SALSA

Salsa is a Spanish word meaning Sauce. But now-a-days, Salsa most commonly refers to a hybrid musical form based on Afro-Cuban music incorporating elements from other Latin American styles. It was largely developed in New York City in the beginning of 1940s and 50s, though it wasn’t labelled as Salsa until the 1960s when NYC’s music scene prompted the rapid success of it. Later in conjunction with the spread of Hispanic cultural identity, it attained a peak of popularity in 1970s. The roots of Salsa are in the ‘Son’, a rhythm pattern played with Clave and used to compose Salsa in combination with other Latin American styles primarily recorded by Puerto Ricans. Son is the central musical type in contemporary Cuban popular music and as a generic label has an extremely broad range of meaning. While Salsa achieved international fame during the second half of the 20th century, in Cuba, Son evolved into other styles such as Songo and Timba, the latter of which is sometimes known as “Cuban Salsa”.

Son Cubano is a genre of music and dance that originated in the highlands of eastern Cuba during the late 19th century. It is a syncretic genre that blends elements of Spanish and African origin. The subgenre of Son Cubano is known and widely used as Son Montuno.

Pioneered by the bandleader Arsenio Rodriguez, the Son rhythm became the framework on which was hung a wide variety of dance-oriented Afro-Cuban musical styles, from Bolero to Conga and from the Rumba to the Mambo. Afro-Cuban music was spread throughout Latin American countries, especially in Mexico. However, New York City became the forge for its transformation into Salsa in the beginning of 1940s with the contributions of the orchestra led by Cuban émigré Machito (Frank Grillo) which blended Afro-Cuban styles with Jazz and big band approaches. Another Cuban émigré, Celia Cruz became the reigning diva of Afro-Cuban dance music in the 1960s, as it evolved into Salsa with smaller ensembles comprising rhythm and horn sections and through huge contributions by a number of musicians of Puerto Rican heritage, most notably by bandleaders like Tito Rodriguez, Tito Puente (a virtuoso Timbale player and Vibraphonist) and Eddie Palmieri (a Pianist who brought progressive Jazz influences into the mix). Frequently but not always up-tempo, or ‘hot’, Salsa grew to incorporate increasingly diverse influences and performers – from Panamanian Activist-Singer-Songwriter Ruben Blades to Mexican American Rocker Carlos Santana. Although its international popularity crested in the 1970s, Salsa retained an audience and practitioner into the 21st century.

Clave (indispensable in composing Salsa music), Conga, Bongo, Timbales, Cowbell, Double-bass, Maracas, Trumpet, Guiro, Piano, Spanish Guitar, Marimbula, Botijuela, Horn, Cello, etc. are the music instruments widely used to compose Salsa music.

Clave is a Spanish word meaning ‘code’ or ‘key’ (as in key to a mystery or puzzle) or a ‘keystone’ (the wedge-shaped stone in the centre of an arch that ties the other stones together). But, in reference to Salsa, Clave is a percussion instrument consisting of a pair of short thick hardwood dowels used in producing bright clicking sounds at a certain interval in the Afro-Cuban music ensembles by striking one upon the other. The five-stroke Clave pattern can be played in two type of sequences such as 2-3 structure and 3-2 structure. Both creates, maintains and represents the structural core of Afro-Cuban rhythms in a variety of genres such as Abakua music, Rumba, Conga, Son, Mambo, Salsa, Songo, Timba and Afro-Cuban Jazz. The rhythm of Clave is considered as the most important tool for temporal organization of Afro-Cuban or Cuban music such as ‘Son’ and ‘Guaguanco’; it also creates the foundation of Reggae, Reggaeton and Dancehall. They are often used to play a repeating rhythmic figure throughout a piece by the player who strikes the dominant Clave in the centre of the resting Clave to resonate. Originated in sub-Saharan African music traditions, The Clave essentially serves the same function as it does in Cuba but, ultimately, these rhythms and vibrations embodies the diasporic transnational exchange to demonstrate a shared cultural experience and knowledge of its roots. Traditionally Clave sticks are made of wood, typically Rosewood, Ebony or Grenadilla but in modern times, they are also made of fiberglass or plastics.

The most common Clave pattern used in Cuban popular music is called the Son Clave, named after the Cuban musical genre of the same name. Clave is the basic period, composed of two rhythmically opposed cells, one antecedent and the other consequent. The antecedent half has three strokes and is called the three-side of clave while the consequent half of clave has two strokes and is called the two-side clave. In Cuban popular music, the first three strokes of Son Clave are also collectively known as Tresillo, a Spanish word meaning triplet i.e. three equal beats in the same time as two main beats.

The other main Clave pattern is the Rumba Clave which is the key pattern used in Cuban Rumba. Rumba Clave are also played both in duple-pulse and triple-pulse structures. The triple-pulse form of Rumba clave can be traced back to the iron-bell part in Abakua music. The 4/4 form of Rumba Clave is used in Yambu, Guaguanco and other popular music, However, there’s a debate as to how the 4/4 Rumba Clave should be notated for Guaguanco and Yambu. In actual, the third stroke on the three-side and the first stroke on the two-side often fall in rhythmic positions that do not fit neatly into music notations. Triple-pulse strokes can be substituted for duple-pulse strokes. Also, the clave strokes are sometimes displaced in such a way that they don’t fall within either a triple-pulse or a duple-pulse ‘grid’. Therefore, many variations are possible. When used in popular music such as Songo, Timba or Latin Jazz, Rumba clave can be perceived in either a 3-2 or a 2-3 sequence.

Salsa can be tagged as an umbrella term for sheltering many different genres, cultures and eras under it to evolve itself. Salsa as Dance essentially is a Street Latin form coming in a variety of different styles that one can opt to dance such as Cuban Salsa, Columbian Salsa (commonly known as Cali Salsa), Puerto Rican Salsa, New York Salsa (known as On2 Salsa), Los Angeles (LA) Salsa (known as On1 Salsa), etc. Elements and Steps from Cha Cha Cha, Afro-Cuban, Rumba, Samba, Hip Hop, even Acrobatics are used in Salsa in recent years. Salsa is the oldest and most famous among all the social dance forms namely Bachata, Mambo, Merengue, etc.

Cuban style of Salsa dancing is very popular worldwide and known as Casino dance in Cuba where it has originated back in 1950s. It can be danced with the partner, as a solo format (Salsa Suelta) and as a group dance called Rueda de Casino. Many of the Cuban Salsa figures are derived from Cuban Son, Cha Cha Cha and Danzon but these days it also incorporates body movements and styling from Cuban Rumba, Afro-Cuban, Mambo and, even, Reggaeton. Cuban Salsa goes on a circular motion where the dancers perform a lot of turn figures while travelling together in the circular dance space they share. A direct derivative of this style is the Miami Salsa dance style, developed by Cuban immigrants in Florida.

The Colombian style Salsa, commonly known as Cali style Salsa or Salsa Calena, is also a circular style of Salsa dancing just like Cuban Salsa but Cali Salsa is characterized by fast footwork while the upper body remains fairly rigid. The footwork is intricately syncopated and includes skipping steps which is unique to this style. Colombian Salsa originates in Cali, an important city in Colombia and is extremely popular almost like a national sport. Its chief dance influences are Cumbia (a traditional dance from Colombia), Pachanga and Boogaloo.

The New York Salsa dance style is also known as On2 Salsa. Originated in New York City, it has been popularized by Mr. Eddie Torres. Just like the LA style, NY Salsa is also a linear style of Salsa dancing and generally argued as more musical, smoother & groovier than the former because it more closely aligns with the Tumbao and Clave, two important musical patterns found in Salsa music. It is usually danced with the break step taken on the 2nd beat of the measure, hence called On2 Salsa. This style of Salsa is also sometimes called Mambo mainly because the style of the music that was mainly danced to was Mambo music, but it bears little connection to the original Mambo dance from Cuba.

Los Angeles style of Salsa is also known as LA style Salsa is one of the most common styles of Salsa danced in North America and throughout the world. Originated in Los Angeles, LA style Salsa is dance in a slot (or line), hence is a linear style of Salsa dancing like NY Salsa. It is always danced On1 i.e. the dancers do the break step on the first count of the measure or the musical phrase. This is the reason why many people refer to this style as ‘On1 Salsa’ although this designation is incorrect as the timing of the phrase per se do not dictate a style and several other styles such as Cuban, Puerto Rican and Colombian styles also use the same timing. LA style Salsa has many Latin influences from Latin Hustle, Swing and Latin Ballroom and its presentation tends to prefer big flashy lifts and tricks. Albert Torres, Francisco & Luis Vasquez, Alex De Silva, Josie Neglia are some of the names often credited with early development and popularization of LA style Salsa dancing.

In current world Salsa scene, Alien Ramirez, Oliver Pineda, Fernando Sosa, Jhonny Vasquez (commonly known as the Prince of On1 Salsa), Adolfo Indacochea (considered as the Prince of On2 Salsa), Tania Cannarsa, Juan Matos (the Pachanga King), Frankie Martinez, Wilmer-Maria, are world class teachers and outstanding performers to name a few. On the other hand, Magna Gopal, Terry Tauliaut, Edie ‘The Salsa Freak’, Griselle Ponce, Maykel Fonts and many are incredible social dancers. Goes without saying that Mr. Eddie Torres is the most important figure for the Salsa World and the God Father of all contemporary Salsa dancers, dancing for nearly five decades and still going strong. He is the Mambo King and definitely the mostly respected living legend of present time Latin Dance scene.

Tropical Gem, Yamulee Dance Company, Dominican Power, Omambo, Salsamania, etc. are hugely appreciated and successful Salsa Repertories of the globe. Tropical Gem headed by Fernando Sosa is probably the world’s best hyped Salsa troupe because of its unique choreography, absolute coordination, presentational grandeur and seamless performance.

At the same time, Alien Ramirez, Oliver Pineda, Delia Madera, Mario Acosta Cevallos, David-Paulina, Ricardo-Karen, Simone-Serena, Carine-Rafael, are extremely talented artistes and multiple-times World Champions in Salsa On1 & Salsa On2 divisions in Professional Solo and Couple categories of World Salsa Summit, World Latin Dance Cup, Euroson Latino World Salsa Championship, etc. Alien Ramirez is the sole record holder of becoming 24X World Champion while Oliver Pineda is 9-times World Champion; both being extraordinary master-trainers and their expert coaching is always sought after by dancers world-wide who intend to become professional or compete in championships.

BACHATA

Bachata is a genre of Latin American music that has originated in the Dominican Republic and Caribbean regions in the first half of the 20th Century with the fusion of European influences of Spanish Guitar and some remnants of indigenous Taino and African musical elements. Etymologically, the word Bachata was known in the Dominican Republic as reunion or party where people used to play and listen to popular music. The musical composition mainly consists of Bolero and Son but later, from the mid-1980s, of Merengue. The first recorded Bachata compositions were done by Jose Manuel Calderon from the Dominican Republic.

Bachata songs are essentially love tales depicting heart rendering sagas of tragedy and separation. Instruments played to compose a Bachata music are Bongo, Requinto (lead guitar), Segunda (rhythmic guitar serving the purpose of adding syncopation to the music), Bass Guitar, Guira, Conga, and sometimes optionally an Electric Guitar. Bachata musicians chiefly play a straightforward style of Bolero (lead guitar instrumentation using arpeggiated repetitive chords is a distinctive characteristic of bachata), but when they change to Merengue-based Bachata, the percussionist will switch from Bongo to a Tambora drum. In the 1960s and 1970s, Maracas were used instead of Guira but with Bachata becoming more dance oriented in 1980s, preference of playing more versatile Guira over Maracas came into practice.

Blas Duran, Juan Luis Guerra (with his Grammy winning track ‘Bachata Rosa’), Anthony Santos, Hector Acosta, Luis Vargas, Raulin Rodriguez, Carlos Santana, Kiko Rodriguez, Zacarias Ferreira, Frank Reyes, etc. may be denoted as the early devoted composers of Bachata music. Later in the beginning of 21st century, a bunch of enthusiastic young guns formed a Bachata band named Aventura led by Romeo Santos. With their versatility and experimental musical compositions beyond traditional framework, this ‘all-boys’ band Aventura infused different instruments and elements from other genres like Hip Hop and R&B, only to bring a revolution in modern day Bachata music and made them more danceable. Their album “We Broke the Rules” in 2002 with the superhit track ‘Obsession’ achieved a world record for sales worldwide making them an ambassador of Bachata internationally. By passage of time, Aventura emerged as the top Latin Band of the world by catapulting Bachata to the top of global pop charts. Now-a-days, with help of technology, Bachata music are further being remixed with Pop, Rap, Techno, House, Raggae and Dance Halls by the composers to give it a completely different flavour of musicality.

While talking about Bachata as a Dance form, it is also a Street Latin form primarily danced by couples and characterized by lateral hip movement but it has received various influences to evolve in different styles of dancing. The basics of the dance are three-steps with a Cuban hip motion followed by a tap including a hip lift on the 4th beat. Unlike Salsa, Bachata dance doesn’t usually include many turn patterns. The original term used to name the genre was “Amargue” (meaning ‘bitterness’, ‘bitter music’ or ‘blues music’), until the rather ambiguous (and mood-neutral) term Bachata became popular. Merengue is the National Dance Form of Dominican Republic while Bachata has been considered a black sheep till the death of the dictator Rafael Trujillo; but gradually Bachata, chiefly due to its groove, takes over Merengue in terms of mass acceptance and international reach to such an extent that now-a-days Workshops, Congresses and Competitions solely dedicated to Bachata are taking place with huge participations from all over the world and still growing stronger. While Salsa is danced by the largest percentage of social dancers all over the world, Bachata holds the second position in terms of popularity and practice.

Major styles of Bachata that are acclaimed and danced internationally are :

Dominican Bachata : As the name suggests, Dominican Bachata is the truest form danced according to the original style and it is chiefly based on intricate foot-works, hip movement and a bouncy feel in it. Typically, it doesn’t require a lot of turn patterns and incorporates many free style movements that are not seen in the more structured Bachata style. The passages are usually free, made side by side in more open (playful mood adding footwork, turns/figures, rhythmic torso, etc.) or closed (romantic mood) positions. Dominican Bachata is created by people over many years for social dancing and is still evolving by becoming faster in accordance with the tempo of music. The early slow style of Bachata in the 50s were danced like Bolero. Even later, the Bachata basic steps moving within a small square (side, side & forward – side, side & back) are also inspired from the Bolero but danced little differently with syncopations (steps in between the beats) depending on the dancer’s mood and character of the music. The hand placement will vary with the dancers’ positions which can be very close to semi-close to open. The repetitive tune of Guitar plays a predominant role in Dominican Bachata music.

Traditional Bachata : Is originated in the United States & Europe perhaps in late 1980s or early 1990s and is the mostly danced style across the globe. This style comes with very romantic nuances, twists, visual drops and a soft hip strike on count 4 and 8 without a strong emphasis on turn patterns. Mostly indebted to Ballroom dance, Traditional Bachata commonly uses dips and it is the first so called fusion style Bachata because it’s not technical or stylistically similar to the original Dominican style of Bachata, instead, it contains elements and styling from the western way of dancing.

Modern Bachata : Otherwise known as Bachata Moderna for its modern style, it is the recent form of Bachata. It retains some of the traditional Bachata elements but it is also heavily influenced by Tango, Bolero, Zouk-Lambada, Ballroom, etc. among other Latin Dance forms. The most direct fusion influence on Modern style Bachata dancing comes from the adoption of Salsa turn patters. This style relies chiefly on crosses but the couples typically move their torso more, put greater emphasis on hip ‘pop’ on each 4th count and women use exaggerated hip movements.

Sensual Bachata : It is an evolution of the traditional one, with more importance given to the contact & the corporal expression between the couple and the variety of movements more than the turns or the work of feet. Usually, short distances are used and the interpretation of musical sensation is sought with eight hips, circular moves, body waves and dry blows except when the music has stronger beats to be addressed by isolations and dips. This novel, independent style of Bachata with strict principles of leading and following has been created by Korke Escalona and Judith Cordero in Spain by incorporating moves of Contemporary dancing and Brazilian Zouk with that of Bachata basics.

Urban or Street Bachata : It is a combination of typical Bachata movements and street dance like Hip Hop. Here the dancer dances in all directions unlike Dominican Bachata but this style basically have the same technical base as Modern style of Bachata dancing hence can be denoted as a sub-version of Bachata Moderna.

BachaTango : It is a fusion style from the West and often classed as a sensual form of modern bachata. With short, traditional four-step sequences of Dominican Bachata basic is fused with Argentine Tango moves, including elaborated kicks, dips, turns, ganchos, leg wraps and long pauses. The ‘pop’ count is used to add elaborate sensuality of movements. Here, partners hold each other in a closed position where the female's inside right thigh is in contact with the inside of the male's right thigh, while using the hand placements of typical Latin style dances. Although this form has been used to dance Bachata, it has evolved to be used to dance to Tango as well. Even though BachaTango is unheard of in the Dominican Republic, it has become popular with the foreign instructors outside the Caribbean.

Apart from the above, there are many other styles of Bachata dancing like Ballroom Bachata, Bachata Romantica, Bachata Fusion or Bachata Flow, etc. from the West pioneered and promoted by different teachers around the world, each with its own distinct flair.

Back in 2008, thanks to a YouTube advertised video showing not impossible moves but an amazing couple dancing together, the attention to Bachata as a dance form increased exponentially. Two youngsters Ataca y Alemana dancing on the song Te Extrano by Xtreme, is the most viewed Bachata dance video of the history. Since then, world-class masters and dancers starting from Ataca-Alemana to Daniel-Desiree, from Troy-Jorjet to Kike-Nahir, from Andrea-Sylvia to Marco-Sara, from Korke-Judith to Abdel-Lety, from Ronald-Alba to Marcelo-Belen and many others are continuously updating the international Bachata Dance scene through their stylistic originality, wide experiences and unique experimentations.

Few of multiple times World Champions in Bachata couple categories are Alien Ramirez-Cristian Oviedo, Harold-Regan, Deklan-Natalia, Braulio-Valentina besides being wonderful trainers and brilliant performers.

CONTEMPORARY

Contemporary Dancing is a style of expressive dance that combines elements of several dance genres including Classical Ballet, Jazz, Lyrical, Modern and Post-modern (structureless). The term "Contemporary" is somewhat misleading as this genre was developed during the mid-twentieth century and since then has grown to become one of the dominant genres for formally trained dancers throughout the world but it is most common amongst the U.S. and European countries. Contemporary dance stresses versatility and improvisation, unlike the strict, structured nature of ballet, to evoke a range of feelings in the viewer. Contemporary dancers focus on floor work, using gravity to pull them down to the floor. Here the Dancers strive to connect the mind and the body through fluid dance movements; some of them create characters, theatrical events or stories while others perform entirely new creations based on improvisations and their own analysis of the theme. It also offers the dancer ultimate creative freedom to perform an emotive piece that identifies with them. This Dance is often executed in bare feet to allow the Dancers attain more fluidity in movement and connection to the dance surface. Different types of music are used to perform Contemporary Dance and the choreography is determined based on its relation to the music or sounds that is danced to. The role of music in contemporary dance is different from in other genres because it can serve as a backdrop to the piece. Contemporary dance is not necessarily a narrative form of art, instead, the choreography appears disordered with innovative lighting, abstract sets and off-beat designs of costumes but nevertheless relies on technique. Modern-day contemporary dance is incredibly interpretive with many applications and is often used in art, theatre, music videos, movies and more.

Contemporary and Modern Dance elementarily are branches stemming from the same root but Contemporary Dance was not started by any particular individual, instead, there were several key pioneers to this movement. During the 19th century, theatrical dance performances were synonymous with ballet which is a formal technique that developed from court dance during the Italian Renaissance and soon became popular. Around the end of the 19th century, several renowned dancers including Angela Isadora Duncan began to break the traditional ballet mould and developed unique styles of movement based on theories of her own with lesser focus on formal techniques, and more on emotional and physical expression.

By time, a new dance form dubbed as "Modern Dance" was innovated by Martha Graham who is considered to be the Mother of Modern Dancing. It is a formalized dance technique with a specific aesthetic built around breathing, movement, contraction and release of muscles unlike Ballet or the works of Duncan and her "Isadorables".

Other well-known names in Contemporary Dance include Jose Limon, Ruth St. Denis, Paul Taylor and Alvin Ailey who has been a student of Martha Graham's and maintained a stronger connection with older techniques and first introduced the African American aesthetics and ideas into Contemporary Dance.

During the mid-1940s another student of Graham's and an American Dancer-Choreographer, Merce Cunningham, began exploring his own form of dance inspired by the radically unique music of John Cage. Cunningham introduced the concept that dance movements could be random, and that each performance could be unique. Undoubtedly, he is the most prolific contributor and is often referred to as the Father of Contemporary Dance because of his complete break with formal dance techniques. Being at the very forefront of American Modern Dance, Cunningham is said to be the first choreographer to "develop an independent attitude towards Modern Dance" defying the ideas established by it and attempting to bridge the gap between music and dance. The Cunningham Technique brought together several key elements of Contemporary Dance, such as torso and legwork coordination, spatial awareness, symmetry in ballet scenic frame perspective such as front, centre, and hierarchies, creative independence between dance and music, rhythmic accuracy and erratic changes in speed & direction.

Commonly enough, Duncan, Graham and Cunningham believed that dancers should have freedom of movement, allowing their bodies to freely express their innermost feelings.

Another American Dancer, Choreographer and Teacher, Lester Iradell Horton is worth special mentioning here. He was credited with launching the Modern Dance Movement in Los Angeles, US and for establishing the country’s first racially integrated dance company. In his short career (1931 - 1953) he developed a dance training technique based on Native American dances, anatomical studies and other movement influences that continued to be used by instructors into the 21st century. Horton’s initial interest in movement was inspired by Native American Dance (he had been fascinated by Native American culture since childhood) and by performances of modern dancers like Ruth St. Denis, Ted Shawn and the Denishawn Dancers. Commonly known as Horton Technique, it has no particular style, per se. The technique emphasizes a whole body, anatomical approach to dance that includes flexibility, strength, coordination and body & spatial awareness to enable unrestricted, dramatic freedom of expression. Horton's unique approach is to dance by incorporating diverse elements including Native American Folk Dance, Japanese arm gestures, Javanese and Balinese isolations for the upper body, particularly the eyes, head and hands. A handful of occasional inclusion of Afro-Caribbean elements like hip circles is also found in his way.

Later, Pina Bausch, a renowned German Dancer and Choreographer, known for visceral and intuitive mode of dance, became an influencer in the field of Modern Dance from the 1970s on. She created a style now known as Tanztheater (which translates literally as ‘Dance Theatre’) with a blend of movement, sound, prominent stage sets, and with performers during the development of a piece. By blurring the border between Dance and Theatre, she continued the European and American Expressionist movements in dance with modernist works in the highly dramatic mode of modern dance theatre dealing with psychological trauma arising from relationships. She created the internationally acclaimed Dance company Tanztheater Wuppertal Pina Bausch. Always provocative and never conventional, Pina Bausch’s raw (including chaotic speech elements, running, howling and laughing across fantastical sets), controversial rehearsal techniques and humanistic approach to choreography (often called ‘Bauschan’ Choreography) propelled her to international fame, prompting many to see her as the “Godmother of European Dance Theatre.” She deconstructed the binaries of dance and drama; pleasure and pain; performance and reality; her works coincided with the wider artistic and cultural developments at that time characterized by experimentalism.

While talking about Dance Theatre, Butoh, the Japanese Contemporary Dance Theatre form must be mentioned. It is a new gestural language anchored in the complex cultural experience of the country post World War II back in 1959 through collaborations between its two key founders Tatsumi Hijikata and Kazuo Ohno. Contemporary Dance history commonly associates the motivation for Butoh arising with the trailing social devastation and misery. This form encompasses a diverse range of dramatic activities, techniques and motivations for dance, performance, or movement in a disorganised, sometimes distorted way of presentation by the white-painted skinny practitioners.

HIP HOP

Hip Hop Dance is a fusion dance genre characterized by bounces and rocks incorporating elements of Locking, Popping, Breaking, B-Boying, House, Freestyle, Jazz, Ballet, Tap-dancing, Funk, Up-rock, Lyrical, Boogaloo, Liquid Dance, Roboting & other styles and is typically performed to Hip Hop, R&B, Electronic or Pop music. Hip-hop is a very energetic form of dancing and what makes it unique is it allows the dancers to perform with freedom of movement, adding in their own personalities. The term is also used as an exonym and umbrella term for various street dance styles either performed to Hip Hop music or that have become associated with the Hip Hop culture. It includes a wide range of styles created in the 1970s and made popular by dance crews in the United States. One of the major identifying elements of Hip Hop Dance is its competitive nature. Hip Hoppers challenge each other with dance moves through their isolations (dancers control and move specific parts of their bodies), Popping (quick contraction and release of a dancer's muscles to the beat of the music), Athleticism (includes acrobatic Vigour Movements, upright movements & footwork), etc.

The Bronx in NYC, USA in the 70s was a rough, dangerous place to grow up. The youth were surrounded by drugs, crime, poverty, gang violence, and overall struggle. The African American and the Latino youth (minority groups) were at best neglected by mainstream institutions. Desperate for a way to escape their everyday struggles, they invented their own art forms. These art forms which the youth embodied in the way they dressed, talked, moved and expressed themselves, soon became a lifestyle or a way to live in vogue. This lifestyle and culture became known as Hip Hop which, etymologically is like ‘Hip’ means present and ‘Hop’ means action.

Despite the negativity and tumult in the South Bronx, Hip Hop heads were able to rise above their environment and create a positive form of release. Instead of substances and violence, their energy was sublimated to values like originality, creativity, identity, respect and community which finally became a movement representing the freedom to learn, grow and evolve. It is still the same movement it was in the 70s – the one that gave the inner-city youth the motivation to live a better life.

The same way that our religious, ethnic, familial backgrounds inform our way of being in the world, Hip Hop was the way that people could be in a way that felt right to them. Deejaying (turn tabling), Emceeing (rapping), Breaking (dancing), Graffiti (writing or art) and Beatboxing (imitating the sounds of a drum machine with the voice) weren’t just hobbies, they were sanctuaries and in order for one to be in Hip Hop, he/she must actively present and participate in the culture by means of any of the above. Hip-hop culture is a global culture – we use, enjoy, implement, and borrow from the culture in music, fashion and elsewhere. As much as the Art Forms within Hip Hop have evolved over the decades, the core tenants of the culture remain more or less intact.

While Hip-Hop originated as informal street dance meant for the people present, it has further evolved onto the stage and screen and into an audience favourite. Hip-Hop now is a highly sought-after and dominant style of dance. It is among the most common styles of dance for music videos, concerts and dance competitions. It has transformed the world of dance and has taken the dance culture by storm. Many of its distinctive moves are often integrated into the choreography of more traditional styles of dance and it has even worked its way into major theatrical and cinematic productions. Hip-hop dance provides a vibrant means for exercise, art and movement, creating a platform for individual expression and unputdownable talent.

Needless to say that Michael Jackson is ever considered as the greatest Dancer of the Universe. Although he is highly regarded as the King of Pop, a lot of his dance moves find their origin in Hip-Hop Dance. He married hip-hop dance styles with funk, soul and electric boogaloo to create a unique blend of pop, and hip-hop worthy dance. His style is revered universally for its uniqueness and fashion. He influenced artistes across many genres, and through stage and video performances, popularized complicated dance moves such as the Moonwalk, to which he gave the name, and the Robot which are widely used in Hip Hop Dancing.

Performers like MC Hammer, Run-DMC, Aaliyah, Paula Abdul to name a few are major Hip Hop Dancers being idolized and followed by the Hip Hop lovers worldwide. Lately, Hip Hop artistes like Les Twins, Beyonce, Chris Brown and many more became globally recognized for their expertise in this sphere.

BOLLYWOOD

Bollywood is the common name for the Indian Film Industry based in Bombay (city of India now known as Mumbai). The name Bollywood is a portmanteau (a blend of two words) where Hollywood’s ‘H’ is replaced by Bombay’s ‘B’. In other words, it's the Hollywood of India. Bollywood has long influenced Indian society and culture as the biggest entertainment industry; many of the country's musical, dancing, wedding and fashion trends are Bollywood-inspired.

Bollywood Dancing is essentially done on songs from Hindi movies and choreographed with typical Bollywood style moves and attitude. The highlights and inseparable part of this dance style are Hindi songs and the grandeurs of elaborate dance sequences. The style of dancing in earlier Bollywood films was based on Indian Classical Dance forms (mainly Kathak and Bharatanatyam) or Folk Dances from various parts of India. In the late 50s and 60s, group dancing began to evolve in Bollywood films and choreographers started managing larger groups of back up dancers. Over the years it has developed its own signature style of musical composition and dance structure which combines the rich texture of Indian Classical and Folk dances fused with elements of Jazz, Disco, Hip Hop, Contemporary, Arabic, Cabaret, Acrobatics and Latin forms. Currently, Bollywood Dance style is more influenced by the Western culture with movements becoming bolder and extroverted. Nritya (dance) is displayed through rhythms and physical movements to musical phrases - it is dance in its purest form. Abhinaya (acting) is rooted in expressions and emotions, and aims to bring life to the story behind the dance. Facial expression and eye movements are essential components. All these could be attributed to Bollywood Dancing. With dramatic facial expressions, cinematic elements, and a lot of cardio, it's no wonder this dance craze is catching on across the globe. Bollywood dance is usually highly synchronized and done with a large group. This is what makes Bollywood dance so mesmerizing and exciting to watch.

Masters like Saroj Khan, Chinni Prakash, Ganesh Acharya, Shiamak Davar, Prabhu Deva, Farah Khan, Vaibhabi Merchant and others are responsible for taking Bollywood dancing up to a level of international acknowledgement. The evolution of Bollywood Dance is a process that is entirely Indian and yet cross-cultural at the same time. Vyajanthimala, Madhubala, Hema Malini, Helen, Madhuri Dixit, Sridevi, Hrithik Roshan, Shahid Kapoor, Tiger Shroff are few names considered as the best of Bollywood dancers till date.

Western Pop and pure Classical dance numbers are found side by side many a times in Bollywood films. With the success of films such as the Oscar winning movie ‘Slumdog Millionaire’, Bollywood films and dance have taken the world by storm and has now come into the global spotlight. Much of this is due to the ever-expanding Indian diaspora, but a significant proportion also comes from non-Indians who are fascinated by the exotic, larger than life qualities inherent in it. Be it their lavish sets, production value, or extravagant costumes, stars like Madonna, Shakira & Britney Spears have incorporated the Bollywood style of dance or music into their songs, videos and stage shows. For the peppy rhythm structure and associated glamour of picturization, Bollywood Dancing is the most celebrated form in India and has earned immense fame even beyond borders. In fact, Bollywood has become so internationally ubiquitous that it now has its own entry in the Oxford English Dictionary!