Dancing

There is a lot of things I love to do, but dancing is on of my farvorite things to do. John Says that he loves the way I movie. If he would dance more I bet I would love way he movies to. But any way I have been dancing for a long time. My grandparents help me love to dance. I do all kinds of dancing. I have Jazzed, Taped, Belly, hula Dancing, and Ballet dancing ect I have danced in many form and stiles. I started Dancing when I was little but I do dance very much any more. But I do Drity dance some and john love it and the way I move. Well here is some back ground on the dancing I did.

Ballet:

Ballet is very pretty dancing! You probably have seen ballet on television or in the movies. Perhaps you take ballet lessons or know someone who does. We know that the “t” on the word “ballet” is silent, so we say “ballay.”
Ballet was first performed in Italy in the early 1600's.
In 1661, the first ballet school was opened in France. It was started by Louis XIV, and only men were allowed to dance. Women first danced the ballet in 1681. They did not look like the dancers of today, because they wore ankle-length dresses!
Throughout the beginning years, until 1789, the performers not only danced, but also recited poems and sang songs.
The dance steps taught so long ago in France are still used today. Most steps still have their original French names.
The basic five ballet positions were created in the 1600's by a French ballet teacher whose name was Beauchamps. These arm and leg positions helped the dancers to balance while still looking graceful. Most ballet steps and combinations begin with one of the basic positions.
Some ballet step names and positions, and their English translations are:
“Devant,” which means “in front.”
“Glissade,” which means “to glide.”
“Pas,” which means “step.”
“Pas de chat,” which means “cat step.”
“Pas de deux,” which means “steps for two,” meaning two dancers.
“Pas jete,” which means “throwing step.”
“Releve,” which means “raised.”
“Rond de jambe,” which means “round of the leg.”
“En premiere,” or “first position.”
“En seconde,” for “second position.”
For third, fourth and fifth positions: “en troisieme,” “en quatrieme,” and “en cinquieme.”
All the basic positions require the dancers to “turn out” their legs and feet. This takes years of training and practice.
Much of a ballet dancer’s training takes place at a “barre,” which is the French word for “bar.” The bar is like a wooden pole. It is fastened horizontally to the wall about 38 to 45 inches above the floor. The dancers use the bar in many ways. They place one leg upon the bar, by hooking their heel over it. Then, they can do stretching exercises. Sometimes, they stand with their side toward the bar, and hold the bar with one hand. This helps them to balance as they do “plies,” which are kind of like deep knee bends. Plies (plee-ays) are done with the back held straight.
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The ballet dancers you see on television, movies or at the ballet are usually professionals. The lady dancers, or “ballerinas,” dance on their toes. This is called dancing “en pointe.” A dancer is usually at least 12 years old before she begins to dance en pointe. She then wears “toe shoes,” which are stiff-toed slippers with ribbons that tie around the feet and ankles. Lambs wool is put into the toes of the shoes to cushion the ballerina’s toes. Sometimes a foam pad is also worn on the toes.
For performances, the ballerinas wear “tutus,” which are short, full skirts, often made of netting or satin material. Sometimes, they wear a slightly longer skirt, which flows gracefully as the ballerinas dance.
Ballerinas traditionally wear their hair in a bun, pinned high on the head.
Male dancers, simply called “ballet dancers,” always dance in soft-soled shoes. They do not dance en pointe. The men must be in good shape to be able to lift the ballerinas into the air.
All ballet dancers wear “tights” on their legs. They are like stockings and cover the entire leg.
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Ballet on television is nice. You can also “go to the ballet.”
When you go to the ballet, you will see a story performed to beautiful music. The dancing is done on a stage. There are lovely costumes, interesting lighting and even sound effects!
When you first get to the ballet, you can get a “program.” It will explain what the story is about and who the dancers are. It will also list the “scenes” of the ballet. The scenes are parts of the story. Sometimes, there is an “intermission,” during which you can get up and stretch your legs, go to the restroom or get a drink of water. The intermission also gives the backstage crew time to arrange some new scenery for the ballet.
A ballet usually tells a story. There are some ballets that have been performed many times over many years. Although the story of a particular ballet is the same, the actual dance is probably quite different each place you see it.
For example, “Swan Lake” is a famous ballet that has been performed all over the world. The story is always the same, but when it is done in different places it looks very different because it was “choreographed.” A choreographer is a person who plans each part of the ballet. They decide which steps will be used and how those steps will be put together. So, each time you see a ballet that has been choreographed by a different person, it will be new to you!
You can see “Swan Lake” six times and never be bored!
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You may take ballet lessons, or watch dancers in the movies and on television. Perhaps you will enjoy going to the ballet. Whatever your association with ballet, it is a beautiful, graceful kind of dancing!

Jazz Dance

Jazz dance has two meanings, depending on the era. Both dance forms are related by evolution.
Until the middle of the 1950s, jazz dance in shows meant mostly tap dance, because jazz was the music and tap was the main dance of the era. American "tap dancing" has its roots both in the "Irish" folk dance tradition and in the African dance tradition. Also, during the jazz era, a popular form of jazz dance was Swing dancing and its related dances Cakewalk, Black Bottom, Charleston, Lindy Hop, all forms of dance commonly danced to jazz music.
Another essential root of jazz dance comes from the [African American Vernacular Dance] from the late 1800's up until the mid 1900's. After the 1950's, pioneers such as Kathrine Dunham took the essence of caribbean traditional dance and made it into a performing art.
Since the fifties, with the growing domination of other forms of entertainment music, jazz dance evolved with broadway choregrapher into a new, smooth, modern Broadway style that is taught today and known as Modern Jazz, while tap dance continued to evolve on its own. An early popular "jazz dancer" was vaudeville star Joe Frisco in the 1910's. He danced in a loose-limbed style close to the ground, with eccentric steps, and juggled his derby and cigar.
Jazz dance is a form of dance commonly used in Broadway shows and movies. Jazz is more a contemporary kind of dance as compared to ballet, for instance. Even though jazz dancing might look easy and fun when the dancers do it, the dancers have to be in really good shape, and practice sometimes six hours a day. Some traditional musical jazz numbers are All That Jazz and Chicago.
Both Jazz dance and modern dance techniques are based on the basics of the old ballet tradition, even though both forms where considered to rebellions against it. To excel in jazz dance, the dancer must master ballet techniques. In jazz dancing the movements are big and exaggerated and there is usually an attitude the dancer conveys to the audience. The attitude would depend on the dance. For example in a modern number like Livin' La Vida Loca, the dancer would probably be happy, and look like they were at a party having a really rockin' time. Jazz dancing is also used in modern dancing as on MTV. Las Vegas showgirls are also jazz dancers.
Just about every dance school teaches jazz, as it is the most popular dance form for amateur dancers. The essence of jazz dance is entertainment to the people, a form of dancing which is easy to understand for anyone seeing it. As the famous modern choreographer and pioneer Alvin Ailey said "The dance came from the people, and should always be given back to the people".
Famous jazz directors and choreographers include Bob Fosse, Gus Giordano, Gwen Verdon, Jack Cole, and Eugene Louis Faccuito (also known as Luigi).
Well known Jazz dances include All That Jazz, Can-can, Damn Yankees, The Red Mill.
Jazz dance has appeared in various forms. However, these variations are related by common roots, namely tap, jazz music, and African-American rhythms and dance.
During the Jazz Era, popular forms of jazz dance included:
swing dancing and the related Lindy Hop, Black Bottom, Charleston, and Cakewalk
the performance style popularized by Bob Fosse’s work (e.g. “Chicago,” “Cabaret,” "The Pajama Game")
Jazz has now become an essential part of musical theatre choreography and serves as a base which is easily flavored by and interwoven with the dance style appropriate for the show (e.g. contradancing). Swing dancing and cabaret-style jazz dance thrive in dance schools and clubs and in the theatre.


Tap Dancing
The phrase "tap dance" first appeared in print around 1928. Merriam-Webster defines it two ways, first: A step dance tapped out audibly by means of shoes with hard soles or soles and heels to which taps have been added. The second definition is more interesting: An action or discourse intended to rationalize or distract.
The early slave trade in America resulted in a rhythmic collision of cultures. Slave-holders already fearful of revolt, began to panic when it was discovered that Africans could communicate with each other - over long distances and in code - through the use of drums. All over the South, slave-holders forbid the use of drums and other native instruments in African religious ceremonies. But African-Americans held on to their traditional rhythms by transferring them to their feet. The tapping out of complex rhythmic passages was developed, and a subtle, intricate and vital physical code of expression was born. By the mid-nineteenth century, African-Americans had combined their footwork with Irish and British clogging steps to create a style called "buck and wing." which became Modern Tap Dance

This is just some history on three of my farovite dances. But I love to dance.