History philosophy of dance - Essay Example

They shared talents of these two dancers (and their respective dances) cannot and should not be understood to denote that they are somehow one and the same. It is the hope of this author the following analysis will be useful in helping to delineate the key differentials that existed between these two men as well as pointing to the similarities that bound them and helps individuals even to this day to define the era of jazz dance and musical incorporation into the Hollywood film of the 1940s and 1950s.

For purposes of comparison, Bob Foss’ “All that Jazz” and Gene Kelley’s “1969 Dance Medley” will be considered and compared. At first glance, it may appear as if the dances of Gene Kelly and Robert Foss are somehow one and the same. Gene Kelly, born in 1912, reached the height of his popularity in the 1940s and 50s. Comparatively, born in 1927, a full 15 years later, Foss also began to reach the height of his popularity in the late 1940s and early 1950s. Comparatively, both of these men represented jazz dancers that were, at their time, indicative of the very best that Hollywood had to offer.

Both Gene Kelly and Robert Foss were not only dancers but also singers. However, even though the aforementioned similarities lady enough to convince a rather uninformed individual that these two dancers/stars were one in the same, the fact of the matter is that as their careers progress and a further indication of their contribution to their individual dancing style is evidenced, key differentials with regards to the way in which these dancers/singers/choreographers can be understood and appreciated comes to be seen.

Interestingly, even though dissimilarities between the styles exist, a level of heavy experimentation is evidenced in both of these respective dances; indicative of the 1960’s and 70’s – a period in time in which the