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 :)