Question 1
Pick an historical figure in the Jazz, Tap & Musical Theatre Historical Figures group list.
Read the paragraph about your figure in the “Major Figures in Jazz Dance, Musical Theatre, and Tap Dance” section at the end of Chapter 9 in Learning About Dance (pages 135-140). Look up your figure in the Oxford International Encyclopedia of Dance, accessed through the MTSU Walker Library online (you may be asked to enter your MTSU Pipeline credentials). Newer artists may not be listed in this resource. Find one additional online source for information about your figure, including an image or video online that features the work of your figure, or if your figure is very old, a reconstruction of a work they were associated with.
Create an original thread and write a minimum of 100 words describing your figure’s contributions to jazz, tap & musical theatre dance. Make sure to discuss innovations as well as major works and influences. Include a link to a video or image of your figure and list a minimum of three sources for your information. You may include our textbook and the Oxford International Encyclopedia of Dance, if your figure is listed.
Respond to two classmates’ threads and write a minimum of 50 words in each response.
Classmate 1
Busby Berkeley was a dance director who was known for his use of beautiful girls in his productions. Within his works the girls were dressed to look exactly alike. They often used arial shots that had a kaleidoscope effect for the audience. He was one of the greatest choreographers of the US Movie Musical. Busby began his career in the US Army in 1918, as a lieutenant in the artillery conducting and directing parades. After the World War I ended he was ordered to stage camp shows for the soldiers. In the US he became a stage actor and assistant director in smaller acting troupes.
Textbook
https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000923/bio?ref_=nm_ov_bio_sm
https://www.britannica.com/biography/Busby-Berkeley
classmate 2
John Durang was most famous for being the first native-born American to be known as a dancer by trade. He was a born on January 6th, 1768, and lived in Pennsylvania his whole life. The dance contribution he’s known for the most is a an upbeat and solo tap dance called the Hornpipe. It was named this because the music for it was played on an instrument called the hornpipe. He made his debut in dance at 17 years old and continued to study dance, specifically ballet, with several European dancers. He gained most of his inspiration and music accompaniment from Alexander Placide, who was sort of an all in-one friend of Durang’s who played the violin, wrote, directed, and managed several things for Durang.
The Hornpipe: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R00hTz9srto
Sources
https://www.britannica.com/biography/John-Durang
https://peoplepill.com/people/john-durang
https://www.loc.gov/item/ihas.200217630/
