Theme 2: In what ways can teachers with Eurocentric training incorporate Africanist elements into their Jazz dance pedagogy to promote social justice education within their classrooms? by

Requires changing WHAT we teach in Jazz dance class

kelseymcmahon1 — 2024-03-07 14:57:29 UTC

What are the classroom strategies?

kelseymcmahon1 — 2024-03-07 15:05:01 UTC

kelseymcmahon1 — 2024-03-07 15:09:16 UTC

Incorporating vernacular Jazz movement such as: Shorty George, Charleston, Lindy Hop, Ring Shout, Big Apple, Shim Sham Shimmy etc as an entry point to teach historical context

kelseymcmahon1 — 2024-03-07 15:13:24 UTC

Counter-storytelling to teach about historical figures and historical context

Cruz-Banks (2010)

kelseymcmahon1 — 2024-03-07 20:45:07 UTC

-teaching vernacular movements that incorporate kinetic Africanist elements as an entry point to teach Jazz history and the context of the vernacular steps

Cruz-Banks (2010)

kelseymcmahon1 — 2024-03-08 01:04:23 UTC

-dance can be used to empower students to develop a critical understanding of the world

-including historical context within dance classes challenges the dominant understanding and systems present within dance education

-providing students with access to different worldviews and different points of view challenges their understanding of what dance is and encourages an examination of personal beliefs and biases

-such strategies "[decolonize] dance pedagogy by countering legacies of racism and cultural oppression " (Cruz-Banks, 2010, p. 4)

-these strategies are "post-colonial practices [which can] transform colonial power on epistemic and humanistic levels" (Cruz-Banks, 2010, p. 9)

Content Mastery, Critical Thinking, Personal Reflection, Tools for Action and Social Change, Awareness of Multicultural Group Dynamics

Thomas (2019)

kelseymcmahon1 — 2024-03-08 01:05:05 UTC

-teaching vernacular movement to initiate dialogue about historical context

Thomas (2019)

kelseymcmahon1 — 2024-03-08 01:08:13 UTC

-Engaging students in dialogue about race and class informs them how dance is connected to the larger socio-political context in which we all operate

-"History and context must be included to challenge the way social politics has overtly and covertly influenced the dissemination of information" within dance education (Thomas, 2019, p. 105)

Content Mastery, Critical Thinking, Personal Reflection

Chang & Hogans (2021)

kelseymcmahon1 — 2024-03-08 02:55:15 UTC

-teaching vernacular movements that include Africanist kinetic elements to introduce historical context

Chang & Hogans (2021)

kelseymcmahon1 — 2024-03-08 02:55:51 UTC

-"When students are knowledgeable about the histories of the dances, they are less likely to misappropriate the dances and are more likely to give credit to the forms that inspire them. They are likely to repeat and replicate these new ways of moving outside of the classroom and in their own creative projects. If students understand where certain movements come from, what they signify and how to do them, they increase their capacity to learn cultural sensibility and responsibility" (Chang & Hogans, 2021, p. 6)

Content Mastery, Critical Thinking, Personal Reflection, Tools for Action and Social Change, Awareness of Multicultural Group Dynamics

Salfran (2017)

kelseymcmahon1 — 2024-03-08 02:59:23 UTC

-teach vernacular Jazz movements, emphasizing groundedness and other Africanist elements

-Examples include: the Big Apple and the Shim Sham Shimmy

-vernacular movement that emphasizes Africanist elements is the driving force to incorporate historical knowledge and this type of movement is the link to understanding what is happening in society at a certain place in time.

Salfran (2017)

kelseymcmahon1 — 2024-03-08 03:04:04 UTC

"Through teaching Jazz dance and other vernacular forms while honouring their cultural impact, educators have the power to offer students opportunities to develop their full identities in a manner that relates to their education" (Salfran, 2017, p. 24)

"Making connections between the past and the present and recognizing movements that I'm used to doing along with the historical context gives me a whole different perspective"- a student testimonial from the case study (Salfran, 2017, p. 101).

Personal Reflection, Tools for Action and Social Change, Awareness of Multicultural Group Dynamics

Davis (2018)

kelseymcmahon1 — 2024-03-08 03:06:02 UTC

-teaching vernacular movement that includes Africanist elements to engage students in the question "What is dance" and to incorporate history and context

Davis (2018)

kelseymcmahon1 — 2024-03-08 03:09:01 UTC

-Engaging students in vernacular movement and teaching them to recognize the kinetic Africanist elements that are present in the movement while also providing the historical context of the movement invites students to question their current understanding of Jazz dance and their personal bias regarding what dance is and what is considered dance technique.

-This line of questioning provides students with the tools to interrupt bias and white supremacy in the dance studio.

Content Mastery, Critical Thinking, Personal Reflection, Tools for Action and Social Change, Awareness of Multicultural Group Dynamics

Mabingo (2018)

kelseymcmahon1 — 2024-03-08 03:18:51 UTC

-teachers must engage students with history and context in combination with a kinesthetic experience

Mabingo (2018)

kelseymcmahon1 — 2024-03-08 03:21:41 UTC

incorporating history and context while teaching vernacular steps that include kinetic Africanist elements "clarify[ies] information...students can interrogate their perceptions of and attitudes towards other people, places and cultures" (Mabingo, 2018, p. 109).

Content Mastery, Critical Thinking, Personal Reflection, Tools for Action and Social Change, Awareness of Multicultural Group Dynamics

Allin (2023)

kelseymcmahon1 — 2024-03-08 03:23:03 UTC

-incorporating vernacular Jazz movements (that highlight kinetic Africanist elements) and social justice values while teaching the context of the steps

Allin (2018)

kelseymcmahon1 — 2024-03-08 03:24:39 UTC

By creating and talking about African centered Jazz we can begin to counter systems of racism (Allin, 2023)

Content Mastery, Critical Thinking, Personal Reflection, Tools for Action and Social Change, Awareness of Multicultural Group Dynamics

Kerr-Berry (2022)

kelseymcmahon1 — 2024-03-08 03:28:26 UTC

-using vernacular movements that feature kinetic Africanist elements to teach context

-Examples: use of asymmetry, flat footedness and groundedness in the Shorty George, Charlston and Shim Sham

-Using Counter Storytelling to highlight the history of jazz

-Examples: teaching the significance of the Savoy Ballroom dancers, Whitey's Lindy Hoppers, Frankie Manning, Al Minns and Leon James

Kerr-Berry (2022)

kelseymcmahon1 — 2024-03-08 03:37:21 UTC

"It is the recovery and rewriting of Jazz dance history that acknowledges [its] complex past despite repeated attempts by Whites to confiscate it and call it their own" (Kerr-Berry, 2022, p. 90).

Content Mastery, Critical Thinking, Personal Reflection, Tools for Action and Social Change, Awareness of Multicultural Group Dynamics

Jones (2022)

kelseymcmahon1 — 2024-03-08 03:38:52 UTC

-incorporating vernacular movements that highlight kinetic Africanist elements as a means to teach history and the cultural significance of the movement.

Jones (2022)

kelseymcmahon1 — 2024-03-08 03:40:27 UTC

Teaching students to recognize the kinetic Africanist elements present in vernacular Jazz movements advances equity in dance education as this strategy dispels the myth that Ballet is the foundation of Jazz (Jones, 2022).

Content Mastery, Critical Thinking, Tools for Action and Social Change

Peters (2022)

kelseymcmahon1 — 2024-03-08 03:41:27 UTC

-use vernacular movement that highlights kinetic Africanist elements to teach theory, history, context and the cultural significance of the movement

Peters (2022)

kelseymcmahon1 — 2024-03-08 03:44:56 UTC

Findings from this case study include:

-participants were unware of previously held biases about Jazz dance and admitted that they had a lack of historical knowledge about Jazz dance

-after experiencing the teaching strategies the participant's behaviour changed. They began using and embodying the Africanist elements themselves.

-Participant self-reflection and exit surveys indicated that they planned on teaching their future students from a historical and culturally responsive perspective when they became Jazz dance teachers.

Content Mastery, Critical Thinking, Personal Reflection, Tools for Action and Social Change, Awareness of Multicultural Group Dynamics

Content Mastery

kelseymcmahon1 — 2024-03-08 03:47:48 UTC

Teachers can promote content mastery by incorporating contextual kinetic Africanist elements into their Jazz dance pedagogy. Including these elements through vernacular movement provides an entry point to teach the historical context and cultural significance of the steps. Using counter-storytelling to teach history allows students to make connections between their dance class and the larger socio-political context.

Critical Thinking

kelseymcmahon1 — 2024-03-08 03:56:33 UTC

Teachers can promote critical thinking by teaching students vernacular Jazz movements that feature contextual kinetic Africanist elements and how to recognize contextual kinetic Africanist movements within Jazz dance. Incorporating vernacular movements into Jazz dance instruction breaks down hierarchies that exist between Ballet-based styles and those from the African diaspora. This strategy also dispels myths such as Ballet is the foundation of all dance and that dancers who do not practice Ballet are devoid of dance technique.

Personal Reflection

kelseymcmahon1 — 2024-03-08 04:01:08 UTC

Teachers can promote personal reflection by incorporating contextual kinetic Africanist elements into their Jazz dance classes and by giving these steps and movement styles equal significance to the Ballet influenced and Eurocentric Jazz steps and styles that are regularly taught.

Including the contextual kinetic Africanist steps encourages students to examine their personal biases and understandings of what Jazz dance is.

Tools for Action and Social Change

kelseymcmahon1 — 2024-03-08 04:04:58 UTC

Teachers can provide students with the tools for action and social change by incorporating contextual kinetic Africanist elements into their Jazz dance classes. Teaching students the history and cultural significance of Jazz dance minimizes cultural appropriation.

Awareness of Multicultural Group Dynamics

kelseymcmahon1 — 2024-03-08 04:08:31 UTC

Teachers can foster an awareness of multicultural group dynamics by incorporating contextual kinetic Africanist elements into their Jazz dance classes. Teaching students the history and cultural significance of Jazz dance allows students to respectfully experience and learn from and about African American culture.