Humanities Homework Help

Choose one video. In 250 words, respond to the following prompts.

1) Identify which video you watched. Briefly describe the dancers’ movement and the dance in the video. Be very specific about the things that you observe. Think about what the dancers are wearing and where they are dancing. Do they take up a lot of room, or do they stay in one place? Do the dancers face each other in a circle or face the audience in a line? Who are they dancing for? What kind of musical or rhythmic accompaniment do they have? Use the characteristics of movement description in “Movement Observation Guidelines” attached to this assignment description.

2) Then, write about how you think this dance conveys messages about what it means to belong to this nation or culture. From your descriptions think about what rules exist in this dance. What messages are in those rules about what it means to be a part of this national or community culture? How does the dance relate to a way of being?

For example, as a child I grew up in a small city in Texas. National holiday celebrations like the Fourth of July were celebrated with parades and marching bands that went through downtown. The “rules” of the marching band’s “dance” were to stand in line, stand up straight, walk on the beat, follow the conductor, and move in unison. If I begin to unpack this dance even further and think more critically about parades and marching bands in this context, the notions of patriotism and the government come up. Evaluating these movement rules, I can begin to uncover how those rules tell me how to exist within the structure of the dance as well as in my community: join the group, assimilate, follow one leader, serve my country, no speaking out, no dissent, etc. When I analyze this dance, I can then outline the rules, the meanings, and messages that are being communicated. I can also begin to see how this dance is a powerful embodiment of both government and small-town culture. I can point out the rules of the dance, and the meanings and messages these rules convey to my community and me.