Background
Daniel Nagrin was an
American choreographer, author, and dancer who was born in New York City in
1917. Throughout his life, Nagrin was involved in numerous dance competitions.
He was also involved in arranging many dance patterns and movements especially
of modern dance. When he was eight years old, he was involved in sharing and
exploring his knowledge about modern dance. Nagrin had many influences including
his four wives who he studied with. They were Anna Sokolow, Martha Graham, Helen Tamiris,
and Hanya Holm.
He rose to the dance stage
when his dance that was referred to as Dance
in the Sun was used or rather adapted by the renowned filmmaker Clarke
Shirley in a film that had the same title. In June 1954, he joined hands with Ronald
Gould and David Shapiro and the three formed the Dance Percussion. The dance Percussion
would later go ahead and experience plenty of successes and later would be
known as the New York Percussion trio.
Historical Context
In the mid twentieth
century, there were many changes that were taking place in the dance industry.
As the music industry grew, the dance industry also grew as they two hold hands
or work together. Nagrin has been referred to as the father of modern dance by
many people in the United States because of the influences he had on modern
dance. Many people view him as a revolution to the traditional dance that was
present in the past. His style of dance was something that was completely new
to many people in the United States. His dance style was highly drawn on jazz
music and jazz movement. It also incorporated traditional dance that was played
using classical music. His style also combined a quite fierce humanism that was
rooted in revealing gestures.
Personal Opinion
The study of Daniel Nagrin
is an important topic that matters to me because of the significant influences
that it has had to modern music and dance. In the past, music and dance were
two different things. Artists or musicians who were mainly involved in music
were not involved in dance. Dance was seen as something that could be used together
with music, but not a necessary prerequisite to dance. Throughout his career,
he developed many modern dance movements and staged competitions where people
would face off in dance. In my development and in dance, the study of Daniel Nagrin
helps me understand the evolution of dance that has taken place in the past few
decades
X-Factor
The X Factor is a
television series that is aired in the United States and the United Kingdom.
The television series looks into searching for new signing talent that is available
in the country. The X Factor and its development in the last decade can be
heavily linked with the works and lifetime of Daniel Nagrin. During his
lifetime specifically his career as a choreographer, Nagrin was involved in
many numerous dance competitions. These competitions aimed at looking for
talent from the public. Once a particular talent was observed from the public, Nagrin
together with his collaborators would mentor and train such an identified
dancer to be a professional dancer. The same can be observed in X Factor. The only
difference is that X Factor looks for individuals who can sign rather than
dance. The contributions of Nagrin to music and dance throughout his lifetime
can thereby be seen through the upcoming of shows and television series that
are interested in looking for talent from the public
