Wednesday, February 01, 2006

Dancing ....

I recently went for a Western Dance show. It was great and I loved every minute of it. But being a classical dancer I couldnt help but compare the two forms of dance.

Here is what I thought

Unlike Classical dancing, Western Dance does not have a lot of emotion in it. The focus in western dancing is mainly on the steps and the movements. Facial expressions play a very important part in any dance form. Yes Russian ballet has a lot of emotions in it. But I somehow missed the myriad expressions and movements that you can get to see in the classical dance performance.

The dependence of this dance form on music is another thing that I noticed. The mood of the audio combined with the steps create the emotions.. Like the Salasa is a very sensual dance form not just because of its steps but also thanx to the latino flavour of the music. Yes even in classical dance music plays an important part.. Dance is nothing without music. But with your expressions this can be overcome.

Dance, in itself is a means of self expression in which you use your body to communicate what you think and feel. But I dont seem to find that quality on western dances. I think I am being biased. Must explore on this a little more ..

9 comments:

PNA said...

hi vidya .....
dance is an art form where every part of the body has to corelate and co-ordinate together and bring out the wholesome experience...
the facial expression plus the feet, the hands and the dress too ....all in one with the rhythm of the music...
it is a tough job and requires lot of practice to be a graciful dancer ....
dedicated job...

cya and good night
Ash

Sujit said...

What you said is absolutly true.. about western and classical form... Western is more on the synchorism rather than on expression.

Arvind Srinivasan said...

Thanks for blogrolling me, reciprocated the act :-)

dance....hmmm...haaan...hmmmm....onee thing that i dont have an opinion on...(actually i do ;) )

:-)

Maverick said...

Classical dances do have a practised facial expression ( it makes the dance really explicit), but the western dances also provoke a lot of facial expresions only that those expressions are not pre suscribed. I
But any way classical dances are more artful and expressionfull.

Anonymous said...

Hi... You have a nice blog.. When I was googling for my blog, it landed me into your post on Karthik..I would like to comment on some of your earlier posts, but think its too late..

Will watch out for your new posts..

Vidya said...

@Ash - it does take a lot of practice.. But it also depends on the State of your mind..

@Sujit - :) nice to know that u agree with me

@Arvind - hmm.. :) .. Thanx..

@Maverick - Okay I shall watch more carefully.. But the thought about practiced expression is only partly correct .. With practice u understand the expression better and when u r performing it isnt the practiced expression that comes out but it is your understanding that comes out.. See that takes a lot of time and effort.. Begineers will not understand it.. thats what makes Chitra Vishveswaran the dancer she is... :)

@Karthik - he he .. that post of mine has become quite famous!! n e wayz..thank you for dropping by.. and u can post comments on any of my previous posts.. comment section is always open..

Arvind Srinivasan said...

Yea, you have to turn on the email-on-comment feature to see the comments by people on past-posts :)

Maverick said...

Vidya: Point taken.

Vidya said...

Vidya ,

I have to agree and disagree with you here. After Bharathanatyam & Mohiniattam, I found it extremely difficult to adjust to any of the Western dances. I think I have them now divided as two categories - Casual & Formal.

If you consider Salsa , which is casual , there is a lot of grace , rhythm , co-ordination & expressions, though the expressions in Indian Classical is different than these. In fact most of the Latin dances can be very expressive and sensual.

As with the Middle Eastern dances !!

As far as the formal dances go, waltz for instance, because they are formal, expressions are far less. Waltz is also something that can be danced at a office party. Clowning off there will give you a reputation that will last your entire tenure ! :)

Anyway, these are 2 cents of this. It is good to know that there are people who are comparing and contrasting the 2 cultures !!

Vidya