Byram Hills Central School District

This information has been taken directly from the Accelerate U - Standards and Resource Guides (with approval) from the K-12 Education, NEW YORK STATE EDUCATION DEPARTMENT site. No information in this document has been changed.

Standard 4: Understanding the Cultural Dimensions and Contributions of the Arts

4. Students will know dances from many cultures and times and recognize their relationship to various cultural, social, and historic contexts. Students will recognize that dance is performed in many different cultural settings and serves many functions in diverse societies.

Students:

explain the interaction of performer and audience in dance as a shared cultural event (a)
identify the cultural elements in a variety of dances drawn from the folk and classical repertories (b)
recognize specific contributions of dance and dancers to their own lives and to people in other times and places (c).

This is evident, for example, when students:

describe their feelings and responses to a live dance performance and the effects that their responses might have on the performers
view a performance of modern dance and see if they can spot the traditional folk elements present
discuss the role that dance plays in the lives of a specific cultural group
research and choreograph a performance that demonstrates the differences and similarities of dances that originated in various cultures
develop a presentation that uses dance to communicate information about another discipline, e.g., history, literature, science
in collaboration with another student, research, develop, and choreograph a dance dialogue between the approaches to dance of two different cultures

attend several dance performances during the school year that reflect a range of styles and approaches to choreography and then compare and contrast the influence of culture on the styles.