Dance Commons^™

Local Traditions, Global Influences, National Belonging: Conditional Acceptance Of Cross-Gender Dance In Central Java, Indonesia, Calla Rhodes

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Indonesia has a long and rich history of cross-gender performance in which males embody femininity onstage. Until recently, these diverse, locally-specific traditions were a widely accepted cultural practice. However, modern negative associations with the LGBTQ+ community and, by extension, the West, threaten the survival of traditional Indonesian cross-gender dance. By investigating feminine male gender performance in Java, I will uncover how Indonesians draw from localized cultural traditions, as well as globalized practices like Western-style drag, to destabilize restrictive national constructions of gender. I posit that traditional cross-gender dance serves as a culturally- sanctioned outlet for male expressions of femininity that …

Critical Embodied Praxis For Social Justice And Peace Educators: A Story Of Personal Transformation Through Analysis Of My Jewish And Settler Identities, Cara Michelle Silverberg

Capstone Collection

In this paper, I examine definitions of and relationships between violence, oppression, peace, liberation, and embodiment in the context of critical pedagogy in order to construct a theory of critical embodied praxis for social justice and peace educators. Considering the body to be a tangible vessel through which narratives and mechanisms of violence are expressed and maintained, I explore the potential of the body to be a vessel through which liberatory narratives may be generated and shared. After constructing a theory of critical embodied praxis, I illustrate this framework in action through a personal narrative that explores the intersections …

A Danza De Las Tijeras Continuidad Dinámica Y Reivindicación De La Identidad Indígena Andina / Dance Of The Scissors Dynamic Continuity And Reclamation Of Andean Indigenous Identity, Cinthia Durán

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This research project aims to analyze the contemporary ways in which the Dance of Scissors is practiced and reproduced to determine if its continuity outside the place of origin, with all the modifications that it has experienced, can be considered a form of cultural resistance. Resistance in this context is addressed in two specific ways: as a dynamic continuity of Andean indigenous identity and as a tool of cultural vindication. To achieve this goal, during the work period the research methodology consisted of interviewing dancers and scissors musicians; be a participant as observer of skills and essays of Tijeras dancers …

Panji's Present Predicament: The Artistic Prominence And Tension Of The Malat In Painting And Contemporary Balinese Performance, Emily Austin

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

The Malat is a Balinese oral tradition and text composed of numerous episodic stories based on Javanese and Balinese courtly life of the pre-Dutch intervention era, when kings and princes dominated the political sphere and the court system governed aspects of social life. Many art forms blossomed out of this epic, notably in painting and in performance, known as gambuh. Through an exploration of the Balinese epic, the Malat, as a Balinese text, history, fine art, and performance, this study analyzes the modern cultural importance of this ancient pre-Indonesian courtly epic. Gambuh is an ancient dance-drama that serves as the …

Jóvenes En Movimiento: Los Papeles De La Danza Folklórica Y Contemporánea En Las Vidas De Los Jóvenes Cochabambinos, Maya Salas

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Este proyecto es una comparación y contraste de los papeles y las influencias de la danza folklórica y la danza contemporánea en las vidas de los jóvenes cochabambinos. Durante este proyecto, yo trabajé muy de cerca con el Instituto Laredo—un colegio fiscal en Cochabamba que quiere integrar las enseñanzas de las artes en la educación de los jóvenes. Mi pregunta de investigación es, ¿Cuáles son las diferencias en los valores que se transmiten y se aprenden con la danza folklórica y contemporánea y cómo estos valores impactan el crecimiento y el desarrollo de los jóvenes? Para este proyecto, yo entrevisté …

Modern Practices Of Traditional Dance In Cameroon: The Influences Of Colonization And Globalization, Khalilah Lushiku

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

The study was originally one of the changing practices of traditional dance in Cameroon, and the causes behind the shift from purposeful dances with relevance to everyday life, to dances primarily meant for entertainment and exposition. What emerged was the somewhat ironic realization that the current manifestations of traditional dance cannot be separated from a discussion of modernity and Cameroon’s socio-cultural development.

The changing practices of traditional dance in Cameroon compose a smaller piece of the larger puzzle of the ways in which Cameroonian culture is forced to adapt itself to the external influences of the times, while still attempting …

A Dynamic Blend: The Study Of Traditional Ghanaian Dance In Connection With American Hip-Hop And Tap, Hanna Stubblefield-Tave

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

• Objective: The goal of this study is to explore the composition of dance that blends traditional Ghanaian dance with movements from American hip-hop and tap. In order to achieve this goal, the objectives were:

i. To study traditional dances from West Africa, especially Ghana, including the movements, histories, and meanings

ii. To learn about the process of choreographing traditional dances for the stage, particularly as dances from other cultures are blended in

iii. To investigate the risks and rewards of the cultural exchange and transformation that occur when traditional dance is mixed with other forms

• Methodology: Research involved learning several …

The Complicated ‘Colours’ Of Rhythm: A Study Of Capetonian’S Battle For Identity Through The Hip Hop Movement In Post-Apartheid South Africa, Joseph Thomas Dover

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This project delves into the Cape Town Hip Hop scene in an attempt to uncover how it is an inclusive and empowering space that allows individuals to deconstruct and reconstruct individual and group identities in order to subvert colonial narratives. In order to uncover the power of Hip Hop this project uses 3 interviews with individuals intimately connected to the Hip Hop scene and reviews an abundance of literature surrounding the topic. The history of ‘coloured’ as a racial classification is analysed alongside with other research and is placed within the context of contemporary Capetonian Hip Hop in order to …

Cameras And Incense: Negotiating Religious Dance On Tourist Bali, Emma Brandt

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

The small island of Bali has become famous throughout the world as a center of arts and culture. Tourists visit the island in droves each year to collect traditional paintings, carvings, and fabrics, and to watch performances of dances, gamelan, and puppet shows, all of these based in a Shivaite Hindu tradition that has absorbed elements of Buddhism and Islam, as well as bits and pieces from the religions of China and other erstwhile visitors to the island. Bali, a strongly Hindu island in one of the world’s largest Muslim countries, has achieved a worldwide fame perhaps greater than the …

The Barzakh Of Flamenco: Tracing The Spirituality, Locality And Musicality Of Flamenco From South Of The Strait Of Gibraltar, Tania Flores

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Flamenco performance – which scholars often describe in terms of the three dimensions of cante, or singing, baile, or dance, and toque, or instrumentation – is a complex synthesis of cultural influences across several centuries. In discussing the evolution of flamenco, scholars typically begin with the history of the gitanos, the subgroup of the Romani or Gypsy people that settled in Spain. Drawing upon a large body of ethnographic, historic and scientific evidence, scholars agree that the gitanos originated in the northwestern regions of contemporary India and

Pakistan – specifically, Rajasthan and the Punjab region (Iovita 275; …

Flamenco Y Género: ¿Amigos O Enemigos? = Gender In Flamenco: Friends Or Enemies?, Maya Hislop

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

For the past few months I have attended classes of flamenco dance at a gymnasium near the Alcampo. The class is one hour long, every Tuesday and Thursday night and the name of the dance teacher is Isabel Madrid. The class usually consists of nine female students, although the number changes every now and then. The majority of the female students are older than age 40 except for myself and another exchange student from Quebec, Canada. The class serves as an excellent introduction to flamenco dance because the professor teaches three relatively easy dances every class: 1) paso doble 2) …

Shake It: A Study Of Traditional Dance And Drumming In Tanzania With The African Traditional Dance Group, Megan Browning

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This study was conducted from April 11th 2009 to May 1st 2009 about Tanzanian traditional dance and drumming focusing specifically on the African Traditional Dance Group, ATDG, a well-established group in Arusha, Tanzania. The study aimed to gain perspectives on the role of traditional dance and drumming in Tanzania and how it is changing today in the face of westernization and globalization, and additionally to learn more about the personal histories of the artists in ATDG. Methods included participant observation, in the form of dance and drumming lessons and participation in group rehearsals, a semi-structured key informant interview, and semi-structured …

Art, Ritual, And Representation: An Exploration Of The Roles Of Tsam Dance In Contemporary Mongolian Culture, Mikaela Mroczynski

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Tsam, the sacred and complex Buddhist ritual dance, although only introduced to Mongolia in the 19th century, established itself as a significant ceremony before being halted by the purges and destruction the communist era. The 18 years of religious freedom that democracy has heralded have resulted in tsam’s successful reestablishment as a religious ritual in a growing number of monasteries across the country. Tsam has also taken its place as an icon of Mongolian culture for foreigners, a cornerstone of many performance groups’ representation of Mongolian cultural heritage. As based on interviews with performers, administrators, designers, and audiences of performance …

Roma In Vojvodina: Expressions Of Cultural Identity Through Performance, Jane Kaufman

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This paper begins to cover some of the ways Roma cultural identity is expressed through performance in Vojvodina. The way Roma music and dance is seen in Vojvodina is highly influenced by the “circus” image and very little scholarly writing on Roma folklore exists to challenge this image. Roma musicians in rap/hip-hop groups incorporate elements of Roma traditional music and Roma language into rap/hip-hop to confront this stereotype and in performance these influences can interact, challenging stereotypes and revealing current values and traditions.

Beyond The Classroom: The Implementation Of Creative Movement And Music In Schools For The Disabled, Rachel Katz

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Creative movement and music are an invaluable means of creativity and expression. These art forms captivate children and nurture their growth, letting them experiment with body and sound. For students with special needs, the implementation of programs centered around creative movement, music, and dance are extremely beneficial. This study examines the effects of implementing a program based around creative movement and music in a school for the disabled in Samoa. This project is based around the observations and analysis of these activities and looks at the effects of such activities, improvements of the students, and the reactions of teachers and …

Visiting The Past, Reclaiming The Present: The Africanisms Of Capoeira Angola, Juan Esteban Sosa

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

A key puzzle for contemporary scholars is how capoeira originated but more importantly the way in which it has been transformed. Along these lines, this study focuses on what is most commonly referred to as the mother or the traditional form of capoeira, that is capoeira angola. This research will examine the africanisms of Capoeira Angola and the way in which they have been maintained throughout centuries of its existence. Accordingly, this study places great emphasis on reclaiming the roots and traditions of this art form that has been appropriated and incorporated into Brazilian commercial and mainstream culture. I conducted …