Lesson 4

The Art of Dance with Bruce: Combining Rhythm and Foundation Pt.2

Tuesday, September 24, 2019

Operational Definitions:

Harmony – the combination of simultaneously sounded musical notes to produce chords and chord progressions having a pleasing effect / The side of composition representing simultaneous notes

Melody – musically satisfying sequences of notes collectively / The side of composition representing sequential notes

Paradox – a seemingly absurd or self-contradictory statement or proposition that when investigated or explained may prove to be well founded or true / That which cannot exist without the other but requires us to perceive separately to understand

Hip-Hop – A culture consisting of the 5 umbrella elements of Djing, Emceeing, Graffiti, Breakin’, and Knowledge.

Litefeet – Litefeet also referred to as “getting lite” is a type of street dance/ vernacular dance that emerged from Harlem, New York in the early 2000s. (https://www.vulture.com/2015/09/how-litefeet-moved-from-subway-to-mainstream.html)

Double time– a rhythm that is twice as fast as an earlier one

Back Beat– a strong accent on one of the normally unaccented beats of the bar, used especially in jazz and popular music.

Party Step– A groove that has been labelled and developed an identity. Often solidified through the release of an accompanying song. The foundational movements of Hip-Hop.

Wop – A party step originating back as early as the 20s consisting of some form of snapping and swinging.

Tone Wop– A party step consisting of a raise, a step, and a pivot generally done emphasizing up and back on the “and, 1, and, 2”. Can be thought of as an evolution of the Wop

Lock-In– an evolution of the tone wop developed to emphasize the “and, 8”, or “and, 8, and, 1” counts. Acts like a punctuation mark. A foundational step for litefeet

Concept– an abstract idea; a general notion.

Threading – the concept of creating an opening and the illusion of threading a body part through, originally common only to breaking has evolved to appearing in numerous styles

The Harmony/Melody Paradox – Cultivating Composition

When any notes or movement are pieced together within time there will always simultaneously be Harmony and Melody occurring. These are two of the greatest tools available to the artist. They are a paradox in that one cannot exist without the other but both are necessary to create the model necessary to understand the concept. Harmony is that of notes played together within music, in dance context it is easiest to think of this as when we are moving body parts or layering techniques/ moves at the same time. Melody can be thought of when moving body parts or layering techniques/moves in sequence. The element of the paradox within dance is that no body part is absolutely static or dynamic and that the harmony and melody of movement will always both be working off one another. A useful way to interpret this is if harmony and melody were each voices in your head when dancing, Harmony would be the voice telling you that you have to do things at the same time in order to be effective whereas Melody would be telling you to break it up to attain your desired result. Balance is key, and through understanding you may control that.

With a foundational understanding of textures, harmony, and melody and how to create them it’s time to explore some known ones within street dance as well as some techniques to help us accentuate what we desire to. Litefeet is a fascinating example because it is done both on double time, and with an emphasis on the “and” count, or the “back beat”. As a dance under the umbrella of Hip-Hop we will be exploring how to take one party step such as the Wop, or Tone Wop and the mental processes of creating and solidifying variations, eventually evolving into the Lock-In. The goal with any one step is to feel 100% comfort and freedom of movement and dynamics within it, without losing the essence, ANYTHING less and you have not mastered the movement, this is important. Once one is comfortable with the different basic ways of varying a movement it is time to employ concepts to take the movement to the next level. Concepts much like dynamics are imperative if the dancer wishes to communicate effectively with the viewer. The first concept we will be exploring is that of threading and the different variations possible within it.

Music used in class:

  • Don’t Stop by Webstar, Ron Browz, Young B., Severe, T.Rex
  • Tone Wop by Webstar, The Voice of Harlem, Young B
  • Western World – omniboi remix by LION BABE