Jan 16 / Fundamentals: Why Dance? World View

 

Unit: Fundamentals

Theme: World View

I

 

Introduction

 

History is about the study of humans and their actions. As posed by Carter (2004), the study of history as an academic field or as part of a larger field such as cultural studies, should be engaged with in practice in studio, at the desk and in the field (p.2).  Methodological approaches should be so diverse that we stop seeing its boundaries. Dance in particular has a history that changes in accordance to the historian's world view. 

 

 

II

 

Learning Objectives

 

• Understand the importance of studying history
• Gain an awareness of the different ways we can study history
• Explain the relationship between history, archeology and anthropology
• Discuss the connection between history and world-view
• Experience embodied history by sharing a dance that has affected your world-view
  

 

III

 

Main Lesson

 

1 

BRAINSTORMING

Advertisement by Southern New Hampshire University 

 

LINK

Why study history?

https://www.youtube.com/embed/GmtMpQAIKjQ 

Question 1

So, why is it important to study history?

2

LINK

How do you study history?

https://youtu.be/rZG12cx3NAE

Question 2

Thus, based on this brief intro, which are some of the ways in which we can access the study of history?

Question 3

What is the relationship between history, archeology and anthropology?

 

3

LINK

Everyone has a world view.

https://www.youtube.com/embed/VXnSE0uvwzM

Question 4

How can history help us define our world view?

 

What's yours?

IV

A Note to Remember

 

History allows us to study the past to understand the present. Historical sources influence our understanding of historic events. History relies on collaboration with other fields such as archeology and anthropology. The study of history allows us to develop critical thinking, learn from our past mistakes and find inspiration in constant change and the possibility of improving ourselves and the society we live in. However, this may depend on our worldview and how we make sense of history, our own history.

 

V

Case Study

 

A Sacred Design

 

Jorge L. Morejon

I began to dance salsa (casino) when I was a child. My two cousins, who were 10 years older than me, taught me how to dance the main steps. They took me to their teenage parties where I got a lot of attention for being able to dance casino at such a young age.  Thus, I associated dance with music, having fun, getting positive attention and being around family and friends. 

 

As I have approached different stages of my life, salsa has always been a way for me to meet knew people and enjoy life. It has also being a way for me to understand that life is about relationships and that this relationships are sealed through what Hialeah's choreographer Rosy Herrera has described as a sacred design. When one dances with another person, one is in the making of such sacred design. 

 

This sacred design involves making eye contact and being aware of your own personal moves as you mirror your partner's moves. It requires a special connection with another human being as you attune yourself to their movements, follow the rhythm of the music and get in sync with each other. As one holds one's partner's hand and keeps the frame by placing the other hand on her back, the connection is such that one feels the two bodies become one.

 

I met Tahi Delgado more than 30 years ago. We have danced with each other since then. Although our lives have taken different paths at times, we always come back to our dance relationship. At one point, Tahi decided not to dance any more because she felt people invited us to their parties to see us dance, as a show, but for free. She felt we were being used. I painfully agreed. However, during her pregnancy, we danced again for the first time since we stopped dancing together. We realized that we should never stop dancing again no matter what.

 

I am 60 years old and Tahi is 55. We are both in great shape; we both have fulfilled lives and we both still enjoy dancing salsa. The last time we danced together was at the 2022 Christmas party hosted by La Rosa Realty, the company she works for as a realtor. I believe that our friendship has survived the test of time because we always find in dance a very special space. In that space, our bodies reconnect as our minds and souls find in the sacred design we create, a sense of eternity hard to find elsewhere. 

 

 

VI

 

Discussion Question

Think of a dance you associate with your upbringing (via family, culture, education or media). Share it with your group members

Explain how dance (or the lack thereof) has influenced your own world view.

VII

ACTIVITY 1

 Share the dance that has influenced your world view the most.

 

VIII

 Glossary

 

IX

Sources 

 

X

Students' Work 

 

 Guemara Marcelin

1. It is important to study history because it allows us to learn about past events that helped bridge society and worldly functions today. Through studying history we are able to gain critical thinking skills, make informed decisions, and learn about different cultures.

2. ways to access the study of History: 

- Historical sources 
- Material sources : oral, written, Artistic, or Graphic
- Primary or Secondary Sources

3. Archeology bridges the gap between history and anthropology by providing tangible evidence of past cultures when written records are unavailable.

4. History helps define our world view because history gives us the tools to analyze and explain problems in the past, therefore we are able to understand how current social structures, political systems, and cultural norms came to be.

 

 

Deeya Roundtree

I've been dancing since I was 7. I did a recreational tap/ballet class. The year after I joined a competitive team and I competed with many studios and did many community performances until the end of my sophomore year of high-school. Junior and senior year I joined my high-schools dance team, but COVID made dancing a bit difficult. We had to learn our dances and take classes through zoom at home. It greatly limited our ability to learn and practice technique. I still dance currently Freshman year of college I was a Miami Mermaids finalist. It was the Marlins dancers before they switched owners and got rid of the dance aspect. I joined Dance clubs on campus and continued to teach and take classes both inside and outside of school. I've recently gone more into the commercial/professional world and have been offered and booked for a few gigs. My first gig was Haitian Kompas Festival in 2024. I've always had an interest in many forms of dance. I love how dancing and performing makes me feel overall. It can be frustrating at times but the results always end up being worthwhile. 

The dance that has influenced my world view the most is Better have my Money by the Royal Family dance crew. Its something we use to watch on our rehearsal breaks over and over again. It opened my eyes to the fact that concert dance is not the only type of dance available to me and gave me more hope for a future career in dance. Learning this and dance as a whole has helped me become more open minded and accepting of change and I constantly learn more about different cultures through dance every class I take.

 

 

Alex Edler

I personally have no history with any organized dance, but most of the dance that I know has been from a family setting. I can remember being young at family reunions and seeing my older family members do dances from back in their day. The most memorable dance was the cupid shuffle which is still popular today. I can also recall learning how to square dance when I was younger because we had a dancing unit in P.E. I remember sometimes feeling embarrassed because I did not think that dancing was for me. Lastly, I heard a lot about dance from my mother who was a dancer all the way from when she was a little girl through college. She started off with ballet and then in high school she was on her school's dance team. In college she continued to dance and eventually stopped because of injuries.

My world view of dance has been influenced by family events, so dance makes me think of family and coming together. It also makes me think of having fun and celebrating.