Among the plentiful forms of art, dance occupies a special place due to its inspirational characteristics, its impressiveness, and its outstanding ability to impact people’s mood both when participating and contemplating. Whatever dance style you take, you are sure to find passion, grace, and excitement. Whether you prefer traditional or contemporary dance, each form is capable of adding some enthusiasm and evoking positive emotions. Dancing dates back to many centuries ago, and it has been developing and transforming ever since to produce the powerful effect on the audiences at all times.
Ballet Dance
Ballet originated in Italy at the beginning of the sixteenth century and was soon presented in France (Nedvigin, 2016). In the beginning, dancers used to wear a lot of garments and massive accessories and had heels on their footwear. Such costumes made the movement problematic, and the dance consisted of “small hops, slides, curtsies, promenades and gentle turns” (Nedvigin, 2016, para. 2). The terminology was coined in French over the following century. Ballet was constantly developing, and by the middle of the nineteenth century, it reached enormous popularity in Russia, which became the dominant dance center. Dance on toe gained recognition in the first part of the 1800s, and at first only women performed in this way (Nedvigin, 2016).
The form and line used in ballet dance underline the stage performance and make sure that the main and secondary performers each have their place (Stanwood, 2012). I think that when creating a new dance performance, ballet choreographers and dancers are influenced by the theme of the future show, and they come up with the ways of conveying the theme via their movements and suitable music.
Since ballet shows are lengthy, they are able to develop a complete story with its explicit images and themes which undoubtedly encourage the audience to sympathize with the heroes and attentively follow the course of events. The tenderness of ballet movements always makes me feel positive and inspired.
Jazz Dance
Although jazz style is quite different from ballet, they are closely connected. To be proficient in jazz, one needs to have substantial ballet practice since jazz also requires elegance and agility (Bedinghouse, 2016). This style was established in the twentieth century together with urban life and jazz music (Andreu, 2011). Jazz was used as a bridge between the country and city life and it “mirrored the lifestyles” of the people (Andreau, 2011, p. 2). Jazz style has acquired various forms in the course of its development.
The forms and rhythm in jazz dance reflect the people’s desire to feel free and self-contained. The dance’s story and images inspire thoughts of liberty and rebellion. Instead of resting in the positions, the “art of suspension” practiced in jazz requires them to move all the time (Bedinghouse, 2016, para. 5).
I think that jazz performers and choreographers are motivated by the aim to make their dance as dynamic as possible when creating their shows. The movements of jazz dancers evoke in me the feelings of productive action and freedom and always bring positive mood.
Although ballet dance and jazz dance developed with a significant disparity in the time dimension, both these styles have a fantastic influence on the audience. The sense of rhythm and the images presented by these types of dance have always fascinated people. Performing and watching dancing allows people to feel freedom and distraction from their hectic lifestyles, which makes it an essential part of life.
References
Andreu, H. (2011). Jazz dance styles and steps for fun. Bloomington, IN: AuthorHouse.
Bedinghouse, T. (2016). Jazz 101. About. Web.
Nedvigin, G. (2016). A brief history of ballet. Web.
Stanwood, T. (2012). Inside ballet technique. Raleigh, NC: Lulu.