DOCSLIB.ORG

Grace Jun Dissertation

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Grace Jun Dissertation UC San Diego UC San Diego Electronic Theses and Dissertations Title Moving Hip Hop : : Corporeal Performance and the Struggle Over Black Masculinity Permalink https://escholarship.org/uc/item/912209hv Author Jun, Grace Shinhae Publication Date 2014 Peer reviewed|Thesis/dissertation eScholarship.org Powered by the California Digital Library University of California UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN DIEGO UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, IRVINE Moving Hip Hop: Corporeal Performance and the Struggle Over Black Masculinity A dissertation submitted in partial satisfaction of the Requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Drama and Theatre by grace shinhae jun Committee in charge: University of California, San Diego Professor Nadine George, Chair Professor Patrick Anderson Professor Ross Frank University of California, Irvine Professor Stephen Barker Professor Frank Wilderson III 2014 Copyright grace shinhae jun, 2014 All rights reserved. The Dissertation of grace shinhae jun is approved, and it is acceptable in quality and form for publication on microfilm: Chair University of California, San Diego University of California, Irvine 2014 iii DEDICATION This dissertation is dedicated to the young men and women who began this movement we call hip hop. And to my 엄마, Jae Hee Jun. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS Signature Page .......................................................................................................... iii Dedication ................................................................................................................. iv Table of Contents ...................................................................................................... v Acknowledgements ................................................................................................... vii Vita ............................................................................................................................ x Abstract ..................................................................................................................... xi INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................... 1 Hip Hop History and Scholarship ................................................................. 4 Cultural Ownership and Authority ................................................................ 10 Black Masculinity ......................................................................................... 13 The Dancing Body ........................................................................................ 18 Methods and Chapter Descriptions ............................................................... 20 CHAPTER 1 – BLACK MASCULINIZING THE CLASSICS: WILL POWER’S THE SEVEN .................................................................................................. 24 The Seven ...................................................................................................... 27 Hip Hop: A Terrible Crisis ........................................................................... 28 Flipping the Script ......................................................................................... 34 Staging Institutional Violence ....................................................................... 41 The Curse: The N-Word ............................................................................... 45 Polynices and the Forest are the Alternative ................................................. 48 Conclusion .................................................................................................... 50 CHAPTER 2 – DANCING ON THE CROOKED LINE: RENNIE HARRIS CORPOREAL GRIOT .................................................................................. 53 Hip Hop Dance ............................................................................................. 55 Rennie Harris Puremovement ....................................................................... 59 Rome & Jewels (2000) .................................................................................. 67 Conclusion .................................................................................................... 74 CHAPTER 3 – GENTRIFIED HIP HOP: RACE AND RE-CONQUEST IN STEP UP 2: THE STREETS .................................................................................... 77 Gentrifying Hip Hop Dance .......................................................................... 80 The New Hip Hop: Multicultural Hip Hop Dance Films ............................. 83 Erasure .......................................................................................................... 87 Moving Away From The Streets ................................................................... 90 The Final Battle: You Can Have The Basement, We’ll Reclaim v The Streets .......................................................................................... 94 Conclusion .................................................................................................... 98 CHAPTER 4 – BLACK MASCULINITY, APPROPRIATION, AND THE GLOBAL IN BENSON LEE’S PLANET B-BOY .......................................................... 101 The Rise of B-Boy Crews ............................................................................. 103 Battle of the Year .......................................................................................... 106 Planet B-boy .................................................................................................. 108 The Flashdance Effect .................................................................................. 111 Korean B-Boys in Cultural Contexts ............................................................ 117 French B-Boys in Cultural Contexts ............................................................. 121 US B-Boys in Cultural Contexts ................................................................... 123 Conclusion .................................................................................................... 124 CONCLUSION ......................................................................................................... 127 BIBLIOGRAPHY ..................................................................................................... 130 vi ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This dissertation would not have been possible without the love and support of many people, I apologize if I have left anyone out. First I express my deepest gratitude to Will Power for his artistry, generosity, and friendship. I am thankful for the opportunities to both collaborate and research his work. To Dr. Rennie Harris for his generosity and for his knowledge. His work is deeply profound and I am honored to research his pioneering work in forging such a critical path for hip hop dance. To Dr. George Lipsitz for his scholarship and for encouraging the artist scholar in me, emphasizing the importance of the artist’s voice. To my cohort and fellow graduate students: Thank you for the conversations, the friendships, and the encouragement. Jade Power Sotomayor, Rana Salimi, Fan Liao, Donovan Sherman, Aimee Zygmonski, Heather Ramey, Julie Burelle, and Lily Kelting. For her guidance and encouragement I thank my chair and friend Nadine George- Graves. I would have not entered the program without her mentoring and support. To the members of my committee, Frank Wilderson III, Stephen Barker, Ross Frank and Patrick Anderson. Their willingness, knowledge, and feedback kept my aspirations high and gave me the space to articulate my research as artist. To my colleagues at San Diego City College and UCSD thank you for providing at atmosphere of professionalism and integrity. Terry Wilson, Patricia Rincon, Alicia Rincon, Debi Toth, Terri Shipman, Kristin Arcidiacono. For the participation, discussions, and presentations of my hip hop classes both at UCSD and City College; I thank my students, particularly San Diego City College Spring vii 2014 and UCSD Winter and Spring 2014 classes. I also am indebted to Cat Corral and the TranscenDANCE Youth Arts dancers for always welcoming into their space. My mentors and colleagues Jean Isaacs, Tammy L. Wong, Allyson Green, and Rebecca Bryant have provided much inspiration and guidance and I thank them for continuing to support me throughout all my endeavors. To my bkSOUL and Collective Purpose family who inspire me to create art and spread our love of hip hop. Lavina Rich, Lauren Dockweiler, Keomi Tarver, Anna Spalding, Nick Zavala, Ian Isles, Brianna Bellamy, Angel Acuña, Jaime Nixon, Ant Black, Kendrick Dial, Rudy Francisco, Christopher Wilson, Miesha Rice-Wilson, Glen Llorin (DJ Krazy Kut), and Jesse Mills. I am grateful for the friendship and artistry shared with Arash Haile (DJ Shammy Dee) and for “brilliance at one in the morning”. Thank you for your beats and love. Thank you to the other gracious people who have provided insight and support throughout this process: Marcus McGee, Tyson Rose, Sabela Grimes. Jay Perez, Dr. Daniel Banks, Dawud Kiragu, Marty Wollesen, Dr. Gabriele Wienhausen, DJ Kuttin Kandi, and to dance scholars Dr. Thomas DeFrantz, Brenda Dixon Gottschild, and Dr. Katrina Hazzard-Donald, whose work was essential and provided a framework for my own contributions. To my family for going above and beyond to help me finish: My mother and father (Jae Hee Jun and Rev. Gil Sung Jun) for providing a nurturing home, for delicious meals, and for being with my children so I could write. And finally to my husband, Dr. Jesse Mills, for his
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Internet Killed the B-Boy Star: a Study of B-Boying Through the Lens Of
    Internet Killed the B-boy Star: A Study of B-boying Through the Lens of Contemporary Media Dehui Kong Senior Seminar in Dance Fall 2010 Thesis director: Professor L. Garafola © Dehui Kong 1 B-Boy Infinitives To suck until our lips turned blue the last drops of cool juice from a crumpled cup sopped with spit the first Italian Ice of summer To chase popsicle stick skiffs along the curb skimming stormwater from Woodbridge Ave to Old Post Road To be To B-boy To be boys who snuck into a garden to pluck a baseball from mud and shit To hop that old man's fence before he bust through his front door with a lame-bull limp charge and a fist the size of half a spade To be To B-boy To lace shell-toe Adidas To say Word to Kurtis Blow To laugh the afternoons someone's mama was so black when she stepped out the car B-boy… that’s what it is, that’s why when the public the oil light went on changed it to ‘break-dancing’ they were just giving a To count hairs sprouting professional name to it, but b-boy was the original name for it and whoever wants to keep it real would around our cocks To touch 1 ourselves To pick the half-smoked keep calling it b-boy. True Blues from my father's ash tray and cough the gray grit - JoJo, from Rock Steady Crew into my hands To run my tongue along the lips of a girl with crooked teeth To be To B-boy To be boys for the ten days an 8-foot gash of cardboard lasts after we dragged that cardboard seven blocks then slapped it on the cracked blacktop To spin on our hands and backs To bruise elbows wrists and hips To Bronx-Twist Jersey version beside the mid-day traffic To swipe To pop To lock freeze and drop dimes on the hot pavement – even if the girls stopped watching and the street lamps lit buzzed all night we danced like that and no one called us home - Patrick Rosal 1 The Freshest Kids , prod.
    [Show full text]
  • The B-Boy Summit Internationally Acclaimed B-Boy/B-Girl Event
    THE B-BOY SUMMIT INTERNATIONALLY ACCLAIMED B-BOY/B-GIRL EVENT Produced by No Easy Props OVERVIEW The B-boy Summit continues to be a major trendsetter in Hip-Hop street dance, art and music culture. Established in 1994, The Summit presented innovative ideas in Hip-Hop culture, offering a conference forum complete with competitions, performances, panels, workshops, and a marketplace for consumer friendly products marketed toward the Hip-Hop community. Never content with success, The B-boy Summit continues its mission to bring the hottest street dance, art, and music above ground to the masses. The B-boy Summit has grown into an internationally acclaimed 3 day festival incorporating all aspects of Hip-Hop in different plateaus, including the most intense battles, rawest circles, theatre performances, a DJ/MC Talent Showcase and live aerosol art painting. The B-boy Summit was created in 1994 out of the need for a community orientated Hip-Hop event that encompassed knowledge of the history of Hip-Hop culture and the skills of B-boying and B-girling. At that point in time B-boys and B-girls didn’t have a platform in which to come together, dance and pay homage to the traditional dance of Hip-Hop. Each year the event has expanded to encompass B-boys, B-girls, MCs, Aerosol Artists, and DJs from across the globe, steadily building into what is now the foremost Hip-Hop cultural event in the world. More recently, The Summit has become one of the most important events for Lockers, Poppers, Freestyle and House Dancers to take part in during The Summit’s Funk Fest.
    [Show full text]
  • In Defense of Rap Music: Not Just Beats, Rhymes, Sex, and Violence
    In Defense of Rap Music: Not Just Beats, Rhymes, Sex, and Violence THESIS Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Master of Arts Degree in the Graduate School of The Ohio State University By Crystal Joesell Radford, BA Graduate Program in Education The Ohio State University 2011 Thesis Committee: Professor Beverly Gordon, Advisor Professor Adrienne Dixson Copyrighted by Crystal Joesell Radford 2011 Abstract This study critically analyzes rap through an interdisciplinary framework. The study explains rap‟s socio-cultural history and it examines the multi-generational, classed, racialized, and gendered identities in rap. Rap music grew out of hip-hop culture, which has – in part – earned it a garnering of criticism of being too “violent,” “sexist,” and “noisy.” This criticism became especially pronounced with the emergence of the rap subgenre dubbed “gangsta rap” in the 1990s, which is particularly known for its sexist and violent content. Rap music, which captures the spirit of hip-hop culture, evolved in American inner cities in the early 1970s in the South Bronx at the wake of the Civil Rights, Black Nationalist, and Women‟s Liberation movements during a new technological revolution. During the 1970s and 80s, a series of sociopolitical conscious raps were launched, as young people of color found a cathartic means of expression by which to describe the conditions of the inner-city – a space largely constructed by those in power. Rap thrived under poverty, police repression, social policy, class, and gender relations (Baker, 1993; Boyd, 1997; Keyes, 2000, 2002; Perkins, 1996; Potter, 1995; Rose, 1994, 2008; Watkins, 1998).
    [Show full text]
  • February 12 – 16, 2016
    February 12 – 16, 2016 danceFilms.org | Filmlinc.org ta b l e o F CONTENTS DA N C E O N CAMERA F E S T I VA L Inaugurated in 1971, and co-presented with Dance Films Association and the Film Society of Lincoln Center since 1996 (now celebrating the 20th anniversary of this esteemed partnership), the annual festival is the most anticipated and widely attended dance film event in New York City. Each year artists, filmmakers and hundreds of film lovers come together to experience the latest in groundbreaking, thought-provoking, and mesmerizing cinema. This year’s festival celebrates everything from ballet and contemporary dance to the high-flying world of trapeze. ta b l e o F CONTENTS about dance Films association 4 Welcome 6 about dance on camera Festival 8 dance in Focus aWards 11 g a l l e ry e x h i b i t 13 Free events 14 special events 16 opening and closing programs 18 main slate 20 Full schedule 26 s h o r t s p r o g r a m s 32 cover: Ted Shawn and His Men Dancers in Kinetic Molpai, ca. 1935 courtesy of Jacob’s Pillow Dance festival archives this Page: The Dance Goodbye ron steinman back cover: Feelings are Facts: The Life of Yvonne Rainer courtesy estate of warner JePson ABOUT DANCE dance Films association dance Films association and dance on camera board oF directors Festival staFF Greg Vander Veer Nancy Allison Donna Rubin Interim Executive Director President Virginia Brooks Liz Wolff Co-Curator Dance on Camera Festival Paul Galando Brian Cummings Joanna Ney Co-Curator Dance on Camera Festival Vice President and Chair of Ron
    [Show full text]
  • AUDIO BOOKS, MOVIES & MUSIC 3 Quarter 2013 Reinert-Alumni
    AUDIO BOOKS, MOVIES & MUSIC 3rd Quarter 2013 Reinert-Alumni Library Audio Books Brown, Daniel, 1951- The boys in the boat : [nine Americans and their epic quest for gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics] / Daniel James Brown. This is the remarkable story of the University of Washington's 1936 eight-oar crew and their epic quest for an Olympic gold medal. The sons of loggers, shipyard workers, and farmers, the boys defeated elite rivals first from eastern and British universities and finally the German crew rowing for Adolf Hitler in the Olympic games in Berlin, 1936. GV791 .B844 2013AB Bradford, Barbara Taylor, 1933- Secrets from the past : a novel / Barbara Taylor Bradford. Moving from the hills above Nice to the canals and romance of Venice and the riot-filled streets of Libya, Secrets From The Past is a moving and emotional story of secrets, survival and love in its many guises. PS3552.R2147 S45 2013AB Deaver, Jeffery. The kill room / Jeffery Deaver. "It was a 'million-dollar bullet,' a sniper shot delivered from over a mile away. Its victim was no ordinary mark: he was a United States citizen, targeted by the United States government, and assassinated in the Bahamas. The nation's most renowned investigator and forensics expert, Lincoln Rhyme, is drafted to investigate. While his partner, Amelia Sachs, traces the victims steps in Manhattan, Rhyme leaves the city to pursue the sniper himself. As details of the case start to emerge, the pair discovers that not all is what it seems. When a deadly, knife-wielding assassin begins systematically eliminating all evidence-- including the witnesses-- Lincoln's investigation turns into a chilling battle of wits against a cold-blooded killer" -- containter.
    [Show full text]
  • 1 CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION A. Background of the Study the Movie
    1 CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION A. Background of the Study The movie which the researcher wants to research is Step Up 2 the Street. This movie is written by Tori Ann, Johnson, Karen Barna, Duane Adler. This film has biggest stars such like; Briana Evigan, Robert Hoffman, Adam G. Sevani, Will Kemp, Channing Tatum, Black Thomas. Besides that, there are many sound tracts in the step up 2 movie. The film soundtrack album is from the motion picture Step Up 2: The Streets. It was released February 5, 2008 by Records. The album debuted at number thirteen on the U.S. Billboard 200, and peaked at 5 times two weeks later. The album also reached the rate 4 on the U.S. Rap Albums Charts. It has also peaked rate at 3 on the Australian ARIA Albums Chart. The album features the 1st smash hit single "Low", by rapper Florida and auto-tune-using hip-hop and R&B artist T-Pain. The song's huge success as a single also helps todrive the Step up 2: the Streets soundtrack into the U.S. top five. The soundtrack features two other successful singles, a remix of the U.S. top twenty "Can't Help But Wait", by Trey Song featuring rapper Plies, and another successful rap single, reaching at 14 in the U.S., "Hypnotized", by rapper Plies and R&B singer Akon. Step Up 2 the Street was released on February 14, 2008 in USA. This movie only consists of one language that is English language. This movie has 1 2 running time of 97 minutes.
    [Show full text]
  • DJ Skills the Rise of the Hip-Hop DJ 3
    The Rise of the Hip-Hop DJ 1 74 The Rise of The Hip-hop DJ DJs were Hip-hop’s original architects, and remain crucial to its contin- ued development. Hip-hop is more than a style of music; it’s a culture. As with any culture, there are various artistic expressions of Hip-hop, the four principal expressions being: • visual art (graffiti) • dance (breaking, rocking, locking, and popping, collectively known in the media as “break dancing”) • literature (rap lyrics and slam poetry) • music (DJing and turntablism) Unlike the European Renaissance or the Ming Dynasty, Hip-hop is a culture that is very much alive and still evolving. Some argue that Hip-hop is the most influential cultural movement in history, point- ing to the globalization of Hip-hop music, fashion, and other forms of expression. Style has always been at the forefront of Hip-hop. Improvisation is called free styling, whether in rap, turntablism, breaking, or graf- fiti writing. Since everyone is using the essentially same tools (spray paint for graffiti writers, microphones for rappers and beat boxers, their bodies for dancers, and two turntables with a mixer for DJs), it’s the artists’ personal styles that set them apart. It’s no coincidence that two of the most authentic movies about the genesis of the move- ment are titled Wild Style and Style Wars. There are also many styles of writing the word “Hip-hop.” The mainstream media most often oscillates between “hip-hop” and “hip hop.” The Hiphop Archive at Harvard writes “Hiphop” as one word, 2 DJ Skills The Rise of the Hip-Hop DJ 3 with a capital H, embracing KRS-ONE’s line of reasoning that “Hiphop Kool DJ Herc is a culture with its own foundation narrative, history, natives, and 7 In 1955 in Jamaica, a young woman from the parish of Saint Mary mission.” After a great deal of input from many people in the Hip-hop community, I’ve decided to capitalize the word but keep the hyphen, gave birth to a son who would become the father of Hip-hop.
    [Show full text]
  • 'What Ever Happened to Breakdancing?'
    'What ever happened to breakdancing?' Transnational h-hoy/b-girl networks, underground video magazines and imagined affinities. Mary Fogarty Submitted in partial fulfillment Of the requirements for the degree of Interdisciplinary MA in Popular Culture Brock University St. Catharines, Ontario © November 2006 For my sister, Pauline 111 Acknowledgements The Canada Graduate Scholarship (SSHRC) enabled me to focus full-time on my studies. I would also like to express my deepest gratitude to my committee members: Andy Bennett, Hans A. Skott-Myhre, Nick Baxter-Moore and Will Straw. These scholars have shaped my ideas about this project in crucial ways. I am indebted to Michael Zryd and Francois Lukawecki for their unwavering kindness, encouragement and wisdom over many years. Steve Russell patiently began to teach me basic rules ofgrammar. Barry Grant and Eric Liu provided comments about earlier chapter drafts. Simon Frith, Raquel Rivera, Anthony Kwame Harrison, Kwande Kefentse and John Hunting offered influential suggestions and encouragement in correspondence. Mike Ripmeester, Sarah Matheson, Jeannette Sloniowski, Scott Henderson, Jim Leach, Christie Milliken, David Butz and Dale Bradley also contributed helpful insights in either lectures or conversations. AJ Fashbaugh supplied the soul food and music that kept my body and mind nourished last year. If AJ brought the knowledge then Matt Masters brought the truth. (What a powerful triangle, indeed!) I was exceptionally fortunate to have such noteworthy fellow graduate students. Cole Lewis (my summer writing partner who kept me accountable), Zorianna Zurba, Jana Tomcko, Nylda Gallardo-Lopez, Seth Mulvey and Pauline Fogarty each lent an ear on numerous much needed occasions as I worked through my ideas out loud.
    [Show full text]
  • Lightning in a Bottle
    LIGHTNING IN A BOTTLE A Sony Pictures Classics Release 106 minutes EAST COAST: WEST COAST: EXHIBITOR CONTACTS: FALCO INK BLOCK-KORENBROT SONY PICTURES CLASSICS STEVE BEEMAN LEE GINSBERG CARMELO PIRRONE 850 SEVENTH AVENUE, 8271 MELROSE AVENUE, ANGELA GRESHAM SUITE 1005 SUITE 200 550 MADISON AVENUE, NEW YORK, NY 10024 LOS ANGELES, CA 90046 8TH FLOOR PHONE: (212) 445-7100 PHONE: (323) 655-0593 NEW YORK, NY 10022 FAX: (212) 445-0623 FAX: (323) 655-7302 PHONE: (212) 833-8833 FAX: (212) 833-8844 Visit the Sony Pictures Classics Internet site at: http:/www.sonyclassics.com 1 Volkswagen of America presents A Vulcan Production in Association with Cappa Productions & Jigsaw Productions Director of Photography – Lisa Rinzler Edited by – Bob Eisenhardt and Keith Salmon Musical Director – Steve Jordan Co-Producer - Richard Hutton Executive Producer - Martin Scorsese Executive Producers - Paul G. Allen and Jody Patton Producer- Jack Gulick Producer - Margaret Bodde Produced by Alex Gibney Directed by Antoine Fuqua Old or new, mainstream or underground, music is in our veins. Always has been, always will be. Whether it was a VW Bug on its way to Woodstock or a VW Bus road-tripping to one of the very first blues festivals. So here's to that spirit of nostalgia, and the soul of the blues. We're proud to sponsor of LIGHTNING IN A BOTTLE. Stay tuned. Drivers Wanted. A Presentation of Vulcan Productions The Blues Music Foundation Dolby Digital Columbia Records Legacy Recordings Soundtrack album available on Columbia Records/Legacy Recordings/Sony Music Soundtrax Copyright © 2004 Blues Music Foundation, All Rights Reserved.
    [Show full text]
  • Christian County Public Schools It’S About Every Student Every Day 200 Glass Avenue • (270) 887-7000 •
    B6 Wednesday, April 4, 2012 | TV | www.kentuckynewera.com WEDNESDAY PRIMETIME APRIL 4, 2012 N - NEW WAVE M - MEDIACOM S1 - DISH NETWORK S2 - DIRECTV N M 4 PM 4:30 5 PM 5:30 6 PM 6:30 7 PM 7:30 8 PM 8:30 9 PM 9:30 10 PM 10:30 11 PM 11:30 12 AM 12:30 1 AM 1:30 S1 S2 WKRN Nashville's Nashville's Nashville's ABC World Nashville's Wheel of The Suburga- Modern Happy Missing "eIc Q ueen" !" Nashville's :35 News ! Jimmy Kimmel Live !" :05 Extra :35 Law & Order: C.I. :35 Paid (2) (2) [2] 2 2 ABC News 2 !" News 2 !" News 2 !" News !" News 2 !" Fortune !" Middle tory Family End. (N)" News 2 !" !" "Renewal" !" Program !" WSMV Channel 4 Channel 4 Channel 4 NBC News Channel 4 Channel 4 OffTheirRo Best Fr. Bent Bent " Tile Rock Center With Channel 4 :35 Jay Leno David :35 LateNight Aly son :35 Carson :05 Today Show !" (4) [4] 4 4 NBC News !" News !" News 5 !" !" !" News !" ckers (N) !" "Pilot" (N)" "Mom" (N)" Date" (N)" Brian Williams !" News !" G regory, Sl ea (N) !" Hannigan, Pi eg You ng Daly WTVF News 5 !" Inside News 5 !" CBSNews News Channel 5 !" Survivor: One World Criminal "Heathridge CSI: Crime Scen e "Split News 5 !" :35 Letterman Eugene :35 The Late, Late :35 Frasier :05 Nate Berkus Show (5) (5) [5] 5 5 CBS Edition !" !" (N) !" Manor" (N) !" Decisions" (N) !" Levy, Kiefer Sutherland" Show !" "The Kid"" "Go Big or Go Home" WPSD Dr. Phil !" Local 6 at NBC News Local 6 at Wheel of OffTheirRo Best Fr.
    [Show full text]
  • Choreography for the Camera AB
    Course Title CHOREOGRAPHY FOR THE CAMERA A/B Course CHORFORCAMER A/B Abbreviation Course Code 190121/22 Number Special Notes Year course. Prerequisite: 1 semester of any dance composition class, and 1 semester of any dance technique class. Prerequisite can be waived based-on comparable experience. Course This course provides a practical and theoretical introduction to dance for the camera, Description including choreography, video production and post-production as pertains to this genre of experimental filmmaking. To become familiar with the form, students will watch, read about, and discuss seminal dance films. Through studio-based exercises, viewings and discussions, we will consider specific approaches to translating, contextualizing, framing, and structuring movement in the cinematic format. Choreographic practices will be considered and practiced in terms of the spatial, temporal and geographic alternatives that cinema offers dance – i.e. a three-dimensional, and sculptural presentation of the body as opposed to the proscenium theatre. We will practice effectively shooting dance with video cameras, including basic camera functions, and framing, as well as employing techniques for play on gravity, continuity of movement and other body-focused approaches. The basics of non-linear editing will be taught alongside the craft of editing. Students will fulfill hands-on assignments imparting specific techniques. For mid-year and final projects, students will cut together short dance film pieces that they have developed through the various phases of the course. Students will have the option to work independently, or in teams on each of the assignments. At the completion of the course, students should have an informed understanding of the issues involved with translating the live form of dance into a screen art.
    [Show full text]
  • The Miseducation of Hip-Hop Dance: Authenticity, and the Commodification of Cultural Identities
    The Miseducation of Hip-Hop dance: Authenticity, and the commodification of cultural identities. E. Moncell Durden., Assistant Professor of Practice University of Southern California Glorya Kaufman School of Dance Introduction Hip-hop dance has become one of the most popular forms of dance expression in the world. The explosion of hip-hop movement and culture in the 1980s provided unprecedented opportunities to inner-city youth to gain a different access to the “American” dream; some companies saw the value in using this new art form to market their products for commercial and consumer growth. This explosion also aided in an early downfall of hip-hop’s first dance form, breaking. The form would rise again a decade later with a vengeance, bringing older breakers out of retirement and pushing new generations to develop the technical acuity to extraordinary levels of artistic corporeal genius. We will begin with hip-hop’s arduous beginnings. Born and raised on the sidewalks and playgrounds of New York’s asphalt jungle, this youthful energy that became known as hip-hop emerged from aspects of cultural expressions that survived political abandonment, economic struggles, environmental turmoil and gang activity. These living conditions can be attributed to high unemployment, exceptionally organized drug distribution, corrupt police departments, a failed fire department response system, and Robert Moses’ building of the Cross-Bronx Expressway, which caused middle and upper-class residents to migrate North. The South Bronx lost 600,000 jobs and displaced more than 5,000 families. Between 1973 and 1977, and more than 30,000 fires were set in the South Bronx, which gave rise to the phrase “The Bronx is Burning.” This marginalized the black and Latino communities and left the youth feeling unrepresented, and hip-hop gave restless inner-city kids a voice.
    [Show full text]