Tuesday, June 30, 2009

Farewell Michael Jackson

It is still very difficult for me to accept that Michael Jackson has left us for ever. We will never know how his music might have developed.I was hoping that future work would reflect his feelings and experiences of the past ten years.

I still cannot reconcile the image of a young brown skinned, snub nosed Michael Jackson sporting an afro with his appearance at the time of his death. He underwent numerous and major transformations in his facial appearance. How much this was due to natural causes and how much due to the surgeon's knife is, in the end, of little or no importance where his performance is concerned. In a curious way his changing appearance and his style of dressing went successfully hand in hand.

Personally I have the impression that although over the years his appearance changed from boy to androgynous looking individual Michael Jackson never made the vital step from child to man in certain aspects of his life.This is a feeling which many other people have too. Perhaps it was the unselfconscious expression of "the child within" which lead in part to what many considered to be inappropriate behavior. Who knows if the expression of the "child within" prevented the star from understanding on an emotional level how adults are expected to behave towards children.

What never changed throughout his career was his wonderful, invigorating, unique energy which radiated love and an understanding of the power of music and dance to transform and influence the individual and ultimately the world.

Michael Jackson single handedly transformed the pop video with his combination of song and highly original dance. I don't know how much of the mind blowing choreography was due to him but he was a brilliant dancer - light on his feet, acrobatic, with good elevation, always aware of his position in space and with elegant "line". His seamless integration of song and dance, always right from the start, projected one unique aspect of himself - the ability to express unconditional love.

He was influenced by earlier Black performers but he added his own uniqueness to all he did. Michael Jackson went from being a "Black" performer to being recognized universally as the "King of Pop". By the time he died his appearance reflected no particular race. His appearance in the end was a symbol of fragile humanity which transcended race. Did he attempt to incorporate all races into himself, thereby becoming a "Universal Human Being".

Michael's musical generosity carried over into other aspects of life. He was keenly aware of the less fortunate and lent his name and resources to causes at a time when they were still intensely unpopular as in the case of support for anything connected with AIDS. There is also his work for children world wide. He was acquitted on all counts at his trail for child abuse.It is totally inconceivable to me that anyone operating on the energies which Michael Jackson operated on could sexually abuse a child. He was clearly disingenuous, childish, and foolish in certain aspects of his relationships with children but a pedophile - I think not..

On many aspects of Michael Jackson's life we can only speculate agree or disagree. What cannot be denied is that with his death we have said farewell to a uniquely generous entertainer lauded and loved world wide.









Saturday, June 27, 2009

Wheelchair Dancers are as Talented as Able-Bodied Dancers



Wheelchair dancing or adaptive dancing as it is also called is growing rapidly in popularity and has been in existence for more than twenty years. There are many different forms. Sometimes it's a matter of two people doing their own spontaneous "thing". If the man is a wheelchair user his partner may sit on his lap and they dance seated. Then there is also line dancing when everyone executes pre-arranged moves or there is partner dancing with one or both participants in wheelchairs

Ballroom dancing is yet another form. Even such dances as the waltz, foxtrot and rumba are possible.

Wheelchair dancing is an international competitive sport involving athletes with a physical disability that affects the lower limbs. There are classes for "combi -style" (standing) partner or duo-dance with two wheelchairs. There are also formation dances for four, six or eight competitors.

Traditional wheelchair dancing involves moving the wheelchair across the dance floor, while wheelchair tap dancing concentrates on the movements of the legs while in a seated position. People who have movement in their feet can tap dance wearing tap shoes. Those with no foot movement can clap their hands instead wearing gloves with taps attached.

Those dancers who have movement in their arms and legs but not enough strength to dance standing upright can do so seated on a chair or lying on the floor. Almost everyone with mobility disablities can do some form of dance.

Many groups exist to encourage people with disablities to dance. One such is Third St. Ensemble Co. Performers range in age from eight to twenty-three and include children from diverse backgrounds and with many different problems. Wheelchair dance usually is a part of their performances and all company members are skilled in dance chairs.

Another such programme is a community based programme at the University of Saskatchewan in Canada. To quote "This program is for children ages seven years and up with mobility challenges whose primary mode of transportation is the wheelchair. The focus of the class is the development of a variety of locomotor, rhythmic and creative skills using enjoyable dance experiences. Children have the opportunity to explore a variety of dance forms such as ballet, jazz dance, and creative dance and to gain confidence through performances and workshops."

Very exciting developments are taking place in the world of wheelchair dance. In a project called Feileacan (Gaelic for "butterfly") a mixture of able-bodied dancers and the avatars controlled by children in wheelchairs create dance that combines complex machine interfaces and virtual-reality computer graphic tools.

These particular developments, wonderful as they are, will not form the basis for any further discussion of wheelchair dancing.

There are young people who are highly competitive and highly physical who will be attracted to dance as sport. There are others who want and are in a position to go to a class and learn regular Ballroom, Line dances etc.

Dance classes of any kind can be highly therapeutic but they do require that participants strive to attain certain specific standards of movement and technique. This can itself create tensions and anxieties for the person

. Dance therapy is different in that there is total acceptance, encouragement and no criticism. As a dance and movement therapist I am in favour of using inspirational or "free" dance as it is also known..

I constantly emphasize that my dance and movement therapy experiences have been with children who have very profound physical, emotional or learning difficulties. In some cases the children had all three.

Our sessions were limited to one hour once a week during term time.The children in wheelchairs were totallly integrated with those who did not have mobility problems. None of the children in wheelchairs were capable of manouvering them on their own. In fact, some of the children had no controlled movement. The children did not have special chairs for dancing. The chairs had to be manouvered by helpers. Depending on the weight of the child and the design of the wheelchair this could be very tiring indeed. But no matter the difficulties, fun was had by all!

If the dance therapy session at home consists of just you and your child then you won't have the opportunity to interact with a number of other wheelchair users. It will be a threesome of you, your child and the chair. Of course, any number of people can dance and interact with the wheelchair dancer.

As with any dance attention should be paid to choice of music and the dance itself needs to reflect the ryhthm and mood of the piece. The chair can be wheeled so that there are sudden punctuation stops, turns that are sharp, gentle, slow or fast, changes of direction at various speeds, changes of height by tilting the chair.

The wheelchair dancer needs to be encouraged to move as much as possible interpreting the music. Changes of facial expression are important especially in children who are not normally very communicative.

Adaptations of line and square dances are often easily undertaken or you can create you own. To start you off here is a simple little circle dance for approximately six wheelchair dancers.

1. The wheelchairs are positioned in a large circle at equal distances from each other.

2. Then the chairs are pushed clockwise around the circle until each person is back in his or her original position. The person pushing can skip, gallop etc.

3. Repeat same move counter-clockwise.

4. Facing forward the dancers are pushed to the centre of the circle. Stop. If possible the children then hold hands with the person on either side of them.

5. Repeat steps 1 and 2 in the centre of the circle.

6. Dancers are pulled out of the centre circle facing backwards until they reach their original positions as in Step 1.

7. Tilt chairs onto the rear wheels, then turn the chair to the left and drop it onto all four wheels.

8. Repeat move 7 to the right.

9. Repeat moves 1 to 8. You can count the steps, make sounds, or sing etc. while doing this dance.

I hope this sparks your imagination!

"Dance to Health - Help Your Special Needs Child Through Inspirational Dance" http://www.lulu.com/content/5417355
http://www.dance-to-health-help-your-special-needs-child.com









Friday, June 26, 2009

R.I.P Michael Jackson

The King of Pop is dead. This unique, multi-talented entertainer was received on the Other Side with joyous song and dance. Michael Jackson is experiencing a sense of peace which eluded him on earth.

I am feeling a very deep sense of shock at the moment. When I have achieved a feeling of acceptance that he is no longer with us I will write an appreciation of the late, great Michael Jackson.









Tuesday, June 23, 2009

Dance to Health: Let's Dance!

Dance to Health: Let's Dance!









Quotes from People who Love Dance


Borobodur Temple, Java, Indonesia



Dancing in all its forms cannot be excluded from the curriculum of all noble education; dancing with the feet, with ideas, with words, and, need I add that one must also be able to dance with the pen? ~Friedrich Nietzsche












Dance is the only art of which we ourselves are the stuff of which it is made. ~Ted Shawn, Time, 25 July 1955


Dancers are instruments, like a piano the choreographer plays. ~George Balanchine


There are short-cuts to happiness, and dancing is one of them. ~Vicki Baum


To dance is to be out of yourself. Larger, more beautiful, more powerful. ~Agnes De Mille


Remember, Ginger Rogers did everything Fred Astaire did, but backwards and in high heels. ~Faith Whittlesey


Dancing with the feet is one thing, but dancing with the heart is another. ~Author Unknown


Dance till the stars come down from the rafters
Dance, Dance, Dance till you drop.
~W.H. Auden


It is of course possible to dance a prayer. ~Glade Byron Addams


In a dancer, there is a reverence for such forgotten things as the miracle of the small beautiful bones and their delicate strength. ~Martha Graham


It takes an athlete to dance, but an artist to be a dancer. ~Shanna LaFleur


I don't want people who want to dance, I want people who have to dance. ~George Balanchine


Dancing can reveal all the mystery that music conceals. ~Charles Baudelaire


Dance first. Think later. It's the natural order. ~Samuel Beckett


Stifling an urge to dance is bad for your health - it rusts your spirit and your hips. ~Adabella Radici


I am a dancer. I believe that we learn by practice. Whether it means to learn to dance by practicing dancing or to learn to live by practicing living.... In each it is the performance of a dedicated precise set of acts, physical or intellectual, from which comes shape of achievement, a sense of one's being, a satisfaction of spirit. One becomes in some area an athlete of God. ~Martha Graham, c.1953

http://www.dance-to-health-help-your-special-needs-child.com
http//www.dance-in-our-footsteps.com
DVD Dance in Our Footsteps http://www.lulu.com/content/5418026
Manual Dance to Health by Dzagbe Cudjoe http://www.lulu.com/content/5417355
African Drum Notation by Dr S D Cudjoe Click Here to Purchase. CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE
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Thursday, June 18, 2009

Let's Dance!



Let's dance in the streets and squares of the world at this time of global turbulence and gloom! Let us all take strength and hope from dancing in a group of strangers who may end up as friends.

Rudolf Laban in his book "A Life for Dance" writes "In dancing we are able to express relationships in which awareness of self and others is enhanced. The feeling of joy which dance can give helps us to harmonize ourselves and gain an increased sense of belonging."

Dance has always mirrored the prevailing social conditions. In earlier times dance played an important role in public and working life. Laban further writes "Dance has had at all times a profound connection with the working habits of the periods in which they arose or were created".

Dance can have great political significance. The Sardana is a circle dance associated with the Catalan region of Spain. It is a non-performance dance which does not require high levels of fitness. The circles can be entirely of people of the same sex, mixed or with couples only. When a circle becomes too large, more circles are formed. Normal day wear is usual. The dictator General Franco forbade the speaking of Catalan and the dancing of the sardana. For this reason the people of Catalonia consider the sardana to be a powerful symbol of Catalan unity and identity which unites people from different walks of life and different circumstances.
I am not suggesting anything which requires elaborate choreography, costumes or music.

What I have in mind are simple circle dances. If there are a number of people in the circle who know the dance and everyone dances holding hands people will pick up the dance without any difficulty. No one can be excluded from joining in.

The circle is the symbol of eternity, of the wheel of life turning. Just as doom and gloom are both infectious and contagious so too are a positive, optimistic outlook. Holding hands, moving in unison with others in the open air to uplifting music will all help to induce a feeling of relaxation, upliftment and fun. Everyone is invited to become part of an ever changing circle as people come and go. It only requires a number of professionals who know the dance for it to become an informal community Dance and Movement session.

The dance would need to be "free" dance, that is dance not associated with any particular style.It could consist of simple walking steps, (to accommodate all ages) changes or direction, and turns for example. Perhaps with some downward movements to symbolize the financial situation having reached rock bottom and the only way is up and hand movements based on the use of the computer. The dances would need to employ "free" dance that is dance not associated with any particular style. Would we by doing this be creating the folk dances of the future?



Let's circle dance in the streets and squares in memory of Rudolf Laban to celebrate the 50th anniversary of his death. He had a deep understanding of the place and meaning of dance both for individuals and the community. He composed innumerable dance pageants, movement choirs and other large scale works. I'm sure that he would thoroughly approve of people dancing in the streets to express optimism for the future of the world.

Would this be an idea applicable to the London 20012 Olympic Games?.

To read FREE EXTRACTS of "Dance to Health - Help Your Special Needs Child Through Inspirational Dance"CLICK HERE






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Tuesday, June 16, 2009

Enjoy an Extract from the DVD "Dance in Our Footsteps"




This DVD Dance Video offers a demonstration of the featured dances. It is not intended as a conventional instructional product. Enjoy yourself while experiencing the de-stressing and exhilarating effects of African dance. Try and copy the dancers if you wish or just use their movements and the music to inspire you to create your own authentic, original dance. But most importantly have fun and if possible have a party at the same time.

http://www.lulu.com/content/5418026

http://www.dance-to-health-help-your-special-needs-child.com
http://ghanaiangrandmother.wordpress.com

TO DOWNLOAD YOUR AFRICAN PARTY RECIPES . CLICK HERE


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Tuesday, June 9, 2009

Come and See Flamenco Dancing in Andalucia, Spain


May and June are wonderful months to visit Andalusia if you want to see dancing. This is the period when "Feria" (the Spring Fairs) are held. It is a time of eating, drinking, riding in carriages and dancing.

The vast majority of women and children wear the traditional flounced Flamenco dresses and decorate their hair with combs and flowers.They look stunning. Everyone dances with totally unselfconscious enjoyment. It is beautiful to watch parents and grandparents enthusiastically encouraging children as young as two years old to dance. Older women often stand by approvingly as their husbands dance with a young woman to help her improve her technique.

"Feria" is a time when it is obvious to all what a deep and ever evolving hold dance has in this part of the world.

http://www.dance-to-health-help-your-special-needs-child.com
http://www.dance-in-our-footsteps.com

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