DanceHistory
Unliketoday, the early society was significantly limited in the forms ofcommunication due to their inaccessibility. The limited communicationtechniques created an environment where people could hardly contacteach other with comfort and ease. However, dancing provided aplatform for people to communicate using non-verbal and culturallyacceptable gestures and movements. Therefore, the society enjoyedvarious dances since they also served as a cultural melting point(George-Graves 734). Some of the most famous dances were theBroadway, which came into existence in the 1900s. Broadway dancestarted after Robbins and De Mille formed musical theater’schoreographic paradigms where they explored how to include danceseamlessly into a musical play (George-Graves 154). During the 1990s,the Broadway dance was beginning to make an impact in New York City’sculture. However, it was disregarded by theater critics since itincluded themes that were far from reality and contrary to the dramaproductions. Despite the criticisms, the early Broadway productionstargeted the middle class where it gained popularity as most of thesepeople were longing for some entertainment (George-Graves 149).
Broadwayemerged as a unique dance style that incorporated jazz, ballet, andmodern dancing styles in theater and singing. Broadway was consideredfascinating by the audience since it was the first time a dance wasrepresented as part of a story line. The dance allowed the use ofunusual movements of the body parts. Furthermore, the use of theaterprops as stage aids have become very popular in Broadway productions,giving way to a variety of movements previously unused in theater ordance productions. Therefore, Broadway dances contrast with otherdance styles because it combines acting and singing (George-Graves150).
However,Broadway dance has significantly changed due to the evolving art ofdancing and theater production sector. Although the emergingchoreographers follow in the footsteps of past great Broadwaydancers, they also create and discover new styles, which havesignificantly helped to maintain this culture (George-Graves 151).For example, the current productions continually stage revivals ofpopular Broadway hits from the past. Moreover, there are audiencesfrom every generation who have continually enjoyed entertainmentcreated by Broadway productions, which helps with the continuity ofthe dance culture. Then again, presenting various acts across thetheaters has become further enhanced and diversified due to advancingtechnology and social changes, which has significantly changed theBroadway dance. Accordingly, Broadway dance continues to dominatetheaters even to date making it one of the most popular touristattractions. For example, in cities such as New York, theseproductions have been known to attract many visitors into the city.
Inconclusion, it is evident that dance has been a crucial part ofcommunication, and it continues to influence social interactions inthe society. With time, this art evolved into different forms andstyles of movements such as the Broadway dance styles that wereincorporated into the theater productions. However, the technologicaladvancements and changes in social interactions, roles, and normshave contributed to the evolution of the Broadway dance styles.Today, the dancers have modified modern forms of dancing, but themain idea of incorporating dancing and acting are still present.Furthermore, the use of props and various body movements havefacilitated the creation of even more entertaining and appealingtheater productions. Consequently, Broadway dancing has keenlyfollowed the development, evolution, and history of dance as art, butit still maintains its core objective of entertaining the audiences.
WorksCited
George-Graves,Nadine. The Oxford Handbook of Dance and Theater. Oxford: NewYork: Oxford University Press, 2015. Print.