Music and dance: Music & Dance Traditions | Learning Center

School of Music and Dance

There’s Room to Play

A degree from the School of Music and Dance is foundational for any number of professional pursuits in the arts and beyond. The process of developing an artist teaches leadership, teamwork, planning and project management, verbal and nonverbal communication, as well as creative and critical thinking.

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Degree Programs We Offer

UNDERGRADUATE DEGREES

• ACADEMIC MUSIC
  ​​​​General Music (BA, BS)
  Music Composition (BMus)
  Music Education (BMME)
  Music History and Culture (BA)
• Music Technology (BS)
  Music Theory (BA)
•  
• MUSIC PERFORMANCE
  Jazz Studies (BMus)
• Music Performance (BMus)
  Popular Music Studies (BA, BS)
  Applied Voice (BA, BS)
•  
• DANCE 
  Dance (BA,BFA,BS,CERT)
•  
• MINORS
• Audio Production
  Dance
  Music
  Music Technology

MASTERS DEGREES

• ACADEMIC MUSIC
• Intermedia Music Technology (MMus)
  Music Composition (MMus)
  Music Education (MMus)
  Music Theory (MA)
  Musicology (MA)
  Specializations
•  
• MUSIC PERFORMANCE
  Conducting (MMus)
  Jazz Studies (MMus)
  Music Performance (MMus,CERT)
• Piano Pedagogy (MMus)
  Specializations 

DOCTORAL DEGREES

• DOCTOR OF MUSICAL ARTS
• Music Performance (DMA)
  Specializations 
• DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY
• Data-Driven Music Performance
  & Composition (PhD)
  Music Composition (PhD)
  Music Education (PhD)
• Music Theory (PhD)
• Musicology (PhD)
  Specializations

Music Areas

Come for the Beauty, Stay for the Bounty

Situated within the beauty and splendor of Oregon’s Willamette Valley, the UO School of Music and Dance offers the unrivaled acoustics of Beall Concert Hall, cutting-edge technology, and a one-of-a-kind multidisciplinary Dance BFA. Our welcoming community embodies the spirit and tradition of a performing arts conservatory, while benefiting from the academic resources of a large liberal arts college.”

Emily Andaya, Dance BFA ’26, was searching for a premiere dance program when she found the UO BFA. She knew UO would help her grow as an artist and dancer. “We view dance as a form of research here – we study the art form. We learn how to apply ourselves as human beings and we form a sense of artistry. In each of our technique classes, we learn movement, but we also learn to perform, to create, and to explore what our work can mean beyond just what we exert with our bodies. The best part is the incredible talent of other dancers from around the country that are here working with you every day.”

Building a versatile career as a professional flutist and educator, Dr. Jacqueline Cordova-Arrington is committed to collaborating with distinguished artists, citizens, and thinkers to create inspiring and culturally unifying experiences for communities and artists alike. As a fellow of Carnegie Hall’s Ensemble Connect —formerly known as Ensemble ACJW—Jacqueline had innumerable opportunities to accomplish this mission, creating tangible impact as a performer, educator and community advocate.

Meet our Faculty

We Love our Alumni

“The University of Oregon School of Music and Dance has helped me develop my musical ideas, capacities, and goals beyond my expectation, mainly thanks to the support of the outstanding faculty and the positive environment of the University, surrounded by great classmates and colleagues.”

Marina Bengoa Roldan
DMA Piano Performance

SOMD Alumni

Performance and Practice Spaces

SOMD has state-of-the-art recording studios, as well as numerous private practice rooms, while our performing spaces are unrivaled for the acoustics and performer comfort and safety. From the world-renowned sound balance in Beall Hall to the state-of-the-art sprung floors in all our dance studios, the SOMD provides students with incomparable support for their artistic pursuits.

Performance Opportunities

SOMD Facilities

Community is at the heart of the School of Music and Dance, which is why we provide a variety of enrichment activities that are available to community members of all ages.

News

January 11, 2023

UO SOMD Faculty at Oregon Music Education Association Conference 1/12-1/15/23

January 3, 2023

January Student Spotlight: Kobe Anthony

December 7, 2022

SOMD CEI Mini Grants

All News  »

Music and Dance Online | Alexander Street

Content and Scope

Music and Dance Online currently includes over 11 million audio tracks*, 2,500 hours of video, 1.4 million pages of scores, and 500,000+ pages of reference, archival primary sources, and periodicals, comprising the largest and most comprehensive online offering of in-copyright audio and video performances and scores available anywhere.

Broad-ranging materials include video of live performances, audio recordings, instructional films, previously unpublished works from acclaimed playwrights, performance posters and playbills, video interviews, and choreography not seen since the time of its original performance.

Performances showcase the best in the industry, from the dance of Mikhail Baryshnikov and Margot Fonteyn to the opera of Luciano Pavarotti and Maria Callas.

Partners

Music and Dance Online features the most significant music labels in every genre and format, including EMI, Motown, Rounder, Smithsonian Folkways Recordings, Universal Music Group, the Masterclass Media Foundation, Chester Music, Novello & Company, Opus Arte, and hundreds more.

In addition to the best music labels, quality partners represented in the channel include The Joffrey Ballet, The Royal Opera House, The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, The Royal Shakespeare Company, and more.

LibGuide 

See an overview of the database with links to guides, tutorials, and more. Visit the Libguide.

Powerful Platform and Learning Tools

• Controlled vocabularies and semantic facet browsing allow users to discover new materials and find exactly what they need.
• Bonus resources include 400,000+ playlists and hundreds of clips created by faculty and subject matter experts, including playlists matched to popular course syllabi.
• A unique playlist tool and clip-making feature gives faculty and students the power to create, select, and share content aligned to course topics.
• Searchable transcripts, annotation tools, and an instant citation exporter all empower users to make new connections and share what they have discovered with each other.
• Embed features allow for easy integration with your learning management system.

Included Collections

Music Online: Listening

Music Video Collection

Music Reference Collection

Music Online: Classical Scores Library

Music Online: Music Periodicals of the 19th Century

Dance Online: Dance in Video, Volume I

Dance Online: Dance in Video, Volume II

Dance Online: Dance Studies Collection

*Audio track counts vary by type of institution and region

Music and dance

Music is an important part in a person’s life and has a special influence on the formation of emotions, his inner and moral world.
Thanks to her, a person is able to relax, rest, get
pleasure, develop emotional intelligence.

This type of art can instantly change a person’s mood: cheer up, sadden, cause melancholy, disappointment, confusion, crazy joy or happiness.

Music enhances expressiveness in dance movements, gives it an emotional and rhythmic basis, thus the human body helps to show music through dance. nine0005

Dance is an expression of music… Music and dance complement each other, create auditory and visual images. On the example of classical literature, we will talk about these types of art in our article today. In general, we can say that music and dance will accompany a person throughout his life, solving problems of different significance.

You can find, reserve and renew books through the Moscow Library service mos.ru/knigi. Come visit us for great books!

Librarian Yulia Prozorova

Lyalya Kandaurova “Half an hour of music: how to understand and love the classics”

The author of the book is Lyalya Kandaurova, a musician, journalist, graduated from the Moscow Conservatory and a postgraduate student, a regular contributor to the Seasons of life magazine, and a leading author’s course on the perception and understanding of classical music.

The book is devoted to Western European music and covers almost six hundred years of its history, but is not a textbook and does not pretend to be an exhaustive story. Rather, it is a collection of essays grouped so that the reader’s understanding of the musical art of Europe becomes more systematic and complete, unfamiliar music becomes more understandable, and familiar music becomes even more enjoyable. The book is written in a language that is accessible to a non-professional person, which makes those aspects of music perception that are accessible to a professional performer understandable and exciting.
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Why the book is worth reading:

-Each chapter is an essay dedicated to a certain work and its creator, the era in which he lived, and those people and circumstances that influenced him.

-You will get acquainted with the history of one genre (requiem), learn everything about musical symmetry, how composers played with one image in different ways and what was special in music in 1888.

-This book shows passions and non-obvious cause-and-effect relationships, parallels through time and distance between composers who are the same as we are – people consumed by passions.
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-You can use QR codes to listen to the songs in question, so that the text plays and reveals completely different colors.

Masha Katz “Your Voice: Secrets of Vocal Mastery”

Our next author, a professional in her field, Maria Katz.

In 1994, she won the right to become the first Russian participant in the Eurovision Song Contest, where she took 9th place.

She devoted her whole life to music, participated in many musical projects. In 2000, she received recognition as the Russian “Lady Blues”, created her own record company “Hit Star”
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In 2002-2003 she worked as a vocal teacher on the reality show “Become a Star”.

For 10 years she has recorded backing vocals in more than 180 albums by famous Russian performers.

Characters of Russian versions of Hollywood films and cartoons sing in Katz’s voice: “Chicago”, “Sunstroke”, “Tango in Paris”, “Sense and Sensibility”, “Anastasia”, “Rapunzel”.

In 2017 she wrote the book “Your Voice: Secrets of Vocal Mastery” with illustrations by A. Makarevich.
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It’s more of a tutorial for anyone who loves to sing. Who develops their abilities, filling their capabilities with new skills.

As Maria writes: “For me, singing is a way of life, my philosophy, spiritual practice, if you like.”

The text of the book gradually reveals the secrets of vocal mastery from musical ear and breathing to vocal therapy. You will learn how to breathe correctly, learn the rules of sound extraction, develop an ear for music, make your voice sound beautiful and intelligible. Each chapter is accompanied by author’s video lessons, which are available at the link, and the exercises will help you unlock your vocal potential and gain a confident sound. You will have the opportunity to practice and perform these important exercises correctly – the author will draw your attention to every difficult moment.
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Ironic illustrations by Andrei Makarevich will help you remember the most important things better. The book is addressed to beginners and professional singers who want to improve their skills.

In the book you will find many important tips, practical tips and simple life hacks, thanks to which you will practice without fear, effectively and with great pleasure.

Sheng Scheyen “Sergey Diaghilev. “Russian seasons” forever”
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Lynn Garafola “Russian Ballet of Diaghilev”

The book by the Dutch historian Sheng Scheyen is the most complete biography of Sergei Diaghilev (1872–1929) to date.

This book describes the life of Sergei from birth. Each stage of life is divided into chapters.

Sergei learned to play the piano and studied vocals from an early age, showing outstanding musical abilities. He also dabbled in composition. His first serious composing experience was a romance in imitation of Glinka. “Do you remember Maria?” written by a fifteen-year-old boy on the occasion of his parents’ anniversary.
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When 18-year-old Sergei Diaghilev came from Perm to St. Petersburg, it was hard to imagine that this young provincial could break into the people and become a real legend of his time. At the insistence of his father, the young man was going to study law, but the northern capital with its incredible opportunities changed his plans. Sergey was in a hurry to get enlightened: he visited theaters and exhibitions, studied vocals. It was in the city on the Neva that he decided to fulfill his childhood dream of becoming a composer. One day, Diaghilev invited a select audience to listen to excerpts from the opera Boris Godunov, which he composed, in which he himself played the role of an impostor. Alas, the audience did not appreciate the efforts of the future entrepreneur. Later, Sergei himself admits that this failure came in handy, since his voice was “very strong and very nasty.”
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The next stage in the life of a young man was the passion for fine arts. In search of knowledge and masterpieces, he traveled to various European cities, visited art galleries and artists’ workshops. In 1897, Diaghilev successfully held his first exhibition of German and English watercolors. Then, together with Alexander Benois, he created the creative community of artists “World of Art” and a magazine of the same name.

In 1906, thanks to the efforts of Diaghilev, Paris saw the exhibition “Two Centuries of Russian Painting and Sculpture”. A year later, the sophisticated French were conquered by the Historical Russian Concerts, in which N.A. Rimsky-Korsakov, S.V. Rachmaninov, A.K. Glazunov, F.I. Chaliapin.
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The time of the “Russian Seasons” came only in 1909. The ballet troupe consisted of the leading dancers of the Bolshoi (Moscow) and Mariinsky (Petersburg) theaters: Mikhail Fokin, Anna Pavlova, Tamara Karsavina, Ida Rubinstein, Matilda Kshesinskaya, Vaclav Nijinsky and others. The debut of “Russian Seasons” in 1909 consisted of five ballets: “Pavilion of Armida”, “Polovtsian Dances” (with Roerich’s scenery), “Feast”, “Sylphs” and “Cleopatra”. It was an absolute, deafening triumph of Russian ballet – a fusion of innovative choreography by M. Fokine, scenery by leading artists, music by great composers, and the skill of A.P. Pavlova and V.F. Nijinsky.
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“Russian Seasons” thundered to the glory of Russian art in Paris, London, Rome. It was a unique period of flowering of national culture and philanthropy. Europe was amazed when they saw Russian painting and heard Russian music. Since that time, every Parisian spring for 20 years has brought new discoveries in Russian ballet and opera art. Each of the events of the “seasons”, be it an exhibition, a performance or a concert, inscribed a new page in the annals of world culture.

The ideas of Diaghilev and his team were often ahead of their time, and therefore it sometimes took the public months and even years to understand and appreciate what the artists of the “seasons” showed on stage.

Diaghilev possessed rare organizational skills, had a delicate artistic taste and a special flair that helped him find new names from year to year and create “stars” from his protégés. Many artists and composers, as well as a whole galaxy of dancers, owed their international fame to Diaghilev. At the same time, contemporaries remembered him as a controversial figure, a person with a complex character, who often violated personal agreements and financial obligations. Towards the end of his life, Diaghilev lost interest in ballet, became interested in second-hand books, collected a collection of rare publications.
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The book contains rare photographs, documents, sketches of costumes and scenery – priceless evidence of art that lives beyond all boundaries.

Sergey Pavlovich led a luxurious life, knowing that he was an object of observation for many people. But after his death he did not leave a penny. The funeral of the legendary entrepreneur was paid for by his longtime patrons Mission Sert and Coco Chanel. They were far from the last people in the long list of those who for a long time helped him to realize the most daring projects and conquer impregnable Paris. France fell at the feet of a provincial boy thanks to his organizational skills and the money of generous sponsors.
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Lynn Garafola

Russian Ballet Diaghilev

Diaghilev’s Russian Ballet is a famous monograph by Lynn Garafola, professor of dance at Columbia University, member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and a leading specialist in the history of Russian ballet.

“The history of the ballet of the 20th century did not know a troupe that would leave such a deep and influential mark on it as the Russian Ballet of Diaghilev. It lasted only twenty years – from 1909 to 1929 – but over these two decades managed to turn ballet into a living, contemporary art … Throughout its existence, this troupe has been a center of attraction for bright, talented, exceptional personalities. But one figure towered above all the rest – Sergei Diaghilev, an outstanding impresario who directed the Ballets Russes from its early days until his death in 1929. He was a man of iron will and extremely fine taste, possessing encyclopedic knowledge and passionate curiosity – a kind of Napoleon of the arts – and at the same time a personality of the scale of the Renaissance.
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From the very beginning, the main direction of the choreography of his seasons was the desire to push the boundaries of classical ballet. Experiments with dance forms by V.F. Nijinsky were ahead of their time and therefore were not immediately accepted by the audience. MM. Fokin added “rich plasticity” to the movements, and L.F. Myasin – enriched the choreography with “broken and pretentious forms.” D. Balanchine finally departed from the rules of academic dance, giving his ballets a more stylized and expressionistic sound.
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Diaghilev’s seasons, especially the first ones, whose program included ballets to music by I. F. Stravinsky “The Firebird”, “Petrushka” and “The Rite of Spring”, played a significant role in popularizing Russian culture in Europe and contributed to the establishment of a fashion for everything Russian. For example, English dancers Patrick Healy-Kay, Alice Marks and Hilda Munnings took Russian pseudonyms (Anton Dolin, Alicia Markova and Lidia Sokolova, respectively), under which they performed in S. Diaghilev’s troupe. The popularity of his seasons led to the passion of Europeans for traditional Russian costume and gave rise to a new fashion.
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Rudolf Nureyev “Autobiography”

Rudolf Nureyev is a legendary ballet dancer who was in demand both on the Soviet stage and abroad. He is considered the most famous dancer of the 20th century, and Rudolf’s technique and his jump are textbook.

“I was born on a train on March 17, 1983,” the artist recalled the mother’s stories in Autobiography, Rudolf, the youngest child in the family of the Red Army political officer Khamet Fazleevich, a Tatar by nationality, and his wife Farida Agliullovna. The ballet star had three older sisters: Rose, Rosida and Lydia.
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Nureyev’s military childhood was spent in evacuation in Ufa. From the age of 5, the boy began to show interest in dancing. The father, who returned from the war with the rank of major, was dissatisfied with the choice of his son and at first tried to instill in Rudolph a love for male hobbies – fishing and hunting, but the boy showed coldness and indifference to his hobbies.

In 1955, at the age of 17, Rudolf Nureyev went to Leningrad to continue his education at the choreographic school. But he did not take into account that children from the age of 12 are accepted to this educational institution, therefore, in terms of age, he was far behind his classmates, did not find a common language with other students and was ridiculed. Because of this attitude, Nureyev could not even live in a hostel, so he responded to the kind invitation of his mentor Alexander Pushkin and settled in his family.
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Rudolf graduated from the choreographic school in 1958 and was immediately invited to join the troupe of the Leningrad Opera and Ballet Theater named after S. M. Kirov.

The first part that Rudolf played was the role of Frondoso in the ballet Laurencia.

For three years of service in the theater, Nureyev became an important link in the troupe, high hopes were pinned on him. He went on tour with the theater to Egypt, Bulgaria, East Germany and Egypt, so Rudolph was also given a French visa, and he began to perform brilliantly at the Paris Opera. He did not want to return to his homeland later and asked for political asylum. This was a key moment in the biography of the dancer, after which the artist was included in the list of traitors to the motherland.
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But Nureyev did not leave attempts to contact his relatives and found a way out. At his request, the queen of one of the Arab states, who was visiting the USSR, managed to include the city of Ufa in her itinerary. So the letter was handed over and admiration was expressed, in front of the mother, for the talents of her son.

After some time, Nureyev was forced to leave the country, as he was denied political asylum. But the talented artist received an offer from the UK. Rudolph hastily moved to London, where, together with the ballerina Margot Fontaine, on the stage of the Royal Ballet, Covent Garden, he creates a duet that is still considered a reference.
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Thanks to his endurance, ability to work and fame, Nureyev became the richest ballet dancer.

After the end of his dancing career, Nureyev tried himself both as a choreographer and as a film actor, and in recent years he was a conductor at the Paris Opera.

Jennifer Homans. “History of Ballet. Angels of Apollo”

Our next author is also an expert in his field. Jennifer Homans was born in Chicago, where she trained as a ballerina from the age of eight. As a teenager, she enrolled in dance classes at the University of Chicago, then studied at the School of the Arts at the University of North Carolina and the School of American Ballet. Although she was professionally trained in ballet, by the age of 26 Homans decided to attend Columbia University, earning a Bachelor of Arts degree in French literature, she enrolled at New York University (NYU) for a Ph. D. in modern European history. Jennifer Homans is an American historian, writer, and dance critic.
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“History of Ballet. The Angels of Apollo is an authoritative publication, written with particular elegance in keeping with its theme. Each page is saturated with admiration and love for classical dance. Homans’s book describes the origins of ballet from the Renaissance, such as the Queen’s Comic Ballet, performances on the open stage of the Palace of Versailles to the present day, Diaghilev’s Russian Ballet, Royal Danish Ballet. The book was described by The New York Times as “the only truly definitive history of ballet” and was a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award in 2010.
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“Ballet is blissfully mute, like reading. And the most important thing, perhaps, is that ballet gives a heady feeling of freedom that occurs when everything works out.”

The author tells in detail how classical dance originated, changed and developed in a particular era, how it reflected the historical context of the time. Tells about outstanding masters and connoisseurs of ballet art. The book by Jennifer Homans is a look inside the profession, which shows an excellent knowledge of the subject studied by the author. In his work, the author traces the evolution of technique, choreography and performance, dedicating readers to all the subtleties of ballet art.
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Relationship between music and dance | choreograph.COM

In the aesthetic education of the younger generation, an important role is given to art, in particular choreography. Dance art in our country is gaining more and more popularity every year, becoming one of the most effective factors in the formation of a harmoniously developed, spiritually rich personality.

Dance art is a mass art. It is available to everyone. Tens of thousands of children take part in the work of choreographic circles, ballet studios. Thanks to systematic choreographic upbringing and education, students acquire a general aesthetic and dance culture, and the development of dance and musical abilities to a more subtle perception of professional choreographic art. nine0005

Dance is a stage art that requires careful preparation, virtuosity of movements, daily polishing of dance technique. In these classes, children develop musicality and rhythm, which is of great importance for the aesthetic and physical education of children. Music and dance are closely related to each other. Along with dance, music is one of the factors of aesthetic impact on children.
Simple, accessible music awakens the imagination, captivates, helps to overcome difficulties. nine0005

Dancing, imagery, clear melody, clear rhythmic pattern – these are the necessary qualities of dance music for children. The content and form of music must correspond to the content and form of dance. The musical development and the formation of the student’s artistic taste depend on the quality of the musical material used in the work and its performance.

1. Aesthetic education as a means of personality formation.

The ability to respond emotionally to beauty, to love and appreciate it, makes a person’s life more meaningful, bright and rich. It has a great influence on the formation of the human personality and, first of all, its moral character. Behavior based on an understanding of the beauty of ethical norms and rules is more durable and sustainable. “It is one thing to be attracted by a gift, reward, premium or some kind of benefit for an individual,” said A.S. Makarenko, “and another thing is to be attracted by the aesthetics of an act, its inner essence. nine0003 The purpose of aesthetic education is the formation of an aesthetic ideal among the younger generations, which summarizes the most important and essential aesthetic ideas and views of a person.

The upbringing of the aesthetic ideal presupposes, first of all, the development of aesthetic feelings and aesthetic perception in students. The same phenomena of reality and art can be seen, felt and perceived in different ways. Some can admire the beauty of nature and the paintings of artists for hours, while the latter are completely indifferent to both. The development of aesthetic perception is impossible without enriching students with aesthetic impressions, without developing their emotional, personal attitude to what is perceived. It is necessary to educate students in emotional responsiveness, to draw their attention to the beauty in the surrounding life and everyday life, in works of art. nine0005

The richness and value of aesthetic feelings and experiences lies not in quantity, but in their depth and stability. A deep feeling determines all the behavior and activities of a person, testifies to the integrity of his nature.

“I can’t hate half or love half,” said F.E. Dzerzhinsky, – I do not know how to give only half of my soul. I can give my whole soul or give nothing.”
Unfortunately, in life you can meet people who, under the first impression, are ready for any feat or selfless act, but their feeling cools down very quickly, and at the first difficulties they refuse to achieve their goal. nine0003 Along with the formation of the depth and constancy of aesthetic feelings, one should pay attention to their adherence to principles and ideological orientation. The education of aesthetic feelings is closely connected with the formation of one’s spiritual image of a person and, first of all, the correct aesthetic views, beliefs and tastes.

It is important not only to be able to see and feel the beauty in life and art, but also to judge it, to give it a correct assessment. A musically unpretentious person may not appreciate a highly artistic piece of music, on the contrary, give a high appreciation of a weak creation from an artistic point of view. Therefore, one of the main tasks of aesthetic education is the formation of aesthetic views, judgments and tastes among students. The absence of correct judgments about the beautiful or “bad” tastes is far from a harmless thing. Often complex ideas about what is beautiful and ugly lead to immoral acts and perverted relationships between people. nine0005

“There are no comrades for the taste and color,” says an old Russian proverb. One cannot demand from people exactly the same assessment of beauty in life and art. However, among members of society who share the same worldview, differences in tastes will not go beyond their aesthetic ideal. Tastes are determined not only by the level of aesthetic education, but by the moral and political image of the individual.

The formation of aesthetic judgments and tastes is closely connected with the education of aesthetic activity in students. “Man is an artist by nature,” said A.M. Gorky. – One way or another, he strives to bring beauty into his life. A student should not only be a contemplator of beauty, be able to understand and appreciate it, but also actively bring beauty into everyday life; to make it aesthetically expressive and meaningful, to fight against everything ugly and ugly. To this end, it is important to systematically involve students in active work to improve and aesthetically transform the environment, to educate them in aesthetic skills and habits that enable them to bring elements of beauty into life, everyday life, educational and work activities. nine0005

An important task of aesthetic education is the development of students’ creative interests and abilities in a particular area of ​​art. L.N. Tolstoy wrote that every person has a high need to serve art and that this need must be satisfied. In our country, where working people have access to all kinds of art, the dreams of the great Russian writer are becoming reality. Hundreds of thousands of people are engaged in amateur art circles, joining serious art. The development of creative abilities helps to enjoy art, creates the prerequisites for further improvement. nine0005

Aesthetic education of students takes place in the course of all educational work. Educational work, industrial practice, socially useful work, hiking in the native land, the culture of work and life – all this, along with theoretical preparation for the profession and the formation of the moral character of students, can also be used for their aesthetic education. However, the main means of aesthetic education, which allows the most successful solution of all the above tasks of aesthetic education, is art. nine0005

“Neither music, nor literature, nor any other form of art in the true sense of the word,” said P.I. Tchaikovsky – do not exist for simple fun, they meet the deeper needs of human society than the extraordinary thirst for light entertainment.
Truly depicting reality, creating vivid images of positive images of heroes, literature and art form students’ aesthetic tastes and views, teach them to understand beauty in works of art and in life, and contribute to the development of artistic needs and inclinations. nine0005

2. History of choreography.

The history of the formation of choreographic art is the result of the evolution of human culture, the social characteristics of each time, this is the history of the evolution of folk dance art.

The history of the art of dance goes back to ancient times. At the dawn of its existence, mankind discovered ways to express thoughts, emotions, actions through movement. The dance is silent. A word does not sound here, but the expressiveness of the plasticity of the human body and musical rhythms and melodies turns out to be more powerful, and therefore the dance language is multinational and understandable to everyone. At first, mankind put their ideas and beliefs into the dance – the dance was a ritual. In the dance, a man lured from the unknown gods a happy hunt, a plentiful harvest, the salvation of ailments. Such ritual dances can still be seen among some of the primitive tribes of Australia or the American Indians. In our country, in the dances of the Koryaks, Ostyaks, and Chukchis, echoes of the ancient rituals of the ancestors live, too, “conjuring” prey dances – a bear, a seal, a fish …

As time went on, mankind more and more energetically discovered the secrets of the universe, and dances lost their original “magical” purpose. Now they expressed the love of freedom characteristic of the people, cheerfulness, optimistic perception of the real world. Therefore, it is not for nothing that dance has always been unloved by cruel churchmen. However, it turned out to be much stronger and more viable than obscurantism and prejudice. The dance survived, triumphed and expanded its scope.

An entire art has been revived – choreography. She, in essence, having no system of records of movements, passed on orally, like a baton, all the valuable and most expressive that was throughout her history. nine0005

As a treasury of creative imagination people keep and pass on their national dances to the next generations. They were created and crystallized over the course of new centuries.

In a revised form, national dances were transferred to parquets: the nobility danced at court balls. Actors danced in interludes to “bring animation” to the course of serious dramatic and operatic performances. The stage dance was enriched by the technique coming from the actors, acrobats, buffoons. So, more than four centuries ago, ballet was born. nine0005

Since the origin of dance belongs to the origins of human culture, and the ability to systematize all the huge number of movements appeared only in the 17th century, we can say that such a long path of development and a careful selection of expressive means speak of the objective aesthetic value and vitality of this art.

The origins of Russian choreography originate in mass round dances, in which various forms developed: dance, pair dance, improvisational round dance, in which the lead dancer invented movements, and the rest repeated; over time, the most interesting, expressive movements, drawings were selected and developed and imprinted in various dances dedicated to life events – rituals dating back to pagan times, weddings, seasonal holidays. nine0005

The creative life of choreographers of those years was influenced by conflicting trends that also took place in other forms of art. So, for example, “music, which gives impetus to the creative thought of the director, underwent strong rhythmic and harmonic changes during these years,” writes Bogolyubskaya M.S.

J. Dalcroze, who captivated many European countries with his system of rhythmic education, also had a great influence on the development of ballet, although he had opponents among choreographers. He was able to look at rhythm as an internal manifestation of the spiritual life of a person through physical action, carefully developed a system of rhythmic education. nine0005

Rhythmic education was adopted by K.S. Stanislavsky, who attached great importance to the rhythmic development of the actor. Rhythmic lessons were studied by future choreographers.

Thus, the art of dance developed and improved. History shows that the path to dance art goes through psychology and artistic disclosure of characters, through the musical and dance image.