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Dance and American Culture

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Ian Gavan / Contributor/Getty Images
The Fulcrum
By The FulcrumSep 20, 2021
The Fulcrum
The Fulcrum staff.
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The medium of dance has a long history of speaking to American culture. In 1927 Isadora Duncan choreographed "I Hear America Singing" (a poem by Walt Whitman), her vision for dance as a powerful tool for cultural expression.

During the 1930s and 1940s many choreographers and members of the New Dance Group asserted their voices against the rise of fascism, homelessness, hunger, unemployment and racism, among other themes.

And today dance still reflects the diverse spectrum of American culture.

This excerpt from "Ounce of Faith" by Darrell Grand Moultrie features Khalia Campbell of the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater.

These lyrics are beautiful on their own, but when combined with the grace and beauty of dance there is a special impact.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TqfBIdHJnho

Enjoy, and please offer your thoughts as to how dance impacts our society and culture today by email at pop-culture@fulcrum.us.

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