PT141.S3.P2.Q10

PrepTest 141 - Section 3 - Passage 2 - Question 10

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P1

One of the more striking developments in modern North American dance was African American choreographer Katherine Dunham's introduction of a technique known as dance-isolation, in which one part of the body moves in one rhythm while other parts are kept stationary or are moved in different rhythms. The incorporation of this technique into North American and European choreography is relatively recent, although various forms of the technique have long been essential to traditional dances of certain African, Caribbean, and Pacific-island cultures. …

Intro topic · Katherine Dunham brought dance-isolation technique to North American choreography
Dance-isolation = one part of body moves to rhythm while other parts stay still or move to a different rhythm. Variations of this move were part of African, Caribbean, and Pacific-island cultures.
Dunham's success in bringing dance-isolation and other traditional techniques from those cultures into the mainstream of modern North American dance is due in no small part to her training in both anthropological research and choreography.

Reason for Dunham's success · Training in both anthropological research and choreographer
P2

As an anthropologist in the 1930s, Dunham was one of the pioneers in the field of dance ethnology. Previously, dance had been neglected as an area of social research, primarily because most social scientists gravitated toward areas likely to be recognized by their peers as befitting scientifically rigorous, and therefore legitimate, modes of inquiry. Moreover, no other social scientist at that time was sufficiently trained in dance to be able to understand dance techniques, while experts in dance were not trained in the methods of social research.

Historical context · Dance was neglected as area of social research
Social scientists tended to focus on stuff they thought was more scientifically rigorous. Also, social scientists didn't have as much training in dance as Dunham; dance experts didn't have her training in social science research.
P3

Starting in 1935, Dunham conducted a series of research projects into traditional Caribbean dance forms, with special interest in their origins in African culture. …

Dunham's dance research · Studied Caribbean dance forms and origins in African culture
Especially critical to her success was her approach to research, which diverged radically from the methodology that prevailed at the time. Colleagues in anthropology advised her not to become too closely involved in the dances she was observing, both because of the extreme physical demands of the dances, and because they subscribed to the long-standing view, now fortunately recognized as unrealistic, that effective data gathering can and must be conducted from a position of complete detachment. But because of her interest and her skill as a performer, she generally eschewed such caution and participated in the dances herself. Through prolonged immersion of this kind, Dunham was able not only to comprehend various dances as complex cultural practices, but also to learn the techniques well enough to teach them to others and incorporate them into new forms of ballet.

Dunham's radical approach · Dunham participated in dances herself
Social scientists advised her not to do this, because they assumed (wrongly) that science must be done from position of detachment. By participating in dances herself, Dunham understood the techniques well enough to teach them to others.
P4

Between 1937 and 1945, Dunham developed a research-to-performance method that she used to adapt Caribbean dance forms for use in theatrical performance, combining them with modern dance styles she learned in Chicago. The ballets she created in this fashion were among the first North American dances to rectify the exclusion of African American themes from the medium of modern dance. …

Dunham's transition to performance · Adapted Caribbean dance forms to modern dance styles
Her work was thus crucial in establishing African American dance as an art form in its own right, making possible future companies such as Arthur Mitchell's Dance Theater of Harlem.

Impact of Dunham's work · Established African American dance as own art form
Passage Style
Single position
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10.

The passage suggests that the "peers" mentioned in the second sentence of the second paragraph would have been most likely to agree with which one of the following statements about the study of dance?

a

Most social scientists who have attempted to study dance as a cultural phenomenon have misinterpreted it.

We have no reason to think the “peers” believed dance was misinterpreted by people who attempted to study it.

3%
b

Social scientists need not be well versed in dance traditions in order to obtain reliable data about them.

This wouldn’t fit what the “peers” think, because the “peers” would think that dance isn’t an area that’s scientifically rigorous. It’s not clear that the “peers” would even believe that we can obtain reliable data about dance.

8%
c

Research into dance as a cultural form cannot be conducted with a high degree of scientific precision.

The passage tells us that dance had been neglected primarily because most social scientists gravitated toward areas likely to be recognized by their “peers” as befitting scientifically rigorous modes of inquiry. This implies that the “peers” likely would have considered dance to be an area that was not scientifically rigorous. (C) is the closest match to the idea that dance isn’t considered scientifically rigorous.

72%
d

Most experts in the field of dance are too preoccupied to conduct studies in the field of dance ethnology.

We have no reason to think the “peers” believed dance experts were too busy to do studies about dance ethnology.

4%
e

Dance forms are too variable across cultures to permit rigorous means of data collection.

The idea of dance forms being “too variable” isn’t supported as something the “peers” would believe. Although we know they considered dance not to be scientifically rigorous, we don’t know that this has anything to do with the variability of dance forms.

13%

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