1. Modern Indian Dance
The modern dances of India are extremely different from the traditional dances. There are no rules to follow, no particular movements for certain songs, and the dress does not matter. The modern Indian dance style was created by Uday Shankar, he is considered the "Father of Modern Indian Dance". He is the person that came up with the no rules concept of the modern dance style. The focus of the modern dance style is the movement of the body. Many time performer of the dance style will create the choreography first and then the music composition after. The music is mostly mimicking the movement of the performer. It has a mixture of two elements of classical dance, nirtta and abhinaya. Nirtta is the importance of rhythm, feet are the focus of this element and there are no facial expressions used except for a grin because of the joy for dancing. Abhinaya is the involvement of the audience, this element is suppose to grab the attention of he audience and allow them to be intrigued and to have fun. The most known dancers of modern Indian dance are Shanti Bardhan, Shobana Jeyasingh, and Dr. Manjushree Chaki-Sarkar. The places that modern Indian dance is found is is theaters and dance academies.
2. Simon Shaheen
Simon Shaheen is a influential person for the Arabic music culture. He was travelled around the world to show and bring attention to the Arabic culture. However, along the way he has learned that he can combine Arabic music with the modern jazz from the West. Shaheen started in the music industry, basically, since he was born. His father was a master oud player and he learned to play the oud, his first instrument, from his father. From there, he continued his interest of music to the Conservatory of Western Classical Music in Jerusalem and studied the violin. After he studied at the Conservatory, he began a band called Qantra to travel the world with. The band members are all masters at their own instruments. The many instruments that the members play are some that we have not discussed in class: tabla, naker, qanoon, and a rababeb.
Norah Jones, as we have talked about in class, is the daughter of Ravi Shankar and a well-known singer/songwriter. Her music career began in February of 2002 when her first album,"Come Away With Me" was released. Since then she has became know worldwide. She has sold 50 million albums and she songs have been streamed 6 billion times. Her other albums are "Feels Like Home", "Not Too Late", "The Fall", "Little Broken Hearts", "Day Breaks", and "Pick Me Off The Floor". Along side of her solo career she has been a part of many bands, The Little Willies, El Madmo, and Puss N Boots. She has also collaborated with famous singers and bands, Willie Nelson, Outkast, and Foo Fighters. Her singing career started of woman power, the wife of J.C. Hopkins went to him and his executive about signing her for a record deal, however; they only gave her a three-track deal. She made the most out of it! J.C. Hopkins and his executives were surprised and jaw-dropped by her voice, so after her three tracks they signed her straight away to the Blue Note record company. Her first album, "Come Away With Me", has been her best-selling album and most well-known amongst the world. The album reached number one on US Billboard 200. The single, "Don't Know Why", had more success than the album. It reached number 1 on Top 40 Adult and number 30 on Billboard Hot 100. She was nominated for eight Grammy Awards for the single, and won five of the categories she was nominated for. In that night, she tied Lauryn Hill and Alicia Keys for the most awards by a female artist. The album later got certified platinum and continued to grow and got certified diamond.
“Contemporary Indian Dance – Breaking Free from the Traditional.” Caleidoscope, 4 Nov. 2020, https://www.caleidoscope.in/art-culture/contemporary-indian-dance-breaking-free-from-the-traditional.
“Modern Dance in India.” INSIGHTSIAS, 5 Sept. 2021, https://www.insightsonindia.com/indian-heritage-culture/indian-dance/modern-dance-in-india/.
“Norah Jones.” Blue Note Records, 15 Apr. 2021, https://www.bluenote.com/artist/norah-jones/.
“Norah Jones.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 29 Apr. 2022, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norah_Jones.
“Understanding Arabic Music.” The Kennedy Center, https://www.kennedy-center.org/education/resources-for-educators/classroom-resources/media-and-interactives/media/international/simon-shaheen-understanding-arabic-music/.
I really enjoyed reading your blog. I liked how you included two people who produce the music, rather than just about the music itself. I had no idea who Norah Jones was but I was able to learn that she is actually really popular and nominated for Grammys. I have heard her song “Don’t Know Why” before and had no idea it was from her.
ReplyDeleteHey Maggie! Thank you for revamping my love for Norah, I definitely added some more of her songs to my playlist. I had no idea she was in so many bands, I remember listening to her music as a kid in the car with my mom. It gave me Deja Vu reading that section!
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed reading your blog. I also talked a little bit about Norah Jones, but I love how you went more in depth about who she is and what she does. I honestly didn't realize how well known she actually is, and it's so cool that her dad Ravi Shankar.
ReplyDeleteI was always fascinated with Hawaii’s culture. I didn’t know that it had such a deep and rich history. My favorite instrument that you shared was the ‘uli’ ‘uli’. Its colors are so bright and it is so pretty. Fantastic job! :)
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