In honor of the Labor Day weekend, I wanted to post about dance in America. Specifically, I wanted to declare how much I love American dance and choreography. That's right, I said it loud and proud! It's easy to look at the classics and marvel at what Europe established in the art of ballet. And there is no denying that thanks to it's European roots, ballet and by extension all dance forms, have a rich and illustrious history chock-full of amazing music, choreography and story-telling. But American dance has its place too. And we have certainly added quite a bit to the dance community over the years. I think that as much as I love Petipa and Tchiaikovsky , I still prefer Copeland, Sousa, Gershwin, Balanchine, Gene Kelly, Martha Graham and Jerome Robbins over everything else. There is something thrilling about the music and movement that has no limits, no strict definition. It's the essence of liberty and freedom; it's American Dance!
Lets look at some of my favorite pieces, favorite dancers, and favorite moments in American dance. I think George Balanchine did it best when he established what ballet could be in this country with his founding and directing of the New York City Ballet Company.
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So much of his work perfectly captured American culture. As an immigrant from Russia, I suppose he really noticed the details of our country's culture that were uniquely American qualities. Naturally, his most patriotic ballet would have to be "Stars and Stripes." But I also loved his take on American musicals with "Who Cares?" a ballet set to the swinging songs of George Gershwin. And "Western Symphony," set to the music of classic American folk songs, is also a brilliant example of how classical ballet can seriously take on the Wild American West!
Then there is the American Movie Musical. This is the kind of dancing that I think most people think of when they imagine American movement. Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers gliding across a gorgeous ballroom floor, or Cyd Charisse fully decked out in flapper gear. When it comes to dancers from American Musicals, my personal favorite is Gene Kelly. He really did help to define a new style of dance in American culture. It's blue collar, it's masculine and mostly it's fun! Here is a clip from the film Summer Stock of Kelly performing a classic tap number...
I think I could go on and on about all my favorite American ballets and dancers. I could keep searching for clips and pictures for days. But in the interest of getting this post finished and published, let me just finish on this thought. America has a lot to offer in all aspects, including the performing arts. It may be a medium that doesn't get as much exposure as it should. But it is there, it is vibrant with possibilities and it's important to acknowledge that we do have our own rich artistic history. From square dancing to swing dancing, "Appalachian Spring" to "Fancy Free." There is something special in American dancing that cannot be seen anywhere else. It's vivacious. It's strong and determined. It's free and fun. It's American!
