Barrie Dance Studio

When it comes to dance there are many reasons that different people in different cultures spanning the globe choose to dance. This article will explore some of the many reasons that people dance around the world and perhaps provide new incentives for you to dance your way through your days as well.

Dancing for Religion

Many religions around the world and throughout history have used dance in praise of their deities, in celebration of the seasons, and simply as an outward expression of joy. Christianity has mixed emotions when it comes to dance. Some religions feel that all manner of social dance can lead to forbidden actions or thoughts and tend to frown upon dance in general as a result while other Christian religions believe that there is a time, place, and purpose for dancing. Some have even incorporated dancing into their religious ceremonies (weddings as one example). Most will agree that dance is a matter of personal conviction within the Christian religion because of the heated debates that can arise on the topic.

The Hindu religion dance is an essential form of worshipping the various aspects of the Divine. This form of dance is often mistakenly referred to as Classical Indian Dance though in reality it is a form of worship. There are different dances for the different deities as every god has a different preference.

Even the religion of Islam has its own version of dancing for worship. Those who practice this form of dance for the sake of worship are often referred to as Whirling Dervishes.

The Weapon Dance

This is a form of dance that has a long history dating back to Spartan warriors preparing for battle. This style of dance has been used throughout history and around the world by many nations and cultures as preparation, training, and raising morale for imminent battle. Though no longer widely practiced, and certainly not as a precursor to battle, the history and ceremony of the Weapon Dance is not to be forgotten and still practiced in ceremonial events today to honor the way things have been done in the past.

Native American Tribal Dances

It is also worth noting that what has become commonly referred to as war dances by Native American tribes are quite possibly the very same weapons dances that have such a long and noble history around the world. Individual tribes had their own dances that were used when preparing to battle with other tribes, preparing for a big hunt, or preparing to defend themselves against constant invasion and relocation.

War, or imminent battle was not the only reason that Native American tribes danced however. Dance held an important role in the worshipping of various gods as well as tribal ceremonies or individual expressions of prayer, grief, joy, or simply of embracing nature and become one with the world around them. Dance is essential to Native American heritage and culture. For Native American dance, the beat of the drum is an essential component. It is the drumbeat that drives the pace and the intensity of the dance.

Competitive Dance

Around the world there are those that dance competitively in all forms of dance. From recreational forms of dancing to spiritual forms of dancing the competitions are fierce and the competitors quite often dedicate their lives and the vast majority of their free time to honing and perfecting their particular forms of dance. In competitive dance there are judges who judge artistic expression, technical skills, costumes, and the uniformity or execution of movements. Those who dance competitively must be committed to their craft in order to remain competitive.

Of course some people dance simply because they want to and there is certainly nothing wrong with that. There is really no bad reason to dance unless you are being forced to do so against your will. Otherwise when it comes to dance, the best reason to dance is because the music leaves you no other option but to dance.

A unique combination of literature (Sahityam), music (Sangeetham), painting (Chitram), acting (Naatyam) and dance (Nrithyam) – Kathakali, the classical dance-drama of Kerala, South India, is considered deep rooted in the Hindu mythology. Kathakali is basically a Sanskrit word that literally means ‘Story Telling‘. The art was evolved in the Malabar region, but today is directly linked with Kerala’s soul.

Origin

Kathakali is a refined form of the ancient dance form ‘Raamanaattam‘ that describes the entire life story of Lord Rama. It was considered to be inspired from ‘Krishnanaattam‘, the dance drama on the life and activities of Lord Krishna (created by the Zamorin of Calicut). Initially the play was performed in eight stories. The art was made beautiful with natural and graceful movements, elaborate gestures, picturesque costumes, grand harmonic make-up suggested by herbal plants of the forests, and the vigorous & triumphant music.

Main Features

The historic representation in Kathakali is a four fold scheme. The first is Angika that is related to the movements of body and limbs. Second is Vachika that is connected to vocal presentations of the performer and is focussed on the pronunciation, modulation of voice accents & percussion. Third is Satvika, which is simply the portrayal of psychic condition, and the last one is Ahraya that includes costume, make up, stage props etc.

The Art Of Kathakali

The performer should be very careful regarding his/her hand movements (Mudras, in Sanskrit). The performers are trained to connote over five hundred words with eye expressions and sixty-four basic hand poses. It requires a rigorous training to make the body flexible. Performers are given massages & oil-baths, and they are trained from the age of 11 or 12.

Make Up

The make-up in Kathakali is quite bright and colourful. It is so impressive that the tone and colours depict the nature of the characters. If the performer’s face is coloured green, it is the hero of the story. Similarly, the villains have red or black faces and the holy men & women have yellow faces. The performer has to undergo a long make up session that can last for four to five hours. The herbal facial paint is made of rice power and natural colors. They perform wearing elaborated and heavy outfits including headdress, layers of skirts, and jewellery.

This pattern of dance attracts the art lovers from all over the world through its stories that are woven around the legends and stories from Ramayana, Mahabharata and other ancient Hindu epics.

It hasn’t always been as graceful and eloquently designed as are the intricate presentations you can see upon a visit to theater. However, ballet has been around since the 15th century when small groups of people would gather to witness a rudimentary form of ballet. What is often considered so beautiful about this type of dance is the gracefulness of the moves.

Ballet should not be misconstrued as dance that’s just for the ladies. Some of the greatest ballet dancers such as Mikhail Baryshnikov and Paul Taylor were men who gave phenomenal performances time and again to audiences who were delighted and amazed to witness the grace, strength, endurance and talent these dancers produced for them.

The beauty of ballet dancing comes in many different forms of ballet, as you may already know. Originating in Italy and expanding from there to many points in the world, ballet has always been regarded as a trained form of dancing that required practice to achieve. Even though ballet was nowhere near as defined as it is now, it has always been a dance designed with a number of chorographic moves designed to make an artistic expression through dance.

Most will agree that classical ballet is the most formal style of ballet dance. There are some variations within classical ballet but, for the most part, the basics are recognized by the School of American Ballet and the Royal Academy of Dance, amongst others. Did you know that the first ballet shoes that allowed a dancer to balance on the toes was simply well sewn at the end? Today, ballet shoes are boxed, making it possible for the dancer to appear virtually weightless in many moments of ballet dancing.

Neoclassical ballet has a less formalized presentation to it but at the same time it is often noticeably more structured. Dancers who perform this type of ballet sometimes demonstrate a noted focus that is characteristic. Other styles of ballet include pre-romantic ballet, romantic ballet and ballet d’action.

Those who have studied ballet dance for any length of time know that it take practice, practice and more practice to begin the mastery of this graceful dance. This does not mean that you cannot study ballet for pleasure or other reasons. It is a dance style that often speaks with fluid moves and artistic expression that both dancers and their audiences enjoy experiencing and watching.

Perhaps you have a young child who has expressed an interest in ballet dancing. There’s no time like the present to get them into a class or lessons at home that allow them to fully explore their interest. In the beginning, be supportive and encouraging of even the slightest progress. Encourage your child to continue with the lessons and take time to teach them some of the history of the art of ballet dancing.

You may even want to treat them to a trip to see a real ballet dancer in action. This can be one of the most motivating and moving experiences to be eyewitness to a professional ballet dancer live and in person such as the performances that are given at the theaters and opera houses.

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BW Recknagel’s debut Album “Nihilum” comes like a breath of fresh air in the midst of classical releases.
Fresh, as his piano compositions are of extreme deep and dark nature. With many contemporary composers being obsessed with abstract art and, as a result, struggling to meet a wider audience, BW Recknagel has no intention to re-invent the wheel but simply focuses on making beautiful music, truly authentic and inspired.

All 10 pieces, ranging from Minimalism to dark Romanticism, have hypnotic tones of such intimacy and emotional depth that the listener is immediately drawn into a world of deep yet edgy relaxation – from the first note to the last with a commercial edge and the potential of inviting a wider audience.

Performed by Russian Pianist Xenia Russo, her sensitive and expertly colored playing brings the final magical touch to this unique work, emphasizing the “openness” of BW Recknagel’s music, painting a picture of melancholy and sadness, taking you into a journey of your own inner stories of emotion.

Tracks like “Singularity”, “Fading Love” and “Before The Dark” bear references to the early 20th Century French impressionists such as Eric Satie or Debussy whereby the Album develops into more complex, classical material in the line of dark romanticism. The mainly chord based, also longest track on the Album, “Requiem For A Friend” deserves special recognition for his incredible authentic, dark and sinister “storytelling”. The Album closes with three of the most commercial tunes, “Nihilum”, “Dusk” and “Follow Your Bliss” and again show BW Recknagel unique style and handwriting with a talent to write strong themes (leitmotivs) without leaving the classical terrain.   

More surprisingly, BW Recknagel has never set a foot into a musical academy but his colorful background and musical London life and career are more than an interesting read:

Raised by a musical family, he grew up with classical music and trained in classical piano and guitar for more than 14 years. Exploring and making music from all genres has always been his passion and the rather uninspired landscape of his German hometown Dortmund led to the move to London, a leap in the dark but it was about being in the right place at the right time – his own private Hacienda.

He soon teamed up with 80′s producer Zeus B Held (Transvision Vamp, Men Without Hats, John Foxx) and became his in-house studio engineer at VoiceVersa Studio, at the heart of London’s music metropolis in Portobello Rd. For the years to come, the studio turned into one of the most vibrant places during the Brit Pop/Dance Mania era. His new collaboration with Cult Journalist Kris Needs made him remix more than 40 Top UK artists including Primal Scream, St.Etienne, Dave Stewart (Eurythmics) Malcolm MacLaren, The Prodigy – to name but a few. His own instrumental chillout work under the name Headman/Full Moon Fashions was also spotted by Billy MacKenzie of critically acclaimed The Associates fame and he staged his comeback single Loom feat. Billy MacKenzie “Anacostia Bay At The Edge Of The World”, sung over one of BW Recknagel’s original Teutonic instrumental tracks.

Still, the years 1992 to 2000 were anything but classical. BW’s life was a nonstop mixture of dance culture hedonism – think chemically influenced creativity for the 90s, detox units, rehab and production work all in the mix. In a productive haze and with the energy of five, he founded Millennium Records Ltd., (a dance imprint still active now with distribution in 20 countries) so becoming a music mogul was a natural progression. His move back to his classical roots was more accidental. “I haven’t touched or listened to classical music in 10 years and simply hearing a piece in a cab pushed a button and I haven’t looked back since.” He saw and experienced the seedy underbelly of London living for 17 years and like an avid voyeur, took in everything – these were times about being on the outside-being-in.

In the latter 5 years composing was about bringing light to the darkness – pure and intense fun for him so he never envisaged going public with his private ecstasies. Pressure from friends made him focus in 2008 and the result is the mesmerizing 2009 debut of “Nhilium”, a 10 track album of sheer emotional bliss – this man has stories to tell!

BW RECKNAGEL “Nihilum” is available as download under:
http://www.bwrecknagel.com