Tap Dance With Me

Unlike any other dance styles, the main goal of Tap dancing is to create rhythmic sounds using the the tap shoe striking the floor. Tap dancing started in the early 1800s and has evolved considerably ranging from the material and the usage of the tapping shoes to the choreography of the steps. The fun of it begin with the catchy rhythmic sounds created by striking the floor with the shoe.

It is often said that through learning tap dancing, one could build up the fundamentals of overall dance techniques, particularly with the musicality and styling aspects of dance.

One of the most recognised tap dancer in the world was Fred Astaire. He was an American actor, singer and dancer. Perhaps the most famous movie and television dancer in his day of his career. The following is a performance on stage by him and his movie partner Ginger Rogers:

It is through the performers like Fred Astaire and Gene Kelly that further increase the popularity of this dance genre. Fred Astaire incorporated steps and movements from classical ballet and created a different experience and style into tap dancing. 

Nowadays, tap dancing is one of the most popular children dance classes not only because of the learning of fundamental dance techniques, but also the popularity of tap dancing.  

Get a pair of tap shoes and lets dance!!

Reference: 

http://dance.lovetoknow.com/history-tap-dancing

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tap_dance

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fred_Astaire

Posted by: James Wang

K-pop Dance

the Korean k-pop music /dancing group "girls generation"  was back and released their new album "lion heart" last month on  on August 19, 2015. The dance in the new sound "lion heart" is combining with animal and vintage style which is the first attempt of the team. As the new album released, girls generation performed the dance of "Lion heart" and "you think" in  KBS's Music Bank, MBC's Show! Music Core, and SBS' Inkigayo( Korean music show). Basically, this dance is mainly express how the girls thinking when they fell in love, and it appeared sweet feeling which is aimed to the female market for the launching of this MTV. The dance also show the other side of girls , they act like cat (or Lion) in the dance to express the wild and bold thinking of girls:enjoy love, enjoy the life, but also have the courage to speak their minds.

 The other song in the same album call "You think" is also performed on Korean TV shows and it is popular in the local dancing video. however,the style of  this dance is different from 

'lion heart", "You Think" is more tend to express the emotion of breakup and modernity of the dance.The girls are back with their second MV in two days, "You Think," which everyone has been waiting for since the very first teaser video, and fans are experiencing an overdose of the feels.  The track is upbeat and fun while the girls look just too cool and charismatic to handle, showing off their awesome moves and sexy charms.

The dance "You think" is different from any other dance GG released before, therefore they made a big break through for them self. The dances they has released in the past are more likely to appeal like" girl", for example, the dance of the song call"gee", this dance is more simple and straight forward to show the young girls feeling, which is active, innocent and fantasy. the video as follow is shown the beautiful dance :

Latin Music more famous in Australia

Known for its sensual hip action and sexy flair, Latin dance is gaining popularity on dance floors everywhere. Movies about Latin dancing, ones that portray the beauty of the art of Latin dancing, seem to be favorites among dancers and non-dancers alike. Besides being a staple in the ballroom, many Latin dances are also being taken to country-western dance floors. Learning Latin dances is fairly easy, as most of the dances are made up of the same basic foot steps.

Latin Dance Basics:

The term "Latin dance" may be used in two different ways: to denote dances that originated in Latin America and to name a category of International style ballroom dances.

Many popular dances originated in Latin America, and so are referred to as Latin dances. International Latin is the name of a category of International style ballroom dances. International Latin consists of the following five dances: Cha-Cha, Rumba, Samba, Paso Doble and Jive. These dances are now performed all over the world as Latin-American dances in international DanceSport competitions, as well as being danced socially.

International Latin Dances:

• Cha-Cha:
  Energetic and sassy, the Cha-Cha is danced to authentic Latin music or Latin Pop. It is an offshoot of the Mambo.
• Rumba:
  The Rumba is known as the "dance of love." Danced to romantic, Latin love songs, it is fun and quite easy to learn.
• Samba:
  Often difficult to master, the Samba is a lively Brazilian dance consisting of many jumps and turns. The Samba is an extremely fast dance.
• Paso Doble:
  Meaning "two step" in Spanish, Pasa Doble is a lively, march-like dance with significantly less hip movement.
• Jive
  A variation of the Jitterbug, the Jive consists of dance steps derived from country dancing.
• Latin Style:
  Compared to other ballroom dances, Latin dances are generally faster-paced, more sensual, and have more rhythmic expression. The latin dances are for couples, typically a man and a woman. Partners sometimes dance in a closed, tight position, and sometimes hold only one hand. Latin dancing, as Latin music, is sultry and physical. Quick paced rhythms and playful movements make the various Latin dances endlessly entertaining, sometimes even breathtaking.
  The Latin dances are derived from the music to which they are danced. The component of the music that most differentiates the dances is their fast or slow tempo.

The History of Dance

Dancing...
How do we actually describe this word? Some of us might think that dancing is about beautiful movement to entertain people who watch. The others might think that dancing is a way to express the cultures. While those opinions may be true, the main question is that who actually did invent dancing, or why did it exist in the first place anyway? Let us have a look a little bit the history of dance.

Unlike other histories, dancing from the past is difficult to trace. It is not like stones, statues, or paintings that are tangible. While the activity of dancing from thousands of years ago might be recorded through the establishment of those tangible artifacts, it is not possible to identify the exact precision when dance firstly became part of human culture.

Dance was firstly used not only for entertainment. It was certainly an essential part of ceremony, rituals, celebrations, and then entertainment. Archaeology has proven that dance has existed since prehistoric times, such as from Bhimbetka rock shelter paintings in India that has been 9,000 years old and in the tomb paintings depicting dancing figures from 3,300 BC in Egypt.

Dancing have been evolving as humans take more control through the civilization on the earth. In 18th and 19th centuries, European dancing has evolved from court dancing to Romanticism. Then, in early 20th century, it further evolved from Ballet to contemporary dance. Lastly, in the late 20th and early 21st centuries, the era of postmodernism has reigned, leading to the birth of various popular dance best known until now, such as breakdance, hiphop, and street dance.

Reference:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_dance

We are Group 5. Welcome to Dance With Me!!!

Hello everyone, we are group 5. We are all excited to share with you the beauty and the many different styles in dancing. In our group, there are in total five members, including Juliansen, Yung-Tsun (James) Wang, Febiola Raseliana, Tania Sosa, and Michelle Ling. The following is a photo collage of our group:

Dance is a type of art that involves movement of the body, usually involves following the rhythm of the music. It can be used ranging from expressing emotions to telling a story. Dancing can be very powerful and is performed in every culture. Some of the most popular dance styles are:
1) Hip-Hop Dance
2) Tap Dance
3) Ballet
4) Salsa
5) Belly Dance

Different dance styles have different costumes, different type of music, and different pace. A type of dance could be very contrasting to the other. However, different forms of dance can all have the same benefits such as stress relief, improve flexibility, boost memory, and so on.

For the purpose of giving you a taste of what dance is about, I linked a youtube video of a beginner hip hop dance combination! Enjoy and try it out!

Posted by: James Wang