Dance Test Study Guide 1

Where did Elvis Presley learn how to move?

...Black neighbors in Mississippi

Name three important couples of the early 1900s:

...Ginger Rogers, Fred Astaire/ Vernon, Irene Castle/ Kathryn, Arthur Murrary

Kathakali is the most demanding form of Indian dance. Students study a physically and mentally demanding cirriculum at the academy at Karala for a minimum of ____ years. The costuming and makeup creates an otherworldly atmosphere; the performances sometimes take ________ hours to perform.

7 years study, 8-12 hours

What is meant by an aesthetic experience? What might influence one's aesthetic opinion? How does one develop his/her personal aesthetic?

A deep connection, satisfaction, deep emotion, always says something about the culture it is from and what is happening right now; what we like and don't like, understanding of a culture, family; little by little you can understand more and grow in experience

What culture allows for more self-expression than this?

African

What do dance anthropologists explore?

All dance is charged with power. Dance anthropologists explore idioms and sources of the power of dance by viewing it in social & cultural contexts. Meanings & values of importance to a group of people who share a world view or cultural heritage are encoded in the form, technique and structure of every dance. "The entity of dance is not separable from the...concept of culture." Every dance is ethnic.

What does the Scottish Sword Dance emphasize?

Balance and fast footwork

Chinese weapons dances gradually evolved into ______________ __________.

Chinese opera

The nomadic Wodaabe women, whose marriages have been arranged by their families, have a chance to leave an unhappy "given wife" marriage in what way?

Choosing a new husband from a dance line- eligible young men from village

The purpose and style of a dance are determined by whom?

Choreographer and performer

What are considered to be the oldest dance formations, still used today?

Circles, processions

Some cultures value cooperation over competitiveness. How is this reflected in dance?

Cooperation in European dance forms; African cultures is focused on competition

____________ dancing is thought to have first arisen in Provence and does not exist in many cultures.

Couples

The impulse to move is the raw material that cultures shape into evocative sequences of physical activity that we call______________.

Dance

Eastern orthodox view is different from Catholic- why?

Eastern Orthodox can include dances in ceremonies, Roman Catholics did now; except for labryinths and dances outside in the street

Although the earliest Christians included dancing in their worship, (Jesus was a Jew), by the mid-fifteenth century, there were obvious differences of opinions. How did the Eastern Orthodox view differ from the Roman view?

Eastern orthodox is more liberal- differences in divorce views, etc.

How do the dances of Polynesia differ from the dances of Morocco?

Expressing self physically though body is great but Moroccan cultures remove women from greater society while Polynesia is more communal

What were the major ceremonial dances of the Incas about?

Fertility

What dance arose among the Plains Indian tribes after the U.S. government banned all danced ceremonies? Who did this dance bring together?

Ghost Dance; this brought together enemy tribes

The attitude of the Jewish world view has always been one of ambivalence. This ambivalence, passed along to the early Christians who were also influenced by _____________ & _______________ philosophy, spurred Western civilization's place for dance from sacred (temple & church) to secular venues (theater and social dancing).

Greek and Roman

What were the Polynesians actually saying through the movement of their dance?

I'm young, strong and happy with myself.

What are four types of dances used for religious purposes?

Imitative, Medicine, Commemorative, Spiritual

For what and for whom do the Hopi perform the Snake Dance?

In order to petition for rain

Where is it thought the gitano originated and through where did they migrate?**

India (Northern)

What is the main problem with defining dance strictly in Western terms?

Judgemental of other people's cultures

Bharata natyam, in its contemporary form, is a solo dance (descended from devotional dances of tenth century temple dancers) for a female dancer. _____________________ is a dance/drama depicting tales from Hindu mythology by a troupe of highly trained male performers.

Katahkali

Four types of world-wide social dances are:

Latin dances, ballroom dances, swing dances, country western dances

Who are the Pullavas? What is their role in the serpent ritual in southwestern India?

Low caste people in Indian culture, ritual garbage collectors- take distress into own bodies to take it away

To what does the contrast between dance movements of the women and the men attest?

Men are more rigid, jerky and strong, asserting dominance while women are more lucid and passive, move from hips

What were the origins of today's African-American step dances?

Motivational war dances

George Balanchine, the greatest (Western) choreographer of the 20th Century, said about movement:

Movement must be self-explanatory. If it isn't, it has failed.

What are three other definitions of dance?

Movement of feet and body to music. To attune our inmost feelings to the mood of the time. Dance is entertainment, feeling the movement and beat.

A commandment (mitzvah) of Jewish life is that Jews must dance at weddings.

On card

Dance is universal, but so intensely personal that to question or belittle other people's dances is to challenge their right to be themselves. Dance is so much a part of being human that it often is used as a metaphor for life, itself.

On card

For the Austrailian aboriginal culture, their government, history, mythology, dreamtime, societal mores - in fact, all of their life's journey - are inseparable from dance.

On card

Influenced by Yoruban tradition, Nigerian Christians invite the Holy Spirit to possess them.

On card

Sacred Hindu tradition relates how the world was created through Shiva's cosmic dance. Vishnu's incarnations of Krishna and Rama have inspired epics that have been celebrated through the centuries with dance dramas. In India, where the gods dance, dance is considered an offering to the deities.

On card

The dance stresses two complementary styles of movement : virtuosity (abstract,rhythmically difficult, improvised sequences) and expressivity (poetry through mime). Musicians and dancer explore endless rhythmic possibilities during the abstract sections;during the expressive sections, a singer chants a poetic verse on which the dancer elaborates with mime.

On card

How does a successful dance performance transform an audience? Are a stage, costumes, makeup or music required for this to happen?

Passive observers to active participants, not required by do enhance performance.

To what two realities does every dance affirm?

Physical and spiritual

What took Europe by a storm in the 1830s and why were they considered risque?

Polkas and waltzes

What were some of the functions of dance in primitive societies?

Pray for favor, connect with ancestors, heal sick, commemorate victory, preserve history, tell how you're supposed to behave, describe seasonal events, tell stories

How do we know what dance might have been like in pre-historic times?

Pre-historic cave paintings, stone carvings

Dances that were approved of by the early church fathers were:

Processionals - both inside the churches & outside on the streets. Dances on mosaic labyrinths on the floors of cathedrals in France, Germany & Italy. The Dance of the Innocents or Los Seises in Seville(15th century)

__________ are emotions (such as love or anger) common to everyone's experience; the aim of a dramatic performance is arousing them in the rasika, or knowledgeable spectator. In Bharata natyam technique, the dancer is more concerned with time than space; the dancer is constantly trying to achieve the perfect pose which will convey a sense of ________________.

Rasas, timelessness (eternity)

How do we know about the ancient dances of Egypt?

Scenes painted in tombs, hieroglyphics

Who are the Hasidim?

Sect of Judaism in which worshippers move while they pray; orthodox sect

A protestant Christian sect that in the 18th century moved from England to North America and used dance centrally in worship services was the ___________________.

Shakers

Platonic ideals - harmony, modesty, order - underlined what Plato felt to be the true purpose of art: to reveal the Good and Beautiful; and yet, Plato banished professional actor-dancers from his ideal republic. How did Aristotle view the role of professional dancers?

Should only be slaves or foreigners

Give two examples of native American imitative dances.

The Eagle Dance, Wolf Dance,

Why has dance always been an optimal way for connecting with the spirit world?

The dancing body is where the two worlds of the physical and the spiritual meet.

How did the first Europeans to visit Tahiti (1767) view the dancing of the natives?

They perceived it as lewd or sexually provocative. By the 1820s, traditional dances had been suppressed by the London Missionary Society. After the French gained control of Tahiti in 1842, the traditional dances began to be performed again. It took at least another 20-30 years for these dances to receive public sanction.

How were the ancient Hebrews ambivalent towards dance? Cite an example of good dance and bad dance from the early scriptures.

They saw some dance as good and some as bad; good: Miriam (sister of Moses dance-joy) bad: Moses saw dance of people dancing around golden calf

Like other ancient peoples, the Greeks danced at religious ceremonies, but knew that the energies released in the wilder, Dionysian forms of dance could threaten the existing order. How were Dionysian energies channeled constructively?

Through coral and dramatic competitions which is what lead to theater today.

Besides the impulse to move, what are the raw materials of dance?

Time, energy, space, body

What are two reasons that dance has not always occupied a position of equality among the other arts?

Too linked to music to stand alone, difficulty preserving choreography

What is a ritual dance?

Traditional clusters of movement used to worship and appease the gods & to hold magical and spiritual powers.

Training in dance became as important to powerful leaders as:

Training warriors

Some folk dances imitate work. Give an example of a hunt dance:

Womens work: rocking baby, sewing, knitting Mens work: hunting,

Another important tradition of religious dance is from sub-Sarahan Africa, especially of the ______________-speaking peoples, who open themselves to the ________experience of being mounted by a god.

Yoruba, trance

Spain's couple dances in the ______________ style, retain a different flavor than other European couples dances. They are infused with smoldering ______________ and strong rhythmic ______ patterns, a mixture of Andalusian, Moorish and ___________ influences.

flamenco; torso; foot; Gitano (gypsies)

The philosophers Socrates & Plato left an elaborate literature of dance theory and criticism in which they recognized the power of dance, but disagreed on how it should be used and controlled. Plato and his disciple, Aristotle, thought that every educated man should know how to dance gracefully.

harmony, modesty, order

What does the hoop dance signify?

healing, wholeness

What kinds of behaviors are young people taught through social dance?

how to be polite and kind to one another

The basic vehicle of the dance is the ______________ _________. When and how people dance is determined by their attitudes toward the body; such attitudes are powerfully shaped by religious beliefs.

human body

What are life's daily rhythms to which primitive peoples are strongly connected?

night and day, seasons, stages of life, weather

The Roman, Cicero, held that real men do not dance unless they are drunk or insane. What form of theatrical dance arose after Cicero's death?

pantomime

Court entertainments were _________________ of today's theatrical dance.

precursors

Dance is one of the channels of communication used to pass along important ____________ __________ from one generation to the next.

social skills

Dance all over the world is used as a way to ______________ and _______________.

socialize and celebrate- have fun

Rudolf Von Laban, movement theorist who gave us Labanotation and Effort/Shape Theory, stated that all movement is defined by:

time, effort, space

Through time, highly skilled dancers were highly ____________ as performers.

valued

Communication between two realms of existence is possible through dance for the _______________. Deified ancestors or personified natural forces called ________________ take possession of initiates. There are also festivals held in honor of them, during which dance dramas or __________________ take place. __________is a cool river goddess; hot, capricious Sango wields a lightning bolt.

youriva people, orishas, egungun ceremonies, Oshun