World Music and Dance
There is a very long history in music in Spain and it is said to have played a very important role in western music development. Particularly, it has had a very strong effect on the Latin American music. It usually associated with such traditions such as classical guitar and the flamenco however the Spanish music is actually diverse from one region to another. The flamenco is a musical genre from Andalusia in the south of the country. Contrary to this, the music from the north western region mostly revolves around using bagpipes.
In the early fifteen and seventeenth centuries Spain played a very significant role in the aspect of classical music. The composers involved included zarzuela of the Spanish opera, ballet of the Manuel de Falla, Thomas Luis de Victoria and the classical guitar by Peppe Romero. Currently, every place is dominated by the commercial popular music.
The Flamenco Dance is a dance that has its origins in Spain and practiced in Andalusia, South of Spain. This dance is a reflection of romance, fervor and passion of the people and is crafted beautifully with dignity and grace. Flamenco dancers are required to first of all stand still for some time after the music has started. As the dancers get engrossed into the music, the inspiration that comes from absorbing the music makes them to start dancing.
Basically, the Flamenco dance is a physical expression for emotions that are meted out from the song. Flamenco tries to convey meaning of the words by use of movements. The dance is dependent on the personal expressions from the performers which should improve at every moment of the performance. Usually, the dance is performed by duets. The performers look at each other emoting passion, emotions and sexual tensions.
The Flamenco dance is a combination of many cultures. Its inspiration is drawn from Roman, Greek, Jewish and Indian cultures. The form of dance in its proper structure was first introduced in 18th century and gained recognition. In the 19th century, the Flamenco dance form was seen to catch up and currently it is quite popular at parties, social events and weddings. The dance is being performed by the non-gypsies and the gypsies, a long time after it was formed and also far away from its place of birth. The dance has about 50 different dimensions and each of them projects a different mood of an individual. The three major categories of Flamenco dance and music include:
- Grande or the Jondo: This depicts the grief and the lament of people. It is usually based on themes of anguish, despair, death and religion sentiments.
- The Intermedio: This is of less intensity but reflects on nature. Usually, it is accompanied by an oriental cast to music.
- Chico (light or small): Depicts feelings of ribald humor, love and happiness.
The mass media is responsible for bringing the Flamenco dance and music to the world stage, however it has been and will always remain to be an intimate type of music. That is why the an authentic Flamenco are usually experienced in parties that has few people, in the midnight and at a place where there are no other things around apart from a voice, a guitar and the dancers dancing in the moonlight.
Flamenco dance is very well known for its proud carriage, emotional intensity, rhythmic stamping of feet and the expressive use of arms. As with any forms of dance, different styles of the flamenco have come up. In the twentieth century, the most authentic form of flamenco was informally danced at celebrations and weddings in Spain. The Gitano flamenco has few virtuoso techniques even though the steps and music are basically the same. Movements of the arms are different from the classical flamenco where the arms are curved around the body and head instead of extending them with elbow that is bent.
The Flamenco puro has been considered to be the flamenco performance that is closest to the Gitano influences. This dance is performed solo and it is more of an improvisation rather than being choreographed. Most purists frown under castanets however in the 20th century, their faces could be seen as evidenced the photos of the flamenco dancers.
The classical flamenco is most common style that is frequently performed by the Flamenco dance companies that tends to exhibit the characteristics that are derived from Seguidilla which a traditional dance in Spain. It is largely danced in an upright and proud manner. For the women, the back is usually held in marked back bends. Unlike the styles that have more Gitano influence, Classical flamenco has few movements of the hips, the arms are long and the body is tightly held just like the ballet dance.
Actually, most dancers in the classic flamenco have also trained in ballet. Flamenco has gone through an evolution that is as sophisticated as the classical ballet and has been influenced by it and influenced it as it is indicated by the fusion of the two. The modern flamenco has high technical dancing styles that need many years of study. Emphasis for female and male performers is on the fast footwork that is performed with an absolute precision. Additionally, dancers may have to dance using props like shawls, castanets and fans.
Flamenco nuevo is the more recent style that is characterized by the pared down costumes where the men dance with a bare chest and the women in plain dresses. The props like shawls, castanets and fans here are rarely used. The dances have been choreographed and they have influences from the other styles of dance. In the tradition type of flamenco, the young people were not considered to lacking the emotional maturity that is required to convey the soul of that genre. Unlike the other forms of dances where the dancers become professionals very early so as to take advantage of the youthful strength, most of the flamenco dancers hit their peak performances in the thirties and continue to their performances until their fifties and above.
Among the ballroom dancer, the samba is a rhythmical, lively one. It has a relationship with the traditional styles of samba in Brazil even though it is very different from them. Most steps of the ballroom samba can be traced back to Maxixe that was danced in the 1910s. In the year 1928, a book had been published on describing how to perform samba dance. The dance being a ballroom dance, samba is considered a partner dance.
The ballroom samba, more than the other dances of ballroom, it is much disconnected from the evolution and origins of the dance and music that gave it its name. In the ballroom samba, more steps are made with slight dropping action or downward bouncing. The action is created by straightening and bending of the knees with the bending taking place on beats of 1 and 2 with the straightening taking place in between.
Samba has its specific hip actions that are different from those found in the ballroom Latin dance, Cha-Cha-Cha and Rumba. The ballroom samba is performed to music in 4/4 or 2/4 time. It utilizes different patterns of rhythm in its figures with the cross-rhythms becoming a common feature. Ballroom samba is performed under different rhythms that include the original Samba Music. It is possible to perform ballroom samba with zouk, flamenco and other rhythms from South American.
Ballroom dance has become very popular in other countries in the world and the ballroom dance organizations are in the locations like Serbia, Japan, Austria as well as other location in the United States. The impact of globalization on ballroom dance is multi-faceted. Since its inception and the evolving history, it has changed and appropriated traditions so as to market itself as it is possible. The ballroom dance has also played important parts in establishing and maintaining some communal identities.
Music and dances play major role in the life of human beings and their influence is evident. They are important in the expression or culture and life or the communities and also contribute in the transmission of ideas and values from one generation to another. Songs and dances are major forms of entertainment and communication that human beings go through in their daily life. Human beings use songs and dances to express, explore and communicate feelings, ideas and experiences. Every song is language on its own through which individuals symbolically communicating and knowing an experience. They have their own codes, meaning, practice and conventions structures and as such they are mostly used in communicating cultural contexts.
Songs and dances inform, persuade, teach and also provoke thoughts. They have the ability to reinforce and reproduce existing values and ideas, challenge them and even offer news ways of feeling and thinking. They also confirm existing practice and values, and can bring about changes. Consequently, songs and dances play important roles in shaping how we understand ourselves as individuals and members of a society and the world that we live in.
Dancing provides a whole lot of benefits and the following are some of the greater benefits that are as a result of dance:
- Dancing is a major form of entertainment
- There is a sense of unity with a dance
- Dancing provides mental/physical relaxation and refreshment
- Dancing is means of expressing oneself
- Dancing can be a form of exercise
- Allows the professional dancer in forming affiliations
- The dancers find motivation and inspiration as they become lost in the dances.
At times, people just want to go with the sound of music. They could be snapping their fingers or clapping while dancing. The only purpose for this is to be one with music. Dance is responsible of bringing people together as it provides great entertainment for persons of all the backgrounds, races and ages. Dances compliment individuals with different needs, tastes, backgrounds and emotions because there is wide variety. In effect, dances have not only become an art form that is universal, but also a universal language.
Most people enjoy the times they spend together in an upbeat and a positive environment. Strangers have the potential to be friends and friends and families bond more closely due to positive experiences they share together. Songs are also known to have huge effects on the personal relations and most couples choose song to symbolize their affection and love they have for one another. Every person seems to find a perfect song to express their emotions towards other people at any specific times whether its about love, faltering love, joy or hatred. They say that when you cannot find the perfect words, you leave it to music.
Dancing is major form of aerobic exercise as it works out several muscles of the body. The muscles are conditioned, toned and stretched while the rate of heart beat is increased and pumps blood throughout the body. The benefit of having such kind of exercise is that they are enjoyable and they generally improve the disposition of an individual.
Music and dance complement each other and for a good presentation of dance, there should be a mutual co-ordination, harmony and understanding between the dancer and the musician artists. Accompanying musicians include vocalists, Veena or Flautist players, Violin player and the percussionists. There could also be more musicians depending on the dancers and some other factors.
The effect of music and dance to the society has made them become an integral part of education systems and are being taught in schools all around the United States. Music and dance classes are at times mandatory in elementary schools and the elective courses that take place in later years. Most politicians have used music and dance in their political campaigns. This method of communicating ideas to people about politics is meant to provide entertainment at the political rallies and greatly benefits those campaigns and even some political parties have their theme songs.
Music has been described as the heartbeat of the American cultural and social identities. This flows throughout the history of America and alters its path just like a river in the flow of time. The music has been responsible of integrating and unifying the society by the use of patriotic music that brings people together by bringing out the truths about the society. Music gives people messages to think about and also leave them yearning for more.
References
Balasubrahmanyam, D., 2005. Motivational Analysis In Music And Dance. s.l.:Discovery Publishing House.
Bally, J., 1995. Music and the Body. London: Academic Press.
Claus Schreiner, M. C. R. G. P., 2007. Flamenco: Gypsy dance and music from Andalusia. s.l.:Amadeus Press.
Dils, A. a. A. C., 2001. Looking at World Dance. UK: Macmillan Press.
Keller, K. V. W., 2010. Dance and its Music in America. s.l.:Pendragon Press.
Ken Haas, G. E., 2008. Flamenco!. s.l.:Thames & Hudson.
Martinez, E., 2003. Flamenco: All You Wanted to Know. s.l.:Mel Bay.
Morris, 2001. Re-writing dance. London: Routledge.
Nikki S. Rickard, K. M., 2012. Lifelong Engagement With Music. s.l.:Nova Science.
Wright, J. P., 2008. Social Dance: Steps to Success. s.l.:Human Kinetics 1.
