The Art of Dance; Choreography, Movements & History
Alone or in a group, created in the hype of the moment or rehearsed for hours, the performing art that is dance creates moments of emotions. Focus on this unique art form!
Featured image: Annie Leibovitz, Tribute to Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane and Company, 2007
Dance; a sequence of movements, someone moving their body. The .ART of Dance is a performing art form. It transmits culture, emotions, tells stories and can be a testimony of a historical moment or a place of origin. Energy exults out of the performance of a succession of gesture. It has been performed and has inspired artists for as long as the humankind has been in existence. Archaeological findings have discovered records of representation of dance, in India, that are more than 9 000 years old. Egyptians have created illustrations of dance, more than 3 000 BC ago. Many historians have suggested that dance has played a crucial role in transmitting history before the invention of written languages.
Merce Cunningham in rehearsal for the New York City Ballet premiere of Summer space. Photography by Martha Swope
Dance is also a form of art that often calls on others to support its intention, be it music, stage decor, costume and more. Still, it also stands on its own and can be performed as freely or as carefully choreographed as possible. From ballet to square dance, many forms of dance exist from belly dancing, from yesterday to today and tomorrow, from duo, trio, troupe performances.
Edgar Degas, Ballet Rehearsal, c.1873
It has been an inspiration to several visual artists and fashion designer from Coco Chanel creating the costume for a Paris presentation of Le Sacre Du Printemps by Igor Stravinsky to collaborate between John Cage & Merce Cunningham. It has been represented in painting, sculpture, let’s think of La Petite Danseuse de Degas. Picasso has created stage sets for Les Ballets Russe. In contrast, a couple of years ago Anish Kapoor created the scenography for Tristan and Isolde, an opera presented by the English National Opera.
Set Design for Tristan and Isolde by Anish Kapoor, 2016
It has been captured by film, video and photography and as it is performed, those are becoming the record of the fact that it happens. Many well-known photographers have immortalized dancers from Helmut Newton meticulously orchestrated Monaco Ballet Dancers’ photographs to Guy Le Querrec snapshot of young dancers in Burkina Faso.
Guy Le Querrec Third day of the last funeral, “Kodan”, of Tediremana Palenfo, stepmother of Dapouné Da, deceased in December 1997. Small village of Olkopouo (Birifor ethnic group). Lobi country, in the area of Gaoua. . Province of Poni. Burkina Faso. 1998 © Guy Le Querrec | Magnum Photos
Dance is also a connections agent – it connects to rhythms, to cultural traditions. It is a social form of art and has been highly popular in recent year with television shows such as So You Think You Can Dance or Dancing with The Stars as well as being the central point of focus of movies from Central Stage in 2000 to Netflix latest production Tiny Pretty Things. The public is craving connection with this performative art, and it is celebrated daily from the anonymous dancer in its underwear dancing in its kitchen to celebrate or get it all out to the Bolshoi Ballet perfectly stage-ready ballerina. There is something highly freeing in dancing – so let’s celebrate the art of dance!
Martin Parr, Margate. Kent, England. 1986
.ART is the digital home of many talented individuals, companies and collective. Today we shine share the stage with some of our dance-related adopters! Focus on 5 of them
Bautanzt 
The name needs a bit of semiotic to be understood (“bau” – build, “tanzt” – dances, German), but when you see images and video you don’t! Bautanzt Here is a site-specific dance theatre in Atlanta, Georgia in the USA founded by artistic director Nadya Zeitlin. With a desire to make more accessible, they create merging dance and theatre experiences that tell stories – meaningful and engaging. Using unconventional spaces, they bring their art to audiences where they are.
You can discover more about their work on their .ART website at bautanzt.art or by looking at their work on Instagram under @bautanzt_here
Austin Warren Coats
Artist, choreographer and dancer, Austin Warren Coats breaths creativity. “I cacophonously, yet conspicuously create. I play too much. I alliterate.” his website says about him. This interdisciplinary artist has a bachelor in Dance Studies and a Master of Fine Art. He also has formal dance training and has worked with an impressive list of artists and attended summer intensives with renowned dance schools and companies. For him, “like food, art is needed” – we couldn’t approve something more than that!
Let yourself be inspired by his vibes by visiting his website austinwarrencoats.art or on Instagram under the handle @austin_wears_coats
Sydney Donovan 
Sydney Donovan has an impressive track record; she is a member of the Koresh Youth Ensemble since she is 13 and has studies and dance under many companies and acclaimed dancers. Her artistic statement describes her as ” a vehicle for movement, conjurer of experience… My body is deeply aware of who it was and who it is. The shifts my body makes between lives is where my movement becomes apparent.” She currently lives and performs in Philadelphia, but her art has taken her into different places.
You can find her on Instagram @sydneydonovan or look at her work here sydneydonovan.art
Project Home
They are “artists that create work rooted in intention, founded in collaboration, coloured by human emotion, and driven by passion.” Since its inception in 2010, Project Home is a movement-centred production company and art organization. Established by Christopher Martin and Larking Poynton they intend to push and expand the boundaries of dance, and create works that will be impactful beyond the time they will be performed on the stage or viewed on your screen. Their work is based on motion, whether they take a moving performance, a dance film or a music video – their approach is also anchor in collaboration & connectivity – together their projects are more substantial.
To discover more about their work, you can head to projecthome.art or follow them on Instagram @projecthomeart
Fanny Sage
Fanny Sage is both a dancer and a choreographer – she honed her skill by earning a degree at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et de Danse de Lyon. She has worked for dance companies and been featured in publicities for globally recognized brands, Chanel, Cartier & Hermès (to name a few…) and perform in video clips for artists such as Elton John. She also created a solo, duo and female duo with different companies. She enjoys mixing dance and acting and being in the space where things creatively intersect.
Look into her universe by strolling through her website fannysage.art or by glancing at her on Instagram @sagefanny
ABOUT THIS SECTION The .art Domains has always been dedicated to connect, empower, and support its community members and foster a sense of belonging to the art world. This new section celebrates creators that have recently joined our community. It is our way to give back and shine a light on amazing creatives, especially in these testing times! If you would like to be featured in a post, please look at our submission guidelines here.
