My advisers have commented that the title of my inquiry could be misperceived and it requires further clarification. Therefore, to be more thorough I am giving more thought to a better suited title.
The old title is ‘An exploration of fusion in Middle Eastern Dance (Egyptian Style) and Salsa Dance (Cuban style) today and its effect on the conservation of the historical & cultural origins of the Dance.
My objective was not to explore fusion of Middle Eastern Dance with Salsa jointly as the title may be perceived, but to examine each dance style separately from its roots to its current modern style. In retrospect, I realise that exploring both Middle Eastern Dance and Salsa is too broad a subject therefore I have decided to concentrate purely on Salsa.
I recognise that there are two distinct groups of discussion regarding Salsa i.e the modern ballroom and the Afro Cuban. Therefore, my new title will define my exploration of both these groups from the historical and the modern infusion of different styles.
Following discussions with my advisors they highlighted that the word ‘cultural’ within the title could be misperceived as a cultural sensitivity issue. I acknowledge that this should be better defined within my inquiry.
I believe the responsibility of a teacher is to uphold and convey the unique history of the particular dance, country, region and its culture. It sets a precedent for how the dance has evolved.
The video link below shows a trailer for a documentary called ‘The Black Roots of Salsa‘. It portrays the Afro Cuban’s passion declaring the origins of the ‘Rumba’ dance moves and music. It shows the gradual and subtle changes to modernise the music. It also shows the integration of a movement danced to a Deity of the Yoruba religion (1) effectively danced in Salsa today.
I concur with one of the interviewees in the trailer saying ‘the more you know the more you can enrich your dance’. I believe the Cuban culture of dance is passionately preserved and guarded by Cubans because it is deeply embedded in their identity today.
My advisors and colleagues have suggested the following titles;
1 .An exploration into the extent to which modern fusion dance styles have effected the conservation of the traditional styles.
2. Fusion - modernising of traditional dancing
I believe a more appropriate title is; An exploration of fusion in salsa dance. The ballroom vs. Cuban style and its effect on the conservation, history & roots of the dance.
To aid this investigation, I aim to produce a family tree of salsa dance styles and the outside influences that helped to define the emerging dance styles.
The link below shows the ballroom style salsa
Articles;
Beyond the Stereotype, Sensitivity begins with the teacher. on line Dance Magazine
Dance Studies/Cultural Studies, Gay Morris, Dance Research Journal 2009; 41, 1;International Index to Performing Arts Full Text pg. 82
Salsa, musical heartbeat of Latin America, Sue Steward, forward by Willie Colon. 1999, Thames & Hudson
Corinda, I can see where concentrating on the Salsa strand of your inquiry will help you analyse your findings. You might find that you do have time to compare this methodology - separately to Middle Eastern dance - see how the time goes. Looking at cultural identity in your inquiry has brought up some complex issues for you, not bad because challenging yourself is part of the course.
ReplyDeleteAfter some discussion with Adesola, there were some issues worth noting for your writing up period. Fusion is a concept that needs to be defined - it might be that a traditional dance has changed over time (modernising) or has changed because it has been situated differently in geographical terms - as moving countries with a diaspora (like the Cuban one you have mentioned in later blogs). In contemporary dance research, problematising these origins might be important because it signifies that you are aware that in the past dance as a discipline may have privileged the ascendency of European forms of dance over other local dance forms (post-colonial) ...an interesting article by UNESCO on privileging cultural heritage http://www.cultureunbound.ep.liu.se/v1/a13/cu09v1a13.pdf - so here even the word culture needs to be defined using the definition you plan to use for it in your Critical Review and as it might be linked with current literature in your topic area..
This said – in almost any dissertation or ‘inquiry’ the defining of vocabulary is crucial. If there are cultural sensitivities, these also need to be examined In the post-modernist research world in which we now live – the concept of fusion is one that others are also coming to terms with… so writing a bit about ideas that are ‘contested’ within that literature is appropriate but perhaps can also mean that your research might shed some light on how the dance/music/ Salsa practitioners see their own practice.
This article might be helpful as it speaks to Latin cultural dance in Montreal.
http://www.amec.com.mx/revista/003/03%20Embodying%20Canadian%20Multiculturalism.pdf
my key words were ‘privileging european dance research salsa’
on a lighter note – have you seen the salsa blog http://salsadiary.blogspot.co.uk
I am greatly looking forward to seeing the writing up. Did you manage to send in a few lines about your plans for an artefact?