Posted On: 2021-06-19 11:12:37
All About Dance
Dance is known as the first form of human art from which the other art forms grew.
It is one of the most expressive forms of performing art which is all about movements in a rhythmic way. These movements are often known to have aesthetic and symbolic value as every other art form. Every movement done by the body is often referred to as a dance-like movement. The performer presenting dance is referred to as a ‘Dancer’. Dance performed by an individual is known as a solo dance while dance performed in a group is known as a group dance.
Dance and Music goes hand in hand in most cases. Most of the dances are performed on music or beats except dances like Tap dance that provide their own set of musical beats. Some deaf dancers even dance on Vibrations on beats that they feel.
The origin of dance:
According to many mystical texts, Hindu Deity Lord Shiva in the form of Natraj is known to be the creator of Dance. The exact history of dance is unknown but as far as we believe in scientific proof presented through Archeological evidence, it is said that dance dates back to the century 3000 BC. The carvings on the wall, many paintings, and sculptures give significant proof that dance existed during the stone age Era. Before written language was invented people used to pass on the stories from a generation to another in the form of dance and this gave birth to the form of traditional dance.
Different forms of dance
There are hundreds of dances practiced all across the globe and they are categorized into 12 different dance forms.
1. African- American dances- The dances falling under this category are the dances designed by the African people after the end of slavery. The native African folk Dances were given a touch of American dances by the freed slaves and this dance form was created. Jazz, Kompa, Stick Dance along with a few more fall under this category.
2. Ceremonial Dance- It is the form of dance that is performed in festivals and different rituals and is said to have sacred value. The Indian classical dances along with Hadras dance in Islam, Rapper dance, Ritual dancing in China are some of the dances in this form. Indian classic Dance form itself consists of 8 dance styles of Bharatanatyam, Kuchipudi, Kathak, Kathakali, Mohininatya, Manipuri Odissi, and Sathriyan.
3. Disco/ Electronic dance- It is a type of dance form associated with energy and performed in the disco genre of music and often performed in clubs and discos. Waacking, Robotics, Hustle, Jumpstyle are some of the dance styles in this dance form.
4.Novelty dance or Fad dance- It is a form that got famous overnight. Mainly performed in African- American clubs and streets. Gangnam Style, Moonwalk, the smurf are some of the dances in this dance form.
5. Social dance- This form is all about dancing with a partner and socializing with them through dance. Dance forms of Cha- Cha, Tango, Waltz, Samba are some of the famous Social dances.
6. Latin/Rhythm Dance- It is performed in partners just like Social dance but unlike Social dance, Latin dance is full of passion, fire, and the showcase of the deep connection between the partners. Bachata, Jive, Salsa, Rumba are some of the many passionate dances.
7. Street dance- As the name suggests this form of dance is often form performed in streets, clubs, and underground battles. In the past centuries, this dance was restricted to the streets but after its popularity, it is accepted as stage-level dancing. The forms of Hip Hop, Tutting, Locking and Popping, Electro-dance are some of the forms of street dance styles.
8. Historical dance- As the name suggests historical dance is about performing a part of history in a story form through dance. This form is all about grace, it is a powerful form of dance that takes years to practice. Ballet, Medieval Dance, Renaissance Dance, Polka Dance are some of them
9. Free and improvised form of dance- It is a mixture of dances performed aesthetically and modified as per the dancer’s capabilities. Free dance, Fusion Dance, Dance Improvisation, Contact Improvisation are some of the free forms.
10. Swing Dance- It is a dance performed with a swing on Jazz music that soon got popular. It is also known as the start of modification of dances. Different types of Jive, Rock and roll, Jumping Joe are some of these dances.
11. Other dance- The dance forms in this category are different from each other and have their own unique identity. Pole dance, lyrical dance, Contemporary dance, K-Pop are some of them.
Role of Crowdfunding
One of the major issues that the dance industry faces is that of funding. Many even leave dancing because of the same and take something else as a profession. Many great, amazing, and innovative ideas stay unexecuted because of the problem with funding. Crowdfunding tries to solve this problem by bringing the supporters and the crowd together on one single platform. The benefit of these crowdfunding platforms is being taken by many artists. Various dancers are turning to crowdfunding for executing their exceptional ideas. Crowdfunding is simple yet efficient. Though the section of supporting dancers was added way later but soon the success rate of campaigns of dancers grew. The type of crowdfunding that works the best for the talented dancers to get support is reward-based crowdfunding. The rewards are mainly one-to-one meet and greet, a choreography session, tickets to the campaigner’s shows, a dance scholarship, and even a performance at an event of the backers choice depending on the amount donated.
Talents supported by the crowd using Crowdfunding
21-year-old Kamal Singh is one of the first Indian students to get into “The English National Ballet'' School in London. His story of hardships before getting admitted to the prestigious Ballet School is an inspiration to every soul. He started learning Ballet under the guidance of mentor Fernando Aguilera at Delhi Institute. He attended one of his classes but then planned to leave it because of the unaffordable fees of ?3,500. Being a son to an Auto Rickshaw driver he left any hopes of being able to learn dancing. But Aguilera saw Singh’s gracefulness and instantly knew that Singh’s body was naturally gifted and he’ll achieve heights if he continues Ballet. He took Singh under his wing and gave him a dance scholarship as well as covered his food and travel expenses. He even convinced Singh’s father to let him learn Ballet full-time. After months of dedicated practices, Singh got accepted to the English ballet school. He knew that his stay there would cost him around € 20,000 a year and accepted the fact that he could not learn Ballet in the English school. But Aguilera didn’t leave hopes and turned to a crowdfunding platform to raise the amount for Singh’s fees and his stay in London. Many supporters came forward and donated generously, the biggest help was from Bollywood Actor Kunal Kapoor who not only donated to Singh’s Campaign but also shared his story with his followers. The total amount was soon raised and currently, Singh is in London completing his training and is thankful to his admirers for supporting him.
Mayuri and Madhuri Upadhya, the owner of ‘ Nritarutya’ dance studio organize Adhyaya, a festival to promote the emerging as well as established dancers not just locally but also internationally from the past 5 years. After successfully organizing the festival for 5 Adhyaya, 6th Adhyaya was facing a shortage of funds. But this didn’t stop the duo and they reached a crowdfunding platform to raise funds for the same. The pledged amount was ? 1,00,000 but due to the interest of supporters. In the festival, the campaign successfully raised 114% i.e.114,099. One of the main attractions of their campaign was its reward-based approach where the backers were rewarded with reserved seats at Adhyaya, meet and greet with the dancers, choreography sessions, and other exciting offers.
The Big Dance company was started by Fiona Richardson 20 years ago in a small village as a new start for herself and her son after escaping a life of domestic abuse. Her empathetic dance style soon attracted people to join her crew and with it, her dance company grew. They participated and won many shows in almost 12 countries all across the globe. Soon as they grew they started supporting social causes like domestic violence awareness, Hate crime awareness, anti-bullying campaigns, and a lot more. They even did several free workshops for underprivileged children and shows for children fighting diseases. But the lockdown due to Covid19 took a toll on their Dance Company too. The license of their dance studio was coming to an end and their studio building was going up for sale. Fiona Richardson raised a campaign on a crowdfunding site in hopes of saving her dance company. Her prayers were heard and the amount of €22,158 was successfully raised in 178 days and they were able to buy the studio building and save the dance company.
Crowdfunding has proven to be a helpful platform for these dancers as well as many others. It has touched and inspired many people to chase their dreams and achieve higher goals and will continue to do so in the coming years.
Various national and international dance forms are dying and they need to be revived and kept on performing mode as they are an important part of our culture. Dance is also a therapy, mood booster and depression remedy. It helps people to connect to themselves and bring out the positivity in them. 29th April is commodreated as International Dance Day.
“Dance is all about expressing emotions and crowdfunding helps the dancers in need for resources to connect to millions with the help of major platforms by acting as a bridge with the supporters.”
Author : Hritika Singh
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