Shall Ballet Be as a Form of Ethnic Dance?

Shall ballet be as a form of ethnic dance? I am for it. Why do I agree with it? Even though, in western dance school have not accepted ballet as ethnic dance. The word ethnic dance should mean a dance form of a given group of people who share common genetic, linguistic, and cultural connection (Kealiinohomoku 40-41). Ballet dance displays emotions, movements gesture a story of their culture, form and style of movements delivers through human body, and serves the purpose with rhythmic score. Generally, the dance ballet has elaborate props to tell the story along with music while human body dance to convey the story to their audience (Kealiinomoku 39).

The writer’s two crucial points are that the birds and apes do not have intent to dance, but the intend dance danced by a group of people do have definition of their dance. The application of dance in cross-culturally setting dance apart from other activities is the dance (Kealiinomoku 38-39).

The writer pointed out that the anthropologist was concerned themselves with origins, not knowing the anyone who was there, and the animals dance before humans. Another thing the author mentioned is there is no such thing as primitive dances and they are too many to fit any stereotype (Kealiinohomoku 33-34).

I am more inspired after viewing the many cultural dances in paper and the videos. Such as history and style of dance: imaginational, Korean, African, Ballet, Japanese, Thai, Philippine, and Hawaiian dances. What amazes me is the changes all culture has gone through the movements of politics, religion, and economic pressure.

Currently, my thought of dance is more beautiful and fathomable of the unlimited variation of styles and my imagination of the creation in every subjects.

Such as a little movement as this child is dancing.

 

Who knows, eventually I might be dancing in a large theatrical dance performance telling the many stories encouraging the public to dance.   

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The Many Facets of Korean Dance

The Many Facets of Korean Dance

            The performance at Munye theatre of twelfth Seoul Dance Festival Korean aristocrats (yang-ban) dance related to me because of understanding of how Korean gestures of dancer’s emotions and movements. The meaning behind the meandering stopped as the dancer placed both feet together, torso tilted forward a bit and knees slightly bent and dancer straiten one knee and lifted the other forward, an ankle bent and toes turn up, etc.  As I am reading I could hear the Koran music and vision the how dancer dancing. It stirs my emotion and making my body move in Korean dancing techniques (Zile 178).

South Korea has been practicing many styles of dance: traditional, ballet, modern dance, experimental choreography, hip-hop, disco, improvisational dancing. I really would like to see how majority of North Korans are dancing and the what students are being taught in school. IN South Korean danced for royal court dance, and entertainment, simple pleasure of locals, and visiting dignitaries (Zile 178). Koreans holds pride in grand spectacles of how much wealth and power they have by how well they present in entertainment. Formally they were more male dancers than the women dancers (Zile 179).

Korean art of dance became substantively different during 618-935 period. Political movement brought interchange of Chinese and Korean. For an example, Chinese formal procession by individuals holding various kinds of standards precedes ad follows the dance, the name be announced, and the dance is interrupted for a brief song sung. On the other hand, Korean dance begin with a bow to the king and brief song in Korean praying for happiness, and end with a bow to the king, but there are standard bearers or processions (Zile 179).

Among many other dances, there are royal court dance, Confucianism dance, farmer dance, monk dance, festival dance, warrior dance and generally the costume is colorful. Dances of slow shoulders movements, expression of sorrow, happiness, change of economic and political movements are in the dance.  Korean dance is practice in solo and group (Zile 180-184).

In 1963, Ewha Women’s University became the first university to successfully establish the four-year independent dance department in Korea. They have taught to motivated young modern dancers to develop the skills to carry out the dance. The support from the governments, non-governments have pay for the costumes and rehearsal places for dancers. The powerful dance of Korean is fourth contributor and is the National Treasure System (Zile 182-188). 

You may view the 

코아트 koart 국악감상 한국무용 여명의빛국수호 , 국립무용단

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XRaOFU8ARRg

Taepyeongmu
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pzk0RzztC60

SALPURI (KOREAN SHAMANIC DANCE)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ubRo6V4aUc8

            

Dancing on the Endangered List: Aesthetics and Politics of Indigenous Dance in the Philippines

Dancing on the Endangered List: Aesthetics and Politics of Indigenous Dance in the Philippines

Multicultural cultural lives are in over seven thousand islands in Philippine. The Philippines archipelago is filled with dance. When Spanish came to practice their religion they brought Hispanic folk dance in their worship in community religious celebration. Although, during several centuries, slowly the tribal, folk traditional, and Hispanic dance became widely danced by Philippine dance, people or tribe living in the distant Island managed to keep their religious beliefs and way of life not to be influenced by colonists and missionaries (Foreman 384).

After being free from Spanish- American war and Japanese, Philippine dance group intend to entertain the American troops with African, Cuban and ballroom dance, Rock and roll in fifties, sixties through eighties western dance ballet and modern. Later, infused of ballet and modern dance with folk theme and styles. Philippine danced They also danced Warrior dance as a form of martial art which similar to fighting style in pairs with physical contact, striking and blocking techniques accompany by drums in social gathering, reunions, weddings, or festivals (Foreman 385).

When Indigenous resisted to government’s development of mining, logging, led to disruption of economic, social and religious practice. Some were forced to flee to save their lives and became refuges in their own country and were not able to return to their home. That is when the dance became new and drastically different created dance than folk dance. They used song and dance as their avenue to express their sorrow, healing ritual, death ceremony, harvest, celebration, and crises. Philippines were no longer in natural situation; therefore, it took tremendous efforts to live lives with inter-tribal community physically and psychologically to share human experiences, the history of Philippine (Forman 386-388).

For an example, some dance is being practiced with a small scarf (is wrapped over their shoulders while the body is erect, arms near their sides, wrists turned upward, pals open. While smiles of dancers given to the audience, they dance on beat, heels lightly pounding the ground in a small step (Foreman 386). Let us take look at how the dance, shall we?

FAOCT folk dancers "Kapiil Sa Munsala"

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uerfyLpPpJY

According to http://philippinesculturalfolkdances.blogspot.com/

There are 7107 islands in Philippine and at least: Dances of Luzon, Dance: Idaw, Banga, Idudu, Ragsaksakan, Mindanao, Singkil, Kini Kini, Pangalay, Asik, and they are promoting their country by representing in LOVE OF LIFE AND COUNTRY - VISAYAS REGION dance, and more…

Little Grass Shack in Hawaii

Little Brown Gal song sung and danced in by millions since 1935 in Hawaii. It has been relatively globalized in hula shows today and became a symbol of Hawaii. it serves well in Hawaii’s economic growth and it is an important part of use for social and cultural processes. The little grass shack made Hawaii the best known and most popular Fourth-World tourist location in the world (O’Conner 252-254).  

I can feel the warm breeze, feel the hot sand on under my feet, and warm smiles everywhere connecting with Aloha! And being entertaining by hula group at the restaurant and training hula dance to people of all nationality. For an example, The Traditional Hukilau dance group dancing for tourist is called as traditional Hawaiian. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gMgys3wB73o

Do I think living in a grass shack in Hawaii is ‘kitsch’? Not at all. There is an island called Niʻihau or Niihau is the westernmost and seventh largest of the inhabited Hawaiian Islands in the U.S. state of Hawaiʻi, lying 17.5 miles southwest of Kauaʻi across the Kaulakahi Channel and having an area of 69.5 square miles. Jenny you are right No haole's, or foreigners are welcome in Ni’ihau, the Forbidden Island.

Transnational Hula as Colonial Culture

Transnational Hula as Colonial Culture

I have better understanding of about Kini’s life. Her broad experiences made me appreciate more of Traditional hula dance. As a royal hula dancer, Kini did not appreciate the entertainment style of dance because it made her feel shame Hawaii being represented sexual, degrading of women, and lost of traditional value. Kini felt shame while playing ukulele and reading a poem given by a haole (caucasian) man (Imada 162). 

Regardless of pressure she felt, she made decision to pursue to bring many good results to Hawaii. "Once ostracised by some as a ‘hula girl’, Kini ironically came to embody the standard for the proper exhibition of hula until her death in 1962" (Imada 131). This showed that her loyalty to Hawaii's dance tradition paid off.  Kini and other dancers contributed through the art of hula dance and they helped Hawaii politically, commercially, and economically (Imada 155). 

I think Hawaii being overthrown in 1893 was very disruptive to the colonial Hawaiian kingdom arrangement; however, the haole intervention brought the opportunity to expand Hawaii’s future growth internationally (Imada 149-150). Respectfully, hula ala apapa was to performed with an ipu heke dedicated to gods and it was allowed in the theater. Hula Ku’I (joined hula)soon because became popular after business and traveling introduced and brought western influences. It was ore of religious purpose and hula pahu, is a drum dance which accompany by sound and spirit in dance (Imada 157-163).