Format
1. This program begins with a demonstration of one of the Mexican Fiesta dances that students will learn during the program.
2. Students will learn about and discuss the various fiestas with the presenter and see a demonstration of each of the dances
3. Students will be invited to try one or more of the dances.
Objectives
Participants will:
-explore the role of dance as related to culture
-learn about and experience two traditional Mexican fiesta dances
-learn to express themselves through creative dance (with the hand waving and skeleton dances)
-gain a better understanding of the cultural significance of these dances and how they relate to festivals
-develop an appreciation of the role that festivals play in a culture
-gain insights about themselves, their own lives, and the world around them by learning about other cultures.
Standards Alignment
National Standards
NationalSocial Studies
Cultures: High School -Apply an understanding of culture as an integrated whole that explains the functions and interactions of language, literature, the arts, traditions, beliefs, and values, and behavior patterns.
Cultures: Middle School -Compare similarities and differences in the ways groups, societies and cultures meet human needs.
National Dance Standards: Developed by the Consortium of National Arts Education Associations in 1994. Overall Content Standards this program addresses:
Content Standard #1: Identifying and demonstrating movement elements and skills in performing dance
Content Standard #3: Understanding dance as a way to create and communicate meaning
Content Standard #5: Demonstrating and understanding dance in various cultures and historical periods.
Grades K-4
-Students demonstrate the ability to define and maintain personal space
-Students demonstrate the ability to work effectively alone and with a partner
-Students perform folk dances from various cultures with competence and confidence
Grades 5-8
-Students demonstrate accurate memorization and reproduction of movement sequences
-Students competently perform folk and/or classical dances from various cultures; describe similarities and differences in steps and movement styles
Grades 9-12
-Students demonstrate the ability to remember extended movement sequences
-Students examine ways that a dance creates and conveys meaning by considering the dance from a variety of perspectives
NATIONAL STANDARDS FOR FOREIGN LANGUAGE EDUCATION: A Collaborative Project of ACTFL, AATF, AATG, AATI, AATSP, ACL, ACTR, CLASS and NCJLT-ATJ
COMPARISONS Develop Insight into the Nature of Language and Culture
Standard 4.2: Students demonstrate understanding of the concept of culture through comparisons of the cultures studied and their own.
CONNECTIONS Connect with Other Disciplines and Acquire Information
Standard 3.2: Students acquire information and recognize the distinctive viewpoints that are only available through the foreign language and its cultures
CULTURES: Gain Knowledge and Understanding of Other Cultures
Standard 2.1: Students demonstrate an understanding of the relationship between the practices and perspectives of the culture studied
State Standards
Wisconsin Model Academic Standards
Dance
A.4.2 Define and maintain personal space and move safely in groups throughout the general space
A.4.8 Demonstrate movements using various pathways (such as straight, curved, zig-zag,
twisted, or turning) on the ground and in the air
A.4.9Demonstrate rhythmic awareness by moving to a musical beat and responding to
changes in tempo
A.4.12 Demonstrate concentration and focus while moving
A.8.1 Explore and integrate the three elements of dance (space, time, and force) and
focus on the relationships of body parts to each other, dancers to each other, and
dancers to objects
A.8.2 Begin using the following movement skills and explain their underlying principles:
alignment, balance, initiation of movement, isolation of body parts, weight shift,
elevation and landing, and fall and recovery
A.8.4 Respond to rhythmic patterns with accuracy
A.12.3 Use increasingly complex combinations of locomotor and nonlocomotor
movements, emphasizing the elements of space, time, and force
A.12.4 Create rhythmic patterns and develop rhythmic accuracy
A.12.5Create and perform combinations and variations in a broad dynamic range
Wisconsin Model Academic Standards
Social Studies: The Behavioral Sciences
E.4.4 Describe the ways in which ethnic cultures influence the daily lives of people
E.4.11 Give examples and explain how language, stories, folk tales, music, and other
artistic creations are expressions of culture and how they convey knowledge of
other peoples and cultures
E.8.3 Describe the ways in which local, regional, and ethnic cultures may influence the
everyday lives of people
E.12.8 Analyze issues of cultural assimilation and cultural preservation among ethnic
and racial groups in Wisconsin, the United States, and the world
Wisconsin’s Model Academic
Standards for Foreign Languages: Culture
Beginning
D.2. Cultural activities: Students will participate in and learn about age-appropriate
cultural activities (such as games, songs, and holiday celebrations)
D.3. Beliefs and attitudes: Students will identify some common beliefs and attitudes
within the cultures studied such as social etiquette or the role of the family
D.4. Historical influences: Students will identify reasons for different patterns of
interaction
Developing
D.2. Cultural activities: Students will experience cultural and social activities common
to students of similar age in the target cultures (such as holiday celebrations, school
life, and pastimes)
D.3. Beliefs and attitudes: Students will identify some common beliefs and attitudes
within the cultures studied and compare them to their own beliefs and attitudes
Transitioning
D.2. Cultural activities: Students will compare and contrast activities from other
cultures to their own in relation to home, school, community, and nation
D.3. Beliefs and attitudes: Students will discuss and compare beliefs and attitudes
within the cultures studied and their own in relation to home, school, community and nation
Refining
D.2. Cultural activities: Students will examine the role and importance of various
social activities within the cultures studied (such as religious celebrations, historical
events, rites of passage)