Dance has always been a huge part of my life. It acts a platform for me to express myself and understand how my body moves. Dance can take place anywhere if you ask me, but I am in love with performing. I just love the feeling of being on stage and sharing my love these dance genres to the audience.
Not only have I grown to love the art of dance, but I believe that it important to know and understand the history behind the types of dance genres that I love. Here are some of my favourite dance genres and the history behind them.
Dancehall
Originated from Jamaica in the early 1970s, Dancehall is actually a music genre morphed from its roots in Reggae into a modern, wilder and daring cultural phenomenon. ‘Dance halls’ were places where Jamaican people would gather to dance and party.
They would do this to the tunes of Jamaican recordings and live artists. Some people who have contributed so much to Dancehall include Beenie Man, Shabba Ranks and more. There are several variations to this dance style, namely, ‘Bogle’, ‘Sweep’, ‘Willie Bounce’ and more.
Today, Dancehall is both a music genre and dance style known around the world. Furthermore, it has influenced many popular artists and other music genres globally.
Hip Hop
Hip Hop came to life on August 11th, 1973, at a birthday party in the recreation room of an apartment building in the west Bronx, New York City. The exact location of its birthplace is 1520 Sedgwick Avenue.
Founded by Clive Campbell, commonly known as DJ Kool Herc, Hip Hop has shaped music, art, fashion, technology and more. Hip Hop comprises of four elements: Breaking, DJing, MCing/Rapping and Graffiti.
Dancers would form dance circles or cyphers and show of their best dance moves and these dancers are known as B-Girls and B-Boys. Today, Hip Hop continues to be a global phenomenon and has developed new art forms that impact the new and old generations.
Contemporary
This dance genre is known as the movement of new dancers who did not want to follow the strict rules of ballet. Instead, they wanted to explore areas of revolutionary movements that came from other dance styles around the world.
Some names who have contributed so much to contemporary are Isadora Duncan, Martha Graham and Merce Cunningham. These amazing individuals wanted to show the world that contemporary dancers should embrace freedom and discover the limits of the human body and visual expression of feelings.
Street Jazz
This dance genre is a combination of Jazz, Hip Hop and Funk, all in one. It is used to describe dance styles that evolved outside dance studios and more of everyday spaces such as streets, dance parties, school yards and more.
Street Jazz is the interaction and contact with other dancers and spectators from other countries. It is also commonly used to identify the variations of Hip Hop and funk dance styles that began appearing in the United States in the 1980s.
Today, Street Jazz is still alive and evolving with Hip Hop culture.
With all these in mind, it is important that we understand where these dance genres come from and the history behind them. Not only are they dance styles, but they have become prominent cultures in other parts of the world.
We should continue to appreciate these cultures as these cultures are what makes up the global dance scene today.
