Flamenco

Flamenco originated in the southern part of Spain, especially around the Andalucia area. This is a typical dance to this part of Spain and it is very popular. It can be danced as a solo or with a partner. Watching this dance can be very entertaining and it is definitely an art to dominate this dance. The steps are very sharp and every move the woman does with her body counts.

TALENT SHOW!!!!!!

As many of you might already know, Talent Show was on Thursday, November 18, 2010. My group and I were anxious to go onstage, becuase we had waited for this moment long enough, and we knew that we were ready for it. I have to be honest the competition was tough, becuase there were many great acts and performances. There were dance groups, singers, and bands. Each and every one of them was amazing. Unfortunately, we did not win, and I have to admit, I was a little disappointed. I soon got over this feeling though, and I realized that it wasn't about wining or losing, it was about having fun and doing what we love to do. This was my first time on stage and I was extremely nervous, but once I got on that stage, all my fears went away and I know I did great. I definitely liked the feeling and the experience, and I hope to do it again next year.

I want to congratulate every single one of those people who got onstage, because even though they didn't win, they were already winners for getting this far. 

Here are some picssss!!! 

  CHECK OUT NEILY!!!!!!!!

Rancheras

The "Rancheras" is traditional music from mexico. This genre of music is very well known throughout the whole world, because "Mariachis" evolved from this kind of music. Rancheras were super popular around the revolutionary years in Mexico, because throught them, the lower class people made fun or even insulted  the government and the aristocrats. Today this type of music is still used to insult political figures, and many of the rancheras singers have had legal problems. There are many great ranchera singers, but I think that the best is Vicente Fernandez. Although, he is very old, he still has a great voice and not even his son, Alejandro Fernandez can meet up to his standards.

International Fest

Today was a crazy day, it was International Fest. This was the day that I had been waiting for like a month. For those of you who don't know what International Fest, Ima tell you. This is a day where each class gets a chance to choose any country around the world, and they can represent that country during all lunches. You can make posters, foods, games or anything that you want, that will help the other people learn a little about the country you're representing. This is a great day, becuase not only do you get to stay out of your third hour, but if you are performing, you also get a chance to do that during all four lunches. Luckily, I got the opportunity to dance during all lunches, and that was really cool. I'm guessing most of you saw the performance but if you didn't, here are some pictures you can look at.

 (SORRY, I COULDN'T UPLOAD A VIDEO, MAYBE LATER ON).

Bachata

Bachata is a very popular dance around around Latin countries and Mediterranean Europe. This genre of music originated in the Dominican Republic, around the early 1920's. This music is danced in couples and it may be danced very slow or fast, depending on the song. Personally, I don't like it that much becuase it's a little too slow for my taste and to be honest I don't dance it that well. Although, I am not in love with it, I do respect it and it is great to watch couplesb dance, if they really know how.  Like most dances it has a basic step, three steps to the right and the fourth should be a "half step" where you simply touch the ground with your foot  (but you don't heavily step on it) and you pull it back to do the other three steps going on the opposite direction. Also, some people on the fourth step sort of lift their foot off the floor and pop their hip. You must keep this stepping pattern throughout the whole dance, but you can add turns and whatnot to it. I know a few people who are dominican and they love this dance, and they cannot stand when people say, "I hate bachata," they will go crazy on you ( believe me, I went through it), so now you know don't say those three words when you're around Dominicans.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2cehkSxOLNA

Mapale

The Mapale is a Colombian dance that originated from the Afro-Colombian culture. The most important instrument used in this dance is the African drum. This dance started out as a ritual, and it evolutioned throughout time. There are many theories that explain what the Mapale is. Some believe that this dance is actually a dance performed to curse someone. Also, people believe that with each stroke of the drum, the dancers become hypnotized by this music, and they can't stop dancing.
This dance is performed in couples, but the unique thing about this is that they never hold each other. This dance consists of exotic and erotic moves. The whole body is used, from head to toe. This may sound like a weird dance, but it is actually very interesting and exciting. If you have ever seen indians or Africans perform a ritual, then you can get an idea of what the Mapale is.

Tango

Tango originated in Argentina. It began around the time of the late nineteenth century, but didn't gain its popularity around the world, until the 20th century. This kind of dancing came to North America, during the "Jazz Age." It was very popular among flappers, because of its sensuality in the dancing, and that dramatic flair in the song.
As some might say, Tango is easy to learn, but it is very hard to master. The reason for this is that the steps are simple, but is is such a coordinated and syncronized dance, that it takes time and effort to learn this. The couples look like their dramatizing a story, rather than dancing, because they do it with such drama and passion, tha it looks beautiful. The man and the woman must hold each other very tight, and the couple must become one. They have to face the same way, keep upper body contact at all times and have their arms extended at all time. A signature move that is very common in this dance, is the "hooking" of the woman's leg around her partner's. If you can picture or have seen it, you know that it is very sensual. In my opinion Tango is a beautiful dance, and if you can master it, then you should be proud of yourself.

WATCH THIS !!

Once again...

That time of the month is finally here again. Is time to show the talent show people how our  dance is going so far. This thursday is that big day, and we are all very excited, because this is going to give us a chance to practice on the "Big Dance Floor," and we can get an insight of what is going to be like on the actual day of the performance. Although, we have not made a clear choice on what we are going to wear for talent show, we did get the shirts we are going to wear for International Fest, and those are the ones we are going to be performing in on Thursday. We are all very excited to do this dance in front of the judges, because we have all worked very hard, and we want to see how it's all going to come together on Thursday. We know that we have improved inmensely since the first time we performed in front of the judges, so we really want them to see our improvement.

Almost there...

The big day is almost here, and we are all very excited but a little nervous at the same time. Some of the members of the group have never danced in public, so we are kind of nervous. The first performance will be held on November 9, the day of International Fest, and we are really looking forward to it because we know we are ready. We have all worked very hard to get to where we are and gain the support of the public so we will definetely not let them down. The talent show will be on November 19, and this is the event that we are mainly focusing on, becuase we really want to show our great moves and of course we are excited to be competing against other people with talents, so we are really looking forward to the challenge.

New sensation...

Today, I chose to talk about this trio, because I enjoy their music very much and I think is always good to listen to new artists. The trio I decided to talk about is called, "Los cantores de Chipuco." Their musical career started  in the early 2000's but didn't gain its popularity, until a few years ago. This trio is from Colombia, and the members of this group used to work at a radio station. They are very popular, but mostly in Colombia. They are fromMedellin, therefore "Paisas," with a very strong accent. They wear necklaces with corncakes hanging around them, to represent Medellin. Their  music is based on the lower class people of Colombia, so when people from other countries listen to their music, they find it meaningless and don't enjoy it at all. If you were to listen to any of their songs carefully, you would understand what they're trying to say, and maybe even enjoy it. Some of their most popular songs are "Tio tito," "Pasinglis," and "Dona Marina."

Vallenatos

Los vallenatos originated on the Northern Coast of Colombia. This is popular folk music, and although it  is most commonly heard in Colombia, it's rapidly gaining popularity, all over the world. Like the slaves sang and danced, to express their sorrows, this music was sang to tell a story, give a message or express your feelings. This music is tipically interpreted with three instruments: El acordeon diatonico, la guacharaca, y la caja, which is a small drum made with goat's fur. "Vallenato," can best be interpreted, as "people of the valley." This music is more often listened than danced to. The reason for this, is that it has a very slow rhythm and is usually heard at reunions. It is not the tipycal music you would hear at a club. Although, this music can also be very festive and enjoyable. It just depends on your background and your own taste. Where I come from, this music is very popular and often hackneyed. It is also heard at the disco and clubs. As a matter of fact, there are discos, where the only type of music played is Vallenatos. So as you can see, its popularity varies from place to place.

Cumbia

"Cumbia" is a very old, but yet famous type of music. It originated on the Coast of Colombia. It was influenced by Indigenous people and Africans. The people who play this music are called "Gaiteros." The reason they're called this, is because they play an instrument called the "Gaita" (see an image at the bottom). Typical Cumbia is played with two Gaitas, one Maraca and Africans drums.
As time progressed the Cumbia became more modern, and electric instruments and a whole orchestra was incorporated into the music. As you can observe on the left, there's a photo of the typical clothes you would wear to dance Cumbia, of course we don't dress like this anymore, unless we're gonna do a typical dance or performance.

Merengue

Merengue is a combination of two dances, the African and the French Minuet. The french Minuet is a very boring ballroom dance, but when this dancing was combined with the upbeat of the drums by Africans, Merengue was created. At first Merengue was focused more on the movement of the feet and the arms, rather than the hips because this was customary for the Africans. Merengue is the official national dance of the Dominican Republic. Even though, this type of music started in the Caribbean islands, today it is a well known dance around the world. Even Americans dance it. This type of dancing doesn't require as much work as the Salsa, and that is why it's a dance that almost anyone knows and the ones who don't can learn it quick. Like any other dance, certain moves vary from country to country, but the foundation is always the same.

    

Check it out: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yZNwsCiOfNc&feature=related

"Salsa"

Ok, as some of you might  have read in my previous post, I tried out for the talent show and I'm happy to say that I made it. From now on I've decided to spend the next couple of weeks talking about typical dances and music from all over the world. This week I will talk about the continent of South America. South America is a very diverse and interesting continent. Music and dances vary from country to country, but there are definately some types of music and dances all these countries have in common. Today I will talk about the "Salsa." Salsa originated from the mixure of African and Caribbean dances with the help of American instruments, but was officially recognized as Salsa in the city of New York. Even though Salsa wasn't a latin dance, it soon became very popular in latin countries. Although this type of dancing is known all arount the world, some of the countries that are known for their Salsa are Colombia, Cuba, Puerto Rico, Venezuela and many more countries. Some people think dancing salsa is too hard, but it's actually not. Like any other kind of dance out there you have to start with the basic steps, but as you progress you can spice it up by adding dips, turns, flips, lifts and many more tricks to your dance.

Click this link to see the begginer steps: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PfDVnX4j3-w
Also check this out http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j1KuA-sc7sw&feature=related

Tryouts

The day I had been waiting for, was finally here. It was the school tryouts for the talent show. The mornig went as usual. The late bell had announced that class had started and we all had to be in our seats. As always, we got to work right away, and I couldn't wait for class to be over, even though it had just started. The whole day went pretty much the same, except for fourth period. As the big hand on the clock approached the 40, I started to shake a little, and I could see how more and more drops of sweat kept landing on my paper. I was nervous. I mean how could I not be, knowing that I was just a few minutes away from dancing onstage for a whole crowd. Finally, the dismissing bell rang, rriinng!!! I ran out of class to go meet up with the others and practice for the last time our routine. We didn't have the music, so we had to do it without it, it was bad. I mean we couldn't get the counts right without the music. We were up next, and we were a little nervous. All we could do now was go out there and show what we had learned, and that's exactly what we did. At the end of the performance, everybody clapped, we got offstage. Now we were anxious to know the results, but the judges said they would post the results sometimes this week. Now I'm just waiting for them.....

First Practices...

Today was a tiring day, but yet full of excitement. It was my dance practice with the other members of the group. Since we couldn't find an indoor place to practice, we had to do it the old-fashioned way (outdoors, along with all its disadvantages.) The day was as hot as it could get, with a temperature of about 95 degrees, and the sun-rays smacking us on our faces, our bodies became more and more exhausted with every step we took. I have to admit, it was extremely hard at first, but we soon adapted ourselves to the extreme weather.

We first started by rehearsing the hip-hop over and over again. Then we moved on to the Merengue part, which required a little more effort, since it was a faster pace and we all had to do it in a synchronized manner. After we were done with the Merengue, we could no longer bear the sun's heat, so we decided to jump in the pool. When our bodies made contact with the water, it was a great refreshing sensation we got. Finally, it was time to put it all together, and see what it looked like. I have to admit, I was impressed, to see how we all worked as a team and were able to learn the steps very fast. The practice had gone on for 5 hours, and we were all glad to be done. When I got home, I realized how sore my legs were, and the nice tan i had gotten.

What is dancing?

Have you ever asked yourself, what is dancing? Well I have, and I decided to look for an answer. I first came across the formal definition for dancing, but I wasn't too satisfied with it. I mean, I think dancing is more than just the movement of the body to a certain rhythm or music. So I decided to come up with my own definition. After pondering upon the situation for hours, I came to the conclusion that dancing can be many things. Dancing can be a form of entertainment, a hobby, a passion or even a form of relaxation. It all depends on a person's personality and point of view.
I think that I would be a great example for this situation, because I take dancing very seriously, and I have a passion for it. What might have started as a hobby, rapidly became a passion. I always liked dancing, but I never took it that seriously. I just thought of it as a way to relax myself and at the same time have fun. Now, I understand the real meaning of dancing and can appreciate all of its advantages. I hope you understand it too, and can get passed the body movement.