From classical ballet to contemporary ballet

From classical ballet to contemporary ballet From Classical Ballet to Contemporary Ballet Ballet originally emerged in the late 15th century in the Renaissance court of Italy. Then, it was a dance interpretation of fencing.   Ballet was further developed and popularized in the French Courts in the 17th century. From court ballet to modern ballet, the dance techniques and practice has evolved throughout the years. Contemporary Ballet now incorporates classical ballet with modern dance techniques such as floor work and turn-in of the legs. (wikipedia, par 9) Ballet shows now focus more on the plot as compared to the 17th century, where the focus was the intertwine of music and poetry. It had also often included singing. 17th Century Ballet had minimal plot because Ballets were designed principally for the entertainment of the aristocracy, hence rich costumes, scenery, and elaborate stage effects were emphasized. In the 19th century, there was an increase in interest among the public, and Ballets such as Swan Lake (1876), Sleeping Beauty (1890), and The Nutcracker (18 92) were produced. There was an influence of jazz, jazz rhythms and modern dance at that time, originating in the USA, hence greater body expressions. Today, Ballet is an internationally practiced and appreciated dance, with many dance school dedicated to the teaching of Ballet, including prominent schools such as the royal ballet school and many other small private dance centres. These schools train Ballet dancers from young and even adults who have never learned Ballet as a child are able to practice due to the large amount of adult Ballet classes for beginners. For those who are not striving to be a professional Ballet dance, practicing Ballet is a form of sport which teaches excellent posture and trains you to be graceful and disciplined. From the increase in Ballet schools, dancers and shows for the public, it can be concluded that one of the most significant change in the practice of Ballet, would be the accessibility of Ballet. In the 17th century, ballet was performed in the royal courts. It was a dance that was rather exclusive for the royals and the high society. Many commoners would not have the luxury to attend Ballet performances. However, as Ballet developed, it became more popular and much appreciated and watched by various people. Today, Ballets are relatively inexpensive to watch, including well know Ballets such as Swan Lake and the Nutcracker being some of the most famous ballets that are widely watched even to those who have little knowledge about dance or do not come from well off family backgrounds. Ballet is viewed as a classical performance that is available for anyone. What has not changed about Ballet is that Ballet is still considered a high culture performance art, despite the fact that it is one of the most practiced and watched dances by many from various social status and education level. Youve got to attend Ballet performances in order to be â€Å"cultured†. Also, Ballet is still very female dominant in the eyes of the public. This is to say that parents would tend to send their daughters to Ballet classes rather than sons. However, this is not to say there are few males Ballet dancers. Ballet now being so much more accessible, in level with other dance forms such as hip hip and jazz, it is no longer a dance for the rich and privilege.

Aristophanes Assemlywomen and Lysistrata Essay -- Athenian Athens Gen

Aristophanes' Assemlywomen and Lysistrata Typically in Athenian society, women took care of the things in the household while men, although still retaining the final say over matters of the household, focused most of their attention on the world outside the home. In the plays Assemblywomen and Lysistrata, Aristophanes explores roles of men and women in society, specifically what would happen if women were to take on the roles of men. Looking at these two plays about Athenian society as metaphors for marital life, it shows that men and women were incapable of having balanced power in their relationships. In both of these plays, the men were unable to keep their own sense of power when the women took over politics, and they eventually moved into the submissive role of women. In Lysistrata, the women used their seduction to gain power. Similarly, in Assemblywomen, the women came into power through deception and clever planning. This paper explores why women rarely stepped up to take power; how they would gain power when they would step up to claim it; and how the men would respond once confronted with a woman in power. This all serves to show that in Athens, a marriage of man and woman could not exist with mutuality of power – rather, one (typically the man) would dominate, while the other (typically the woman) took the submissive role. Throughout both Lysistrata and Assemblywomen, both the men and women were convinced, to varying degrees, that the women were incapable of handling any kind of authority or challenging task. In fact, only the dominant, leader women (Lysistrata and Praxagora) of the two plays had enough confidence to handle a position of power. These women have been brought up i... ...brought this power imbalance to the open, however, by exploring what would happen if women took the initiative to claim the dominant rold in society. The women, when able to successfully overcome the men and take power in the city, left the men with no choice but to either fight to regain the power, as they attempted to do in Lysistrata, or succumb to the women’s plans, as they did in both Assemblywomen and, eventually, Lysistrata. In relinquishing their power to women, the men forfeited their masculinity and became stereotypically feminine while the women also forfeited their gender norms to stay in power. Athenian unions, therefore, subsisted on a constant inequality of power kept carefully balanced by each partner staying in their designated role in the marriage – the husband the strong moneymaker living outside of the house, the wife the submissive homemaker.

Introduction to Communication Skills Essay

Doing this involves effort from both the sender of the message and the receiver. And it’s a process that can be fraught with error, with messages often misinterpreted by the recipient. When this isn’t detected, it can cause tremendous confusion, wasted effort and missed opportunity. In fact, communication is only successful when both the sender and the receiver understand the same information as a result of the communication. By successfully getting your message across, you convey your thoughts and ideas effectively. When not successful, the thoughts and ideas that you convey do not necessarily reflect your own, causing a communications breakdown and creating roadblocks that stand in the way of your goals – both personally and professionally. In a recent survey of recruiters from companies with more than 50,000 employees, communication skills were cited as the single more important decisive factor in choosing managers. The survey, conducted by the University of Pittsburgh’s Katz Business School, points out that communication skills, including written and oral presentations, as well as an ability to work with others, are the main factor contributing to job success. In spite of the increasing importance placed on communication skills, many individuals continue to struggle with this, unable to communicate their thoughts and ideas effectively – whether in verbal or written format. This inability makes it nearly impossible for them to compete effectively in the workplace, and stands in the way of career progression. Getting your message across is paramount to progressing. To do this, you must understand what your message is, what audience you are sending it to, and how it will be perceived. You must also weigh-in the circumstances surrounding your communications, such as situational and cultural context.

What Is the What by Dave Eggers Book Review

What Is the What by Dave Eggers Book Review What Is the What is an astonishing, eye-opening, and heartbreaking book that defies classification. Once you’ve read it, the story of Valentino Achak Deng refuses to leave your mind. Even if you’re not familiar with the Lost Boys and their struggles to escape from war-torn Sudan, you’ll be drawn into this pseudo-autobiography. What Is the What tells a devastating story but never plays for sympathy. Instead, the hope, complexity, and tragedy of the situation take center stage. Valentino’s story stands alone as powerful and worth reading and Eggers’ superb writing compellingly brings Valentino’s voice and story to life. The novel is a successful portrayal of  a large-scale  tragedy through one man’s story though it does include graphic depictions of suffering and death. Synopsis Valentino Achak Deng was just a boy when Sudan’s civil war found its way to his village. Forced to flee, he walks for months to Ethiopia and later Kenya with hundreds of other boys. Resettled in the US, Valentino struggles to adjust to the mixed blessings of his new life. Book Review What Is the What is drawn from the real-life story of Valentino Achak Deng, one of the Lost Boys of Sudan. The title comes from a local story about the reward of choosing what’s known over what’s unknown. As they flee the destruction around them, though, the Lost Boys are constantly forced to choose the unknown future of refugee camps and life in America. What Is the What describes the interminable walking, the militia and bombs, starvation and disease, and lions and crocodiles that kill countless young boys as they attempt to find refuge in Ethiopia and Kenya. The obstacles of their journey are so astonishing and heartbreaking that you - and they - often wonder how they can go on. Eventually, many of the Lost Boys gain entry to the United States, and they form a vibrant community displaced across the country but constantly in touch by cell phone. Valentino ends up in Atlanta, adjusting to the fact that America offers its own evils and injustices. His past and present are masterfully interwoven through Valentino’s habit of mentally recounting his story to the different people he meets. Reading Valentino’s horrifying story can make the mere act of reading a book feel frivolous. The power of literature, though, is to bring remote stories to life. Eggers is famous for his book,  A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius. That title could easily apply to What Is the What. Book Discussion Group Questions If youve chosen this book for your discussion group, here are some sample questions. Why do you think Valentino/Dominic/Achak had so many names?Why do you think Valentino directs his story towards Michael, Julian, and the clients of the gym?Which one of Valentino’s friends did you like or remember the most?Did you know the plight of the Lost Boys before you read this book? Did it change what you thought about the situation?What details impacted you the most?

The Assassination of Beatles Legend John Lennon

The Assassination of Beatles Legend John Lennon John Lennon - a founding member of the Beatles, and one of the most beloved and famous music legends of all time - died on December 8, 1980, after being shot four times by a crazed fan in the carriageway of his New York City apartment building. Many of the events that led to his tragic and untimely death remain unclear and decades after his murder, people still struggle to understand what motivated his killer, 25-year-old Mark David Chapman, to pull the trigger on that fateful night.   Lennon in the 1970s The Beatles were arguably the most successful and influential group of the 1960s, perhaps of all time. Nevertheless, after spending a decade at the top of the charts, producing hit after hit, the band called it quits in 1970, and all four of its members – John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr moved on to launch solo careers. Throughout the early ‘70s, Lennon recorded several albums and produced hits like the instant classic Imagine. He had moved permanently to New York City with his wife Yoko Ono and taken up residence at the Dakota, a fancy, old apartment building located at the northwest corner of 72nd Street and Central Park West. The Dakota was known for housing many celebrities. By the mid-1970s, however, Lennon had given up music. And though he claimed he did so to become a stay-at-home dad to his newborn son, Sean, many of his fans, as well as the media, speculated the singer might have sunk into a creative slump. Several articles published during this period painted the former Beatle as a recluse and a has-been, who seemed more interested in managing his millions and holing up in his decadent New York apartment than in writing songs. One of these articles, published in Esquire in 1980, would prompt a pudgy, disturbed young man from Hawaii, to travel to New York City and commit murder. Mark David Chapman: From Drugs to Jesus Mark David Chapman was born in Fort Worth, Texas on May 10, 1955, but lived in Decatur, Georgia from the age of seven. Mark’s dad, David Chapman, was in the Air Force, and his mom, Diane Chapman, was a nurse. A sister was born seven years after Mark. From the outside, the Chapmans looked like a typical American family; however, inside, there was trouble. Mark’s dad, David, was an emotionally distant man, not showing his emotions even to his son.   Worse, David would often hit Diane. Mark could often hear his mom screaming, but was unable to stop his dad.   In school, Mark, who was a bit pudgy and not good at sports, was picked on and called names. All these feelings of helplessness led to Mark having strange fantasies, starting very early on in his childhood. By the age of 10, he was imagining and interacting with an entire civilization of tiny people he believed lived inside the walls of his bedroom. He would have imaginary interactions with these little people and later came to see them as his subjects and himself as their king. This fantasy continued until Chapman was 25, the same year he gunned down John Lennon. Chapman managed to keep such strange tendencies to himself, however, and seemed like a normal youngster to those who knew him. Like many who grew up in the 1960s, Chapman was swept up in the spirit of the times and by age 14, was even using heavy drugs like LSD on a regular basis. At age 17, however, Chapman suddenly proclaimed himself a born-again Christian. He renounced drugs and the hippie lifestyle and began attending prayer meetings and going to religious retreats.   Many of his friends at the time claimed the change came so suddenly they saw it as a type of personality split.    Soon after, Chapman became a counselor at the YMCA- a job he relished with fervent devotion- and would remain there into his twenties. He was highly popular with the kids in his care; he dreamed of becoming a YMCA director and working abroad as a Christian missionary. Problems Despite his successes, Chapman was undisciplined and lacking in ambition. He briefly attended community college in Decatur but soon dropped out due to the pressures of academic work. He subsequently traveled to Beirut, Lebanon as a YMCA counselor, only to be forced to leave when war broke out in that country. And after a brief stint at a camp for Vietnamese refugees in Arkansas, Chapman decided to give school another try. In 1976, Chapman enrolled at a religious college under the encouragement of his girlfriend, Jessica Blankenship, who was very devout and whom he had known since the second grade. However, he lasted only one semester before dropping out once more. Chapman’s failures at school caused his personality to undergo yet another drastic change. He began to question his purpose in life and his devotion to his faith.   His changing moods also put a strain on his relationship with Jessica  and they broke up soon after. Chapman became increasingly despondent about these events in his life. He saw himself as a failure at everything he tried and frequently spoke of suicide. His friends were concerned for him, but could never have anticipated what this shift in Chapman’s temperament portended. Down a Dark Path Chapman was looking for a change and at the encouragement of his friend Dana Reeves- an aspiring policeman- decided to take shooting lessons and obtain a license to carry firearms. Soon after, Reeves managed to find Chapman a job as a security guard. But Chapman’s dark moods continued. He decided he needed to change his surroundings and moved to Hawaii in 1977, where he did attempt suicide but failed, ending up at a psychiatric facility. After two weeks as an outpatient there, he obtained a job in the hospital’s print shop and even volunteered on occasion in the psych ward. On a whim, Chapman decided to take a trip around the world. He fell in love with Gloria Abe, the travel agent who helped book his round-the-world trip. The two frequently corresponded through letters and upon returning to Hawaii, Chapman asked Abe to become his wife. The couple married in the summer of 1979. Although Chapman’s life seemed to be improving, his downward spiral continued and his increasingly erratic behavior concerned his new wife. Abe claimed Chapman began drinking heavily, was abusive towards her and would frequently make threatening phone calls to complete strangers. His temper was short and he was prone to violent outbursts and would engage in screaming matches with his coworkers. Abe also noticed Chapman became increasingly obsessed with JD Salinger’s seminal 1951 novel The Catcher in the Rye. The Catcher in the Rye It is unclear when exactly Chapman discovered Salinger’s novel, The Catcher in the Rye, but one thing is for certain, by the late ‘70s it was beginning to have a profound effect on him. He identified deeply with the book’s protagonist, Holden Caulfield, an adolescent who railed against the seeming phoniness of the adults around him. In the book, Caulfield identified with children and saw himself as their savior from adulthood. Chapman came to see himself as a real-life Holden Caulfield. He even told his wife he wanted to change his name to Holden Caulfield and would rage about the phoniness of people and of celebrities in particular. Hatred of John Lennon In October of 1980, Esquire magazine published a profile on John Lennon, which portrayed the former Beatle as a drug-addled millionaire recluse who had lost touch with his fans and his music. Chapman read the article with increasing anger and came to see Lennon as the ultimate hypocrite and a â€Å"phony† of the very type described in Salinger’s novel. He began reading everything he could about John Lennon, even making tapes of Beatles’ songs, which he would play over and over for his wife, changing the tapes’ speed and direction. He would listen to them while sitting nude in the dark, chanting, â€Å"John Lennon, I’m going to kill you, you phony bastard!† When Chapman discovered Lennon was planning to release a new album- his first in five years- his mind was made up. He would fly to New York City and shoot the singer. Preparing for the Assassination Chapman quit his job and bought a .38-caliber revolver from a gun shop in Honolulu. He then bought a one-way ticket to New York, told his wife goodbye, and departed, arriving in New York City on October 30, 1980. Chapman checked into the Waldorf Astoria, the same hotel Holden Caulfield stayed at in The Catcher in the Rye, and set about seeing some sights. He frequently stopped at the Dakota to ask the doormen there about John Lennon’s whereabouts, without luck. The employees at the Dakota were used to fans asking such questions and generally refused to divulge any information about the various celebrities who resided in the building. Chapman had brought his revolver to New York but figured he would buy bullets once he arrived. He now learned only residents of the city could legally purchase bullets there. Chapman thus flew down to his former home in Georgia for the weekend, where his old buddy Dana Reeves- by now a sheriff’s deputy- could help him procure what he needed.    Chapman told Reeves he had been staying in New York, was concerned for his safety, and needed five hollow-nosed bullets, known for causing immense damage to their target. Now armed with gun and bullets, Chapman returned to New York; however, after all this time, Chapman’s resolve had diminished. He later claimed that he had a type of religious experience that convinced him what he was planning was wrong. He called his wife and told her, for the first time, what he had planned to do. Gloria Abe was frightened by Chapman’s confession. However, she did not call the police but simply implored her husband to return home to Hawaii. He did so on Nov. 12. Chapman’s change of heart did not last long. His strange behavior continued and on Dec. 5, 1980, he once again departed for New York. This time, he would not be back. Second Trip to New York Upon his second trip to New York, Chapman checked into a local YMCA, because it was cheaper than a regular hotel room. However, he was not comfortable there and checked into the Sheraton Hotel on December 7. He made daily trips to the Dakota building, where he befriended several other John Lennon fans, as well as the building’s doorman, Jose Perdomo, whom he would pepper with questions about Lennon’s whereabouts. At the Dakota, Chapman also befriended an amateur photographer from New Jersey named Paul Goresh, who was a regular at the building and well known to the Lennons. Goresh chatted with Chapman and would later comment how little Chapman seemed to know about John Lennon and the Beatles, considering he had claimed to be such an avid fan. Chapman would visit the Dakota regularly over the next two days, hoping each time to run into Lennon and commit his crime. Dec. 8, 1980 On the morning of Dec. 8, Chapman dressed warmly. Before leaving his room he carefully arranged some of his most treasured belongings on a table. Among these items was a copy of the New Testament in which he had written the name â€Å"Holden Caulfield† as well as the name â€Å"Lennon† after the words â€Å"Gospel According to John.†Ã‚   He arranged the items for maximum effect, expecting the police to come looking through his room after his arrest. After leaving the hotel, he bought a fresh copy of The Catcher in the Rye and wrote the words â€Å"This is my statement† on its title page. Chapman’s plan had been to say nothing to police after the shooting, but to simply hand them a copy of the book by way of explaining his actions. Carrying the book and a copy of Lennon’s latest album Double Fantasy, Chapman then made his way to the Dakota where he stood chatting with Paul Goresh. At one point, a Lennon associate, Helen Seaman, arrived with Lennon’s five-year-old son Sean in tow. Goresh introduced Chapman to them as a fan who had come all the way from Hawaii. Chapman seemed elated and gushed about how cute the boy was. John Lennon, meanwhile, was having a busy day inside the Dakota. After posing with Yoko Ono for famous photographer Annie Leibovitz, Lennon got a haircut and gave his last ever interview, which was to Dave Sholin, a DJ from San Francisco. By 5 p.m. Lennon realized he was running late and needed to get over to the recording studio. Sholin offered the Lennons a ride in his limo since their own car had not yet arrived. Upon exiting the Dakota, Lennon was met by Paul Goresh, who introduced him to Chapman. Chapman handed over his copy of Double Fantasy for Lennon to sign. The star took the album, scribbled his signature, and handed it back.   The moment was captured by Paul Goresh and the resulting photograph- one of the last ever taken of John Lennon- shows a profile of the Beatle as he signs Chapman’s album, with the killer’s shadowy, deadpan face looming in the background. With that, Lennon entered the limo and headed for the studio. It is unclear why Chapman did not take that opportunity to kill John Lennon. He later recalled he was waging an inner battle. However, his obsession with killing Lennon did not abate. Shooting John Lennon Despite Chapman’s inner misgivings, the urge to shoot the singer was too overwhelming.   Chapman remained at the Dakota well after Lennon and most of the fans had left, waiting for the Beatle to return.    The limo carrying Lennon and Yoko Ono arrived back at the Dakota around 10:50 p.m. Yoko exited the vehicle first, followed by John. Chapman greeted Ono with a simple â€Å"Hello† as she passed. As Lennon passed him, Chapman heard a voice inside his head urging him on: â€Å"Do it! Do it! Do it!† Chapman stepped into the carriageway of the Dakota, dropped to his knees, and fired two shots into John Lennon’s back. Lennon reeled. Chapman then pulled the trigger three more times. Two of those bullets landed in Lennon’s shoulder. The third went astray. Lennon managed to run into the Dakota’s lobby and clamber up the few steps leading to the building’s office, where he finally collapsed. Yoko Ono followed Lennon inside, screaming he’d been shot. The Dakota’s night man thought it was all a joke until he saw the blood pouring from Lennon’s mouth and chest. The night man promptly called 911 and covered Lennon with his uniform jacket. John Lennon Dies When the police arrived, they found Chapman sitting beneath the gate’s lantern calmly reading Catcher in the Rye. The killer made no attempt to escape and repeatedly apologized to the officers for the trouble he had caused. They promptly handcuffed Chapman and placed him in a nearby patrol car. The officers did not know the victim was the famous John Lennon. They simply determined his wounds were too serious to wait for an ambulance. They placed Lennon in the backseat of one of their patrol cars and drove him to the emergency room at Roosevelt Hospital. Lennon was still alive but barely able to respond to the officers’ questions. The hospital was made aware of Lennon’s arrival and had a trauma team at the ready. They worked diligently to save Lennon’s life, but to no avail. Two of the bullets had pierced his lungs, while a third had hit his shoulder and then ricocheted inside his chest where it had damaged the aorta and cut his windpipe. John Lennon died at 11:07 pm on the night of December 8, due to massive internal hemorrhaging. Aftermath The news of Lennon’s death broke during ABC’s televised Monday night football game when sportscaster Howard Cosell announced the tragedy in the middle of a play. Soon after, fans from all over the city arrived at the Dakota, where they held vigil for the slain singer. As the news spread around the world, the public was shocked. It seemed a brutal, bloody end to the ‘60s. Mark David Chapman’s trial was short, as he had pled guilty to second-degree murder, claiming God had told him to do so.  When asked at his sentencing if he wanted to make a final statement, Chapman stood up and read a passage from Catcher in the Rye. The judge sentenced him to 20-years-to-life and Chapman remains imprisoned to this day, having lost several appeals for his parole.

CASE STUDY Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 9

Case Study Example The employees of AIG believed that the company had an obligation to pay them their bonuses, while the public thought that the bonuses were unethical as the money had come from federal reserves. Companies should have well-detailed contracts with employees clearly showing when bonuses should be paid and cases when the company may fail to issue the bonuses, to prevent such scenarios in the future. External regulations ensure that firms and individuals act ethically towards the general public. They are very efficient as in the AIG case where a 90% tax was imposed on the bonuses thereby protecting the general public. The company had an obligation to pay the employees their bonuses while at the same time had an obligation to the public to use the bailout money prudently. To ensure that both requirements were met the company needed to pay the bonuses in installments depending on future profits that the company made. The company should have used the bailout out money first to get back to profit ways and later pay the bonuses to deserving employees. eBay pursued international growth through their three main components; products, sense of community and aggressive expansion. It had a broad range of product categories and trading platforms that offered a wide variety of pricing formats allowing it to compete directly with major competitors such as amazon.com and to penetrate new markets. eBay created trust between buyers and sellers and enlarged their market ventures through the creation of more localized sites. The greatest source of competitive advantage for eBay at the moment is its broad capital base. With an average net income of about $2 billion yearly, eBay has a large capital base that allows it to deal with competitors through acquisitions and strategic partnerships. Through acquisitions, eBay has attempted to acquire a stake in the

See attachment as well as attachment Coursework

See attachment as well as attachment - Coursework Example (Schaefer 2010) Mexican Americans have been living in American a since very long time and have adjusted and adapted themselves to the requirements of the culture and societal norms of the country. According to survey in 2006 it came into light that 14 percent of the registered immigrants in the United States belonged to Mexico. Mexican Americans are very diverse in their spoken language. Around 26 percent of Mexican Americans can converse in both English and Spanish. Due to the language differences with the mainstream, the Mexican Americans have been overlooked and disregarded in the political field similar to other Hispanic groups that have been ignored. However they have established voting rights and they can vote without any quandary. Moreover, as they form a large percentage of the population, their voting power is very essential for the leaders who approach them for their votes. As a result of their importance for forming an important voting force they have political strength. However, they st ill counter injustice and prejudices in terms of reforms for immigrants, education, etc. They practice Catholic religion. Their economic conditions however differ as compared to those of the born Americans. When compared to the Native Americans unemployment and poverty is higher among the immigrant population. (Schaefer 2010; Keedle 2010) Another prominent group of Hispanics in America are the Puerto Ricans. These Americans have been a vital part of American History and they have been more diverted towards English language. This group has still not been successful in accepting the American identity completely and is known to be undergoing the phenomenon of Neo Colonialism. Their economic status is not as healthy as the whites because they also fall victim to high unemployment rates. They do not have availability of stable jobs in