Tag Archive | "dance"

University of Minnesota – Department of Theatre Arts & Dance – USA

Top 10 Schools for Acting and Dancing

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Acting and dancing will always be popular subjects of choice for students. Both children and young adults love to express themselves in this highly creative art form, and many students decide to extend their education in to these subjects to help them prepare for a career doing what they love and enjoy.

Choosing the right school to further develop your acting or dancing skills can be highly stressful, no matter where you are based in the world. This article will examine ten of the best acting and dancing schools located throughout the world.

Some of these schools are situated in the USA while the others are located in Europe and other locations.

Choosing the Right Acting and Dancing School for You

Time and time again students make the mistake of pinning their educations hopes and dreams on the recommendations of their peers, and this creates a big problem when the student does not get into the school that they had hoped for.

The truth is there are hundreds of fantastic schools that can help you develop your existing creative skills and help teach you critical new skills that will help to further your acting and dancing career.

Rather than just choosing a school that you think you should be attending, it’s important to choose a school based on your instinct and intuition. Your peers and fellow creative friends may not agree with your choice, even your parents and family may question the decision you have made, but ultimately only you will know which school is right for you.

When evaluating the value a school can bring to you as a student, you should be asking yourself the following questions:

  • Is the quality and type of training right for you? What, exactly, does the school offer as part of its curriculum, and is it right for you and your career? Think about the tools you will need to perfect your craft. How will the curriculum be delivered to you? Could you see yourself having a good working relationship with your tutors?
  • Can the school help you make useful connections? As is often the way, it’s not what you know, it’s who you know. Will the school help you connect with useful contacts that will help to further your career? The more hands you can shake and the more names you can become associated with the more auditions you will have and the more opportunities for work you will have.

It is with these questions in mind that you should investigate and evaluate the best acting and dancing schools in your country.

1. Moscow State Academy of Choreography – Russia

Moscow State Academy of Choreography – Russia

This prestigious institute is also known as the Bolshoi Ballet Academy, and it is one of the oldest ballet schools in the world. It is by far one of the most reputable academies, and students across the world attempt to enrol at this impressive educational institute. Its unique method of teaching is very popular, and it has been adopted by a number of other ballet schools at is incredibly effective at generating successful dancers. Auditions to enter the Bolshoi Ballet Academy are held every year, but competition is extremely tough.

If you want ballet to be your business in the future then you should certainly consider auditioning. However, you can expect a tough regime and you will be expected to meet the highest of standards throughout your stay.

2. Cuban National Ballet School – Cuba

Cuban National Ballet School – Cuba

The Cuban National Ballet School is one of the biggest ballet schools in the world. With over 4,000 students, this impressive institute is a popular choice for ballet dancers who are keen to make a career from their ability to dance. Many of the students, once qualified then go on to train and perform with the Cuban National Ballet, which has a reputation as being of the best ballet companies in the world.

Auditioning for the Cuban National Ballet School is tough business; not only does this school have an incredible reputation and offer fantastic career opportunities, it also has the added advantage of providing a free education. This clearly appeals to students across the world, and so competition for a place is very fierce.

3. RADA – Royal Academy of Dramatic Art – UK

RADA – Royal Academy of Dramatic Art – UK

The Royal Academy of Dramatic Art may have very limited spaces but it is exceptionally good at converting the few students it does take on into well paid professionals. The RADA, based in London, only takes on 28 new students each year, and these students are enrolled onto the three year BA degree course.

4.The Julliard School – USA

The Julliard School – USA

The Julliard School in New York caters for students from all kinds of art forms, including dance, music and theatre. Aspiring students have to audition in front of a formal committee to decide whether each applicant has the skills and talent to qualify been given a place at the school. If accepted, students can expect the very highest level of training in their specialist skill.

5. The Boston University School of Theatre – USA

The Boston University School of Theatre – USA

The Boston University School of Theatre offers students a laid back approach to a creative learning curve. Students are armed with a broad range of acting techniques that they can then use as working professionals. 50% of an enrolment application is based your academic skill, and the other 50% is based on your audition.



 

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Top 10 Most Widely Practiced Dance Styles Across The Globe

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Dance is an art where the body moves to the rhythm of some music. Some people dance because it is their profession, some because it is their hobby and some dance just for fun. Just like the various reasons people dance for, there are various kinds of dances practiced all over the world. There are special kinds of dances for festivals, different ones for weddings and other occasions and another variety as a part of performing arts. Although these dance forms were born in a certain region or a country, today most of them are practiced throughout the world. Given below is such a list of top 10 most widely practiced dance styles across the globe.

 

1. Salsa:

The dance salsa has its origin in Cuba. Like the name suggests it is a hot spicy form of dancing. Some also call it the dance of passion. It involves a lot of body and hip shaking. It is very simple and anyone can learn it within no time. It mainly involves dancing on three beats and pausing on one and then dancing again. This dance has spread to all the corners of the world to the Americas, Europe and even Asia. There are classes in each and every country which suggests the popularity of this dance form, worldwide.

 

2. Hip hop:

Hip hop dance is a growing rage in the world today. It originated as a part of the hip hop culture in the 1970s. It is especially a growing profession among troupes rather than individuals. It has got a lot of recognition through many films and videos played on the internet. There are many competitions held through many countries. It is not just a means of entertaining one, but has also become a means of livelihood for many.

 

3. Tap Dancing:

This form of dance is a mixture of many styles. It is a blend of African drums, English dance, Irish step dancing and Swing. This was first performed by slaves a long time ago. It was in the 1900s that this style became popular. It won place in movies and in Broadway shows. Although it had begun with lot of objections from the African-American community, It is very popular among them today.

 

4. Ballet:

The origins of this dance can be found in the beautiful country of Italy. It then spread to France where it flourished during the rule of King Louis XIV, who was a great connoisseur of dance himself. Today it is a dance loved by people all over the globe. There are ballet dance academies in many countries which are training the young and the old in this dance form. Apart from the dance style it is also the opportunities available in ballet as a professional dance that attracts many to it.

 

5. Belly Dancing:

Belly dancing started as an art form but today it has developed more as a fitness dance that provides a beautifully shaped body. The best part of this dance is that it can be done on any kind of music. Apart from dance schools it can be easily learnt through videos available on the internet too. Not only belly dancing is fun, it provides a lot of health benefits as well.

 



 

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Top 10 Dance Songs

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Dance has changed so much over the years that it is impossible to recognise the origins of the modern in house DJ produced and mixed techno songs. It is a long way from Chubby Checker’s Twist to the modern dance lists arranged by GIORGIOSST. The people are not the same and the instruments used for producing; recording and playing the songs have changed drastically over the last sixty years. Today’s music can be produced entirely by one person sitting in a recording studio with the latest playback computer assisted instruments and mix them with drum beats to come up with a smash hit. Here are some of the numbers which have made people dance over the last six decades.

 

1. Chubby Checker – Twist

Chubby Checker introduced his version of the Twist on the Clay Cole Show. The recording of the song was a super hit for the singer. It started a new dance system called the Twist which became popular all over the world. The song was released in July 1960. The song topped the Billboard twice. It has been said that before the Twist was introduced by Chubby Checker adults refrained from dancing on the floor to music loved by teenagers. The song changed all that; everyone was dancing, all over the world to it.

 

2. Snap – Rhythm is a dancer

This song was released on April 20, 1992. It is regarded as the first single in the genre of Eurodance. It was sung by singer Thea Austin and Rapper Durron Butler. It topped the European charts and was in the

 

3. Lipps Inc – Funky Town

This song has moved many on the dance floor. It was released in 1980 on February 18. It was an immediate success on the Charts in Europe, USA and the UK. It was Lipps Inc’s single success on the US charts. The lyrics yearn for an atmosphere that will, ‘keep me movin’, keep me grooving.’ The writer producer was Steven Greenberg.

 

4. MARRS – Pump up the volume

This is a British contribution and the only song which hit the charts for MARRS. This was released on August 3, 1987. The song was written by Steve Young and Martyn Young. It was produced by John Fryer and Martyn Young. This is regarding as a stepping stone to the future British music industry of in house music. This was a purposeful attempt to create a dance song on the basis of the American sudden craze for in house created music. The song was involved in a long drawn plagiarism suit. The mastermind behind the song was AR Kane but he never made another song under the label MARRS.

 

5. Dr Albans – It’s My Life

This song was a world wide super seller for Dr Albans a Nigerian who had settled in Sweden. It was released in 1992 on Dr Albans own label dr records. This has been classified variously as a Eurodance song or as hip hop reggae. He was studying to be a dentist in Sweden and working as a DJ to supplement his income. He was noticed thus and made a hit single with Leila K a rap queen. The successful singles selling a million copies were NO Coke and Hello Africa. He followed it up with a hit album One Life which contained this ever popular number named It’s My Life. The song is still a favourite on the dance floors of the world.

 



 

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Top Ten Dance Forms

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There is perhaps hardly anything fulfilling and beautiful as dance, when the entire body sways to rhythm and the dancer ceases to hear the music and becomes the music itself. This list compiles a list of the ten most beautiful dance forms of the world.

 

1. Ballet

This form of dance evolved sometime in the sixteenth century in Europe and has changed dramatically since. Now it has become an art that requires grace and practice, and is choreographed to orchestral music in a flowing, acrobatic style. There are different types of ballet in the present age all of which retain crucial elements of their progenitor.

 

2. Salsa

A recent dance form born in the heart of the Caribbean, salsa is an energetic mix of European and African dance forms. It combines these two heritages together and creates an explosive fusion of smooth movements, gaining popularity all over the world in popular culture with each passing day

 

3. Indian dance

To couple all of the Indian dances in one paragraph is a crime, but not to do so will exclude several other types from around the world. There are several Indian dance forms such as the kathak, kathakali, bharatnatyam, odissi, mohiniattam, manipuri, and kuchipudi – all of which are classical dance forms and have very old roots. Every one of these dance forms is an art in itself and requires lifelong practice to achieve excellence – and each one is supremely beautiful.

 

4. Belly dance

The traditional Arabic dance form, raqs sharaqi, is popularly known as the belly dance in the western world. There are many different schools of belly dancing such as the Egyptian, Turkish, and Western – each of which is highly sensuous, and comprising of fluid hip movements to the music.

 

5. Samba

This is the famous Brazilian form of dance that the whole worlds identifies the carnival at Rio de Janeiro with – where scantily clad samba dancers gyrate to the primal beats of the drum. This dance has its roots in African and European dance forms and has spread throughout the major portion of South America.

 



 

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