Traditions in American Concert Dance: Gender and Autobiography21M.670 SP.472 Spring 2007 HASS - D TR 1:00-2:30pm (10-272; 3-6957) Paper #3 Due Tuesday May 8
|
View the hour-long dance The Catherine Wheel and write a paper of 7-10 pages length that addresses this question: How does the "gold section" of The Catherine Wheel (Tharp, 1981) describe issues of gender and individuality? Focus your essay on the gold section, which is the last 15 minutes of the work. (It begins about an hour into the video. The gold section begins with a flashing golden sparkler effect that flashes across the screen.) How does the choreographer depict gender? What kinds of movements does she allow men and women? How does she describe social order? What does the dance suggest about the culture in which these men and women exist? You may base your observations and interpretations on the gold section only; you needn't try to extrapolate from the first hour of the work. What particular dance gestures (movements) support your thesis? Be sure to write about particular dance gestures to support your thesis. You must try to describe movement in exact terms, and then build upon your description to support your interpretation of the dance. You should not retell the dramatic plot of the dance. You should not provide a biography of the choreographer, although you may wish to discuss her movement aesthetic as you understand it from this work and others viewed in class. You may wish to check some source material for information about the choreographer; you may consult her entry in the International Encyclopedia of Dance at GV1585.I586 1998 in the Humanities Library. The videotape containing this dance is on line in four parts: Part One. Part Two. Part Three. Gold Section. Your paper must be typewritten, double-spaced, and thoroughly edited for spelling and grammar. Composition counts! Try to make your writing lively and informative. Be sure each paragraph has a central idea, and that each sentence has a subject and verb. |