. However, the Romans did not completely succumb to the temptations of dance. Before 200 BC dancing in Ancient Rome performed only in the form of choral processions. They were attended by whole processions led by the high priests of the Salii, the priestly college of the priests of Mars and Quirinus, who walked in a circle, rhythmically striking their shields. Dance was an important part of Roman festivals - during the Lupercalia and Saturnalia celebrations, wild group dances were performed, which were the forerunners of late European carnival.

Later, Greek and Etruscan influences began to spread in Rome, although the Roman nobility considered people who were seen dancing as suspicious, feminine, and even dangerous. One government official literally could not believe his eyes when he saw dozens of daughters and sons of respected Roman patricians and citizens quite enjoy their leisure time at the dance school. Around 150 BC all dance schools were closed, but the dancing was unstoppable. And although dancing may have been alien to the inner nature of the Romans, in subsequent years, more and more dancers and dance teachers began to be brought from other countries. The statesman and scholar Cicero (106-43 BC) summed up the general opinion of the Romans when he once declared that no one would dance until he had gone mad.

The most popular form of dance during the reign of Emperor Augustus (63 BC - 14 AD) was wordless showy pantomime, which conveyed dramatic scenes through stylized gestures. The performers known as pantomimes were first thought to be foreign language interpreters as they came from Greece. They constantly improved their art, and the two mime dancers Batillus and Pylades became real star performers during the August Rome. The stylized performance of the dancers, who wore masks corresponding to the theme of their dance, was accompanied by the playing of musicians playing flutes, horns and percussion instruments, as well as the singing of a choir that sang about what was happening on stage between dance episodes.

Source Wikipedia and 4dancing.ru

Women's Portal Flero

Send your good work in the knowledge base is simple. Use the form below

Similar Documents

Dance in the ancient world

Dance in classical Greece

Dance in Ancient Rome

RELATED ARTICLES