Discussion

Sometimes learning occurs best when students are given a few basic instructions and then allowed to discover more for themselves. Such learning can be enhanced when students share what they have found with one another. This exercise will give you the opportunity to take what you have already learned from the textbook and the PowerPoint lecture and dig deeper through class interaction with various samples of dance.

View each of the following selections from the YouTube website. (This will take approximately 40 minutes.)

• Swan Lake Main Scene (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site. [Video file][1 min 36 sec] (Ballet)
• The Dying Swan (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site. [Video file][4 min 14 sec] (Ballet)
• Appalachian Spring (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site. [Video file][8 min 04 sec] (Modern Dance)
• Yamanba (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site. [Video file][7 min 24 sec] (World Concert/Ritual Dance—Japanese Kabuki)
• Riverdance (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site. [Video file][5 min 27 sec] (Celtic Folk)
• Gypsy Dance (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site. [Video file][2 min 52 sec] (Gypsy Folk)
• Ghana Tribal Dance (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site. [Video file][6 min 10 sec] (African Folk)
• James Brown (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site. [Video file][5 min 1 sec] (Jazz Dance)
• You Can’t Stop the Beat (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site. [Video file][3 min 21 sec] (Jazz Dance)

Choose selections from three different genres (for example, ballet, modern, and folk) and write a comparative analysis in no less than 250 words. Address the following:

• Compare and contrast the selections.
• Discuss dance styles and variations in the steps.
• Discuss the lighting, use of color, and interaction with the dance floor.
• Make sure you cite your work and do not use Wikipedia.