Opinions of Dance 1

Opinions of Dance: A Look into Opinions, Stereotypes and Value Judgments of Todays Dancers Crystal Cruz University of North Carolina at Charlotte

Spring 2013

Opinions of Dance 2 Introduction: When the time comes to choose a topic of interest to research my immediate thoughts go to the things that make me happy. Now, all the things that fall into this category are not worth writing a narrative essay on. However, one stands out in particular that I could really find information on that would enhance my cultural and analytical knowledge of: dance. When you read that, you probably already started forming an idea of dance in your head. You created a picture of what you think of dance. Depending on your background, this could be a vast array of possibilities for what first comes to mind. Its different for every person. For example, if you are already a dancer and have studied ballet, that form of dance may be what you think of first. The same goes for any kind of dance that someone with experience has. If there is no experience to go off of, you might automatically think of the kind of dancing you see at parties or music videos. Perhaps you instinctively think of ballroom dance, or better yet, the unique dance of your religion or cultural/ethnic background. In short, just by stating one word people will already form a predetermined stereotype or opinion before hearing any other piece of information. This is only natural, but it was my goal to try to find what people really think of dancers and different styles of dances just by looking at them. Personally, I do come from a variety of dance background. As a young child I frequently danced around the living room to anything that was on. When I could stand on my own Id bounce to music and shake my little diaper back and forth. Every Saturday morning my mom would implement Cleaning Power Hour and for the next whole hour she blasted Salsa music throughout the apartment and we would all dance around to our destination. Wed dance salsa to the kitchen to get supplies and sing as we cleaned. I joined in the tradition as soon as I could walk without falling. I fell in love with dance movies like You Got Served and Save the Last Dance and would imitate the hip hop moves when no one was watching. In elementary and

Opinions of Dance 3 middle school I also took Salsa classes with my older brother and continued in a couple other styles throughout high school. Having placed a lot of practice time, performances, and efforts into it I would definitely consider dance an aspect of my life that shapes who I am. Therefore, dance is clearly an interest for me to further analyze. Most people who dance often do it to relieve stress; they are not doing it for others. However, it could be interesting to learn what people who are not dancing alongside these individuals get from their movements. In todays world things are very highly criticized by others, yet self-expression in this generation has never been so high and diverse. So what sorts of ideas do society form about a dancers character? Is there a pre-conception about who should be doing certain styles of dance? What stereotypes exist in the world of dance and why? These are some of the questions I strived to answer in this narrative. Dance instructors, scholars, dancers themselves, and media are the best sources for inquiring information on this subject. Media is obviously not a human being with an opinion to voice, but media is a major component in the transference of life in general. Videos and blogs get put onto the internet for the world to see. This meaning, that anyone can view a posting from anywhere around the world with access. The possibilities of this new all-access door to the world of dance allows for it to impact others on a much larger scale, but for it to also be impacted and changed by others much more quickly than before media was an option for dancers of older generations - no matter what style it may be. Mary Fogarty of York University interestingly discusses issues between dancers instead of issues between dancers and society, yet these opinions show a lot about how powerful a cultural norm can be even within the same group. By a cultural norm I mean any behavior that is considered normal to be carried out by a group of people in the same area or lifestyle. For example, in the United States it is normal to drive on the right side of the road, but in other

Opinions of Dance 4 countries it is opposite. Similarly, it is normal for dancers to break dancers to spin on their heads, but that is extremely inappropriate to do when performing the Waltz, which is a very slow, respectful, dance done with a partner. Other sources Ive compiled insight from include a ballroom instructor with her own studio in Woodland Hills, California. Christy Melgoza talks about the stereotypes of ballroom dance and attacks them head on in a blog. Voice of America Internet news shares an inspirational and educational piece regarding a hip hop stereotype. Similarly, Michael Martin of National Public Radio shares an interview a non-traditional ballet star, which has also broken a large stereotype within the ballet world, again, most of the criticism coming from those who are involved in that world. As you might be beginning to shape, Ive learned that in actuality lots of stereotypes and/or opinions of dance do not come from the outside society, but from those inside the community. Through investigating the opinions of credible individuals in the dance world Ive found however, that some critiques I do not completely agree with. Though these concepts hold partial conceptual truth and make for good points, as a young dancer my perspective may hold a slightly different market of opinion. Literature Review: The main issues Ive discovered in my research stem from salsa, hip hop, ballet, and even racial conflicts within competitions. The findings range from intense feelings to happy endings, but each story has its own message to take away. Jimmy Anton (2010) expressed Dancers today do so many turns Im not saying theyre bad just they lose feeling with the music. Jimmy Anton is a Dance Instructor in New York City; hes an older gentleman who prefers a more classic style of Salsa Dance. By classic style he refers to an older generation that does not result to using so many turns and energy as a way to express themselves. Another gentleman, a dance choreographer in New York City, touched on this exact issue while letting us into the mind of a younger dancer. When a young

Opinions of Dance 5 dancer wants to make himself more unique or more superior to the dancer next to him hes looking for those slightly more technically difficult ways of expressing an idea (Frankie Martinez, 2010) Thus, serving as a backup to Antons opinion on younger salsa dancers. As Martinez continues to explain, older more experienced dancers understand that essentially less is more, a concept that younger dancers do not yet understand. According to Martinez, they have all this pent up energy and they need to release that energy; whereas, the older couple knows how to dance more efficiently enough to deal with music that is slower and do less to be more effective. To support this idea, I take an observation from Maritza Diaz (2010), a salsa dancer in New York who admits that younger dancers will shy away from anything that is not a fast pace song because they just do not know how to dance to it. These songs are usually something older and slower but if they did try to dance to this music they would predictably use the same fastpaced technique as they always do. Martinez goes back to this by saying that It is advanced and very very sophisticated to deal with space in music as a dancer, it is very elementary when you dont have that space you can jump around like a maniac and because youre moving fast its exciting. Though younger dancers may be at a high level of skill, they are still at an elementary stage because they havent mastered the concept that you do not have to be moving fast pace to every song the entire song to be impressive or show a certain level of skill. He relates this concept to an old kung fu analogy. The old man with a beard can make one or two swift moves and everyone is out, on the other hand, the young bald man is doing flips and moving all around. At the end of the day people are still getting beat up and defeated but the old man does it more efficiently because he uses less energy. This opinion came from dancers in the same sub-figured world. In a way it can be looked at as old school vs. New School. However, I would like to point out that some of the persons who voiced their opinion in this video documentary were not all older dancers, they simply

Opinions of Dance 6 have a common preference of style and opinion on younger generation dancers. As implied by these instructors, choreographers, and dancers, new dancers who use the fast-pace style of Salsa as their guide to doing well have a mindset that causes the initial purpose of Salsa to be lost. They lose the passion for the dance and alter its pure form, and have used the form of dance for selfish purposes. On a more positive note, there are other stories being reported that prove stereotypes that have existed for years are now being broken in cultures around the world. For example, in both hip hop and ballet stereotypes have been formed about the kinds of people who should be practicing these styles. Fortunately, theyve been broken through the initiative and courage of a few brave souls. Elizabeth Lee (2013) excitedly reports on a story of Asian American Dancers in Los Angeles, California practicing hip hop dance, or as they call it Urban. Arnel Calvario got consistent feedback from African-American girls that showed him how surprised people are to see Asians dance in such a way. From this he used it as motivation to start a dance company that caters to the needs of Asian American urban dancers, while keeping it open to anyone who wanted to join the movement. Traditionally, dancing for such recreational purposes is not recognized in Asian cultures, like China for example. But now its being more accepted even within their own culture in America. An urban, or hip hop, dancer in Los Angeles named Kan Dang (2013) talks about this exact issue: You normally wouldnt tell your parents you dance cause they feel like it would be a distraction from your studies, but now I think its accepted that its like a good stress reliever or a time to meet people in school. With the help of media its been spread world-wide, and unlike generations ago, hip hop no longer belongs to just one race or ethnic group.

Opinions of Dance 7 As noted, these stereotypes were also coming from people who were either hip hop dancers or had some affiliation with that world. Not from anyone with no dance experience. Again, it proves that some stereotypes originate from the inside out. Similarly, there is a general perception that one would expect to see for ballet dancers, which are white females. Where did this come from exactly? Was it society or just a simple matter of coincidental history? In an interview with Brooklyn Mack, Michael Martin (2012) reveals the story of how this amazing man, prior basketball and football star, came to be the first African American to win the senior medal in what is commonly known as the Olympics of Ballet. Originally starting ballet to help with football, he soon fell in love with it and there was no going back. Despite his success negative sanctions and opinions still exist. He does say however, some of the maybe directors of companies and stuff like that have those, may have some of those stereotypes and won't employ or you know give young African-American or black dancers a chance because of those things. Not surprised by this insight given from Mack concerning
directors of dance companies, I cannot say his circumstance alone will change the minds of those individuals who have lived with the typical ballet dancer stigma for much longer. In my opinion, it would take a large representation of minorities and/or men in the ballet world to change the minds of higher ups and force them to accept dancers no matter what background. Considering that ballet is a form of art that by no law belongs to a certain cultural group, theoretically there should be no issue with embracing and expanding this concept.

Along with higher-ups making judgments on styles of dance, interestingly enough, Juliet McMains (2001) explores the racial existence in what is known as Latin Dancesport. As I have learned, the Latin ballroom dances in Latin Dancesport include rumba, salsa, samba, paso doble, and jive. While performing these dances competitors are required to put on tanning cream to give the appearance of a brownface. Its been said that a pale face signifies power, good, light, wealthy, universal, and invisible. Its been associated with a high class. As observed, these Latin

Opinions of Dance 8 dances involve much more sexual movements and involvement of hips that perhaps the white dances do not share. So in essence, the brownface gives them permission to perform these types of behaviors? Zooming out into the standard ballroom world that most people envision, which includes the common European dances such as the Waltz and Foxtrot and Tango, there are still stereotypes that exist. In contrast however, these particular stereotypes originate from those who are non-dancers. Christy Melgoza (2013) a dance instructor in California attacks some common stereotypes in a well organized blog. Lastly, Ill mention some research of my own which includes three observations of three different styles of dance on a college campus: Bollywood, Ballroom, and Social Latin Dance. The Bollywood dance Ive found is interestingly close to hip hop moves. However, this style is probably modernized by the young American-Indian generation. Nonetheless, what Ive observed through sitting in on a practice is that though they consist by differently culturally constructed music and movements, the overall structure and relationship between members of the team are the same as anyone would imagine. Unlike the professional and competitive world of Latin Dance Ive discovered through research, my Latin observations were very informal and considered Social Latin since the entire environment occurs at social environments. In these environments dancing truly is just practiced for fun and for the love of the dance and music. A good adjective to describe it would be spontaneous. However, these clubs or a party where the social dancing takes place usually caters to the people in that area. For example, a club in New York City would more than likely play salsa with some incorporation of meringue and bachata once in a while. Since the group of Hispanics consists of Puerto Ricans, Dominicans, and Columbians. Culturally these nationalities are practice Salsa, so basically where these groups the music will follow. Parallel to this idea the music played during my observation was mostly Bachata and Merengue. Bachata is played everywhere because it is the easiest dance to do and

Opinions of Dance 9 therefore allows everyone to follow under its umbrella. My last observation was a Ballroom dance practice where members were practicing for a upcoming competition. From what I saw, there was a great level of respect for each set of dancers. Each couple practiced at their own speed and although there was a clear line between which dance couples were the most experienced, there was no sign of mistreatment because of the variation of skill and experience. We are some of the most welcoming people that you would ever meet especially at competitions the sportsmanship that is displayed is amazing, a member of the ballroom dance club at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. I will say however, that the dynamic of any dance team or club on a campus can vary greatly from a professional dance school. Environments in which people that pay money for lessons, train all their lives, and compete at an institution do carry the stigma of being snobbish and highly competitive with other dancers, and not always in a healthy way. Entering the Conversation: Ive found it surprising how many stereotypes existed amongst the figured world of cultural dance. I thought most stereotypes existed from people on the outside judging in. Similar to how Calvario was motivated to spread the awareness of his culture in the hip hop world from a comment made by someone outside his culture who used to own the hip hop style of dance. More so, Ive been taken aback as to the amount of stereotypes affecting dancers that actually originate from other dancers in the same sub-figured world. Thinking back to my own experiences with hip hop, dancers tend to be very hard on themselves and tension levels are high between dancers who express a certain level of skill or ownship of skill and those who may not be at that level or dance for different reasons. For example, someone who works tremendously hard to practice versus the dancer who gets everything naturally and moves up faster but has a bad work ethic. What angered me though, was McMains findings on the brownface

Opinions of Dance 10 representations of Latin Ballroom Dances for competition. Especially considering that there is no set skin color to symbolizes Latinos. No matter where the dances themselves originate, skin color is a minor issue representing the style of a dance. What should be the most important judgment in performance should be the technique and performance itself rather than the physical look of a dancer. Where, when, and who implemented these racial mandatory rules for Dancesport is beyond me. In the world of social latin dancing, it doesnt matter what color you are, if you know how to dance or even express an interest in the culture and want to learn everyone is very accepting and eager of you. Whats valued in that environment is the experience, the fun, and the dancing itself. Perhaps things change as dancing gets taken to a more serious level because those who are in charge of these events develop a more stuck-up , for lack of a better adjective, outlook on what dance should be and therefore lose consciousness of why people started dancing in the first place. As far as the Dance instructors from New Yorks opinions on youthful dancers, I feel they have a point and based on how much the morals and values the younger generations have changed from the past their opinions are not surprising to me. This generation has evolved into a slightly more self-orientated style of self expression as a whole, so it makes sense that this mentality would spill into the activities they immerse themselves into. In an interview Ive had with a high school coaches several years back, its been expressed that the reason why seasons have failed is due to a lack of unity amongst team members and it shows on the field. Technology and personal traits have changed the way student athletes interact with one another, for example, Coach Dean, states that since mp3 players came out everyone motivates themselves through their own headphones and no one interacts with each other before a game, and on the field players are more interested in making themselves look good. Sad but true, the same can be seen in many dance communities across the globe. Not all, but many. My outlook on future

Opinions of Dance 11 dancers both in the generation and the next is that due to the increase need for self-expression dance styles will start to merge and there might be a new style of dance that evolves as a result of the mixing that so many young dancers do today. So What?: The importance of being aware of the opinions of modern day dancers and how theyve changed is to be acutely aware of the way in which dance develops over time. Through this knowledge sociologists and anthropologists can assess what exactly causes these amends to the styles that affect so many peoples lives. Its also important to know where a dancer stands in the eyes of others. If Calvario hadnt heard feedback from an African-American female about his dancing he wouldnt have been motivated to change the perceptions of Asians in Association with hip hop dance. Of course, areas for further research could start with the other side of the story. As the common saying goes, there is always two sides to a story. I happen to think that a story can be analyzed and interpreted from any angle. Using Macks story with ballet as an example, weve heard his success and experience dealing with criticism from both outside members as well as people inside the ballet world. To add on to that, investigations can start with talking to the directors and owners of major dance companies to see just why it is that they are skeptical about hiring a male minority dancer. Secondly, we could get the opinion of other African-American males around the same age and assess their opinion on this very non-traditional lifestyle Mack has created for himself and why they feel that way. Going backwards a bit, research can be done on the history of ballet and perhaps some of its founders shared their ideas on how they wished for ballet to grow, then we can see how modern day ballet falls against their projections. Clearly, any situation is way more complex than meets the eye. Understanding this is important because one can get a full sense as to why and how as opposed to simply acknowledging what is.

Opinions of Dance 12 References: Cruz, C. Observation Notes [Word Document] Retrieved from: https://moodle2.uncc.edu/mod/assignment/view.php?id=130355 E Lee. (2013, June 24). Asian Americans Break Stereotypes Through Urban Dance. Retrieved from: http://www.voanews.com/content/asian-american-break-sterotypes-through-urbandance/1687837.html Fogarty, M. (2011) Sharing hip-hop dance: Rethinking taste in cross-cultural exchanges of music. IASPM 16th International Conference Proceedings. 127-131. DOI 10.5429/22250301.2011.17 J Joseph. (2010, January 8). Opinions on the Dancing of Present Day. Retrieved from: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y6YF_2S1kIs Kealinohomoku, J. (2001). Anthropologists Looks at Ballet as a Form of Ethnic Dance. In Dils, A. & Albright, A.C. (Eds.) Moving History/Dancing Cultures. Connecticut: Wesleyan University Press. Martin, M. & Davis, B. (2012) Wisdom Watch [Brooklyn Mack, From Ball Player To Ballet Star] New York, NY: National Public Radio. Melgoza, C. (2013, March 6). Breaking the Ballroom Stereotype. Message posted to http://www.arthurmurraydanceschools.com/breaking-the-ballroom-stereotype/ McMains, J. (2001). Brownface: Represenations of Latin-Ness in Dancesport. Dance Research Journal, 33 (2), 54 - 71. Ronen, S. (June 2010). GRINDING ON THE DANCE FLOOR: Gendered Scripts and Sexualized Dancing at College Parties. [Electronic Version]. Gender and Society, 24 (3), 355-357. Sklar, D. (2001). Five Premises for a Culturally Sensitive Approach to Dance. In Dils, A. & Albright, A.C. (Eds.) Moving History/Dancing Cultures. Connecticut: Wesleyan University Press.