Traditional Dancing and Thoughtful Reflection: A Caribbean/African Perspective - Essay Sample

What were the most interesting thoughts about the Caribbean (or African) dance put forth in the interview(s)? What gave you the most 'food for thought'?

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Traditional dancers move with the rhythm of the song and drum beats. Traditional ceremonies are conducted on different occasions as a way of celebration in the community. Many dancers are involved with each one of them showcasing varying dancing moves. Artists can take points from traditional dancers and come up with new dancing moves through the modification of various moves.

What did you learn about Caribbean dance from the interviews?

Artists on stage have to show creativity in their performances. They take traditional dances, rhythms, and songs to come up with performances. Songs, rhythms, and dances all makeup ancient folklores.

What did you discover about the artists' culture through their stories?

The artists stated some of their experiences through the interviews. For example the interview between Nadia Dieudonne and Carolyn Webb. The artist states how her parents emigrated from Costa Rica to the United States. She was born only a year after they immigrated and brought up in a traditional culture. She would attend schools and church services where folklores were performed.

Did the interview change your ideas about Caribbean/African dance, or the life of a dance artist? How? In what ways?

The interviews changed my view of the Caribbean and African traditional dances. Both are made up of rhythms, and dance steps. This is a discovery since the present dance moves usually consist of numerous dance steps. Present artists take the single dance moves showcased in traditional dances and come up with a choreography performance. Also, something to note from the interviews is that the parents to the artists played a big role in their lives. They made sure the artists were introduced to their culture even though they were in a foreign country.

Were there any views/statements/opinions from the artist that could help you as a dancer? And/or inspire your growth as a human being? What were they

Dancing performances require an artist to possess creativity skills. This helps them to come up with new dance moves as well as perfecting dancing skills. This is very important since audiences require to be entertained with different dance moves all the time. To come up with their dance moves, an upcoming artist can result in viewing traditional dance moves in an attempt to come up with their moves. Many single dance moves from various traditional ceremonies can be modified and incorporated into a dance performance.

What are the five questions you would like to ask the artist?

What are some of the difficulties an upcoming artist may experience during performances?

What are some of the feedback that you have received as an artist from your audience?

Which traditional dancing moves do you prefer most?

What inspires you to become a performing traditional dancer?

From your experience, which traditional ceremony do you consider to present the best dance moves?

Which of the interviews did you find most compelling, and why?

The interviews viewed were for Nadia Dieudonne by Carolyn Webb and Yvette Martinez by Carolyn Webb. The latter was the more interesting of the two interviews, the reason being Yvette Martinez began her interview by showing us some of the dance moves she knows accompanied by drum beats. Nevertheless, both interviews were intriguing with each artist stating their experience and how they came to learn of their culture and traditions in a different country.

Yvette Martinez is referred to as a renowned dancer, musician, art administrator, choreographer, and artistic director. She is recognized for having art directed a women's dance and drum group whose root is in the Caribbean. The dance group recently celebrated its 34th anniversary. Also, Yvette Martinez has been a participant of Baila Boricua which is a dance company situated in Puerto Rica. Her main concern is that she spreads education and history through her dances. Having migrated to New York with her parents, the only way she learned about the Puerto Rican traditions and culture was through music and dance. Her parents were very supportive of this given that they had experienced the Puerto Rican culture. Yvette's parents were soon to separate. Despite her love for ballerina sounds and dancing, she wasn't able to afford the classes. However, she still participated in school performances.

The New York Public Library is greatly appreciated in Nadia Dieudonne's interview. It has been greatly helpful in making African dance artists recognized. Her main exposure to traditional culture was through attending Haitian church services. Also, her parents would perform Haitian songs and dances from time to time. She first became an artist in the church services, where she would perform during talent shows. Elementary schools also presented an opportunity for her to perform traditional songs and dances. Nadia highlights the importance of the relationship between a drummer and performing artists. For the performance to be successful, both individuals have to be in synchrony.