america's best dance crew!

Has anyone been watching America's Best Dance Crew this season on MTV? I have.. and was really shocked when I saw the Iconic Boyz.. their very young but also very talented.. take a look at their first performance on the show!!

Hula Dancing!

Hula dancing is a fun, flowing type of dancing that originated in Hawaii. Hula dancing movements are supposed to tell a story. Hula actually used to be called "Ha`a" but got changed in the 19th century
The Hawaiian goddess Laka seperated her Hula Dancers into two groups...
Olapa (Agile ones) - This group represented the younger generation of dances with more energy.
Ho'o-paa (Steadfast ones) - This group represented the elders which sang and played musical instruments.
What most people don't know about Hula Dancing is that all hula dances originate from a series of only six traditional moves.  Of course, there are a wide variety of interpretations and different ways of using these base movements to create unique and beautiful performances.
Hula has its origins in ancient history as a ritual dance performed for the Volcano goddess, Pele. It is said that her sister, Hi'iaka originally performed the dance for Pele. The goddess Laka is the keeper of the dance. She was honored with prayers, offerings and leis which were given by the dancers. Laka is the goddess most often referred to when it comes to modern Hula dancing. The history is an oral one and variations of the ancient myth exist.
That is just a little history on hula dancing; heres a video to watch it: 

"ghetto" dance moves

Songs that have to do with a particular dance move have become very popular in the hip-hop music industry. Some examples of some songs would be; Teach Me How to Dougie, Pop Lock and Drop It, Cyclone, Single Ladies, Crank That Soulja Boy, Get Silly, Flex,  and many, many more.. although these moves are pretty popular when you go out at a club I can't help but laugh at how ridiculous some of them are but.. None have been quite as hilarious as Move Like Bernie.. it made me laugh

haha.. i think it pretty much speaks for itself....

turns

I saw this video on youtube.. thought it was pretty awesome..

ballet terms

Ballet is a very beautiful form of dancing, although it was one of my least favorite classes it is the base knowledge for any type of dancing really. I would describe ballet as being elegant, graceful, peaceful, disciplined, and inspirational. The terms in ballet all come from French terms (mostly). Ballet started in Paris with King Louis XIV who ruled France in the late 1600s. By the 1700s many of the terms we use in ballet today were recognized to display ballet movements. Here is a list a few basic ballet moves:

- Assemblé [a-sahn-BLAY] : Assembled, or joined together. Assemblé is a step in which the working foot slides well across the ground before being swept into the air. As the foot goes into the air the dancer pushes off the floor with the supporting leg, extending the toes. Then both legs reach the ground simultaneously in the fifth position (position with feet). Usually when doing an assemblé you would first js porté (slidding move will define later).

- Attitudé [a-tee-TEWD]: This is a particular ballet 'pose'. It is a position on one leg with the other lifted back, the knee bent at an angle of 90 degrees and well turned out so that the knee is higher than the foot. The arm on the side of the raised leg is held over the head in a curved position while the other arm is extended to the side.

- Balancé [ba-lahn-SAY]: This step is a rocking step that is an alternation of balance, shifting the weight from one foot to the other. Balancé may be done crossing the foot either front or back. Fifth position R foot front. Demi-plié, dégagé the R foot to the second position and jump on it lightly in demi-plié, crossing the L foot behind the R ankle and inclining the head and body to the right. Step on the L demi-pointe behind the R foot, slightly lifting the R foot off the ground; then fall on the R foot again in demi-plié with the L foot raised sur le cou-de-pied derrière. The next balancé will be to the left side.

- Plié [plee-AY]: A bending of the knee or knees. This is an exercise to render the joints and muscles soft and pliable and the tendons flexible and elastic, and to develop a sense of balance. There are two principal pliés: grand plié or full bending of the knees (the knees should be bent until the thighs are horizontal) and demi-plié or half-bending of the knees. Pliés are done at the bar and in the centre in all five positions of the feet. The third position is usually omitted. When a grand plié is executed in either the first, third or fourth position croisé (feet in the fifth position but separated by the space of one foot) or the fifth position, the heels always rise off the ground and are lowered again as the knees straighten. The bending movement should be gradual and free from jerks, and the knees should be at least half-bent before the heels are allowed to rise. The body should rise at the same speed at which it descended, pressing the heels into the floor. In the grand plié in the second position or the fourth position ouverte (feet in the first position but separated by the space of one foot) the heels do not rise off the ground. All demi-pliés are done without lifting the heels from the ground. In all pliés the legs must be well turned out from the hips, the knees open and well over the toes, and the weight of the body evenly distributed on both feet, with the whole foot grasping the floor.

- Jeté, grand [grahn zhuh-TAV]: In this step the legs are thrown to 90 degrees with a corresponding high jump. It is done forward to attitude croisée or effacée, and to all the arabesques. It may also be done backward with the leg raised either croisé or effacé devant. Grand jeté is always preceded by a preliminary movement such as a glissade, pas couru or coupe

The ones i described above are just a few of the basic ballet terms, although there are many, many more.

This shows the basic positions that almost every move begins in; fifth being the most common

This is a picture of the Attitudé position I described earlier.

This picture shows some other ballet positions.

northwest dance company

I just made the dance company this semester so i thought i would post a video of one of their dances they did a few years ago.. the theme of the dance is the movie Grease!

you got served

You Got Served is a dancing movie that came out in 2004. This movie was all about "street" dancing... probably one of the better street dancing movies.. in my opinion better than stomp the yard.. the movie won American Choreography Award (2004).. and was nominated for 3 other awards.
One of the most memorable dances from the movie was the scene at the very end of the movie.. the last dance battle.. here is the video I found on YouTube for it..

pole dancing competitions?

Wow.. saw this on youtube.. Did you know that they had pole dancing competitions? They are all really good.. and it looks pretty tough.. I thought pole dancing was just for strip clubs...weird.. heres a video...

Evolution of Dance

I saw this video on youtube called Evolution of Dance. It has some famous dance moves through out the years.. 

Michael Jackson's Greatest Dance Moves

We all know Michael Jackson had a rough life, he was also a very talented singer, but another thing he was well known for was being able to dance! So here are some of his famous dance moves:

The Kick: As seen in numerous music videos, Michael Jackson could deliver a high kick better than the combined character list of Mortal Kombat and Street Fighter. The Michael Jackson kick was always directed to the side and generally preceded by a half or full body spin. Hands turned out at the waist, one leg completely straight, and one leg unleashed into the air with devastating force. 

The Soulful Robot: Michael Jackson is not generally credited as being a master of the robot (though it’s hard to argue his mastery of any and all dance moves). Jackson’s robot, however, was a sight to behold. More serpentine and fluid than the average robot, Jackson was the king of the Soulful Robot. When Michael half-timed his way through a choreographed number like an automaton the audience saw a robot with soul. The Cylons on Battlestar Galactica wasted four years trying to prove that machines were capable of possessing souls, when all they really had to do was watch the HIStory DVD.

The Never-Ending Spin: Like an Olympic figure skater on buttered blades and a patch of fresh ice, it is impossible to believe how many full spins Michael Jackson was capable of performing without stopping. Even harder to believe that he was only wearing tap shoes and spinning on hard wood or concrete. Every time Michael Jackson performed his Never-Ending Spin Brian Boitano cried a little bit.

The Crotch Grab ‘N Pop: Fred Durst and Eminem may have adopted the crotch grab as part of their stage-monkeying repertoire but they could never perfect the pure artistry of Michael’s movements. Somehow Michael Jackson was capable of suggestively thrusting his pelvis into the air in musical salute without appearing overly-offensive or crass.

The Moonwalk: No list of Michael Jackson dance moves would be complete without the famous Moonwalk. The Moonwalk put the King of Pop on the map. Effortlessly sliding across the stage like a small child trapped on a conveyor belt, elongating each beat with a bend of the knee, escaping to nowhere in a groovy backslide across the stage: no move is more iconic. Though he did not create the dance, Jackson’s appearance on the Motown 25 special in 1983 made the Moonwalk his signature move.

Michael Jackson will always be remembered as one of the most important figures in modern dance culture. There is even a new game for wii out that you learn to do some of his dance moves, called Michael Jackson the Experience . I haven't gotten the chance to play it but I heard it was pretty fun! Here is the trailer for the video:

"dirty" dancing...

When you hear someone say that they are a "dancer"... what do you take that as? When I hear someone call themselves a "dancer" I think of that as meaning they have been taking dance classes for a while and are involved in some kind of dancing activity.. whether it just be dance class, or a dance team, or a dance Broadway or something. However, recently someone asked if when I say I'm a dancer if I mean a "dirty" dancer... such as a stripper. Apparently in some areas if your a "dancer" that means your a dirty dancer. I've never really heard anyone call strippers dancers, so that was news to me when someone asked. Have you ever heard anyone call strippers dancers? I guess in a way they are dancing... I guess that dancing comes in many different forms.. and I guess stripping is one of them? Hmm.. I've never really thought about that...


What do you think? Do you think strippers should be called dancers? ..i'm not quite sure i think they should.. 

so you think you can dance

I don't know if you've ever seen the show, So You Think You Can Dance, but it's pretty amazing. If you haven't its sort of like American Idol.. but only with dancing... This dance is back from season 4 but it is one of my favorite dances. The song is called Mercy by Duffy.. very good dance.. well core-graphed.. and excellent dancers! Enjoy:

How I got interested in this subject...

I first became interested in dancing when I was little. When I was 3 years old I was in gymnastics and I absolutely loved it, but when I was about 8 years old my mom decided to take me out of gymnastics and put me into dance, she had her reasons but I was pretty angry at the time. I started taking dance classes such as; ballet, tap, jazz, hip hop, lyrical, and leaps and turns. My mom also put me in an acro class which like gymnastics but only floor. At first I wasn't too sure that I would be interested in my dance classes but looking back i'm really glad my mom made me do it. Although it was a lot of practice and took up a lot of my free time it was definitely worth it. When I got to high school my mom encouraged me to try out for the dance team so I did and made it. I was on the JV team freshmen year and then the Varsity Team, also known as Dance and Drill, sophomore year, junior year, and senior year. Senior year I became a co captain for the team. Being on a team was a lot of fun, but took up a lot of my time so i quit taking classes at my studio unfortunately when I was about 16 years old. After high school I stopped dancing because I went to a Community College for my first semester of freshmen year and they didn't have a dance team or anything. I didn't think about trying out for anything until this semester (2011, my sophomore year in college) I actually just tried out for the dance company here at Northwest Missouri State University and made it, so i was pretty happy! I'm really glad i'm back in dancing because I missed it a lot!

Welcome!!

Welcome!! This blog is going to be about dancing. I hope you enjoy it :)