Assignment: Essay Assignments for D251: Dance and World Cultures
The following are the six essay assignments that will be due throughout the term at the conclusion of each unit. This should be two pages in length typed, double-spaced.
Shorter essays will only be given partial credit. Be sure that you include the Essay# and Title. Although this is not a writing class, I expect an organized essay with an introduction, body and conclusion, and properly structured sentences that clearly express your ideas. I am looking for real reflection and critical thinking so a few of sentences in large font with lots of space between paragraphs is not sufficient. No late work will be accepted.
Essay 1 - Dance Origins: Sacred and Secular Dance
Answer the following questions in your essay.
- When comparing the different views of the body in the Christian, Hindu and Yoruba communities, how do you see the reflection of these views on the sacred dances of these cultures?
- Do you think that the acceptance of the body and physical freedom inside worship can bring the devotee closer to its deity, or do you think this could be a distraction? Explain.
Essay 2- Folk Dance
Answer the following questions in your essay.
-How does music and dance help people stay in touch with their cultural origins? What are some examples in your own life and culture where dance and music has helped you stay in touch with your cultural origins?
-How can dance provide a common ground for cultural and racial groups? Have you had a personal experience with this in your own life?
-If you were to describe the Ballet Folklorico to someone who had never seen it, what are some ways you would describe the music, the costumes, the choreography, the history, etc, that might help them to understand the form.
Essay 3- Social Dance
Answer the following questions in your essay.
-In which society featured in the program did you see the greatest changes in social dancing from the past to the present? What were some of these changes? How do those changes reflect the changes that have occurred throughout that particular society?
-In what ways does social dancing provide an outlet for individual expression and a means of creating a sense of community?
-What purpose do you feel social dancing serves in American society? How does this purpose compare to what you observed in Morocco and Polynesia.
Essay 4- Classical Dance
Answer the following questions in your essay.
-What value does classical dance have in the modern world? What are the benefits of maintaining classical dance in various cultures?
- How would you compare ballet and Kabuki in terms of movement, roles and dramatic performance?
-How are Kabuki and ballet expressions of the specific cultures from which they came?
Essay 5- Jazz Dance
Answer the following questions in your essay.
- How would you explain jazz dance to someone who was unfamiliar with the form. Be sure to include details about history, music, culture, movement style, important jazz dance pioneers.
-Compare jazz dance to ballet dance. How is it historically different? How is it stylistically different? How is it philosophically different?
Essay 6- Modern Dance
Answer the following questions in your essay.
-How has the development of modern dance revolutionized dance performance in general?
-Isadora Duncan, Ruth St. Dennis, Martha Graham, Katherine Dunham, Merce Cunningham all had their own vision of what dance should be. To which vision of dance do you best relate to and why?
-For dance to evolve as an art form, do you think that tradition should be rejected completely or used as a basis for new technique? Why?