Paul A Rodriguez

Supplemental Analysis and Description, A Multi-unicultural Inclusion of Mexican Regional Dances for Performing Arts Paul A Rodriguez

Dance, the most ancient of arts, has been an integral part of religious customs and rituals. It is important to the socialization process in civilization. Dance can made a significant contribution to the curriculum with human development and expression. The Visual and Performing Arts Framework (California State Board of Education, 1989) asserted that: The dance experience is an ideal instrument for developing and enriching bilingual and Multicultural programs because dance is a nonverbal medium. (p. 30) Participation in dances of other cultures enables the student to experience feelings, sensations, and ideas associated with those cultures. Students can sense the rich contributions of the multiethnic and Multicultural groups, past and present, that makes the American society. Saxe (1989) stated: I have pointed out that democracy in our nation serves a pluralistic society, but that this society needs a cultural currency to function efficiently. Harmon is found in diversity, not sameness. Likewise, democracy is a result of collective sharing among willing participants seeking substance and unity. (pp. 199-200) The very complexity and diversity within our American society coheres for the inclusion of multiculturalism in dance education curriculum. Many dances draw upon dances of other cultures. An appreciation of the similarities and distinctions of various cultures is gained through the study of folk dance. Dance reflects the personality and temperament of a people that gives dance its lasting appeal. Likewise, researchers inform us that the brain operates on an emotional bias system. Information that is perceived by the learner as helpful, interesting, rewarding (Hart, 1975; Sagan, 1977), and or gamey is eventually processed by the brain. In short, we learn what we want to learn. Cognitive functioning is determined by the emotional state of the learner (Galyean, 1981). Many dance movements can signify universal shared meanings. Viewed as a universal language, symbolized through dance, furthers the child's knowledge of the world and its diverse cultures. Exposure to dance helps children understand and appreciate their own culture and the cultures of others. Subsequently, dance constitutes a mean for helping students learn how to live in peace, harmony, and mutual respect in a complex, pluralistic society. The information presented in this book enriches and develops in students the knowledge and appreciation of our multicultural dance heritage. Likewise, students come to recognize dance as a universal language in world cultures. Dance is a nonverbal communicative skill which processes mainly from the appositional hemisphere of the brain. Logan (1984) concluded that "Dance experiences allow the child to view the aesthetic dimension of movement and heighten kinesthetic awareness and bodily intelligence" (p. 300). Likewise, Hawkins (1964) affirmed: "Dance as a work of art may be described as the expression of man's inner feelings transformed by imagination and given form through the medium of movement" (p. 4). Few efforts in educational systems have designed a comprehensive developmental sequence of dance education for all students before the university or college level. Schwartz (1991) stated that: Multicultural dance provides a means of understanding cultural differences and helps students understand and clarify their own value systems. Educators communicate values to students through their educational structures that, in dance, cross barriers of language, culture, and national