Social Dance Presentation with a partner

Assignment:

Pick two time periods of social dance that interest you.  Each time does not have to be an exact decade.  It could be a four or five-year span, or a ten year span, but it needs to be well defined in terms of the music and dance.  I.e. don't merge the 40s with the 60s.  They were drastically different. I will assign you one of the two time periods you have chosen.

Find a way to give us a brief overview of the time politically, socially, culturally, and delve into the dance(s) of the time.  The readings and initial viewing in class will give you an overview so you won’t be jumping in blindly.  There is plenty of information that will help you discover more detail about the dances.

Try to define these details of the dance(s):

o what the steps were

o the origin of the dance

o the clothing

o the music

Then, you need to demonstrate one of the dances and you may give a mini lesson to your classmates if you want to.  If you absolutely do not want to dance for us, then you must find footage on dvd/video or youTube that will demonstrate the dance well. I have also had students make their own films. One couple who taught the Rhumba which originated in Cuba, made Cuban coffee for us before dancing for us! You can be as creative as you want to be. The catch is that this all needs to happen in TEN MINUTES! It is possible.

You may have any visual devices you feel necessary.  If you need special equipment, please give me advanced notice so I can try to get it for you.  The more creative the better!  Please rehearse your presentation several times.  I will be grading you on the presentation and the content.  Do not stand in front of the class and read from a paper.  That will not be accepted as a presentation.

You are to turn in one 1-2 page, double-spaced, typed (12pt. font) paper, (one paper per couple).  On a SEPARATE PAGE please include a bibliography, which includes AT LEAST two books and/or periodicals (I.e. do not use web sites exclusively for information).

Your papers are due the DAY you do your presentation. See “Procedures.”  

Remember that you are working as a team.  Make sure you divide up work evenly so one person does not get stuck doing all of the work.

Procedure:

1.         Meet with your partner who you will pick on Monday, September 29, and pick the time period you most want to explore. Next, pick one alternative.  Turn this in to me at the beginning of class on Wednesday, October 1. I will do my best to accommodate you but you may not get your first choice.

2.         I will let you know which time period you will be doing by Wednesday evening, via e-mail. I will also distribute the order and dates of your presentations.

3.         Your presentations are due on Friday, October 10 and Wednesday, October 15. I.e. I will split the groups up and 5 groups will show on Friday and 10 will show on Wednesday. They will take place in Meany Studio 267. If you need special equipment please let me know in advance. We have a VCR/DVD player and TV monitor, projector, wireless, and stereo already in the studio. If you have a Mac computer you must bring an adaptor cable for your computer to attach to the projector. They are found at UW Bookstore and are inexpensive. It is good to have one. . (Also, we have had a little trouble with some PCs picking up a strong enough wireless signal so please try your computer in the studio to make sure it will work). If you don’t have a laptop and want to use a computer, let me know. Also, if you bring an Mp3/iPod for the stereo, bring an adaptor cable for it. Those can be bought for $5 in the Dance Program Office. They are very handy to have. 

HAVE FUN!!!