Dance can express certain thoughts and emotions better than many other art forms. Here are two great examples of dance that do just that... express something that can't be done quite as well in any other way. Here are a few ideas for discussion. Please share your thoughts.
What kinds of emotions and ideas are expressed by these examples?
What kinds of emotions or ideas would be best expressed by something other than dance?
Which of these two examples do you relate to more? Why?
Stanley Kubrick used the song "Singin' in the Rain" in a scene in his classic movie "A Clockwork Orange."
For those of you who have seen the movie, how does Kubrick use the music (and a few dance gestures) to evoke very different emotions than the original?
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I enjoyed both videos and am familiar with the Gene Kelly piece. I find both very stylized and situated in the street but the later one (Gene Kelly's) is a Hollywood set. That piece seems more like a fantasy-- that high of falling in love. This piece however works well in its intertextual juxaposition with McDowell's performance in Kubrick's film, creating tension with the violence enacted on that couple and thus emphasizing a dystopian society. Without humanity, as the scene shows, science cannot cure all of society's ills.
ReplyDeleteI thought that the dancing in the planet b-boy video was quite impressive. However, I relate more to the fancy foot work in "singing in the rain". I've always had a thing for musical shoes. I frequently have emotions that I'd like to express through song and dance. It's fun to people who actually have the guts to do it. Thanks Gene!
ReplyDeleteI really like the jutaxposition of the two films and how they relate to each other in terms of dancing with meaning. Having growing up in the hip-hop generation, I've always admired hip-hop dancers because their ability to translate their emotions into break-dancing, crunking, etc. It really takes a lot of skill and creativity to convey a message, or idea through dance.
ReplyDeleteI have always respected the act of dancing. Whether it was ballet, break dancing or even moshing. I enjoy the energy that can be witnessed. I liked the Planet B-boy's dancing better than the Gene Kelly dancing. The B-boys seemed real to me and Kelly was just acting.
ReplyDeleteWhile viewing Planet B-Boys, I "caught myself" morphing from a former opinion that may stem from a bias. Although break dancing has evolved as the video suggests, it came out of a culture that is identified with styles and values with which I differ. So I had a tendency to "throw out the baby with the bathwater." Because the breakdancing in this video was juxtaposed again Paris, fountains, the Eiffel tower etc., it was no longer associated with the culture from which it originally came. I saw it for the the movement, athleticism, and artistic expression that it is. This made me think more about context and how context can change one's interpretation of an image, action or thought. Such might be the case of propaganda that Ali brought to my attention. This can be used for good or evil. I just thought it was rather revealing about my own self! I would choose to "argue" with Veronica about her conclusion that Kelly was just acting! :) Those dancers had talent, control, athleticism as well! So.....you think you can dance?
ReplyDeleteYeah, Gene Kelly was awesome. I would rather be an awesome break dancer though.
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