Soul Train Dancers - Journal Entry 29 Xiongyue Yu

Original Soul Train Dancers Reminisce On What It Took To Dance On Soul Train - Soul Train

 

Soul Train is an American music variety television show that features R&B, soul and hip-hop music, inviting dancers from all walks of life to participate in the show, and thus developing many of its own unique dance forms and styles. Because it has persisted through various changes and restructuring, it has become one of the long-lived TV shows in American history, accompanying the growing years of black Americans in the eighties. As the years passed, Soul Train gradually became an independent tradition. What now seems like an entertainment-oriented television show was a radical move at the time. Because the cultural perspective of African-American music, dance and fashion clothing was never before seen on television as a popular show, it was inevitably susceptible to a lot of opposition. But in this show, many talented black dance artists were able to showcase their talents and they supported Soul Train with great work as a show that showed the world the many faces and elements of African-Americans and their unique experiences in American society.

 

This short film is an interview-based film that takes us from the Motown era to the birth of hip-hop, allowing the dancers who have participated in Soul Train to reflect on their time on the show and how their experiences have changed black culture. They caused a zeitgeist by showing the black community to love and appreciate one another. And these dancers all seem to have fulfilling lives today, especially when they appear on the dance floor, where joy and passion are the reasons they touch the hearts of many people around the world to this day. 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Xiongyue Yu Journal Entry 6 - Amazing Grace

The film is more like an Aretha Franklin concert than a documentary. Although the picture is not very clear because of the age of the film, and many songs are treated differently from the original 1972 album because of the preservation of the audio, this does not affect the moving and uplifting effect it brings to the viewer, because it is still a legendary film about the greatest female singer, the goddess of people's hearts, and meets every gospel lover across time.    The film needs no introduction to open with music, and the first to appear was  Wholy  Holy , a pop-oriented gospel song, including a mix of pop music that Aretha brought into the concert, which was criticized by the music critics of the time, but none of the audience in attendance objected. Because her devotion transcended religious beliefs, her absolute passion, power, creativity and beauty was felt by religious and non-believers alike. Her art also transcended race and language, so that all who li...
Read more

Sun Ra - Xiongyue Yu Journal Entry 14

Sun Ra - Brother from Another Planet - A Joyful Noise The two documentaries, by their names, seem to introduce two different aspects of Sun Ra's musical charm and style, and of course, his own spiritual thoughts and artistic pursuits. The name Brother from Another Planet seems to sum up the life of Sun Ra, the avant-garde jazz musician who chose his stage name from the ancient Egyptian god of the sun and transformed the power of his music into a sun-like energy that shines on the world. In people's minds, Sun Ra is like an outsider from far away, looking down on the earth and creating his own artistic record of the world and life as he sees it. What Sun Ra seems to bring to the table is not just music, but an idea, a deeper insight that comes from beyond humanity and reality. Some would call this style of his art cosmopolitanism, as Sun Ra himself says: music that one does not have in harmony with the spirit there, and therefore out of step with the universe." It is a...
Read more

Xiongyue Yu Journal Entry 8 - What Happened Miss Simone

As Simone's lyrics say, "Everyone should be free", this is a story about music, but also a story about freedom. Many people believe that Nina Simone is the prototype of the female jazz musician in the  Soul,  and her life has more legend and charm compared to that unique temperament.   Simone has spent her life pursuing her musical vision and finding freedom in that vision. She once replied that freedom is like love, there is no way to talk about it with others until you experience it, but when it comes, you will feel it. It was on stage that Simone experienced such freedom. She enjoyed the stage, achieved success, and paid the price for this greatness.    Simone grew up with a strong purposeful piano education as she moved forward with her dream of becoming the first black classical pianist. During her studies, she learned that the influence of music is extremely strong, so she later chose to use her singing voice to give voice to her people and lead their thou...
Read more