University of Denver Digital Commons @ DU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Graduate Studies 1-1-2011 Living Culture Embodied: Constructing Meaning in the Contra Dance Community Kathryn E. Young University of Denver Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.du.edu/etd Part of the Anthropology Commons, and the Dance Commons Recommended Citation Young, Kathryn E., "Living Culture Embodied: Constructing Meaning in the Contra Dance Community" (2011). Electronic Theses and Dissertations. 726. https://digitalcommons.du.edu/etd/726 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate Studies at Digital Commons @ DU. It has been accepted for inclusion in Electronic Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of Digital Commons @ DU. For more information, please contact [email protected],[email protected]. LIVING CULTURE EMBODIED: CONSTRUCTING MEANING IN THE CONTRA DANCE COMMUNITY __________ A Thesis Presented to the Faculty of Social Sciences University of Denver __________ In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Master of Arts __________ by Kathryn E. Young August 2011 Advisor: Dr. Christina F. Kreps ©Copyright by Kathryn E. Young 2011 All Rights Reserved Author: Kathryn E. Young Title: LIVING CULTURE EMBODIED: CONSTRUCTING MEANING IN THE CONTRA DANCE COMMUNITY Advisor: Dr. Christina F. Kreps Degree Date: August 2011 Abstract In light of both the 2003 UNESCO Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage and the efforts of the Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage in producing the Smithsonian Folklife Festival, it has become clear that work with intangible cultural heritage in museums necessitates staff to carry out ethnographic fieldwork among heritage communities. In order to illustrate this methodology, an ethnographic study was conducted in the Denver contra dance community to better explore conceptions of value and meaning related to the community by its members. Further, the contra dance findings point to certain issues related to defining the terms of community and sustainability, which relate to concepts illustrated by the 2003 UNESCO Convention. The different key elements of the project - museums, intangible cultural heritage, and contra dance - become linked together by considering each instance of expressive performance as the enactment of culture in the moment. The project research and paper contribute to the literature of contra dance, ethnographic dance studies, performance, museum studies, and the exhibition of intangible culture. ii Acknowledgements The fact that this project is over three years in the making means that many thanks are in order. With that said, I would like to give sincere thanks for the support I received at the University of Denver. My advisors, Christina Kreps and Jimmy LaVita, read endless drafts throughout the entire process and I am very appreciative of their guidance. Thank you to Richard Clemmer-Smith, Bonnie Clark, Brooke Rohde, Larry Conyers, Dores Cruz, and Ann Dobyns for helping me out directly, indirectly, and sometimes at the last minute. I would also like to express deep gratitude to my internship supervisor, Stephanie Smith, at the Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage, for mentoring me in Washington, D.C. and for helping me network in the dance community. Lastly, I would like to thank my parents, Janie and John Young, for their endless support through all of my endeavors. iii Table of Contents Chapter One: The Project.................................................................................................... 1 An Introduction ....................................................................................................... 1 My Place in the Dance Community ........................................................................ 6 Structure of the Thesis .......................................................................................... 11 Chapter Two: Designing a Multi-disciplinary Methodology............................................ 14 Goals and Research Questions .............................................................................. 14 Research Design.................................................................................................... 16 The Ethnographic Method ........................................................................ 17 Ethnography and Museums: Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage ..................................................................................................... 22 Methods................................................................................................................. 23 Ethical Considerations .......................................................................................... 32 Chapter Three: Background and Theoretical Frameworks ............................................... 34 Intangible Cultural Heritage ................................................................................. 35 What is intangible cultural heritage? ........................................................ 35 Why is intangible cultural heritage important when studying and understanding cultures? ............................................................................ 38 How is dance related to intangible cultural heritage? ............................... 40 Theoretical Frameworks ....................................................................................... 45 Anthropology of Dance............................................................................. 45 Performance Theory.................................................................................. 48 New Museological Theory ........................................................................ 56 Chapter Four: Case Study Background and Literature Review ........................................ 63 Historical and Cultural Review of Contra Dance ................................................. 63 Literature Review: Relevant Ethnographies ......................................................... 68 Chapter Five: The Contra Dance Event ............................................................................ 77 Ethnographer’s Vignette ....................................................................................... 77 The Physical Setting ................................................................................. 77 The Social Setting ..................................................................................... 78 Interaction Between Participants .............................................................. 80 Performance .............................................................................................. 81 Time and Duration .................................................................................... 83 Sentiments Expressed ............................................................................... 84 The Observer ............................................................................................. 85 Chapter Six: Contra Dancing and Community: Making Meaning Out of Experience ..... 86 Introduction ........................................................................................................... 86 Tradition and Change ............................................................................................ 87 “Traditional” Community Dances vs. Modern Urban Contras ................. 90 “Contra-centric” Thinking: Limiting Perspectives ................................... 94 iv Globalization ............................................................................................. 95 The Community and its Boundaries ......................................................... 98 Varying Levels on the Dance Floor .......................................................... 98 The Highs and Lows: New Dancer Experiences .................................... 100 Expanding the Community: Welcoming New Dancers .......................... 104 Behavior and Expression .................................................................................... 107 Social Interaction at a Contra Dance Event ............................................ 107 “Gender Bending”: Experiments in Non-traditional Gender Roles ........ 110 Sexuality and Physicality ........................................................................ 112 Value and Meaning Production .......................................................................... 114 Defining Community .............................................................................. 115 Building a Vibrant Community .............................................................. 115 Support through Physicality .................................................................... 120 Aesthetics ................................................................................................ 123 Conclusion .......................................................................................................... 128 Chapter Seven: Intangible Heritage Production: Museum, Festival, and Field .............. 130 Smithsonian Folklife Festival: Representing Heritage ....................................... 131 Framing ................................................................................................... 131 Critiques .................................................................................................. 133 New Perspectives ...................................................................................