Travel the World Through These Dance Tutorials
Nicholas Conenna
Read the article by going to the link below or downloading the
PDF or Word document of the article that is in Moodle.
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/25/travel/cultural-dancestutorials.html
Pick one World Dance mentioned in the article that you would like
to research.
NOTE: Do NOT pick Break Dancing as we will be
covering that extensively in class in a separate unit.
If none of the dances in the article interest you, research to find
another World Dance that you are interested in.
ANSWER THESE 2 QUESTIONS IN FULL SENTENCES:
1. What dance did you choose and what is interesting about this
dance to you?
I chose Champeta. Mostly consisting of jumps and hops, Champeta has made its
way into mainstream media thanks to Shakira who performed it at the 2020 Super
Bowl halftime show. It took social media by storm, starting the “Champeta
Challenge”. Champeta caught my interest as it is an intense and quick style of
dance that can be performed alone or with others. I’ve always enjoyed upbeat
things, whether its music, lifestyle, or dances in general. This specific dance drew
my attention as it is described as the quick transference of weight from side to side.
The blend of cultural roots and global appeal makes this dance fascinating to me.
2. What might you hope to learn through your research?
Through research, I hope to gain a better understanding of the organized and
impromptu styles as stated in the article. I wonder if there’s specific rules when it
comes to free styling (what gets considered champeta or not) as well as how the
more structured and organized dances tend to look like. In addition to this, I’d like
to discover what inspired the Colombian choreographer, Jey Colon, to create this
style of dance.