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- Mon Feb 27, 2017 5:05 pm
#33171
Passage Discussion
Paragraph One:
At the beginning of the opening paragraph, the author presents the subject of the passage: Katherine Dunham, an African American choreographer who was also an anthropologist—complementary fields of expertise which facilitate her introduction of “dance isolation” to modern North American dance. The technique, which isolates a given rhythm to a particular part of the body, has long been an important part of African, Caribbean, and Pacific-island cultures.
Paragraph Two:
In the early 1930s, Dunham helped to pioneer dance ethnology. The field had not been studied by social scientists, who tended instead to focus on areas considered by their peers to be scientifically rigorous, and thus “legitimate.” Further, beyond Dunham there were no others whose expertise included an overlap of dance and social science.
Paragraph Three:
In 1935, Dunham began a series of research projects dealing with Caribbean dance with a particular focus on its African origins. She was advised by colleagues in anthropology not to participate in the dancing itself, based on the prevailing view at the time, that the proper approach to research was from a detached perspective. Her immersive participation, according to the author, was crucial to Dunham’s success. Further, it allowed her to master the technique and then teach it while she incorporated it into new types of ballet.
Paragraph Four:
During the period from 1937 to 1945, Dunham used her “research-to-performance” method, combining Caribbean and modern dance learned in Chicago for theatrical performances, which were among the first to include African American themes in modern dance (note that the author phrases this as rectifying the exclusion of African American themes, taking a very supportive stance). The author closes the passage pointing out that Dunham’s work was vital to the establishment of African American dance as an art form, which made future dance companies, such as Arthur Mitchell’s Dance Theater of Harlem, possible.
VIEWSTAMP Analysis:
The only Viewpoint presented in this passage is that of the author.
The Structure of the passage is as follows:
The Main Point of the passage is that Katherine Dunham used her varied expertise to study, master, and spread themes from African, Caribbean, and Pacific-island dance, mixing them with modern North American dance, while helping to establish African American dance as an art form.
Paragraph One:
At the beginning of the opening paragraph, the author presents the subject of the passage: Katherine Dunham, an African American choreographer who was also an anthropologist—complementary fields of expertise which facilitate her introduction of “dance isolation” to modern North American dance. The technique, which isolates a given rhythm to a particular part of the body, has long been an important part of African, Caribbean, and Pacific-island cultures.
Paragraph Two:
In the early 1930s, Dunham helped to pioneer dance ethnology. The field had not been studied by social scientists, who tended instead to focus on areas considered by their peers to be scientifically rigorous, and thus “legitimate.” Further, beyond Dunham there were no others whose expertise included an overlap of dance and social science.
Paragraph Three:
In 1935, Dunham began a series of research projects dealing with Caribbean dance with a particular focus on its African origins. She was advised by colleagues in anthropology not to participate in the dancing itself, based on the prevailing view at the time, that the proper approach to research was from a detached perspective. Her immersive participation, according to the author, was crucial to Dunham’s success. Further, it allowed her to master the technique and then teach it while she incorporated it into new types of ballet.
Paragraph Four:
During the period from 1937 to 1945, Dunham used her “research-to-performance” method, combining Caribbean and modern dance learned in Chicago for theatrical performances, which were among the first to include African American themes in modern dance (note that the author phrases this as rectifying the exclusion of African American themes, taking a very supportive stance). The author closes the passage pointing out that Dunham’s work was vital to the establishment of African American dance as an art form, which made future dance companies, such as Arthur Mitchell’s Dance Theater of Harlem, possible.
VIEWSTAMP Analysis:
The only Viewpoint presented in this passage is that of the author.
The Structure of the passage is as follows:
- Paragraph 1:
Introduce Katherine Dunham, the passage’s main subject, and the dance isolation technique, long found in African, Caribbean, and Pacific-island cultures, that she introduced to modern dance in North America.
Paragraph 2: Discuss how Dunham’s crossover expertise in both dance and social science allowed her pioneer dance ethnology.
Paragraph 3: Explore the mid-1930s, during which Dunham started researching Caribbean dance and its African roots, immersing herself by participating in the dancing itself, in spite of the prevailing view at the time that detachment was preferable for researchers.
Paragraph 4: Point out that Dunham was one of the first to include African themes in modern dance, integrating Caribbean dance techniques and helping to establish African American dance as an art form in its own right.
The Main Point of the passage is that Katherine Dunham used her varied expertise to study, master, and spread themes from African, Caribbean, and Pacific-island dance, mixing them with modern North American dance, while helping to establish African American dance as an art form.