“An Anthropologist Looks at
Ballet as a Form of Ethnic
Dance” Joann Kealiinohomoku
Prepared by:
Dr. Kay Picart
Thesis Statement

By ethnic dance, anthropologists mean to
convey the idea that all forms of dance
reflect the cultural traditions within which
they developed. Dancers and dance
scholars . . . use this term & the related
terms ethnologic, primitive & folkdance,
differently . . . in a way which reveals their
limited knowledge of non-Western dance
forms. (533)
Aims

To discuss how an anthropologist might
examine ballet and dance.

To uncover hidden value judgments
concerning culture embedded in
descriptions of dance.
Worshippers-Celestial Church of
Christ; Gbongan, Nigeria, 1991
Review Question

What evidence does
the author use to
show that current
Western
commentaries on
“primitive dance” are
ethnocentric and
erroneous?
The Sioux “Ghost Dance”
Discussion Questions:

Do you agree with the
author that dance
criticism/popular culture
still enshrines ballet as
the highest form of
dance?

Do you agree that
Western dance criticism
still remains paternal &
ethnocentric?
Review Questions:

How does the author
define “dance”?

Why is such a
definition important to
her aims?
Review Question:

What are the
distinctive features of
this definition?
Discussion Questions:


Do you agree that the
author has
successfully set up a
“cross cultural”
definition that
differentiates dance
from sports or ritual?
Why or why not?
Remarks on Other Theorists


Martin: dance as a
universal urge but
without a universal
form
Sorell: differences due
to “race,” “racial
memory,” innate
memory,” “blood”

Review Question:
How does the author
respond to both these
critics’ positions?
Discussion Question:

Is ballet
a genuinely
universal
dance form?
Discussion Question:

What do the
aesthetics of ballet
reveal about
preconceptions
concerning beauty in
both sexes?
Review Question:

What flora
and fauna
are privileged
by ballet?
Discussion Questions:

What are the main points
of the article?

Do you see any
weaknesses in the
argument?
Concluding Question

What would you say
to someone who
might accuse the
author of being
simply “politically
correct” and nothing
more?