Just gonna say it flat out: Taking other kinds of dance besides ballet is EXTREMELY important, and often the factors of getting accepted into a company hinge upon that. Being skilled or having training in other types of dance such as hula, hip-hop, contemporary, Bollywood, and musical theater greatly increases your success and versatility. I am currently taking contemporary and it has DEFINITELY helped me in ballet with expressionism and technique.
Contemporary:
Contemporary is very similar to ballet, loose and flowy with precise lines. The individual movements are more modern than classical ballet, many of them are made up on the spot by the choreographer. Unlike ballet, contemporary is easily translated into different moods, happy, sad, in love, dead, alive, hurt, angry, alien, etc.
Hip-Hop:
Hip-Hop is another form of expressionism. You can show you're hurt, in love, angry, etc. I personally find this form of dancing more fun to do and more entertaining to watch than contemporary. Hip-hop can consist of bboying, breaking, and also krumping has spurred from hip-hop movements.
Bollywood:
Bollywood dance is the classic dance of Indian culture. It can be used to songs from that culture, as the dance above, or to popular songs of today, combining cultures in an intriguing mashup of dances. This dancing build muscle and is very difficult, but provokes a happier being.
Hula Dancing:
Hula dancing is a different dance than most, and not many people outside of Hawaiian culture take it. I LOVE hula dancing and it builds control over separated part of the body, keeping still the top half of your body, while moving the bottom half. Isolation is key in ballet.
There are hundreds of styles of dance, and every one of them can help you in your dance training in becoming more versatile and strong.
My studio doesn't offer Contemp. But my teacher in one of my ballet classes made our dance kind of contemporary rather than classical and I loved it :)
ReplyDeleteSapphire
www.sapphietaffie.blogspot.com
I must admit I was always hesitant to do any other forms of dance. Ballet was my favorite and I was most comfortable with it. Bad excuse not to try anything else, I know.
ReplyDeleteThat's okay! I used to be very open to hip-hop, yet I hated ballet. But over time I opened up to other types of dancing and was surprised at how much fun it was!
DeleteI really want to take more styles of dance, but my parents can't afford any more classes:(
ReplyDeleteI understand..... but you can always purchase DVDs at a much lower price or watch YouTube videos to educate yourself at home! You could also save up money to be able to take more classes, which would make your parents very appreciative, I'm sure. But either way, not being able to afford it is NEVER an excuse not to dance, even at home :)
DeleteOh, I definitely agree that knowing multiple styles of dance is a huge advantage. I believe that each dance style requires a different type of discipline, flexibility, and level of stamina. Each type of dance teaches you something different about life, about yourself, and your abilities. Being a versatile dancer will definitely serve you better if you’re planning on becoming a professional dancer. It will get you recitals, shows, competitions, concerts, etc. You could end up dancing on some of the biggest stages or in some of the biggest arenas in front of the biggest crowds.
ReplyDeleteKalevi H.