(Music)
Hi, I'm Amy Henderson and I'd like to give you a sneak preview
of a terrific exhibition we're opening at the National Portrait Gallery this October.
A hundred years ago, dance helped spark the birth of modernism.
In Paris, the first night audience attending "The Rite of Spring"
erupted in fury that the outrage of the new confronting them.
Stravinsky's music was upsetting,
the (inaudible) dancers were thumping around on stage.
Where were the tutus of tradition?
In America, dance was part of the same burst of modernism
but here, everything was new, opportunity was everywhere
Our exciting new exhibition
"Dancing the Dream" will describe how dance has defined the National experience,
how dance is really American culture in motion.
Drawing on the National Portrait Gallery's remarkable collections,
Dancing the Dream will spotlight singular sensations
in American dance, iconic figures with signature styles
who leap into the (inaudible) and strike us with wonder.
American dance has always embodied the pulse of the new.
In the early 20th century, Florenz Ziegfeld and Anna Held
brought chorus lines to Broadway in the Ziegfeld Follies.
Women were still wearing dresses down to their ankles
when Loie Fuller performed barefoot, waving giant scarves.
Isadora Duncan did too, and both created sensations not only
in New York, but around the world. Hollywood projected larger-than-life
images of dancers sweeping across the silver screen
Fred and Ginger helped America forget the depression
with her top hat and sequined elegance.
Shirley Temple sang her way into the nation's heart with her sweet innocence.
The distinctive look of American dance was created
not only by figures who moved across stage and screen,
but by visionary choreographers who created these moves.
Ted Shawn was a pioneer modern dance choreographer along with Martha Graham and Agnes de Mille.
A tradition continued by such contemporary
choreographers as Alvin Ailey whose famous work
"Revelations" was created for Judith Jamison.
Ballet was also shaped by the American experience.
During the Cold War, America became a political asylum
for such renowned performers as Mikhail Baryshnikov and Natalia Makarova.
They not only (inaudible) into America's
exuberant potential but sparked a surging popularity for ballet in America.
Today, the most popular performer on the planet is Beyoncé.
Dance has become a defining element of performance
and all major stars inject their music videos and stage shows with a dazzling array
of modern dance, aerobics, jazz, tap, hip-hop and funk.
Just like a hundred years ago,
America is still a land of opportunity. Every day, we still search for
the new and it's still about dancing the dream.
Shall we dance?
(Music)