I am publishing this due to a big response and request from Unity of the Hula Hoopers. I am not interested in any criticism or suggestions. This paper is finished and graded at 96%.
I am just posting as per your request to read a copy. Thanks!
Anthropology:
Final Paper
How important Movement Arts are to cultures
(specifically, hoop dance and the flow arts).
The arts are incredibly important
and crucial to cultures everywhere. Humans have a need to express their highly
evolved feelings and ideas about themselves and their world. Art is defined as
“the creative use of the human imagination to aesthetically interpret, express,
and engage life, modifying experienced reality in the process" (Haviland, 2014). Art can be used to express parts of cultures in ways that every day
storytelling cannot. Most societies use art as a symbol for their culture, with
ideas about their family, ethnicity, identity, and religion. Art comes in many
forms such as verbal, musical, movement and visual. Often, art is expressed in
a combination of those forms (Haviland, 2014).
One such art form that combines
musical, movement, and visual forms is called “hoop dance”. Some modern
presentations of hoop dance also include a verbal expression through text or
voice within a video. Hoop dance is a powerful and beneficial form of art that
is experienced and practiced among cultures around the entire world. The hoop
dance culture is extensive, found everywhere, and can mean many different
things depending on who you ask. The average person may only think of a kid’s
“hula hoop”. If you ask a passionate hoop dancer, however, they may speak of
hoops as a sacred, extraordinary phenomenon. One of the most widely known versions
of hoop dance is practiced by Native Americans.
The name of this particular
culture’s dance is Native American Hoop Dancing. Paintings have been found that
depict hoop dancing and are dated back to the 18th century. The
dance used to be called rainbow dance and several other nations started
practicing it around this time period. It is believed that the Great Lake
Ottawa were the first tribe to perform hoop dance with two hoops. This is where
the dancers first adopted their practice of picking the hoops up with their
feet before they touch them with their hands. Tony White Cloud is considered to
be the founder of the modern hoop dance. He re-invented the art form by
performing in public with multiple hoops at once. Now, modern day hoop dance
can include as many as 50 hoops (Johnston, 2009).
The reason why hoops are used to
practice their dance is because the hoop is a sacred symbol. It signifies the
never-ending circle of life. It is symbolic of the interconnectedness of life,
and also symbolic of the continuity of past, present, and future. When more
than one hoop is used, it represents how many things can live together in
harmony. “Everything an Indian does is in a circle, and that is because the
power of the world always works in circles, and everything tries to be round
(Johnston, 2009). A dancer performing with hoops is paying respect to not only
the sacred circle, but everything that is connected to it (animals, people, and
nature). Within a circle, there is equality. “No one is in front and no one is
behind, no one is above and no one is below" (Johnston, 2009).
Native American tribes perform hoop
dance much differently than other cultures around the world. However, the
meaning behind the hoops and circles is somewhat universal. Most “hoopers” or
“hoop dancers” around the world will agree that the hoops are a sacred thing in
one form or another. Each hoop dancer in the hoop dance culture is expected to
participate in a certain code of ethics/honor. If someone chooses to be a part
of the hoop culture, they are expected to treat all others as equals, reduce or
suspend judgment, support others in their goals and dreams, help others when
they are in need, and to exhibit a lifestyle of kindness. Native American Hoop
dancers and other hoop cultures can agree that hoops symbolize equality. A
worldwide culture of equality is something worthwhile and meaningful.
The art form is transcendental,
exhilarating, and life-changing to say the least. The benefits of hooping are
the reason it is becoming very well-known. So much so that a peer-reviewed
journal was written about how hoop dance can be used to prevent severe health
issues and occupational hazards. Although this document has been written for
those in the nursing profession, just about anyone could benefit from its
pointers. The title is “Hoop dancing to prevent and decrease burnout and
compassion fatigue”. The article begins by mentioning that play is vital to our
survival. “The opposite of play is depression”. As hoop dance is a form of
movement meditation, it can prevent burnout and compassion fatigue.
Compassion fatigue occurs with
caring professionals that experience and absorb traumatic stress from those
that they are helping and also their family members/friends. They are witness
to spiritual, emotional, and physical suffering on a daily basis. Burnout is
characterized when one experiences depersonalization, feelings of low or zero
personal accomplishment, and emotional exhaustion. The reason hoop dance is suggested
here as a form of therapy is because hoop dance is a powerful play tool. Play
is vital to physical, spiritual, and mental well-being. Hoop dance as a form of
play requires presence, persistence, a positive attitude, and passion. Hoop
dance produces the ability to let go of stressors and negative feelings. The
hoop creates a special boundary between the person inside and any negative
external factors in their lives. Although the article doesn't refer to hoop
dance as an art, it is considered to be.
Whether hoop dance is viewed as an
art or just a form of play, it is most definitely an extraordinary art form. The
cultural significance is easily understood within Native American Hoop Dancers,
but there is also much cultural significance within other hoop dancers around
the world. Hoop dance is just a small piece of a puzzle called “flow arts”,
which opens up a whole new book of culture. The flow arts can be explained as
the emerging movement based arts which integrate creative exploration, dance,
and skilled prop manipulation. The flow arts combine many ancient and modern
movements such as juggling, martial arts, circus, and hoops (Flow Arts, 2010).
In the textbook on page 582, another
example of a flow art is exhibited, called “Sufi Sema” or “whirling dervishes”.
Many hoop dancers are interested in this as well because they utilize sustained
spinning just as hoop dancers do. They also experience a state of “flow” while
doing their dance. The textbook perfectly describes a flow artist’s experience
with their prop and dance. It is the same transcendental feeling of being
“freed from earthly ties and is able to jubilantly commune with the divine… an
entrance from the material world to the spiritual (Haviland 2014).” Flow
artists all around the world can find multiple ways to connect with each other
on the same level and achieve equality. The flow arts unite people of all
genders, backgrounds, beliefs, locations, and cultures.
The movement arts can be classified
in many ways. Dancing with or without props to manipulate can be a beautiful
sight and feeling. Many people would agree that art can be a very powerful
symbol. That symbol communicates an important message that “we’re still here,
and we’re still a culturally distinct people with our own particular beliefs
and values (Haviland, pg 617-618).” As humans, we are always going to express
ourselves in any way we feel we can make the best, biggest statement about
ourselves and our lives.
Works
Cited
Haviland, William A., McBride,
Bunny, Prins, Harald E. L., & Walrath, Dana (2014).
Anthropology: The Human Challenge (14th ed.).
Belmont, CA. Wadsworth.
Johnston, R., Hixon, K., & Anton, V. (2009). The never-ending circle of life: Native american
hoop dancing from its origin to the present day. Journal of Physical Education, Recreation &
Dance, 80(6), 21-25,30. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/215754751?
accountid=39502
Sánchez, C., Valdez, A., & Johnson, L. (2014). Hoop
dancing to prevent and decrease burnout and
compassion fatigue. Journal
of Emergency Nursing, 40(4),
394-5.
doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jen.2014.04.013
