McIntyre's Solo Performance: Making Blues Music Accessible to All - Essay Sample

Introduction

The solo performance by McIntyre was directed to ensuring that Blues music is integrated and understood by other cultures. She tries to bring out the meaning of music using dances, which can be relatable to other people's perceptions. The aspects of African American music in the form of Blues are conveyed in the movements is a different performance which intrigues the audience. Also, she integrates blues music into dances that are performed in different audiences. She embeds feelings into actions by choreographing dances expressing specific feelings. The presentation of the Sigh of the Rock is done by dancers who portray mixed feelings by their movements. Her dances blended everyday gesture, African dance steps, African American social dance forms and modern dance movements (209). According to Martin (1991), the representatives of 75 black groups held a meeting to analyses a national black agenda. Jesse Jackson proposed the modification of the name `blacks` to African Americans. The explanation was using the name African American indicated cultural integrity. The use of the name was to integrate the African roots into the American culture to create pride in the blacks. It referenced their land base and historical, cultural base.

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Theme of Ethnicity

The Aesthetic of the Blues envelopes historically and emotionally the soul and heart of ancient African times. It also develops from the vernacular experience in the form of social dance. Or instance, Smoke and Clouds focuses on showing the different relationship in the culture of African Americans. It signifies the hopelessness experienced by African Americans with a need to overcome oppression. The music accompaniments create the method of surviving by the African Americans in their struggle for redemption. The theme of ethnicity is directed by the culture of criticizing that differentiates the white and black blues musicians' performances with individuals preferring the black performers. The tradition raises the question of ethnicity which argues on multi-culturalism, curriculum, and cannon. White critics credit the authoritative source of the blues as a style and genre of music to the African-American culture (Rudinow, 1994, p. 127).

Theme of Transformation

All through the chapter, there are unobstructed views on how McIntyre brings the transformation of music into acts. Most of the presentations were modified for the stage from popular culture and community. There was a cycle that transforms the poplar culture ultimately into art and then art into popular culture (217). McIntyre dances, including Smoke and Clouds, Sigh of the Rock, Ohio Walks, Mississippi Talks, and Blues on Top o` Blues, transformed vernacular into art (217). Her work focused on modifying the struggles if Africans Americans into dance using music. The orchestra of the Country dance comprises of the two drums, concertina, fiddle and fife was played in social dancing and also used in creating possession on events named "jombee dances." During the events, the rhythms o the dance heightened and slowly "Africanized," where the individuals appeared possessed and tell the message from spirits (Szwed & Marks, 1988, p. 29).

Conclusion

Conclusively, McIntyre, in her first dances, explains dance as the developer of music and music directs a dance hence the need for integrating both aspects. The integration of both elements developed a relatable message in the Blues as a music genre. She even wholly blended music and social dance and concert. The play indicates the Blues aesthetic through several movements and even the tone with a particular pattern. The dances were presented in the form of formal modern presentations and then as a social dance as a party. The transformation enabled the audience to understand the art in various contexts.

References

Martin, B. L. (1991). From Negro to Black to African American: The Power of Names and Naming. Political Science Quarterly, 106(1), 83. doi:10.2307/2152175

Rudinow, J. (1994). Race, Ethnicity, Expressive Authenticity: Can White People Sing the Blues? The Journal of Aesthetics and Art Criticism, 52(1), 127. doi:10.2307/431591

Szwed, J. F., & Marks, M. (1988). The Afro-American Transformation of European Set Dances and Dance Suites. Dance Research Journal, 20(1), 29. doi:10.2307/1478814