Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Blacks dancers have not abandoned black dance as there are new dances I see. You might not be aware of them because you're out of touch with young people.
Music in general today sucks because it's overly synthesized and the music industry today focuses on people who can sell records. It's what happens when place getting records sold over true talent.
I think you're just pessimistic.
But then the question becomes how "Black" is the specific dance if Julia Stiles does it when she isn't doing ballet, if you are old enough to get that among the first interracial movie romance reference.
We need to get back to the point where there were two options, when someone made fun of you. You cried and lashed out creating enemy after enemy, or you laughed at yourself and got along with everyone.
Today, everyone is so offended, they have lost the ability to laugh at themselves.
This goes for who we are, that identifies us as individuals which could be your gender, your sexual preference, they way you eat, and even the color of your skin.
In the 1970's and 80's there was not all this careful what you say crap. We laughed and we battled, but in the end of the day, we were all family.
Blacks dancers have not abandoned black dance as there are new dances I see. You might not be aware of them because you're out of touch with young people.
I didn't say "black dance," I said "African-American." There are all kinds of "black" dances--such as from the Caribbean and African tribal dances.
Modern dances invented by people who happen to be black and in America are not "African-American." They are not born of those experiences. The Lindy is African-American. Tap dancing is African-American. Before his death, Gregory Hines remarked that the only thing keeping tap alive were little white girls. And people have said for a while now that jazz continues to breath only because of white people.
In Hawaii, there are thousands of young people who learn traditional Hawaiian dance. When a 16-year-old boy "busts a move" in the traditional dance, it's precisely the same way his great-grandfather busted that same move. The dances are handed down precisely from generation to generation.
Quote:
Music in general today sucks because it's overly synthesized and the music industry today focuses on people who can sell records. It's what happens when place getting records sold over true talent.
Which proves rather than disproves my point.
Quote:
I think you're just pessimistic.
I'm not sure it's pessimistic. I think it's actually what we had always struggled for.
If indeed, "a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character" is what we wanted, I'm not sure what else we should have logically expected.
Blacks dancers have not abandoned black dance as there are new dances I see. You might not be aware of them because you're out of touch with young people.
Music in general today sucks because it's overly synthesized and the music industry today focuses on people who can sell records. It's what happens when place getting records sold over true talent.
I think you're just pessimistic.
In regards to dance, depends on what type of dance you are speaking of IMO. I'm thinking Ralph was speaking more in regards to black dance troupes/organizations and not specifically dances associated with hip hop. Music IMO evolves particular types of dances but with hip hop today, not many dances are evolving IMO. I'm not that old and I have a teenager and spend a lot of time with young people and I don't see a lot of evolution in dance that rivals that of black historical innovators in dance.
I saw the younger/less experienced dancers with the Alvin Ailey company for instance and they usually have some new productions/choreagrophers in both their professional and amateur groups but none of them are as good as Ailey's originals IMO. His work speaks directly to the black cultural tradition, whereas many of the new dances are not specific to black America IMO. This is just my opinion but it is something I notice often when I go to urban dance performances or black dance performances like Alvin Ailey's group.
Music, I agree with you but as I stated in another thread, black America has always evolved American music and pushed it forward. That is not happening anymore today as far as I can see. I think it happened in the past due to blacks focusing our creative juices so to speak on the "black experience." A large amount of the most popular music genres in America were born from the creative expression of black Americans - spirituals to gospel to blues to jazz to R&B/soul to rock to hip hop/rap all of them came from the black cultural tradition when looked at from an historical perspective. They were an expression of us as a demographic and a way for the audience to experience and "feel" something that was uniquely "black" prior to the collaboration from other demographics and popularization of those genres.
We do not have anything today to rival the past in music from a creative standpoint. I'm hoping I'm wrong about this and that there are some black kids making up something new as we speak.
I mentioned recently in another thread that I joke with the youth I work with that they need to make something else since whites are(have IMO) taken over rap/hip hop. I also mentioned that this century is young and that we just may need more time. But I fear that due to there being less of a community feel in black America and the fact that music programs in schools have decreased, that our kids just don't have much of a musical background anymore. This also ties into the decrease in the role of the black church. I grew up in black churches. I am not religious but I HAD to sing in the choir at two churches and so I know what my grandmother called "our songs" in regards to spirituals and gospel music. I also HAD to learn an instrument. All of my music instructors were black until I got into high school. We don't have a black person who teaches everyone piano anymore in our city. It is sad that music education is not as prevalent as it used to be or even access to instruments at church or other community centers/organizations.
Ironically, I recently discovered a music program for a recital of my grandmother's from 1947 when she was a little girl. In that program were dancers, actors, singers, and instrumentalists. My grandmother took lessons from a black woman who provided lessons in our city for over 50 years to black youth. This woman died about 10 years ago. Black kids today just don't have the opportunities to learn music and dance as much as they used to from a "black" perspective and instructor IMO.
We need to get back to the point where there were two options, when someone made fun of you. You cried and lashed out creating enemy after enemy, or you laughed at yourself and got along with everyone.
Today, everyone is so offended, they have lost the ability to laugh at themselves.
This goes for who we are, that identifies us as individuals which could be your gender, your sexual preference, they way you eat, and even the color of your skin.
In the 1970's and 80's there was not all this careful what you say crap. We laughed and we battled, but in the end of the day, we were all family.
What in the hell does anything you stated have to do with the topic at hand?
And when was this magical time when folks laughed at their own ridicule?
That's all bull. What you want is a situation where black folks take ridicule from the likes of yourself and just walk away humiliated. But that's in the past, buddy. It ain't 1955 no mo'!
People took it back then in your neck of the woods because they HAD to. But those days are gone.
I think we are SLOWLY seeing an reemergence of solid black music. I don't believe it ever went away, however I do believe it was dormant for a while and Ibvelieve the positives of AA culture have been dormant for a while. Some aspects of AA culture would not be missed by me but others need to be preserved.
Why are there so many topic about black people here? Also I think there are a bunch of racists posing as blacks in order to protect themselves from getting banned for being racists so they can take all sorts of shots at "their own people" it's blatant. I've read a bunch of posts by that guy Edward A, there is no doubt he's a Neo Nazi playing a Black male. .
This particular thread was started by a black person (myself) to discuss various topics concerning the black community.
I think we are SLOWLY seeing an reemergence of solid black music. I don't believe it ever went away, however I do believe it was dormant for a while and Ibvelieve the positives of AA culture have been dormant for a while. Some aspects of AA culture would not be missed by me but others need to be preserved.
Remember, though, I'm not conflating "black" with "African-American." Caribbean music is "black." Congolese music is "black." Modern misogynist rap is "black"--but it's not in either form or intent what the First Poets were trying to do.
What are some of the aspects of African-American culture do you think should be preserved or conversely, forgotten?
Remember, though, I'm not conflating "black" with "African-American." Caribbean music is "black." Congolese music is "black." Modern misogynist rap is "black"--but it's not in either form or intent what the First Poets were trying to do.
What are some of the aspects of African-American culture do you think should be preserved or conversely, forgotten?
One aspect of AA culture I'd like to see gone is the idea that beating the hell out of your kids for the smallest infraction is the way to go. What I'd like to see alive and well is the soul music, the cooking, and how we celebrate certain occasions.
So let me get this strait, you want to "Discuss" black issues on a far right leaning forum rather than go to a Black oriented forum to discuss such matters. You want the input from right wingers who have an open disdain for Black people. Got it.
The majority of the commenters aren't right wingers and really to be honest with you, I don't know if I would have gotten as much commentary in a black oriented forum. Sad to say.
ETA-this is not a "discussion". It's simply a discussion. No quotes needed. The majority of the posters are black though a few racists have posted. I put them on my ignore list. I just don't engage with them. What black oriented forum would Ingo to? World star? Or maybe messy Lipstickalley? No thanks. Glad you understand.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
