Dr.

Amin,

I believe that I effectively communicated my personal experience and the knowledge I have

gained. I find it rather easy to talk about the information that I have encountered, so I can make

that information continuously flow. Although I talk plenty about my past and present, I think that

my personal experiences help one to understand the background I have come from and how far I

have come along. I have already gained a great amount of knowledge in this class, so I believe that

I have effectively communicated this knowledge and how these new ideas have altered my

thoughts and approach to learning.

I found difficulty trying to communicate what aspects of this unit have contributed to my

current knowledge and understanding of modern dance. I eventually found evidence for this, but

it was hard to find more than a couple of examples as I am currently in the process of learning

about and understanding modern dance. I also found difficulty trying to differentiate how I plan to

achieve my goals and the techniques I have used thus far to prepare and succeed. These seemed

closely related to me the techniques I have used to do my best in this course are ones that will

also help me achieve my learning goals.

If I could do this assignment over again, I would add a couple more examples of how I

have acquired knowledge, perhaps adding more citations, to show more connections between my

past and present knowledge. For the sake of length, I chose to focus on examples that I found to

be the most important and interesting, but I generally enjoy talking about multiple examples.

Sometimes I feel that one example may not prove my point, may not come across the reader in the

way I intended, or may not be enough evidence to support my claim. I would also try to expand

on the plans I have to achieve my goals and on how the techniques I have used in this class have

helped me so far. Knowing it has only been the first unit, I believe that I still have time to think
about and clarify those thoughts. There is a high possibility that I will further see how to reach my

goals and how my methods of preparation have helped me as I continue to engage in this course.

There is only so much I can say about exploring the first month.

One general aspect of this paper that I would like feedback on is if I have made each point

clear or clear enough. I would like for you to pay closer attention to Burkes influence on my

thoughts because that was an eye-opening article for me. I am honestly having difficulty figuring

out what other aspects you should give more feedback or attention to, so I am going to hope that

you will find a section that is most important or in need of attention. I am quite open to any and

all feedback an instructor has to offer.

Thank you,

Bryttni Pugh
Bryttni Pugh

Dr. Amin

DANC 3222-001

1 February 2017

Reflection #1

Prior to attending the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, I did not have any

knowledge about dance history. I was not taught dance history nor did I research the topic on my

own, although I was actively participating in dance classes, performances, and social dances. As

soon as I began taking dance courses in college, I had instructors who introduced me to various

aspects of dance history. I had read about and watched videos on Kariamu Welsh in Professor

Morgans class to further my knowledge in the history of Umfundalai and other African forms.

Professor Tucker enlightened me with the history of Lester Horton and his muse while studying

the Horton technique. I learned about the origin and evolution of vintage jazz through Professor

Hubbards course and performance practicum. Professor Williams connected each movement or

series of movements with the culture within Africa and African diaspora, and I was able to research

Chuck Davis and his connections with and contributions to African dance. These classes

interweaved a particular style of dance with its corresponding history and gave me new insights

about the movements that I tried to embody.

It was not until last semester that I focused solely on the in-depth history of dance,

particularly ballet. I had only become familiar with ballets that I had seen live, with ballet

vocabulary and technique, and with the names of some dancers and choreographers. I did not know

much ballet history at all until Professor Alterowitz thoroughly guided me through ballets timeline

by providing primary sources, assorted video clips and full-length ballets, and held weighty

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discussions. The experience of an all-history dance class felt chaotic because there was a plethora

of information regarding one style of dance; however, the resources Professor Alterowitz provided

and the extensive research paper that I immersed myself in were quite informative, making the

experience fascinating. I never would have thought that there were so many significant events

surrounding ballets evolution; and I never would have thought that I would find interest in

researching male ballet dancers and in arguing to redefine masculinity within male ballet dancers.

This dance history course has a focus in modern dance, so I am back at the beginning with

little knowledge about the subject. Although I have some knowledge regarding modern dance

history, I only know surface information and may not know the significance or time frame of it.

Based on the readings and discussions within unit one, I am now informed of a perspective on new

history, the importance of knowing who the authors are, the importance of studying dance history,

the meaning of dance scholarship and theory, a general timeline of modern dance and its

interconnectedness, the characteristics of modern dance, and how the progressive era related to

choreographers wanting to create American dance.

Burkes perspective of old and new history has attracted my attention the most thus far

because his views are quite useful when trying to understand dance history. The word history is

simply a deterrent for me because my views would fall in the old history or traditional paradigm.

In agreement with Burke, old history consists of documents, structure, a timeline, objectivity, and

the failure to take account of the variety of historians questions and individual perspectives

(Burke, 1992). All of the schools I attended taught history in this way, leading me to believe that

history has one correct or factual side. As much as it seems like it would be common sense, I had

not previously thought of individual perspectives as history because of how little they were

included or emphasized within the curriculum. Fortunately, Burkes new history consists of

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sources, analysis of the timeline, the perspectives and experiences of ordinary people, popular

culture, and variety (Burke, 1992). This has changed my thinking in how to approach dance history

because I now know that every perspective is significant when understanding any point in time.

Everyone has a different experience and view of the world, so the resources they put forth are

sources, not necessarily outlines to abide by. As discussed, sources are meant to be expanded on

or challenged and used as evidence to help shape my personal ideas and point of view. The last

discussion briefly touched on the fact that choreographers have used sources and experiences in

the progressive era to try and create a piece that represents America; and, I hope to learn more

about how dances have stemmed from that era.

Warren, Youngerman and Youngs overview of modern dance history and Brown,

Mindlin, and Woodfords characteristics of modern dance have contributed most to my current

knowledge and understanding of the subject. Within the overview certain names were familiar,

such as Ted Shawn and Martha Graham, and the interconnectedness was a refresher. As I

previously mentioned, I only know the surface content, so I am in the process of expanding my

knowledge. Which choreographers work am I watching and why is their work significant? What

is his or her take on dance and how did his or her perspective develop? How exactly are these

artists connected? Though this article briefly touched on the answers to these questions, I look

forward to exploring these more in depth as I lack a great amount of knowledge and understanding

about modern dance.

The characteristics of modern dance discussed in the introduction of The Vision of Modern

Dance matched my interpretation that I had developed throughout college. Modern dance as a

whole is comprised of individuality, rebelliousness, freedom, and both natural and virtuosic

movement (Brown, Mindlin, & Woodford, 1979). I find it easy to mention these characteristics

3
and perhaps see how they may be included within a work; but, I wish to learn about how the

choreographer implemented or intended to implement them.

My personal learning goals for this course are to understand in greater detail the origins

and development of modern dance, to understand the influences used to create modern dance

pieces, to understand how these pieces have influenced others and/or society, to be aware of

various choreographers perspectives, and to become familiar with modern dance figures and

works other than the ones that are given the upmost priority. I am open to learning about anyone

who has contributed to the evolution of modern dance, but if I learn about ones who are the most

familiar, then I would like to learn about an idea or work that may be unfamiliar or surprisingly

significant. I plan to achieve these goals by thoroughly reading the resources provided in this

course, using PATH and IBAT to help with organizing the ideas presented and comprehending the

material further than what is simply written on the page, keeping an open mind, and attentively

listening and participating in class discussions about the material. The majority, if not all, of the

information read about and discussed in this course has been and will be fresh information to me.

Therefore, my presence in class is crucial, and I guarantee that I will meet my learning goals.

The techniques I have used to prepare and succeed in this course include thoroughly

reading the material before class, underlining and taking notes on what I interpret as important

pieces of information within the source, using PATH and IBAT to guide me and deepen my

thoughts, listening to and taking notes on the structured discussions, participating in the

discussions at least once a week, and trying to find connections between the sources. They have

helped me so far by preparing me for class discussions, deeply understanding an idea that I was

unfamiliar with, by helping me approach and view the importance of various perspectives, and

guiding me through my choreography class. Knowing that new history encourages and accepts my

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personal perspective and experience, I am becoming less concerned about approaching dance in a

right way. Within a technique there may be a certain way to execute the movements, but I should

not forget about my unique self. Individuality and expressiveness should show in my dancing in

some shape or form. I have been able to explore these characteristics in choreography class

primarily by being myself and not caring about judgement. Everyone is different and has their own

dance persona, so my dancing is as important as my peers dancing. I hope that these techniques

lead me to succeeding with an A in the course as well as with an abundance of newly acquired

knowledge that will guide me in my personal dance experience.

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 References

Brown, J., Mindlin, N., & Woodford, C. (1979). Introduction. The Vision of Modern Dance, 3-5.

Burke, P. (1992). Overture: the New History, its Past and its Future. New Perspectives on

Historical Writing, 1-6.