Collective Identity and Dance in Modern Urban Society

Introduction

Dance is much deeper than movement; it is a way to bond and communicate, particularly during tough times. It would be difficult to tell the whole history of something as complicated and diverse as identity and dance in a modern urban society. This essay will explore the relationship between dance, musical taste, and visual style and how that forms collective expression. This essay will also explore some of the dance and cultural movements and how the concept of lifestyle provides a useful basis for understanding how individual identities are constructed and lived out. Finally, this essay will examine some of the problems identified with the concept of subculture.

Rock and Roll and the Youth Revolution

Rock and Roll is a genre of music that evolved and flourished in the United States, being a combination of rhythm and blues and dance styles like rockabilly, four Step, and Swing Jive. During the 1950s, a revolution occurred in youth culture. Being a teen during this time had transformed considerably from previous generations. The rock and roll era may have exploded in the United States, but for most Brits, going out was largely unchanged from how it was for their parents. Rock and roll music and dance in the fifties and sixties were deeply embedded in popular youth culture, including hairstyles, clothing, language, and different morals. As reported in the Scooterist (2012), during this era back in Britain, the teddy boy culture paved the way for making male fashion socially acceptable, as male interest in fashion in Britain was mostly associated with the homosexual underground subculture's flamboyant dressing style.

The Hippy Movement and Cultural Exchange

Prior to the hippy movement, there was the dance move ‘the twist,’ a large movement of the 1960s conservative backlash, generated primarily by young adults against their parents’ generation. The youth of the 1960s wanted change. They were aspiring, ambitious, and original, and became the new heroes and heroines who helped disseminate a new wave and market of music, clothing, and furniture. They rebelled and attacked not only traditional entertainment and lifestyles, but also the principles and traditions that previous generations had embraced, such as authority, good work ethic, religion, and no sex before marriage.

The hippy movement developed in the 1960s and originated at university campuses across the United States, becoming a cultural exchange across Canada and Britain. The movement started in protest to the Vietnam War (1955-75). The movement felt removed from middle-class society and conventional values. Their style included unconventional fashion with flowery shirts and long hair. Their music choice included folk and rock, which expressed their desire for peace and harmony.

The Mod Subculture and Fashion Innovation

The Women's liberation movement and the sexual revolution were also major developments of this decade. Additionally, the mod subculture thrived and peaked in Britain, with a style that was sharp, classy, and edgy, often wearing tailor-made suits. Their music choice included reggae, soul, Jamaican ska, British beat music, and rhythm and blues, and they had a passion for Italian motor scooters. An article on Flickr (2003) suggests that youth subcultures helped pave the way for mod fashion by breaking new ground; the beatniks, with their bohemian image of berets and black turtlenecks, and the teddy boys, from which mod fashion inherited its fashion tendencies and the immaculate and stylish dandy look.

Cultural Interchange Between the United States and Britain

During the 1960s, a cultural interchange between the United States and Britain began. This included the northern soul scene, which also exploded in the northern parts of England, particularly at nights at the Wigan Casino. Energetic and enthused James Brown-style dancers would showcase their drops and spins wearing baggy flares and leather-soled shoes to help them glide along the wooden dance floor. Meanwhile, in New York, the search for music became more intense as disc jockeys strived to discover new records with groovy break beats, which they would loop by playing on two turntable record players. The dance floor had now become a discotheque, and going out began to look less restricted and wilder. An explosion of subcultures materialized in New York clubs like Studio 54, and the stylish underground vogue scene. Young men from various backgrounds, with flamboyant fashion and shaved heads and top knots, exposing bare chests, executed a style inspired by the ancient Egyptians and the famous model poses of couture fashion magazine Vogue.

The Emergence of Hip Hop Culture

The music movement of hip hop can be tracked right back to a post-industrial New York in the 1970s. The dance style involved various moves such as breaking, popping, and locking. Disc jockeys would loop drum beats and breaks using a mixer to switch between the two and often speak over a beat, known within the music genre as toasting. In the 1980s, the style of fashion introduced baggy clothing shapes that disguised the contours of the body with sportswear. The style played an important role, and followers would have various hairstyles such as shaved, plaited, or dreadlocked, which served the scene as a badge of belonging to this movement. The movement was generally misunderstood by the establishment, which wished to censor and control the expression of the movement, including the musical lyrics, and supervised the conduct and morals of young people. During the mid-1980s and early 1990s, hip-hop fashion gathered even more momentum and importance as hip-hop music exploded globally and became center stage around the world. As a consequence, the B-boys and girls were no longer just black and working-class; an explosion of subcultures emerged, like rap and gangster. Hip hop culture had become mainstream, delivering to a new and wider audience.

Conclusion

In conclusion, dance and music have played a significant role in shaping modern urban identities, influencing not only personal expression but also broader cultural movements. As society continues to evolve, the interplay between dance, music, and identity will likely remain a powerful force in both individual and collective expression.

References:

• Scooterist. (2012). Teddy boy culture and fashion. Retrieved from [URL]
• Flickr. (2003). Influence of youth subcultures on mod fashion. Retrieved from [URL]