The following texts are used in this cycle to guide students toward achievement of the above-mentioned goals:

• Chapter 8 of Dancing Cultures: Globalization, Tourism and Identity in the Anthropology of Dance by Olga Najera-Ramirez

• Chapter 12 and 16 of Dancing Across Borders: Danzas Y Bailes Mexicanos by Olga Najera-Ramirez and Sydney Hutchinson

Dancing Cultures

• Why was Porfirio Diaz' ruling a disaster? Have you ever encountered a time where your culture was shunned and/or you felt like you were inferior to someone else because of their culture?

• What was the romantic nationalistic movement and how does this relate to Ballet Folklorico?

• Have you ever experienced something similar in searching for “lo Mexicano"?

• How do you view Ballet Folklorico in the United States? Do you think it's meant to carry traditions so it is not forgotten or do you think it should be meant for Chicanos to create something new out of it? 

Dancing Across borders

• What relation does mestizaje have with particular styles of music or dance?

• What is Ballet Folklorico de Mexico known for and how do they achieve this through their dance? How were they able to gain so much recognition?

• Why was it important to teach Ballet Folklorico in public schools? Would you take a Ballet Folklorico class as seriously as any other class and why?

• Do you agree with the idea that Folklorico dances should remain authentic and pure or do you believe in Amalia's approach in adding her own creativity to it? Why?

• How do you think you have represented your own culture in a creative way?

Journal and journey have the same root word. In your reflective journals for this course, you have an opportunity to relate the works we're discussing in class with your own life and experiences to document how you're moving on your journey through the course, through Mexican American Studies, and through your education and on to your career. These journals are confidential, which means it's a one-on-one dialogue between you and me. Feel free to share as much or as little as you wish, knowing that you can always come back to the journal to reflect on how far you've come in this course.

In this unit, we have discussed the emergence of Ballet Folklorico that has created a Mexican national identity. For this journal, reflect on your own cultural identity and consider how you could communicate it.

• What cultures do you feel that you strongly identify with?

• An early choreography by Amalia Hernandez was created with the memories she had of visiting her father's ranches when she was little. Write about a memory that you value that describes who you are today.

• Select an image of a Folklorico dress and try to infer what you believe are important values and explain what about the dress made you think that.

• Think of a form of music that you think represents your culture and the roots of where you come from and explain why you can relate to this music.

Ballet Folklorico is a performance art that expresses one's identity and passes cultural traditions through movements, action, music, costumes, and setup. For this end-of-cycle project, students will have the opportunity to further engage in the meaning or story behind Folklorico performances and incorporate their own identity into the project.

Objectives:

• A strong understanding of the role culture plays in Ballet Folklorico

• Opportunity to draw connections between Ballet Folklorico and student's personal life

• The ability to analyze elements of a dance choreography that communicates Mexican culture

• The ability to draw on characteristics of student's culture and identity to compose a Folklorico spectacle

Students will attend any Ballet Folklorico event that they would like and write notes on the performance to analyze what/how are dancers communicating culture or tradition to the audience and its significance

• 600-word essay describing in detail the dance and the conclusions of their analysis as well as their experience in exploring Ballet Folklorico.

OR

If students are unable to attend a Folklorico event they will create their own Ballet Folklorico spectacle that tells the student's own story about their personal identities, cultures and traditions, and experiences. Performance should include students' choice of music, background setup and props, and costume. Be creative.

• Slide presentation, minimum of 6 slides with pictures

• Drawing/painting or digital artwork with context

• Social media feed, minimum of 8 posts