West African - Final Dance Showcase Videos

West African Cultural Dance

West African Fusion Dance

Elements used from the original cultural dance -

-Big, expressive arm movements

-Leg extensions

-Jumps

Hmong - Final Dance Showcase Videos

Hmong Cultural Dance



Hmong Dance Fusion
Elements used from the original cultural dance-
-Graceful and flowing movements
-Hand movements
-Emphasis on the wrists

Final Dance Showcase - Group Photos

Folklorico Cultural Dance Teachers / Dance Repertory - Folklorico Dance Fusion

Hmong Cultural Dance Teachers / Dance Repertory - Hmong Dance Fusion

West African Cultural Dance Teachers / Dance Repertory - West African Dance Fusion

Folklorico - Final Dance Showcase Videos

Folklorico Cultural Dance

Folklorico Dance Fusion

Elements used from the original cultural dance -

-Using the skirt to represent ocean waves

-Fluid movement

-Bouncy movement

Our Final Dance Showcase

I am very proud of the students involved in this project. You are ALL amazing!! Our showcase went well and the audience was pleased to see what the dancers had to offer. I will include photo and video entries of today's event soon.

All of the dancers involved in this project, please comment on the following questions by Sunday. Thanks!

**What did you learn through this experience?

**What insight do you now have about other dance genres, cultures, and students who are different from you?

**How will this experience help you in other areas of your life regarding dance?

**How will this experience help you in other areas of your life NOT regarding dance?

**The single word that inspired this project for me was “open”. After this experience, what does this word mean to you?

**Please include any additional comments about this project and your experiences.

Learning the Folklorico Dance

Learning the West African Dance

Learning the Hmong Dance

Having Fun

Ok, these students have been working hard for the last two weeks to complete this project. However, they have had a lot of fun along the way. Here are a few of their fun photos. Enjoy!

Creating Fusion Dances

I am very impressed with what I saw in class today. The dancers are taking the elements of the three cultural dances they learned last week and they are creating three new fusion dances using Western Dance Styles such as Hip-Hop, musical theatre, ballet, jazz, modern, etc.

After today's experiences please answer the following questions.

*What intrigued you about the cultural dance you chose? Why did you choose it? What intrigued you about the Western Dance Style you chose and why did you choose to work within this style?

*What elements did you extract from your cultural dance and how did you incorporate them into your new fusion dance?

*Does your fusion dance have a story or meaning to it? If so, what is it?

*Did you find it easier to create a dance using this choreographic tool of extracting elements from another style or is it easier to find your own personal inspiration for choreography?

*What did you learn through this process about cultural dance? What did you learn about your own personal dance style?

*What have you learned about dance authenticity?

Cultural Dance Rehearsal Videos

The dancers involved in this project had three rehearsals to learn three different cultural dances. Each day they were given an hour and a half to learn what you see here. I am so proud of the them for learning so quickly. Good job!! Our teachers also impressed me. They not only shared what they had learned through these cultural dances, but they also used the dancers' pre-existing knowledge to teach them. I heard several comments from our teachers during the rehearsal process such as, "this turn is like a chaîné (a ballet term for a turn performed with two feet)," or, "this section is like a dance battle." The dancers began to make connections between the cultural dances and their personal experiences as well. One of the dancers stated that the side lean in the West African dance was similar to the side lean performed in the Folklorico dance they learned two days earlier. Another dancer stated the hand and finger movements in the Hmong Dance choreography were similar to what she saw last year at Clovis East's World's Fair when one of our foreign exchange students performed her native dance from Thailand. I can't wait to see what the dancers create when they are given the chance to choreograph a cultural dance fusion piece on Tues. I'll post more media as the project continues next week. Thanks for visiting our blog! Please check back with us again next week.

Introductions

Day 1 went well! I am so proud of the Dance Repertory dancers. It was impressive how quickly they learned the Folklorico dance. I am also very proud of the teachers who taught this beautiful cultural dance. I will post pictures and video soon.

Dancers-

As you begin blogging would you please take a moment to introduce yourselves in a comment to this post. Please include the following information:
** Grade in school
** How long you have been dancing
** Why you volunteered for this project
** Tell us something fun and interesting about you

Cultural Dance Rehearsals

Hello everyone! I am so excited that we are getting started with this California Arts Initiative Project. We will have our first rehearsal Wednesday which means we have our first set of questions for our blog. Please answer each of the questions below. You will answer some of the questions only once and others after each rehearsal. Have fun at rehearsal! See you there!!

Cultural Dance Teachers-

Opening questions –
*What is your personal style of dance?
*Why do you perform this cultural dance style? What draws you to it?
*What connects you to your culture?

After you teach-
*What does this dance mean? What is it about?
*Where can one find this cultural dance if they wanted to research it?
*Is the dance you taught today authentic? Why or why not?
*What are the elements of this dance? What makes it identifiable as West African, Hmong, or Mexican dance?


Dance Repertory Members-

Opening questions-
*What is your personal style of dance? What are the elements of your personal style?
*Why do you perform this dance style? What draws you to it?
*What are your preconceptions of the cultural dance styles you will learn (Mexican, West African, Hmong)? What do you think you will learn?

After each cultural dance rehearsal-
*What do you think this dance means? Did your teachers tell you?
*Is this dance authentic? Why or why not?
*How do you know if a dance is authentic? (because it’s codified? because we know it? because it’s recorded? because it’s different?)
*Did any of your preconceived opinions change after rehearsal?
*How do the elements of your personal style differ from the elements of the cultural dance you learned today?