About the Dance Piece
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Welcome Letter Thank you for joining us at DANCE This 2014! Seattle Theatre Group is celebrating 16 years of this amazing program and we are so honored that you are celebrating with us! DANCE This features young and adult performers collaborating together and sharing their culture through the art of dance. In this Study Guide, you will find information about the different dances that will be represented in this year’s DANCE This. Additionally, you will find information about the dancers, choreographers and a few activities you can try out with your students and groups. Whether this is your first time experiencing DANCE This or you are a long time supporter, THANK YOU! Thank you, for keeping the arts vibrant in your community and helping us support this amazing program. Should you have any questions regarding this engagement guide please feel free to contact me directly at [email protected]. Respectfully, Marisol Best Education Programs Manager 206.467.5510 x 1127 About Seattle Theatre Group STG MISSION: Our mission is to make diverse performing arts and education an integral part of our region’s rich cultural identity while keeping these three landmark venues alive and vibrant. ABOUT EDUCATION: Seattle Theatre Group education and community programs extend beyond the Paramount, Moore, and Neptune Theatre stages and into the lives of the greater Seattle community. Each season, STG offers over 200 education engagements impacting over 24,000 students and community members from diverge ages and backgrounds. THESE PROGRAMS… Deepen significance to performances through opportunities to engage with artists Inspire youth and local artists through training and performance opportunities Provide exposure to the arts through access initiatives Dance Styles Contemporary Spectrum Dance Theater Academy Contemporary dance is commonly understood as the fusion of Ballet and Modern dance styles with a heavy in8luence of current musical composition. Ballet provides Contemporary dancers with the technical foundation and knowledge required for the movement of this dance style. Modern inspires the emotion, movement and style components. Contemporary dance has grown and continues to evolve in the dance community, becoming one of the most popular dance forms among dancers and audience members. Hip Hop Northwest Tap Connection Hip Hop dance originated in the United States in the 1970s on the streets of inner city America among the young African American community. This dance style was inspired by 1920s jazz dances, such as the Lindy Hop. The combination of intricate footwork from earlier dance styles with the innovative music of the 1970s resulted in the new dance culture of Hip Hop. Over time, this genre has extended to many cultural groups around the world, especially Asian American, Hispanic, African American and Caucasian communities. Hip Hop has evolved and moved into mainstream media, constantly exciting youth across the globe. Dance Styles African African Journey The culture of dance is a central focus of the African lifestyle. Dance teaches social patterns and values while helping young individuals grow and mature within their communities. Different styles of African dance are performed at celebrations, festivals, or funerals to recite history, poetry, and encounter gods that are representative of the African culture. The dance is extremely physical and involves the entire body, being representative of the music that is created from either human voice or authentic musical instruments, such as African drums. Ballet International Ballet Theatre Ballet originated in the Renaissance court of Italy and France in the early 1400’s, but became a performance art to be enjoyed by an audience in the 17th century during the reign of Louis XIV. This dance form has developed immensely since its beginning, acting as the technical foundation for the majority of popular dance genres such as contemporary, jazz, and musical theatre. There are many variations of ballet that are studied and performed today, including folk, which will be performed by International Ballet Theatre. Dance Styles Mexican Bailardores de Bronce Mexican dance is known to be a blending of movement and elements that stem from the country’s history and indigenous heritage. There is a great amount of African and European in8luence in the physical and technical aspects of the Mexican dance form. Different movement and style aesthetics are often representative of the region in Mexico that it was originally created and performed. Mexican dance involves an immense amount of energy and historical pride to entertain the audience and represent the country’s history. Philippines Kalahi Philippine Dance Company There are many different styles of Philippine folk dance, but speci8ically Singkil and Tinikling are styles being performed by Kalahi Philippine Dance Company. Singkil, based on the Darangan, the Mindanao epic, revolves around the amorous exploits of a prince, who falls in love with a lovely princess. Tinikling, originated in the Visayan Islands, on the Island of Leyte. The dancers imitate the tikling bird's legendary grace and speed as they walk between grass stems, run over tree branches, or dodge bamboo traps set by rice farmers. Dance Styles Garba and Raas UW DangeRAAS Dawgs Both Garba and Raas are forms of Indian dance originating in the state of Gujarat, India. Garba is traditionally performed in a circular formation while Dandiya Raas involves dancing with sticks, which are used to represent swords. Both dances are culturally signi8icant because of their regional and religious aspects. Garba/Raas is performed to honor the Hindu goddess Durga and to celebrate life. These dances are typically performed during festivals like Navaratri and wedding ceremonies. Musical Theatre CORE Theatrics Musical Theatre is a style of dance that is most often enjoyed by audiences viewing a Broadway Musical production. The dance style incorporates theatrics that follow a speci8ic story line and musical score. The movement is derived greatly from technical ballet and jazz, and is often very physically demanding. This dance form adds an additional artistic layer to musical productions in order to tell a story to the audience by incorporating music, acting, and dance. DANCE This Team Artistic Advisor for DANCE This 2014 Mark Haim is an internationally recognized choreographer and dance teacher. He has created dances for dance companies such as the Nederlands Dans Theater, Ballett Frankfurt, and the Joffrey Ballet. He toured his full-evening solo, The Goldberg Variations, from 1997 to 2002 around the US and in Russia and Korea. His 2013 work for a company of 14, “This Land Is Your Land”, has been seen in Paris (Theatre de Vanves) and New York (The Joyce Theater). Most recently, he was choreographer for The Consul and Tales of Hoffmann at the Seattle Opera. He has been on the faculty of the American Dance Festival since 1993 and has taught dance as a guest artist in universities around the US as well as for companies and schools in Japan, Korea, Singapore, Belgium, Holland, Germany, Italy, Portugal, Chile and Argentina. He was Artist in Residence at the University of Washington Dance Program from 2002-08 and currently teaches at the Velocity Dance Center and the International Ballet Academy. Finale Choreographer Daniel Cruz is the choreographer and director of Cruz Control, a Seattle hip hop company. He served as a Co-Dance Captain on the 1st National Tour of the Tony-award winning musical, In The Heights. Cruz has also worked with the 5th Avenue Theater, The Village Theater, MTV VMA's (Michael Jackson/NSYNC), BET (Ashanti), Musicology music video (Prince), Seattle Seahawks, Microsoft, STG, Napoleon & Tabitha D'Umo, Wade Robson and Brian Friedman. He has taught and choreographed for STG's DANCE This since 2005 and premiered new work at The Moore Theatre in 2008 and 2009. Spectrum Dance Theater Academy Spectrum Dance Theater Academy is the Pre-professional Division of Spectrum Dance Theater, Seattle’s premier contemporary dance organization. The highly dedicated and meritable students in this intensive training program range in ages 14 through 22 and study approximately 20 hours a week. The base of their study is Ballet and Donald Byrd Contemporary, however, this well-rounded dance program also includes Tap, Choreography, Gyrokinesis®, and World Dance. About the Dance Piece Spectrum Dance Theater Academy students work Photo Credit: Christopher Nelson directly with Spectrum’s Artistic Director and world renown choreographer, Donald Byrd. With this diverse and challenging curriculum, the students are provided a rich artistic experience and the highest level of dance training. This dance piece is a contemporary style of dance. It was created to re8lect a community and all that entails. http://spectrumdance.org/school/featured-program/ Northwest Tap Connection Northwest Tap Connection is an urban dance studio that specializes in rhythm tap, while also incorporating other dance styles such as African, jazz, modern, ballet, swing, ballroom, and hip-hop. Many generations of Northwest Tap Connection dancers have participated and performed in Seattle Theatre Group Community Programs . Other performance experiences range from studio shows to participating in an annual tap festival to broaden the students’ awareness of tap, improve skills, build self-esteem, and connect with the larger dance community. Northwest Tap Connection is dedicated Photo Credit: Christopher Nelson to building the whole dancer through a