Ferdy on Films, etc. Announces
I could dance with you till the cows come home. On second thought, I'd rather dance with the cows and you come home. –Rufus T. Firefly, Duck Soup
No matter what you think of dance as a form of entertainment, it’s clear that this unique performance art has been a huge part of cinema pretty much right from the start. The Edison Company’s The Serpentine Dance (1894), for example, depicted an undergarment-revealing dance that actually got the film banned, 40 years before the infamous Hays Production Code for moral decency in movies was put in place.
Dance in motion pictures comes in a wide variety of forms: the kaleidoscopic production numbers of Busby Berkeley; the elegant ballets of real-life prima ballerina Moira Shearer in The Red Shoes; and the sophisticated pas des deux between Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers, Gower and Marge Champion, and Gene Kelly and Cyd Charisse. Newer films, such as the very adult The Tango Lesson (1997), solid teen flicks like Save the Last Dance (2001) and Honey (2003), and Broadway-style films like Chicago (2002) and The Producers (2005), are keeping dance alive and well on the big screen. Even arthouse film lovers can find dance that inspires and provokes, such as the opening retelling in dance of the Creation in Bela Tarr’s Werckmeister Harmonies.
Whether dance is used as a pure study in form (Maya Deren’s A Study in Choreography for Cinema), an element that is integral to the plot (the tortuous ballroom dance sequence in Jezebel), or pure wow-’em entertainment (Seven Brides for Seven Brothers), its contributions to film deserve your consideration.
Ferdy on Films, etc. is proud to host the Invitation to the Dance Movie Blogathon, May 4 through May 10. The last day of the blogathon just happens to be the birthday of one of the greatest dancers ever to grace the silver screen—Fred Astaire. Contributions on that date that discuss Astaire are particularly welcome. Please RSVP in the comments section of this page or to ferdyonfilms@comcast.net. Link to this page before the event and to Ferdy on Films, etc. during the week of the blogathon. Below are ads you can use to publicize the event. Resize as needed. Hope to see you on the dance floor!
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33 Comments:
At March 16, 2008 4:53 PM, Pat said…
I'd definitely be interested in participating! Any other rules, guidelines, etc. I should know?