Introduction to various forms of dance (to include ballet, tap, jazz, modern, and social dance) with an emphasis on dance technique, history, theory and appreciation.
Chapter 1: What is Dance?
Chapter 2: Elements of Dance
Chapter 3: Ballet
Chapter 4: Modern Dance
Chapter 5: Tap, Jazz, Musical Theater, Television and Film
Chapter 6: Religious and Social Dance
Chapter 7: Hip Hop
Chapter 8: Current Trends

This text explores the visual and performing arts (art, music, dance, theatre).
Chapter 1: Elements, Vocabulary, and Iconography of Visual Art
Chapter 2: Mediums in Visual Art
Chapter 3: Ancient Arts (Prehistoric, Ancient Near East, Egyptian)
Chapter 4: Classical Period to Middle Ages
Chapter 5: Renaissance to Realism
Chapter 6: Impressionism to Modern
Chapter 7: An Introduction to the Theater and its Elements
Chapter 8: The Greek Origins of Western Theater
Chapter 9: Technical Theater
Chapter 10: The Actor's Craft
Chapter 11: Other Theater Traditions
Chapter 12: Introduction to Music
Chapter 13: Music in the Middle Ages and the Renaissance
Chapter 14: Baroque and Classical Music
Chapter 15: Music of the Romantic Era
Chapter 16: Music of the 20th Century
Chapter 17: Introduction to Dance
Chapter 18: Elements of Dance
Chapter 19: Dance History and Styles

This open textbook was created with the support of an ALG Textbook Transformation Grant. Topics include art integration, music integration, physical education / dance integration, and the theoretical foundations of arts integration in education

Sounds of War, by Susanna Hast, is a book on the aesthetics of war experience in Chechnya. It includes theory on, and stories of, compassion, dance, children’s agency and love. It is not simply a book to be read, but to be listened to. The chapters begin with the author’s own songs expressing research findings and methodology in musical form. Susanna Hast is Academy of Finland postdoctoral researcher with a project “Bodies in War, Bodies in Dance” (2017–2020) at the Theatre Academy Helsinki, University of the Arts. She does artistic research on emotions, embodiment and war and teaches dance for immigrant and asylum-seeking women in Finland.

Dancing About Literature Since 1986

Short Description:
Commentary, both long and short, on a diverse set of literature, including novels, short stories, and essays. Some of it is off-the-cuff, some of it is polished, but always with the goal being to examine what was being read, not just be a passive consumer.

Word Count: 254267

(Note: This resource's metadata has been created automatically as part of a bulk import process by reformatting and/or combining the information that the author initially provided. As a result, there may be errors in formatting.)

Performance Philosophy is an emerging interdisciplinary field of thought, creative practice and scholarship. The Performance Philosophy book series comprises monographs and essay collections addressing the relationship between performance and philosophy within a broad range of philosophical traditions and performance practices, including drama, theatre, performance arts, dance, art and music. The series also includes studies of the performative aspects of life and, indeed, philosophy itself. As such, the series addresses the philosophy of performance as well as performance-as-philosophy and philosophy-as-performance.

Short Description:
Every couple of years, an inspired group of people, led by the editors of AwaaZ Magazine (www.awazmagazine.com), organise a festival in Nairobi, Kenya, that goes by the name ‘SAMOSA’—South Asian Mosaic of Society and the Arts— bringing together different communities through art, music, dance, film and discussions. In 2016, during the 7th biennial event, included was a colloquium organised in collaboration with the Department of Literature of the University of Nairobi. This unique collection of essays considers the issues of citizenship, identity and belonging in Kenya through an examination of literature, film, music, and theatre, providing reflections on women, statelessness and refugees.

Long Description:
Every couple of years, an inspired group of people, led by the editors of AwaaZ Magazine (www.awazmagazine.com), organise a festival in Nairobi, Kenya, that goes by the name ‘SAMOSA’—South Asian Mosaic of Society and the Arts— bringing together different communities through art, music, dance, film and discussions. In 2016, during the 7th biennial event, included was a colloquium organised in collaboration with the Department of Literature of the University of Nairobi. This unique collection of essays considers the issues of citizenship, identity and belonging in Kenya through an examination of literature, film, music, and theatre, providing reflections on women, statelessness and refugees.

A pleasant quick read on a complex subject of citizenship, identity and belonging. Ignites an interest in these issues as expounded in the arts and film. —Dr George Gona, Senior Lecturer, Department of History and Archaeology, University of Nairobi.

This excellent compilation of papers by leading Kenyan academics, writers, public intellectuals and practitioners of various forms of art focuses on issues of citizenship, identity and belonging in literature, film, music and theatre. They cover a vast range of subjects that tell the story of Kenya’s past and present.

Ramnik Shah- ex-Kenyan lawyer who writes on migration and diaspora related subjects.

Word Count: 20200

(Note: This resource's metadata has been created automatically as part of a bulk import process by reformatting and/or combining the information that the author initially provided. As a result, there may be errors in formatting.)

Concept Note for the 2023 Ambassadors Fund for Cultural Preservation

Short Description:
In the Middle Belt of Nigeria, three major language families converge in a region with cultural diversity rivaling the Amazon Basin. According to Ethnologue, there are 340 distinct languages. Each is accompanied by Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH), including music and dance, poetry and puppetry, handicrafts, and healing practices. The region has received comparatively little attention from scholars. Countless traditions remain unknown and undocumented. Only the Tiv’s Kwagh-Hir theatrical tradition has been inscribed by UNESCO, leaving an urgent need for expanded cultural heritage preservation efforts. This is a project proposal for cultural preservation in the central region of Nigeria.

Long Description:
In the Middle Belt of Nigeria, three major language families converge in a region with cultural diversity rivaling the Amazon Basin. According to Ethnologue, there are 340 distinct languages. Each is accompanied by Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH), including music and dance, poetry and puppetry, handicrafts, and healing practices. The region has received comparatively little attention from scholars. Countless traditions remain unknown and undocumented. Only the Tiv’s Kwagh-Hir theatrical tradition has been inscribed by UNESCO, leaving tremendous potential for new inscriptions.

ICH is one of Nigeria’s great treasures, yet artifacts and archeological sites dominate discussions of preservation while vulnerable traditions languish, often disappearing without a trace. Many Middle Belt communities are eager to share their traditions but do not have resources to do so. In contrast, Yorùbá is among the most widely studied indigenous and diasporic cultures. Ethnic minorities have been marginalized for centuries by slave raiding, land encroachment, and economic exclusion. Surviving communities deserve the benefits of cultural preservation and should be celebrated for their distinct and resilient cultures at home and in diaspora. In 2021, our team recorded musical practices that strongly resemble American genres like Delta Blues and Funk.

We will utilize American expertise to build capacity among Nigerian field researchers reflecting the Fulbright-Hays Act as a basis for the Ambassadors Fund for Cultural Preservation. The project will bring HBCU faculty and students into the orbit of ICH stakeholders. HBCUs have a long-standing history and vested interest in welcoming African-born faculty and students and appreciating the cultural diversity they bring to diaspora communities. Engaging HBCU students in cultural heritage preservation will be a focus of the project, leveraging American technical skills with Nigerian cultural competencies to support US Mission Goals.

Our documentation drive will produce thousands of audiovisual primary sources with the potential to fuel knowledge- and creativity-based economic growth. We will collaborate with participating communities on a three-phase ethnographic process: (1) Inventory, (2) Documentation, and (3) Preventive Conservation. Grant products will be disseminated widely, benefitting the communities, the American and Nigerian public, and scholars in a variety of fields. The Middle Belt faces an array of challenges, including climate change, substance abuse, pastoralist conflict, and religious fundamentalism. The US Mission’s objective of promoting peaceful dialogue will be lived through partnership with CONAECDA, a coalition of community development associations formed in recognition of the UN’s Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. Cultural preservation will promote stability through inclusive education, interethnic and intergenerational conviviality, and constructive identity formation among young people.

Word Count: 9043

(Note: This resource's metadata has been created automatically by reformatting and/or combining the information that the author initially provided as part of a bulk import process.)