Timothy Mereus

Ms. Kathleen Routh

MT Dance

Ragtime: The MusicalThe era of ragtime was a revolutionary point in American history. Considering

contemporary events of the age (i.e. Industrial Revolution, soon the building of the Titanic and

WWI, etc.), the years of ragtime culture, so to speak, were pivotal in the course of all of human

history. It must be recalled from more personal experiences that change seldom comes easily,

without its challenges - such can be said about this culture shift, as a whole. These years came a

generation after the freeing of African-American slaves, following the American Civil War. This

means that a new people were to be recognized as a legitimate contribution to American

culture: and the affect this newly unrequited generation would have would be colossal. This is,

on a relatively broad spectrum, the setting of Ragtime: The Musical, my favorite musical theatre

show.

The African-American sub-culture was spreading across the nation, especially, due to

poverty, in the lower-class venues of cities and towns, such as bars, saloons, or various theatre

halls. With their inherent roots, these musicians mixed Western harmonic tonality and

discipline with the syncopated polyrhythms of sub-Saharan Africa to form this previously

unheard sound: Ragtime. Through the ages, dance and music evolve, stylistically, parallel to one

another. The neo-African rhythms required a more energetic nature, and generally, a quicker

paced chorographical style. This new feeling of excitement, and even hope, expressed through

the sways and strains of the dancing and music of Ragtime: The Musical, illustrates the idealistic

dream of equality – Liberty and Justice for all, white or black – which is, in large part, the central

storyboard theme of this show.

Graciela Daniele brought life to the characters and the streets that they walked on with

her outstanding choreography. She was nominated for her work in Ragtime for the 1998 Tony

Award for Best Choreography. She studied with Martha Graham and Merce Cunningham while

working with such great artists such as Bob Fosse, Agnes de Mille, and Michael Bennett.

In an ever-changing world (and we become quite numb to this thing called change,

nowadays), it is exponentially more and more important to not forget to pause and look back

on a time, not so long ago. This was the time that much of what we know and take for granted

these days was being fought and worked for, much of which by people whose names we shall

never know. These were the heroes of ragtime culture - the spinners of player pianos, the

weepers of sorrowful songs, and the conquerors of unknown territory: a life of endless

opportunity – the pioneers of this ever-important age.