Classical Dance Research Articles

Chinese dance education and culture path in the preservation and transmission of cultural heritage to the younger generation

ABSTRACT Chinese dance is part of the world cultural heritage. This study aims to consider the opinion of respondents who have not studied Chinese dance directly, and thus obtain new data on the attitude to Chinese dance culture among the young generation of students of higher educational institutions. A total of 500 fourth-year students participated in the survey. The issue of the intercultural perspective of dance education in China is solved through cultural cooperation between Chinese universities through lectures on Chinese culture, thematic events and the arrangement of dance classes. Studying the introduction of Chinese dance to young up-to-date students should contribute to the formation of tolerance of other cultures, aesthetic education, and humanization of interpersonal relations, the development of mutual understanding between peoples. Despite the modern realities of modernization and acceleration of cultural development, Chinese traditional dance contributes to the preservation of past traditions and cultural identity, as well as strengthening social cohesion. According to the results obtained, 43% of students are interested in other cultures. In addition, 7% of respondents believe that Chinese dance is boring while 93% treat it positively considering it to be bright and colorful.

KATHAK DANCE EDUCATION AS A SOURCE OF SPIRITUAL DEVELOPMENT

In a constant effort towards development in the physical, intellectual, social, and emotional wellbeing, the human tendencies always keep visiting and revisiting the spiritual dimension for an upper sense of validation. All human activity somehow takes refuge and develops through the presence of this spiritual faculty. Where classical dance holds a well-esteemed status in the deliverance of the spiritual goals human beings possess, Kathak dance continues to illuminate an artist’s life by the spiritual role it offers. The paper studies how education in Kathak can yield this universal purpose of spiritual growth. Various reflections in the style and structure of the Kathak education further strengthens the fact that learning and dancing Kathak truly invokes a remarkable spiritual upsurge. This acknowledgement of the Supreme Power by the inner self ascertains persistence, value, harmony and thus fosters a spiritual evolution in its true sense.

Gesture Identification Model In Traditional Indian Performing Arts By Employing Image Processing Techniques

Classical dance forms are an integral part of the Indian culture and heritage. Kathakali is an Indian classical dance composed of complex hand gestures, body moments, facial expressions and background music. Kathakali mudras are difficult to understand common peoples. There are 24 classes of hand gestures. The images of hand mudras of kathakali dance are collected from the dataset. The proposed work explores the possibilities of recognizing classical dance mudras in kathakali dance forms in india. This system has achieved an accuracy of 84% with Convolutional Neural Network for classifying the mudras.

Analysis of Chinese Contemporary Theme Dance from the Perspective of Ecological Aesthetics

Ms. Yang Liping is a famous dancer and a national first-class actress. She is famous for peacock dance and known as "Peacock Princess". Ms. Yang Liping has many outstanding representative works, such as female solo dance "Spirit of the Bird", dance drama "Yunnan Image" and so on. Among them, the dance "Spirit of the Bird" won the gold medal of Chinese classic dance works in the 20th century. This article mainly analyzes the form and content of the dance "Spirit of the Bird" from the perspective of ecological aesthetics.

Discussion on the Manifestation and Continuation of Cultural Inheritance in Dance Art Works

The Chinese civilization has a long history of five thousand years. China has a broad and profound history and culture, and a large number of excellent traditional Chinese culture still exists today. The key lies in cultural inheritance. Art, as a sub-body of culture, can also peek into cultural inheritance. This article mainly takes Sun Ying's classical dance work "Tap Song" as the starting point to explore the manifestation and continuation of cultural inheritance in dance art works.

Analysis of the Dance Work "Horse Map" from the Perspective of Inheritance and Innovation

The Chinese civilization has a long history of five thousand years. China has a broad and profound history and culture, and a large number of excellent traditional Chinese culture still exists today. The key lies in cultural inheritance. Art, as a sub-body of culture, can also peek into cultural inheritance. But with the evolution of the trend of The Times and the change of aesthetics, art also innovates on the basis of inheriting the tradition. With the emergence of "double creation" and other ideas, the creative idea of inheritance as the "foundation" and innovation as the "main" is increasingly strengthened. This paper mainly analyzes the classical dance work "Steed" from the perspective of inheritance and innovation.

Cathy Weis talks with Sílvia Pinto Coelho. Sept-Dec 2022, Weis Acres, Broadway SoHo, US

This interview was carried out in the context of post-doctoral research centred on attention and choreographic thinking.[1] In this research, the work of US postmodern dance choreographers such as Lisa Nelson and Yvonne Rainer are examples of a type of ethics, aesthetics and even politics that is characteristic of the arts in a particular context and that expands to various other fields, both in terms of approach and focus of interest. Following a stay in New York, another choreographer entered the "collection of US dancers with a camera in their hand", and the use of cinema elements on stage. Cathy Weis's work stands out for its originality in this area, which made me want to interview her in 2022 while staying at her loft. The pretext for my stay in New York was to consult and watch films and videos at the public library (NYPL), visit museums, watch performances, and eventually take dance classes. However, because I was living in the historical terrain of postmodern dance in the United States, I began to see research as "fieldwork" rather than just "archive work". [1] "Attention and Choreographic Thinking" is the title of Sílvia Pinto Coelho's post-doctoral project (ICNOVA, FCSH 2019-2025).

The Crossover: Integrating Indian Sign Language with the Mudras in an Indian Classical Dance Performance Creation

Indian classical dance uses a variety of non-verbal communication devices, with gestures called hasta or mudra being one of the most ancient sign languages powerful to transmit the meaning of the lyrics through dance. The classical dance forms of Kerala have an elaborate scheme of gestures drawn from the ancient text on aesthetic sign language, called Hastalakṣanadīpika, inspired by the Vedic, Nāṭya and Tantric traditions. The following is an attempt to document a performance-oriented, socially inclusive effort that makes Indian traditional dance performance discernible to the Deaf and Hard of Hearing (DHH) community, a disparate group that is hardly considered as a spectator during performance creation by mainstream Indian classical dancers. The Indian Sign Language (ISL) of individuals with hearing impairments is elaborate, yet is rarely used as a gestural language along with other aesthetic gestural sign languages to disseminate a narrative in a work of art. In her role as both creator and performer, Methil Devika creates work in Mohiniyāṭṭam, a graceful dance form of Kerala, integrating the sign language of those with hearing impairments along with the gestural language prescribed in the ancient treatise Hastalakṣanadīpika. She applies it strategically in her work of art, as an interlinking tool between the art and the audience. In the first few moments, “all walls came crumbling down,” something the performer quotes in the visual documentation of the work. Any separation between the hearing impaired and the artiste, as well as the spectators, become inconsequential. The performance and the presentation have been video documented in a film called The Crossover, and the following is an attempt to describe the creative process.

Structured, Creative Dance Classes for Children with Developmental Disabilities: A Pilot Study of Feasibility and Preliminary Effect on Motor Function.

Promoting physical wellness for preschool-aged children with developmental disorders (DD) is a known challenge. Interventions are more likely to succeed when physical activity opportunities are available to children within the context of their typical environments. We evaluated the feasibility and preliminary effect of 1 potential solution: structured creative dance classes delivered within a preschool environment. Using a non-randomized feasibility study design, we offered physical activity in the form of creative dance classes for children with and without DD within an inclusive preschool. Classes lasted 30 minutes and were held once a week or 7 weeks. We measured attendance (primary), observed active participation (% of class duration), and balance (Pediatric Balance Scale). Non-parametric descriptive statistics are expressed as median (interquartile range). Balance was evaluated regarding (a) difference between groups at baseline (Mann-Whitney statistic) and (b) intervention effect for children with DD (1-tailed, paired t-test). Twelve preschoolers (age range = 3-5 years) participated: 4 with DD and 8 with neurotypical development. Attendance was 93% (79%-100%) for children with and 100% for children without DD. Per class, rate of active participation in dance activity was 33% (28%-45%) for children with and 80% (71%-82%) for children without DD. Starting balance scores were lower (P = .014) for children with DD (42 (39-45)) compared to those without (51 (50-52)). Post-intervention, balance scores improved for the children with DD to 50 (50-51) (df = 3, p = .014, t-statistic = 2.35); each child with DD surpassed minimal detectable change for balance. Creative dance classes, delivered within an inclusive preschool environment, are feasible for some preschool-aged children with DD to participate in and efficacious as a physical training challenge at low activity doses. More study is warranted of this potential solution to meet the need for physical wellness promotion among young children with DD.

Indian Classical Dancers in the Diaspora: How Free Improvisation and Contact Improvisation Programs Help Enhance Dance Proficiency, Improvisation Competence, and Forming Multigroup Ethnic Identities

ABSTRACT This article reports a quasi-experiment on the impact of contact improvisation (CI) sessions and free improvisation (FI) interfaces on dance proficiency, improvisation competence/output quality, and multigroup ethnic identity formation of Indian classical dancers in the United Kingdom, United States, Singapore, and Australia. FI participants reported higher scores on dance proficiency, improvisation competence, and multigroup ethnic identity formation compared to those who participated in the CI sessions. FI was most effective for diaspora female Indian classical dancers, Bharatanatyam dancers, dancers with 9–12 years of dance education, who had an advanced/higher diploma formal education in dance, who attended 21–40 (>50%) FI interfaces, and completed 21–40 (>50%) FI homework sessions. FI is a performance technique foregrounding spontaneity and a modality to augment the repertoire of Indian classical dances to speak to an international audience by adapting western aesthetics. It is a way to bring contemporariness into Indian classical dances and shape postcolonial dancer identities.

TRIPURI MEITEIS IN NATIONALIZATION OF MANIPURI DANCE: AN APPRAISAL OF THEIR CONTRIBUTIONS

Manipur, a far northeastern state of India is known for its rich cultural heritage, prominently manifested in its performing arts. Among the performing art forms of Manipur, Manipuri Dance is regarded and well known nationally and internationally as one of the classical dances of India. It is of great importance that the great poet of India, Rabindranath Tagore institutionalized Manipuri Dance in Santiniketan and paved its way to nationalization of the dance form. And even more, of great significance, that it is the Manipuri Diasporic Community of Tripura that showcased its platform as a dance form of rich heritage and of Manipuri cultural embodiments. So far, little research and study have been done regarding the contributions of Manipuri diaspora community in Tripura and their role in the propagation of Manipuri Dance.The paper is a humble study on the contributions of Manipuri Diaspora, notably the Manipuri Queens in Tripuri Royal citadel, aid of Tripuri kings in providing the platform which culminates into popularizing it beyond the kingdom, through the efforts of Rabindranath Tagore.

POEM IN MOTION: A UNIQUE BLEND OF EAST AND WEST IN SANDHYA RAJU’S PERFORMANCE POETRY OF MAYA ANGELOU’S POEM ‘PHENOMENAL WOMAN’

Dance is an ancient, universal art form that stirs the souls of the performer as well as the admirers. Dance has the power to heal, nourish, teach, and spread joy and peace. In India, a multicultural and multilingual country, innumerable folk, and classical dance forms have flourished and continue to be practised across villages, towns, and cities. Religious festivals, cultural gatherings, social movements, and youth programmes are incomplete without the rhythm and beauty of music and dance. On Feb 2, 2022, the eminent Kuchipudi danseuse Sandhya Raju launched a terpsichorean rendition of the famous poem ‘Phenomenal Woman’ written by the American poet and activist Maya Angelou and published in 1978, as a tribute to the former’s mother on her birthday. Raju, with her co-dancers from the Aayana Dance Company, made a creative interpretation of the poet’s powerful words, while adding a verse of her own which in turn emphasised the concepts of inner strength of a woman and the depth of mother-daughter bonding. The choreography largely borrows from Kuchipudi, a dance form with its origin in an eponymous village in Andhra Pradesh and founded in the classical Sanskrit treatise Natya Sastra. Angelou’s emphatic paean to the confidence and inner beauty of the woman fuses with the Indian performance art form to weave a mesmerising visual-aural experience to the viewer, bringing in an East-West blend that surpasses the boundaries of language, culture, and race.

La Bayadère’s Nikiya vs. the Indian Hereditary Dancing Caste

Marius Petipa’s 1877 La Bayadère, inspired by F. Taglioni’s Le Dieu et La Bayadère as well as the opera Les Bayadères, presents the story of Indian temple dancer Nikiya and her navigation of a love triangle, ending in murder and tragedy. The character of Nikiya was inspired by Indian Bharatanatyam dancers, also known as temple dancers or Devadasis. Europe's primary exposure to this classical dance form occurred in 1838, when a troupe of “Devadasis” visited Paris on a tour of Europe, leading to several choreographers' Western adaptations in ballet. France, in particular, 's fascination with Indian culture can be correlated with France's loss of Indian territory to Great Britain in the previous century. However, most of Europe indulged in the exotic Indian "other." But Western recreations of Indian culture all too often misconstrued reality with a fantasized Oriental world. How does Nikiya's character contrast from the authentic Bharatnatyam dancers that inspired her creation?Nikiya's costuming, choreography, casting, and pieces of her plotline stray from the Indian culture and temple dancers she derives from. I use archival footage of the Bolshoi Ballet's 2013 performance of La Bayadère as well as footage of Bharatanatyam dance from Tanjore Balasaraswati's form, which upholds the traditions of the dance style. In addition, I use historical recounts covering Marius Petipa, the Devadasi European tour of 1938, Bharatanatyam dance, colonialism in India, and Indian-influenced ballets. I review Marius Petipa's diary entries as a primary source in my research. Ultimately, I argue that the only way for Western audiences to appreciate Indian temple dance was through the creation of the Westernized Nikiya.

Brazilian dance self-perceived impacts on quality of life of people with Parkinson's.

Parkinson's disease (PD) causes several motor and non-motor symptoms, resulting in negative impacts on physical, mental, emotional, and social aspects of people with PD quality of life. Dance has been considered as a potential non-pharmacological intervention to improve people with PD motor and non-motor symptoms, thereby enhancing quality of life. To analyze the self-perceive impacts of Brazilian Dance on the quality of life (physical, mental, emotional, and social) of PwPD, both before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. Fourteen participants from the "Dança & Parkinson" project were included in this qualitative study. Data collection instruments consisted of a profile and personal data sheet; assessment of accessibility to the online dance classes; Telephone Montreal Cognitive Assessment by phone call; and semi-structured interview conducted through ZOOM video call. The participants characterization data were calculated using mean, standard deviation, and percentages with the Excel Program version 2013. Qualitative data was analyzed using the Thematic Analysis technique in the Nvivo, version 8.0, qualitative analysis of text, sound, and video program. The participants reported facing various challenges in dealing with PD, which negatively impact their quality of life. However, their resilience, acceptance, and dedication to treatment play an important role in coping with the issues related to the disease. Brazilian dance, both in-person before the COVID-19 pandemic and online during the pandemic, led the participants to perceive improvements in physical, mental, emotional, and social aspects of quality of life. The Brazilian dance appears to have a positive impact on the physical, mental, emotional, and social aspects of the participants' quality of life, both before and during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Bringing Dance to Older Adults: Program Experts' Perspectives on the Role of Community Dance Classes to Support Older Adults.

Dancing offers several health and wellness benefits for older adults: it may promote physical literacy (PL) and positively influence the aging process. Yet, limited research considers the perspectives of those with experience working with older adults and in community dance programming. The purpose of this study was to understand program experts' perspectives on how older adult community dance can promote PL and contribute to age-friendly cities and community initiatives. Four themes were identified from semi-structured interviews with five program experts: (1) expert instructors tailor classes to participants' needs and interests; (2) the heart of what draws us to dancing: authentic experience and social connection; (3) elitist, ableist, and gendered assumptions of dance prevent social inclusion of older adults in dancing spaces; and (4) collaboration across sectors is needed to offer accessible, sustainable, and valued dance programming. Recommendations for developing and implementing older adult community dance programming are described.

Effects of dance on balance in Parkinson’s disease: A Systematic Review with Meta-Analysis

The objective of this study was to investigate whether dance classes are effective in improving balance in people with Parkinson’s Disease (PD), when compared to other groups with or without interventions, in Randomized Clinical Trials (RCTs), through a Systematic Review with meta-analysis. A search was conducted in MEDLINE, LILACS, Cochrane, PEDro, PsycINFO and Google Scholar in April 2020. RCTs that analysed dance effects in comparison to other physical training types or to no intervention on balance of people with PD, were selected. Two independent reviewers selected the studies, extracted the data and conducted the risk of bias evaluation. Three studies were included, totalling 126 participants. Tango showed an improvement in the dynamic balance compared to non-intervention. Irish dance showed no improvement in balance. This study indicates that dance, more specifically tango, improves the dynamic balance of people with PD.

Iranian classical dance as a subject for empirical research: Anelusive genre.

Dance has entered mainstream empirical research: dance as an experimental stimulus, and dancers as movement experts. Informed by several sources, including primary sources (original, historical documents, and oral reports, such as interviews with practitioners and academic scholars of Iranian dance genres) and secondary sources (research literature), we describe what we label "Iranian classical dance" within this paper as an important resource for empirical research, not only in humanities scholarship but also, and importantly, for empirical aesthetics, emotion psychology, cross-cultural psychology, and affective neuroscience. For this purpose, we (1) describe the aesthetics, characteristics, and history of Iranian classical dance; (2) outline issues of definition and systematization; and (3) give an overview of the cultural complexities and sociopolitical issues regarding Iranian classical dance in the past 40 years, which have shaped its current form. After the political revolution of 1979 (Iranian solar calendar year: 1358), dance in Iran-both as everyday practice and as a cultural heritage-was first forbidden, and now remains heavily restricted. International, interdisciplinary research teams can contribute to safeguarding Iranian classical dance in the future by firmly enshrining it into empirical research on human dance. We outline empirical research perspectives on Iranian classical dance, dataset resources, and expert communities.

The Technical and Aesthetic Characteristics of The Pirouette as Applied in Classical Dance

As the core part of technical training, rotation skill has a very important training value and status. "Spin" is one of the most important kinds of Chinese classical dance technique, as the Chinese classical dance teaching training content and the teaching material system, in constant teaching practice, Chinese classical dance rotation technology from single to diversified development, and gradually in the teaching and training show a unique aesthetic attributes and style. In the training of technical skills of Chinese classical dance, "the technology of body rhyme, technology and rhyme" and "training body with body" are the main thoughts, which run through the teaching of Chinese classical dance, and accurately interpret the needs of aesthetic and style characteristics of Chinese classical dance culture. In the classical dance teaching, the rotation skills are more difficult. Through the research of this paper, we can provide new ideas and directions for teaching, and help teachers to form new teaching thinking and teaching methods. Secondly, the study in this paper can deepen the understanding and understanding of teachers and students on the rotation skills in dance, guide students to establish correct thinking and learning attitude, which is conducive to obtaining an ideal learning effect and improving the level of classical dance.

Evaluating Body Rhythm Elements as Applied in Classical Dance Teaching Topic for Thesis

Focusing on the application of rhythm in Chinese classical dance, this article deeply explores the importance of rhythm in Chinese classical dance by analyzing its expressive forms and artistic effects. The article first analyzes the characteristics of rhythm in Chinese classical dance, including diversity, hierarchy, and close integration with music. Furthermore, this article elaborates on the role of rhythm in shaping dance images, expressing themes, and guiding audience emotions, revealing how rhythm enhances dance expression through change and control. In addition, the article also explores how dancers can enhance their dance skills and artistic appeal by accurately grasping and applying rhythm.

로젠탈 교육프로그램을 적용한 중국 무용수업 참여 중학생의 학업정서와 학업적 자기효능감이 과제지속에 미치는 영향

Purpose: The aim of this study was to apply the Rosenthal Education Program to middle school
 students who participated in Chinese dance classes and attempted to analyze the relationship between
 students' academic emotions, academic self-efficacy, and task persistence.
 Methods: For this purpose, 379 Chinese middle school students were selected and provided with
 the Rosenthal Educational Activity Program. In addition, academic emotions, academic self-efficacy,
 and task persistence questionnaires were measured. The collected data were analyzed by frequency
 analysis, reliability analysis, descriptive statistical analysis, and t-test analysis using the SPSS 22.0
 program, and confirmatory factor analysis was performed using the Amos 26.0 program.
 Results: First, Satisfaction with the Rosenthal Education Program applied to dance classes was high.
 Second, the Rosenthal Education Program showed significant differences in academic emotions,
 academic self-efficacy, and task persistence depending on the gender of the middle school students.
 Third, the Rosenthal Education Program showed significant differences in academic emotions, academic
 self-efficacy, and task persistence depending on the school.
 Conclusion: It is expected that the Rosenthal Educational Programs will provide useful information
 for the Chinese Education field by confirming the possibility that it can be applied to various subjects,
 including Chinese dance education.