Dance Concert Review Paper

My experience at the Heartbeat workshop and Spirits Rising concert was both educational and enjoyable. These events explored the culture of the Native Americans of the Great Lakes area. The workshop included participation in traditional dance, an example of both traditional and arranged music, a version of the Native American creation story, and a summary of the culture throughout history. The concert was an excellent opportunity to learn through observation, but I mostly took the chance to enjoy a new type of music. It also included audience participation in a traditional round dance and continuing access to their music. A Native American’s identity is found in their culture and in their true name in their language. They express themselves through prayer, song, and dance. They dance and sing together in an expression of themselves and their culture. Singers have their own unique voices, singing from their hearts so any who listen can hear what they have to say. Dancers customize their regalia to represent their identity visually. The Native American cultures have an established tradition of music and dance throughout their entire history. In their culture, music is a …show more content…
Other aspects were modernized, such as the instrumentation, bilingual vocalists, and modern materials. The fusion of music styles blends together almost flawlessly. The rhythm system seems to be free. The drum sets the pulse, which they call the heartbeat, while the singers sing in naturally flowing rhythms. Their sense of pitch seems to be adapted to align with the western European tonal system. I do not have sufficient knowledge to make inferences about this beyond what I heard during the event. To my knowledge, Native American music and dance are aural traditions. However; modern arrangements such as the music of Spirits Rising are most likely