Unit 2 — History of the Arts and Culture
Description
Students study the origins of dance forms within historical and cultural contexts, examining aesthetic movements, spatial patterning, contrasting dance styles, and technological advancements. They analyze how technological advances such as video, television, film, music videos, and reality shows have influenced dance innovations. Students compare and contrast spatial patterning and relationships in past and contemporary dance works from world cultures, and explore how social, historical, and political values have influenced choreographers across the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. They research and learn authentic ceremonial, ritual, and social dances from various cultures and time periods, tracing connections between dance genres and the socio-political impacts of artists on culture. Students examine the influences of African-American, Latin/South American, and European traditions on American social dances and create presentations on choreographers and dance styles.
Essential Questions
- How do new social dances and variations on social dance steps arise?
- What impact has dance had on culture and society throughout history?
- What are the similarities and differences among dances of various cultures?
- What role does dance play in the culture of a specific country or region?
- What are dance styles and how are they categorized in genres?
- How is dance language used to describe specific aesthetic differences and similarities between styles and artists?
- How are forms of dance influenced by time, place, and people?
Learning Objectives
- Analyze the impact of video technology on dance innovations in film, television, music videos, and reality media.
- Compare and contrast spatial patterning in past and contemporary dance works from world cultures.
- Observe and explain how social, cultural, and political values influenced choreographers and their artistic choices.
- Trace the social and political impact of dance and artists on culture in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries across jazz, musical theatre, tap, hip hop, and ballroom styles.
- Research, learn, and perform authentic ceremonial and ritual dances from specific cultures.
- Analyze the influences of African-American, Latin/South American, and European traditions on American social dances.
- Make connections between two or more dance styles and identify influences from other dance genres.
- Compare and contrast dances and works by various American choreographers.
Suggested Texts
- The Evolution of Dance (TED Talk) — video
- What is Hip Hop? Lesson — article
- How to Dance Through Time: The Elegance of Baroque — video
- Interpreting Mythology Through Dance: Dancing Mythology — instructional video
Supplemental Resources
- Printed images and photographs from magazine and newspaper clippings showing dance styles and cultural contexts for reference.
- Construction paper and colored pencils for creating visual representations and family trees of dance forms with major artists and dates.
- Folders or binders for organizing and collecting research materials, articles, and notes on specific choreographers and dance styles.
- Sentence strips with vocabulary terms related to dance genres, styles, and cultural origins for vocabulary study activities.
- Chart paper for creating comparison displays showing similarities and differences between dance styles and cultural traditions.
Dance - Creating
Dance - Performing
Dance - Responding
Students prepare for and participate effectively in conversations and collaborations with diverse partners, building on others' ideas and expressing their own clearly and persuasively. Students integrate and evaluate information presented in diverse media and formats, including visually, quantitatively, and orally.
Students create, explain, and demonstrate planned movement sequences that include changes in rhythm, tempo, and musical style. Students detect, analyze, and correct errors and apply findings to refine movement skills.
Formative Assessments
- Reflective journal entries and written responses analyzing dance principles and cultural connections.
- Peer evaluation and observation during learning and performance of traditional cultural dances.
- Research documentation and note-taking on the cultural origins and historical development of specific dance forms.
- Discussion activities and pair-share about emotional responses to diverse dance works and cultural influences.
Summative Assessment
Create slideshow presentations on choreographers who greatly impacted dance, analyzing their work within historical and cultural contexts. Evaluate written reflections on dance principles including reports and journal responses using student-created rubrics.
Benchmark Assessment
A structured observation and written response task in which students watch a short dance excerpt from a world culture, identify spatial patterns and cultural elements, and explain how social or historical values are reflected in the movement. This assesses progress on comparing dance works across cultures and analyzing choreographic choices in Units 1-2.
Alternative Assessment
Students may demonstrate understanding through video or audio recordings of their analysis, using visual examples and spoken explanation instead of written responses. Graphic organizers listing key characteristics of dance styles and their cultural contexts, along with sentence frames for comparing past and contemporary works, may be provided as needed.
IEP (Individualized Education Program)
Students may benefit from graphic organizers or visual timelines to help organize research on choreographers and cultural dance forms, supporting both note-taking and the development of their slideshow presentations. Reflective journal entries and written responses may be completed through oral dictation, recorded responses, or abbreviated written formats to reduce barriers related to written output. When learning and performing traditional cultural dances, teachers can provide step-by-step visual or video-based movement breakdowns and allow additional processing time. Peer partnerships during observation and movement activities can further reinforce understanding of spatial patterning and cultural connections.
Section 504
Students should be given extended time to complete research documentation, written reflections, and slideshow presentations related to choreographers and cultural dance history. Preferential seating during video-based instruction and screenings will support focus when analyzing dance media such as film, music videos, and television. Written directions for multi-step research and presentation tasks should be provided in print to reduce cognitive load during transitions between research and performance activities.
ELL / MLL
Teachers should incorporate visual supports such as video clips, images, and cultural artifacts when introducing dance forms from African-American, Latin/South American, and European traditions, helping students build conceptual understanding before engaging with written or discussion-based tasks. Key vocabulary related to dance history, cultural origins, and choreographic concepts should be pre-taught and displayed with visual references throughout the unit. Students may respond to discussion prompts or journal entries in their home language before transitioning to English, and simplified directions for research and presentation tasks should be confirmed through student retelling to ensure comprehension.
At Risk (RTI)
Teachers should connect new content about the cultural and historical origins of dance forms to students' prior knowledge and personal experiences with music, movement, or media they already encounter. Research tasks and slideshow presentations can be structured with guided templates or sentence frames that lower the barrier to entry while still engaging students with meaningful content about choreographers and cultural dance traditions. Frequent check-ins and incremental deadlines for the summative presentation will help students manage the multi-step research process and maintain momentum across the unit.
Gifted & Talented
Students can extend their exploration by pursuing independent research that draws cross-cultural or interdisciplinary connections, such as analyzing how a specific political movement simultaneously shaped dance innovation across multiple traditions or global regions. They may examine primary sources — such as archival footage, period critiques, or choreographers' own writings — to develop more nuanced arguments in their presentations about the socio-political impact of dance. Teachers can encourage these students to consider how contemporary digital media and global exchange continue to reshape cultural dance traditions, positioning them as emerging cultural analysts rather than simply report writers.