Writing Activity
Dia de los Muertos
Before the Performance
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You will be viewing a live dance performance. The performance will share the customs of the Mexican holiday, Dia de los Muertos. Before you go to the performance describe what type of movements you expect to see that might express the holiday. What kind of movement do you expect to see? Would a skeleton dance with sharp and quick movement or with a light and airy quality?
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Think of the ways in which dance movements differ from every day movements like brushing hair, tying shoes, walking). What makes dance movement different from day to day movement?
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Discuss the following three purposes of dance: ceremonial (celebration, hunting), recreational (folk, social) and artistic (ballet). Do you think ballet performances ever include ceremonial and recreational dancing within the ballet dancing?
After the Performance
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How did dance communicate the customs of Mexican culture and of Dia de los Muertos in particular? Did the movements of the dancers in the performance tell a story? Did their movement help to move the plot along?
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Describe what you saw and heard in terms of costumes, music, lighting, choreography and props/scenery when you watched Dia de los Muertos. What is the relationship between these elements of production and the art of dance? How do they come together to make the ballet more complete?
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Suppose a big rainstorm struck the village during the market scene of the ballet? How would the dance and the movement of the dancers differ from what you actually saw on stage during the market scene? Describe your vision for a dance in a rainstorm.