Blog Week 11- Dance

I really enjoyed the clip of the Alvin Ailey Dance Troupe and their rendition of Wade in the Water. There are several elements of black dance in this clip. The first one that comes to my mind is the energy, joy and inspiration created by the troupe when they dance. Wade in the Water has special meaning to African/Americans back to the days of slavery. The lyrics contained coded messages about relief and survival. These are relayed through the story of the dancers, the angular poses, expressive arms and style. We can also see the "aesthetic of the cool." The dancers show tremedous control and effortless movement as their bodies "speak" the narrative and meanings of water. The use of the blue fabric is especially interesting as representing the water in many ways. This creates not only a visually pleasing effect but is also a device that creates drama and mystery. Each movement of the dancers body creates emotion and their "apart dancing" is very sifnificant to black dance. While some of the time the dancing appear to be harmonious, other times the dancers appear extremely liberated to improvise their own interpretation and emotion into their dancing.