This week I was asked to
describe any art movement, media genre, type or style that has in
some way, influenced my life and changed the way I view the world or cultures
other than my own. As soon as we were given this task I knew immediately what I
would post on my blog about.
The thing that has most
influenced my life is dance. I've been a dancer since I was three years old,
and it's an art movement that influences almost everything in my life. I believe that dance as an art form is continuously giving back to the
world and will continue to do so in the future. Pieterse explains how globalisation is multidimensional, and
with this, saying ‘prisms through with globalisation takes shape... yet they
all mingle and interpenetrate as well.’ (Pieterse 2004, p. 14) I
can’t help but agree with Pieterse here in relation to this art form. Although
the idea of ‘dance’ as an art form is very broad as there are many different
styles that are included in the dynamics of the art form itself, the specifics
of each and every individual genre and successful world companies and programs throughout
the world have shown how strong this art form is.
I truly believe that dance is
something that can portray many different things, whether the style of dance is
for leisure, religion, cultural tradition etc, the importance of this
particular art form is almost indescribable. Through the discourse and curriculum of dance connected to the critical,
political, moral, and aesthetic dimensions of contemporary society we can
understand how this particular art form itself explores how globalization
is influencing and shaping the future of dance. In relation to globalisation, I
believe that modernity is most relatable to the topic of globalisation in
accumulation to the changes of dance. Modernity is “a set of attitudes towards
the world, most prominently the idea of the world as open to transformation, by
human intervention” (Giddens, 2002, p.53), with this said; it is evident that
the dynamic of this particular art form is continuously growing all over the
world.
I've read many articles on how "Dance
is changing the world" and it's something that I find so interesting since
I, myself have a personal interest on the subject. One article I read described
a particular Dance Company in Adelaide, Australia called the ‘Restless Dance
Theatre’. The article explained how "Since
1991 they have been creating running workshops and touring shows with a blend
of disabled and non-disabled dancers; and in the process literally transforming
lives." (Ransom, 2011) Companies that embark on projects that involve such compassion and hard work make me very proud to be associated with such an incredible art form. I believe that something as small as a
leisurely activity for some, can make a huge difference in the lives of others. The current
artistic director of the company Philip Channells sums it up as, “We often
learn about humanity through listening to, watching, or reading and responding
to the art that we see in our everyday lives; be it music, film, books, craft,
architecture and fashion or whatever; but dance sometimes does something else.”
(Ransom, 2011)
We
can dance to make a difference.
Nederveen Pieterse, J 2004, ‘Globalization:
consensus and controversies’, Globalization and culture: global
mélange, Rowan & Littlefield, Lanham, Md., pp. 14
Ransom, P 2001, Can Dance
Change The World? Retrieved August 3, 2013.
Photo 1 courtesy of http://restlessdance.org/
Other photos courtesy of me
