I chose movement. Movement is a way that I express myself through my dancing and twirling. I find movement everywhere in life. In art and lituature, many artists and authors use words and pictures to portray movement just as I do with my body. I hope you enjoy my blog. :D

Friday, May 8, 2009

The Passion of Dance by ryoung

"Graceful dance" by Chidi Okoye

giclee on canvas

Dance of Passion- John Stoa


Acrylic 

Dance of Passion

Civil War Battles :: Battle of Malvern Hill, Virginia

Connie Chadwell- a Little Tango- figure painting dance

"Dance"- Tani Shine-


oil on canvas 


Amiee Vancie- Dance

Caillebotte " Floor Stripers" 1875

I hate doing work all day
All we do is work and no play
*I have known you for three year now
*But you always say Ilook like a cow
We work all day scrubbing these floors
And when we are done we get slammed by the door
*I know is it wrong you have a wife
*But I want to take you out so you can have the time of your life
Every day we fear our jobs
That because everyone class us slobs
*Every time I look at you I fall apart
*I love you with all my heart.







La Danse

Monday, April 13, 2009

the revolt


“There are experiences in your life that you will never forget my dear sally”
She gets in my lap and her big blue eyes stare at me intently, like I’m the only thing that matters to her.
“Okay daddy I love hearing your stories” and throws all her little weight at me for a hug.
“This is from when I was a young lad”
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

It was the summer of 1829 and my fathers work decided to send my father to Paris, for business.
I hated the idea of moving!
I didn’t want to leave my life and friends here but my father told me “We are moving and that is that.” You didn’t question father.
Once we were in Paris I hated it just like I thought I would. It was fifthly and we living in a two room apartment. Our neighbors smelled so bad that you could smell them from even in our room. We lived in a gorgeous house in London and when we went to France we live in this run down tiny dinky apartment where the five of us couldn’t even fit. Uhhhg
I hated being here and especially in the apartment. So I used to walk to streets of Pairs, which weren’t much better than the apartment. As I walked I noticed that people did the strangest things. Mothers throw their kids under their arms while they do their chores around the house, while the kids are screaming. Boys with barely any clothes walk the street because they can’t afford any. The buildings look horrifying because they are so run down with grime on them. From the distant it looks like a piece of rubbish.
While living in Paris there have been several disturbances after the Polish revolt and the overthrowing of the Bourbon dynasty. 1824 after Louis XVIII died his brother Charles X was an affirm leader of rule by divine right.
“You see Sally; the French don’t like a monarchy the want a democratic country.”
Charles declared the July Ordinances which gave him all the power on Monday July 26 1830. The day I will never forget.
As I walked through the streets as this was happening this was such an up roar throughout the people, I thought I was going to get hit with something. Men were throwing there empty wine bottles. Women has brooms and pot in there hand and some has there children in their other hand. It was a chaos to look at. The people were plotting against the government to take down Charles X.
By Thursday the streets with filled with fear and tension from everyone. My mother hated my father for bringing us down here and wanted to leave immediately. We knew there was not way out of the city with people blocking exit. I decided instead of being bored inside while my mother whines, I will go out side and see what the crowds are doing.
As I stepped outside, there was this beautiful woman with this raggedy cream dress running through the streets getting people to cheer. One of the shoulders of the dress was ripped off. She was carrying a flag in one hand but a riffle in the other. I couldn’t hear what the people were calling her. At first I didn’t want to get closer but her beauty captivated me. Then I noticed that my legs were moving but I couldn’t make them stop. As the more I wanted to go back and run away my legs were pushing forward wanting to see what was the beautiful woman was doing. As I get near I hear them cheering her name Liberty Liberty Liberty I got pulled into the trans and started to chant her name always. She starts to run through the streets of pairs and everyone started to run after her.
I got swept up through the crowd and started to move into the mod of people that were running after Liberty. We see guards up in front of us waiting to firer at us but most people are ready to take a bullet for their country. But I realize what I am doing. This is ridiculous. I can’t believe that I am in this mob of people ready to fight.
Then I stare into Sally’s eye because they are the most beautiful thing in the world. She stares up at me wanting to know more but I just don’t thinks she wants to know what happens. She just a little girl I don’t want to scare her.
Next thing I know I’m flat on my face having people charging over him. I must of trip but I don’t remember how. Then I see a hand reaching out to me helping me up. It is Liberty I can’t believe it. As she helps me up she hand me a gun and says “fight for you life, fight for you country but never let them turn you against your will.”
We fought together side by side for the rest of the day. She was the goddess and was this little boy with a gun in my hand fighting.
Then I blacked out and don’t remember what happened. As I woke up I was in London with my family in out old house.
I paused and Sally looked up at me with a confused look on her face. “ Daddy was it just a dream or was it real” “ I don’t know Sally I can’t remember

the dance


Observing Henri Matisse “Dance” brings you into a trans were you cannot stop looking away. You eyes are drawn to the center of the picture were there are five naked women dancing in an elliptical figure holding each others hands. Each woman is positioned differently to complete each side of the elliptical form. Their bright orange bodies have a different faded spot on each of them showing that they are not all the same. All their faces are looking inward at the ground like they are worshiping something. The woman is positioned looking like they are uncomfortable in what they are doing. You are drawn to the woman in the back with her head down to her neck and her right leg in passé. At looking at this first it makes you wonder what is going on. As your eye become comfortable with the painting you notice the other women around and their body’s position and notice that they are all doing something different. He makes the bodies real by the defining the line of the form of the body.
Matisse used simple colors throughout his painting. By using only three colors it make it a stronger piece. The navy blue sky is a lovely background and makes it feel eerie like something about to happen. The dark green grass as the foreground makes it look realistic as they dance on the hill. Also there are faded spot on like hill like the grass has been walked on too many times. By having the people stand out the most in the bright orange color defines it more. The color takes captivate your eye and he wanted this other wise he would of used more colors. This painting has is a memorizing painting that captives your eye.

Monday, March 9, 2009

Dance Class


Melanie
Oh my god this music is stuck in my head!!! I don’t even know why these girl try I’m going to get the solo anyways. Mr. Jacques loves me and thinks I’m the best student he has ever had. I been dancing since I can remember. Europe next year is going to be so much fun. I can’t wait to work with the best teachers around. This petty little Ohio dance class is boring me. These girls can’t even dance correctly. They need to stop eating the fats and start to work out. 123…123 I been going through this routine over and over, why can’t they just do it right. This routine is so redundant. I could do it with my eyes closed Mr. Jacques always says one more time, which really mean fifteen times before he picks someone, who is clearly going to be me. I hate going the trying out process when everyone knows I get picked every time I don’t know why any evens bothers to try out. These steps are imbedded in my head: pas de chat, pas de bourre, pirouette, and arabesque. OH No I hear a snap!! Oh CRAP!!!!!

Mr. Jacques
“Come on girls one more time push harder you can do it.” This routine shouldn’t be giving them this much trouble. It is just simple steps put together and they are acting like it is the hardest things in the world. Everyone in the class is having trouble with this including Melanie. I can’t even believe it! This is my last performance with Melanie before she goes off to Europe but she is going to have a tougher time than she thinks. It’s rough out there; everyone isn’t going to be a kind as they are here. I was dancing at fifteen over there and it was hard for me to get a good brake. I was in the background a lot not really in the spotlight, when it was my turn my knees blew out, I never got the chance. It is grueling and it is a lot of work on your body. I hope she smartens up, prepare herself, before she goes over there. I can remember the day I had to come home to states. I didn’t want to leave but then I thought I could open my own dance studio and teach what I know to students, so they won’t make the same mistakes as I did.
“Come on girls point your toes”
“Pas de chat, pas de bourre, pirouette, arabesque”
“Hold”
“Hold”
Crap what is that sound!? Melanie is on the floor holding her ankle shrieking and crying. She has to be taken to the hospital at once. …. Now the hard part whom am I going to pick for my lead?

Colleen
123…123…123… over and over again
I can’t take doing this routine over and over again when we know who is going to the lead Melanie the “star student”. I don’t even know why I even bother. I can’t wait until she goes to Europe then we don’t have to deal with her attitude in class and have fun. That’s what it is about anyways have fun, not life or death, come on now! If my mother weren’t making me try out I would be sitting on the side with all my friends. I hate being put on the spot. I get so embarrassed when everyone is looking at you. Thank God I’m not getting the part anyways so I don’t have to be put there all by myself.
123...123...123 oh crap if I don’t some how stop myself I’m going to trip over Melanie while she is shrieking. I can’t believe what I’m seeing, little miss perfect isn’t so perfect anymore. Now Mr. Jacques has to pick someone I wonder who it’s going to be.

Fan in the audience
Wow! This girl is so good. I can’t believe Melanie got hurt and Clara got the lead, I’m so happy for her. Clara has been dancing I can’t remember and has always been the underdog but, now, here she gets to shine on stage. She has been wanted this for all I can remember. Clara is the quiet girl in the back of the room who doesn’t say much but just absorbs everything in. She looks so good up there. I can’t believe how beautiful she looks in the white lace tutu. She dancing like her feet isn’t even touching the floor. Watching her makes me go into a trance that takes you away to a beautiful place where everything is happy all the time.
As she dances across the stage I look around and watch the people clap for her. She hears the people clapping and it makes a bigger smile on her face. She deserves this more than anyone because her dad just died just a couple of days back. She said to me “my dad will be watching me while I perform tonight.” As the curtains come down and everyone takes a bow she looks up to the ceiling and just looks. As she comes out by herself she has tears rolling down her face. I can’t figure it out if they are tears of joy, sadness or both?

Tuesday, February 24, 2009


Edgar Degas “The Star” depicts a simple, lovely dancer dancing across the stage. The dark browns and greens make the tone feel eerie and dark. Done in oil pastels have a rough texture in the background. Edgar fades away some of the backgrounds making it look like there are curtains making it more like a stage. Behind the curtains there are legs of people waiting behind stage to dance.
Degas focal point is on ballerina up stage. She is wearing a white lovely costume with flowers around it. By her wearing white it shows that she is pure and innocents. The ballerina takes up most of the space in the foreground and our eyes catch her first. Orange, browns, and blues in the background look like they are placed on the painting but it takes a second glance to realize that there is more to the painting than the ballerina but what’s going on backstage. The balance is not divided up evenly because of the focal point it seems like there is more going on in the foreground but really there is more going on in the background.
We, as viewers see more than just a ballerina dancing across the stage but the hidden narrative in the background. Watching the dancer, the viewer is swept up into a pure happy felling, which is makes you comfortable. As the eye drift off the dancer and into the background, it makes a gloomy dark feeling, which is entirely different that looking at the ballerina. Degas keeps the viewers entertained and wanting to keep looking back at the painting.