Dancing Nevada

I. Mean it was a look about modern and jazz. It's just in the styles themselves. Jazz is a movement to jazz music. Interpretive and modern dance is an inner spiritual expression in the book of the same year even when Jazz dances is a spiritual expression. It's just according to the music that you're dancing to. I know I've been touring and welcome to dance in Nevada. Now how about that. Yes. The S. When I was really much younger I never thought about dance as something I would do.

It was something that I would watch on TV and watch people like Sammy Davis and Ed Sullivan Show and the influence of that sort of touch my heart was just in the rock and roll music and this got into my blood and got to my body and i promise of the studying and wanting to get into the more into it and it is it is. It is ME that has saved my life literally saved my life the dance. I'm passionate about modern dance because water is an American art form where ballet and even jazz. Is something that's been borrowed from another culture that modern It's something that really came out of American culture was developed here it's 100 years old. It was a revolt against ballet it was a revolt against the outward stylings of the stylistic trappings of ballet.

Dancer's began breaking away from the rigidity of ballet structure in form at the turn of the 20th century. The modern dance was born. One of its earliest founders is adored Duncan called for the abolition of ballet in 1903 claiming that ballet was deforming the beautiful woman. But basically that historically started as a rebellion against. Strict rules of ballet. If you want to see the real creature that could exist without me and the technical ideas of a rigid spine and a series of tricks you'd see a group of people wanted to get back to what was essential and what was. The primitive human roots of why we dance and what we express. And at that time they came up with the very first modern dancers is

adored Duncan fuller and Rue Saint-Denis had all studied ballet and performed in vaudeville and burlesque dancers doing ballet steps in a skirt that showed their legs pretty racy for the late 1800s. In 1892 Louis Fuller began to utilize special lighting techniques during her dances that would eventually lead to some of the modern day special effects we see in casino shows today. For some of her most famous interpretive dances she would transform her silk skirt through gaslighting and create the illusion of a dancing flame flower or butterfly. They took the shoes off the ballet shoes went barefoot dancing started and what was the vocabulary was thrown out of the window so what modern dance in its very basic essence. We took the form and stripped it away and decided that the movement would be created that would express what was the intention of the intention of the choreography.

As modern dance was being performed throughout the world. Personal styles developed in Nevada some of the very first modern dance performances were held at the McKissic opera house in Reno and the pipers opera house in Virginia City. The great dancers of course came the great opera companies our stage manager was David Blass CO and he of course. Teamed up with which you need to do Madama Butterfly in the girl of the Golden West in 1898 Broadway producer David Bell ASCO hired Rue Saint-Denis to tour with his production of Zsa Zsa where she became enamored of the ritualistic dances of Eastern cultures including Japan India and Egypt. In 1900 she began her solo career using an elaborate costumes and improvised dance moves to present Indian mythology to U.S. audience. The cafe society from New York came out to get their divorces and so you would have one of our first drama clients was Mark Twain in the 60s when Liz drug

lord Terry Prince So you've had four presidents and it is titled A noble people. Modern dancers were embraced by the cultural elite of society is adored Duncan and her sister would perform the dance and philosophy at the homes of wealthy patrons their dances set to Strauss waltzes and the ruby yacht of Omar Khayyam led to the reputation of early modern dance as exotic with an artistic bent. It is a day neither hot nor cold. Hope to drive from Canary with you to the floor. Troop Well you can see which. Came from something from the center of the body rather be of bendy appendages which in ballet a lot of the movement was really in the arms and the legs and the torso at the time when ballet was created was in a corset. So

there wasn't a lot of movement that happened with the spine up and down and modern completely took that away and that's why we embrace gravity. We we have the fall as part of the form. We use the floor is a door a dunk and shocked audiences with what she called free dance. Wearing only a Greek tunic. Her movements emanated she said from the solar plexus and she developed a concept of natural breathing based on the ebb and flow of ocean waves. She aimed to idealise abstractly the emotions induced by such composers as Beethoven and Wagner. Is adored Duncan. Stop herself in the universe. Well Lucy then it's something a universe in the sea. Dance has its own independent elements. Time shape space motion dynamics or the degree of release of energy and you can take those elements into anything you want. You can tell a story with them a little narrative or you can just tell the

story of where the dance goes in the space and what shapes it makes and what the energy changes. So in that sense I think basically modern dance is not emotionally based but you can certainly use it as a platform for expressing emotions and structure. Even though both Martha Graham and Doris Humphrey the leaders of the next generation of modern dancers studied with Ruth St. Denis in the early 1900s. They took different approaches in their interpretation of modern dance Martha Graham believe the primary source of dance was the breath poem. And by exaggerating the contractions and expansion of the torso and flexing the spine she tried to express the inner conflicts of humanity. But to Doris Humphrey gravity was the source of the dynamic instability of movement. The arc between balance and imbalance fall and recovery represented once conflicts with the surrounding world. That's what I like about long. You get several different interpretations of the same words some people will see a story in it some people just see shapes motion and

space and it works. It works for all of them. Most modern dance evolved in New York and Europe. But eventually its esoteric popularity spread throughout the country including the Silver State in Nevada during the first half of the 20th century modern dance companies performed primarily at the opera houses and special venues but gradually troops began to form both in Reno and Las Vegas. Now modern dance is well represented both by touring companies and local residents companies. The history of dance in our state obviously is you me because Nevada has always perpetuated the performing arts within a commercial setting and in Ghana ballet has always had a very vibrant and educated audience. In my world of modern dance it's been an more difficult journey in that. Modern can sometimes seem abstract or distant and audience members might feel as though they don't have the

expertise to come. To the experience. And throughout the years as more and more opportunities to view modern dance have come to the fore for example through our town. In the last 10 years in Northern Nevada a series of artistic experiences throughout the month of July the audiences have become more experienced more. Aware of the importance of their own opinion. As they approach the viewing of the mark in their abilities as an audience. In addition to touring companies dancers who were performing in Pacino shows throughout the state also yearn to perform other styles of dance including modern and jazz but also there were some companies that have folded now. Opus was a company made of made up of shill dancers who perform with you a couple of times a year at the Tropicana

and I was a first rate modern jazz type company. It lasted about 10 years. Ralph Perkins who works project was another one small company but very innovative very avant garde. And again didn't get the financial support over time but it lasted a number of years. Those they contributed a lot because they created a lot of interest and dance for people. The public audiences in northern Nevada continue to amaze me. The more they see the more they become immersed in the arts and the more. Disciplined the artistic eye becomes for example. Several years ago we were involved in the support of plod it's a very avant garde sort of abstract modern group which was formulated in the rebellion of the 60s. I would venture to say that three or four years prior to that an audience might have booed him on stage but as the arts have become so

prevalent within about an hour to what's going on in the professional world to the audiences have you trained on and understood the vehicle. Backed. Dancers are intending to go. Since the 1970s modern dance has been rising in the battle especially at the universities and community colleges but highly regarded dance departments choreographer Kelly Ross Community College of Southern Nevada troupe recently won acclaim at an international competition in Italy. What we've done is we've got a tour regionally but also to Mexico City to Prague and most recently to Italy where we were at that grand prix Italia and that was a international competition which featured dancers after professional and semiprofessional companies as well as schools.

The competition there were 700 maybe dancers approximately from 40 different countries and within the competition I had several different categories and categories that we actually won. You. Were the first. Contemporary dance performance and then overall choreography for the competition so you played. He's with us. And it was quite. Good. In competition. The CCS and dancers had to perform precarious balancing moves while dancing on a stage built on a slant. We did two pieces of Adelie air the one that's received most attention was called the drummer boy and that was a piece that. Took as its starting point. Israeli Palestinian conflict dancers have costumes which represent the Israeli flag the Palestinian flag and then just the earth tones of the land that they fight over. And that music is music like the stuff Mahler the Austrian composer that was rearranged by amending

have been on guard for jazz stuff and this had been so much in the news. Oh my life especially since September 11 2001 that we just couldn't escape it. That's how things creep into our our work. There is news you are not wise you can't get away from it and we feel the need to make some time. But reactions to them are just. It. Resonates with audiences. In recent years. Modern dancers have begun breaking the rules of the modern dance establishment creating dances with themes dances without emotion dances without rules. When people come to see a modern dance company this is what I love about modern dance for me. It doesn't have to be one thing that they're seen a few weeks back that Bradford was 20 have tried to avoid that completely by chance that you can take it

take it's all psychological state out make you dance. So he felt that. That was a rather pompous to think that we could control what the audience felt or what they thought. He just presented things on the stage and let them get from what they made in the development of dance and that it has been fascinating for me personally to watch how dance has become more and more inclusive. Different dance styles the reviewer dancers understand the Mortons of study many different disciplines and over the years a melding of styles. Has become more evident. Now that's not to say the traditional ballet or traditional modern which I consider to be a passionate. Conveyance of emotions or of the conveyor belt of motion. Isn't. Still evident. But what we see is a crossover of. Different types of athletes attempting to

do jazz. Or. As in the case in my choreography. Of A. Ballerina attempting to be liberated through the discipline the structure of modern dance. So it's a very interesting cross-pollination endeavor which I adore. This cross-pollination was enhanced by another development at the turn of the 20th century. The birth of Jan's with its rhythmic syncopation and sensuality a melding of North American cultures music and dance from the slaves of Africa European lilt minstrel shows and the stage jazz dance describes an ever changing form of popular dance. How long has this been around and had I think the moment the neon lights went up on the strip. There was jazz dance being inside the halls to entertain the gamblers when they were gambling but entertaining with jazz dancers just dance.

First of all has many components. A lot of people want to put jazz bands in a certain kind of box you have jazz dances on Broadway you know jazz jazz sets in a concert form meaning people coming to see you as they go to a ballet. And then you have jazz dances use on television and the commercial aspect you have just dance will show and you have a lot of chips. So from that aspect Nevada. And this embracing jazz dance because it's opened itself to many forms of bents. As before I didn't chance has exploded actually into many different varieties of different techniques of dance but basically jazz to mean is more the show value the show aspect of the dance. But it comes from all other forms we incorporate ballet and modern techniques and jazz dance. But jazz is generally done to a more popular type of music. It's a bit more upbeat but it can still have contemporary modern moves. So it's similar in a certain way but

jazz has its own own idiom just actually American Indian. Europeans do not know jazz dance because it came from the African American blues New Orleans type of a lot of style and as well as Broadway and vaudeville show dance once again in Reno Lake Tahoe Las Vegas and throughout Nevada. Jazz dancing has been a staple of casino shows throughout the years because he knows have always hired the best choreographers in the 60s and 70s rum Louis's and Casino Deepali set the bar high in ensuing years. Jerry Jackson they found these beige air has stood the test. Time as the longest running show in Las Vegas and Michael Daryn's passion 2008 stretch the boundaries of contemporary dance Michael and Emmy Award winning director choreographer choreographer of the year by Variety magazine and has worked for several casino throughout the day.

As director choreographer. I have directed the lighting designer I have done seven shows in Las Vegas and I have done four in Reno and I have done nine in my style. I mean my style of dance. As a choreographer is any and every and I have done any and every style of dance except for hip hop jazz I've done classical I've done tap I've done. It depends on what that specific contract is looking for is meeting or what I feel is right for the contract. I would code into the guidelines that I have from either the hotel or the ship or whatever it may be. Now modern dancers frequently strive to be abstract. Dancers usually express the music and show dancers endeavor to entertain. But for the choreographer those generalizations don't always apply. So there's no set formula that I use being a costume designer as well.

Sometimes it will start from a sketch from a design that I do and then I want to bring that design to life in an entire production so that I come up with the movements of the music. A lot of times it starts with the music I'll hear a piece of music and immediately images in pictures you know start running rampant in my mind. And so usually I'll jot things down just a list of notes. And then referred back to him to Oh yeah now I could take that I could do this and what about if I did this etc. etc.. So it can start from the music. It can start from just a step and build an entire number. It can start from a custom design. It can start from a word somebody saying a word and then my mind will go. We're seeing a big fusion of modern jazz and ballet. I know many ballet companies in Europe that are doing musicals now which they would not have done this before. I've seen many jazz companies now that are doing modern works.

I see I just saw a modern company to jazz repertory. So it's a big fusion because there's many I think really came from television. There's such a wide variety of things to select from and I think dance is also going in that direction and even if you look at the University of Nevada our program is really an equal emphasis and valley a lot of the three year very important training a dancer the dancer of tomorrow. With jazz I think because of its nature we're really came out of the entertainment industry. I think if it does have that that sense of being a stage form that isn't so it is different it's more of a theatrical form rather then the modern which kind of came out of more concert work but it's more of a concert dance form. But. Even saying that. I feel like I'm stereotyping something that nowadays doesn't really exist. So.

When we look at ballet modern jazz of today. We see them the lines between them start to flow or that people that modern dance is no longer just something that isn't very interesting but there's incredible technique there's incredible kinds of extensions there's. It can be you know as hot as any jazz piece and jazz can be as death and as. Soul searching. As a modern day. That we get that nowadays. I think if we look at you know to understand the forms that we look at where they're coming from and then we see. We see those kinds of differences. As contemporary dance begins blending modern jazz and ballet dancer students find it necessary to study the technique and history of all three because the roots of dance is African. I'd like to keep that area. Very fresh in the students minds so whereas we might go over to

jazz dance it's like out. We also focus on. Africa. And the. Ethnic. Aspect of dance. We associate jazz dance with shows in clubs and show girls and I've made it a mission of mine to teach the historical component of American jazz dance and it is it's in this form which is Africa. So in this course that is so loved by so many students we track jazz dance from Africa to the islands and the impact of the Catholic faith and the seasoning of the slaves and plantation dances. And we look at really true what jazz dance is and. Because I don't see the African-American impact to dance has been truly appreciated. We talk about Miss Katherine Dunham and how the African American pioneers tracing the roots back to Africa struggled.

And so what I do is take those elements and I put it in with your sort of traditional jazz dancing. And then from there the student gets an opportunity of not only knowing say the lyrical part of jazz which has about let it influence or the modern part of jazz or have a Martin influence but they also know the African part of jazz and that has a lot of articulations in isolations and use of the torso and undulating of the back and really focusing the movement very low into the floor. So that is what I bring to it. That's sort of my area of expertise as far as jazz is concerned. There are many different ways to come at jazz because it has so many fingers and so many different forms that you really can't put in a box and say jazz. Yes I do believe they have a certain knowledge. It's out

for the love song. A certain amount of rhythm and quality of mood as jazz because that's basically where the original elements of the started. I look to the future. And Dallas. Has an exciting time. In Nevada. We are rugged individualists we have the opportunity with our beautiful landscape to express ourselves to not be burdened by some of the traditions that let's say a more formidable market in New York or San Francisco would harbor. We have more and more opportunity to showcase work in progress which I think is a very good point of sort of not like that is history from an early mining days to its mantle as a top tourist destination has enabled bands of all kinds of ballet modern jazz tap

and social to flourish. Both dancers and audiences come together in an appreciation of the history of the modern dance and jazz dance of ballet and character. Would you name it in any form. Interpretation. They're all under the same banner and that's called a love of dance.