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Research Proposal Behind Latin Dance Maritza Barron Professor Bianco UNST 122G 11 March 2006 Barron 2 There are many ways dance is used in different cultures. There are those who use it as a way of expression and means of communication. This is a proposal of a research based on this subject. It will be a way to learn about other cultures and gain knowledge from dance. Anthropologists are also now beginning to study dance to learn more about a culture and its background. Dance has been used as a way of expression in different cultures. A prehistoric culture that used dance in this way was that of the Aztecs. Aztec dances in their time revolved around religion, from celebrations, to offerings, and sacrifices to the gods. These factors were intergraded creating new reasons for dance, with some effects on modern-day descendants and their dance, especially that of Mexicans and Latin Americas. Many social and political issues were also expressed in dance, which maybe used as a form of language for the dancer, that is as a “ powerful communicating medium that can break down barriers, unite diverse groups and promote social change” (Jaeck, p. 44). A dancer will always use the art not only for fun and exercise, but also as a way to tell a story to those who are watching. Anthropologists are also now beginning to study dance to learn more about a culture and its background, as well. Knowing this, the question that brought this research into play is: If dance in prehistoric times was used as a language of expression and is still used today to express, political issues, social change, or any other idea, then what is expressed in Mexican and Latin American dances and the meaning behind it? As a way to learn about what is behind Latin and Mexican dance, this research will contain information from scholarly journals written from university professors to specialized anthropologists. In some of these articles, it is found that it is the “social and political factors” that shape a country, such as Barron 3 Mexico, which is what is portrayed in many dances. With the little that we know about dance and its truth about the cultures, the more study is done and more journals are read, it can be found that modern Mexican and Latin American dances, from merengue, salsa, tango, rhumba, and samba, are a way of non-verbal communication to express ones beliefs or ideas, or that their culture, the same way the Aztecs used dance. Barron 4 Annotated Bibliography Booth, Willard C. "Dramatic Aspects of Aztec Rituals." Educational Theatre Journal 18.4 (Dec 1966): 421-428. Willard C. Booth writes in the “Dramatic Aspects of Aztec Rituals” mainly that of what he Aztecs did for their celebrations. He mentions reasons why Aztecs sacrificed people and their belief behind the type of sacrifice. There is also explanation on their calendar years, dance, and literature. Much of what Booth writes is very interesting to read and know but it can also be quite shocking at times. There is some explanation of how the dance is related to the sacrifices and the celebrations made for the gods. This is an article that could be used to understand the Aztec religion and its connection to dance which then could lead to how some of these connections are applied in today’s dance in Latin America. Jaeck, Lois M. "The Body as Revolutionary Text: The Dance as Protest Literature in Latin America." Ciencia Ergo Sum 10.1 (2003): 43-50. Lois Marie Jaeck who is part of the languages and linguistics department in the University of Saskatchewan in Saskatoon, Canada, writes a very remarkable article about dance being a means of communication of the oppressed. In this article she explains how the body is used to promote various ideas such as to unity, social change, and breaking down barriers. She also reveals that dance could be a form of language that characterizes a culture. Jaeck describes a few types of Latin dancing in different parts of Latin America Barron 5 as well. This article is very thought provoking and full of information that applies well to the research of who political protests or issues is brought into dance. Reed, Susan A. "The politics and Poetics of Dance." Annual Review of Anthropology 27 (1998): 503-532. In this article, Susan A. Reed brings up the point of dance being a good source for study to learn about cultures. It is said that anthropologists now are turning to dance to study a culture because of its communication through non-verbal skills. As mentioned in other articles, dance is a means of communication to express ones beliefs or ideas, or that of a culture. This is an article that would help better understand the ways of dance, how anthropologists move into the understanding of the meaning of movements. Ramirez, Olga N. "Social and Political Dimensions of Folklorico Dance: The Binational Dialectic of Residual and Emergent Culture." Western Folklore 48.1 (Jan 1989): 15-32. Olga N. Ramirez, an anthropologist specialized in folklore, gives her expertise letting readers interested in dance know how people miss the manipulation on the Mexican folklorico being that of social and political processes. Also Ramirez mentions how much of the historical background of the country, plays a role in Mexican folk dance. She said that it is the “social and political factors” that shaped Mexico, which is what is portrayed in many dances. This is also another article that can be useful to information in Mexico’s contributions to dance, especially the folklorico. Barron 6 Works Consulted Booth, Willard C. "Dramatic Aspects of Aztec Rituals." Educational Theatre Journal 18.4 (Dec 1966): 421-428. Jaeck, Lois M. "The Body as Revolutionary Text: The Dance as Protest Literature in Latin America." Ciencia Ergo Sum 10.1 (2003): 43-50.