Reflection Paper: My Favorite Dance Lab In West Africa

Yaremi Ontiveros

DAN 110-01; MW 11:00 am

Final Self Reflection Paper Fall 2016

1.) My favorite dance lab was West African because I enjoyed dancing to the beat of the drums and learning about the history of the dance we performed. The choreographer mentioned that the dance we performed is normally performed to welcome outsiders. One reason why I found the dance lab enjoyable is because it was my first time dancing West African so I was vulnerable and less judgmental. Therefore, I did not feel hesitant in learning how to dance West African; instead, I was really into the dance and gave it all my energy. On the other hand, if the music was different I do not think I would have liked this style of dancing because I enjoyed dancing to the beat of the drums and the music. What

For instance, performing Hip Hop during the dance lab allowed me to understand the passion people have towards Hip Hop and I learned the four elements of Hip Hop. I was also able to understand and practice the moves I took notes in class about Ballet and Modern dance in the Contemporary lab. For instance, in class, we talked about the pointe technique and after performing this technique in the lab I understood even more. Additionally, the Jazz lab allowed me to thoroughly understand the four principles of Jazz which are vernacular, theatrical, Tap, and Hip Hop. On the other hand, the West African lab allowed me to recognize the importance behind the different types of drums after learning about this style of dance in class. Bharatanatyam was a style of dancing that was not covered in class, but I was able to apply Laban’s dynamic efforts to create my own definition for this style of dancing. The improvisation and choreography lab covered quite a few parts of the lecture, therefore I was able to refresh my mind on topics and/or answer any confusion I had regarding