Here to There; This to That

Blog article as a reaction to our January 30, 2012 class: Frankfurt School

Coming from Nazi Germany to the United States of America, the theorists of Frankfurt School were like noobs or rookies experiencing a totally different battlefield, a new environment with alien forms of culture, media and communication arts such as film, pop music, the radio, the television and other forms of mass culture. In Germany, media production and consumption is limited and controlled by Nazi leaders - media was very constrained, bounded by many restrictions and bans. To their surprise, such practices are not done in the United States. There, media production as well as consumption, was but a large form of commercial entertainment controlled by big corporations, private organizations and businesses.

Most of the theorists from the Frankfurt School were on the same positions except for one outlier. Walter Benjamin, had similar but slightly altered thoughts and ideas. Benjamin said that new forms of media - the mass reproduction of photography, film, media recordings and publications replaced the original "aura" of what was done in the earlier eras. For him, the new forms of media serves as "alternative oppositional cultures".

As we discussed the topic further in class, our professor mentioned that this so-called "new media" is the masses' reaction or response to the already existing culture simply because "elitism" was often always attached to the culture and the arts of the earlier eras for some reason.

I decided to relate this topic to something very close to my heart and this is none other than dancing.

Like many other forms of the arts, dance has a historical background. I first found out that about this when I was in high school. Being a dance major in the Philippine High School for the Arts, we had a "Dance Theory" subject every other day and this was precisely what we study. Because dance has a lot of more specific genres, (Traditional/Folk dance, Ballet, Street dance or Hiphop, Ballroom, and so on and so forth) I will only focus now on the genre which is most appropriate to tackle in relation with the cultural theories of the Frankfurt School - Ballet.

Ballet was first introduced to the world in the 15th and 16th Century along with the rise of the Italian Renaissance Courts. It was quickly spread to the French Courts and was then funded by French arts patrons and elites. When the Russians finally adopted the Ballet with two official ballet dance companies - The Royal Danish Ballet and the Imperial Ballet, Ballet became more widely celebrated and patronized. Dancers, choreographers, and dance enthusiasts nowadays refer to this style as Classical Ballet.

Here is a video showcasing an excerpt from a well-know Classical Ballet piece, the Swan Lake. In this video, the white swan flaunts her gracefulness in her technique and her very vulnerable character.

Notice its gracefulness, the specific dance techniques which are only seen in Ballet, the infamous tutu and ballet pointes (which are staples and essentials in ladies' Classical Ballet costume) Also, more often than not, the themes and choreography of Classical Ballet are about fairy tales and the life of the elite - courtship, love, familial feuds, tragedy, climax resolution, grand endings and nothing too political. Now, let us compare and contrast it with another style of Ballet.

Modern Ballet or sometimes also referred to as Contemporary Dance was first introduced to the world by Martha Graham in the early 20th Century. Modern or Contemporary Ballet initially served as a "break". In the 1900's, the European and American dancers started to rebel against the rigid constraints of the Classical ballet. Not only did this radical change alter the technique and some dance disciplines of the Classical, it also liberated the dancers from the most essential part of their costumes - the ballet pointes. This time, instead of having choreography based on years of research and influence from fairy tales and the stories of the elite, the theme of most, if not, all, Modern and especially Contemporary pieces are concerned with more sensitive issues such as politics, social conflicts, the self and its issues with itself, life and the like. 

This video is a sample of a Contemporary dance number in which I was a part of. This long piece was choreographed by La Salle Dance Company - Contemporary's adviser, Mr. Peter Alcedo, Jr. in collaboration with the young choreographers of La Salle Dance Company - Street. This was choreographed for an annual production organized by La Salle Dance Company for the aspiring dancers in the DLSU community - Remix; An Inter-Lasallian Dance Competition. 

This piece was the spot number for Remix '09: Youth for Nation. It features the failures of the disaster management teams/leaders of the nation, how society reacts and copes with the calamities and in turn how the government simply "does nothing". 

Watch out for the little girl in school uniform, oversized white polo and the a blue plaid top with a black scarf, hihi.

Did you see the difference between the two styles? I can very much relate this radical transition of the High to Mass culture, which was studied and shared to us by the Frankfurt School, to the evolution of Classical to the Modern or Contemporary style. Both transitions were caused by resistance, the pursue for freedom and openness and the emerging interest of the society with political of societal issues.

Will there be further developments? Will there be another genre or style as other theories emerge? I guess the only way to find out is to stay tuned! ;)

♥ Reese Corpuz