Papers by Avis HatcherPuzzo
Journal of Dance Education, 2014
This paper explores the issues involved in building a degree program in dance at a historically b... more This paper explores the issues involved in building a degree program in dance at a historically black university in the Bible Belt of the southern United States. It discusses the influences of popular dance in an isolated culture where the entertainment media and the customs of the community are impediments to an artistic appreciation of dance. Although these individual components are found in other American cultures today, the unique combination of these issues in this specific culture made it difficult to introduce a new idea of dance. As these cultural difficulties were overcome through numerous educational and artistic endeavors, an understanding of dance as an art form began to take shape.
Journal of Dance Education, 2014
This paper explores the issues involved in building a degree program in dance at a historically b... more This paper explores the issues involved in building a degree program in dance at a historically black university in the Bible Belt of the southern United States. It discusses the influences of popular dance in an isolated culture where the entertainment media and the customs of the community are impediments to an artistic appreciation of dance. Although these individual components are found in other American cultures today, the unique combination of these issues in this specific culture made it difficult to introduce a new idea of dance. As these cultural difficulties were overcome through numerous educational and artistic endeavors, an understanding of dance as an art form began to take shape.
CONVERSATIONS ACROSS THE FIELD OF DANCE STUDIES, 2016
When one of my colleagues asked me to teach the waltz to a handful of debutantes for their cotill... more When one of my colleagues asked me to teach the waltz to a handful of debutantes for their cotillion, I was a bit surprised. I thought our society was past that. I thought these occasions, where debutantes are presented to the public by their family to be decorated and accepted by society, were strictly for the White upper class, particularly in the South. Cotillions drew criticism and scorn from feminists decades ago who claimed that they were sexist and highly exclusive. And moreover, I thought, “why the waltz?” Of all the social dances, I didn’t see how the waltz would work for these young African-American women; it seemed too old, too stilted, and too European for this millennial generation. I was skeptical, but my colleague, an esteemed member of the Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority’s Zeta Pi Omega Chapter, was insistent and determined: the debutantes, their fathers, and their male escorts were to dance the waltz.
Today, Southern communities with historically Black colleges are known for holding several debutante balls during the spring season. Local cultural organizations often team up with the alumni chapter of a Black sorority and organize the event months in advance of the actual ball. Promoted as educational and social preparatory programs, area middle- and high-school girls are eagerly signed up by their parents or grandparents to participate in the balls. As part of the grooming experience, debutantes attend numerous cultural events including dance concerts, theater performances, and museum exhibits. There are
workshops in leadership, fundraising, women’s issues and community service activities. To prepare for the ball itself, these young ladies take elocution lessons in table setting, fashion and social etiquette.
Journal of Dance Education, 2014
This paper explores the issues involved in building a degree program in dance at a historically b... more This paper explores the issues involved in building a degree program in dance at a historically black university in the Bible Belt of the southern United States. It discusses the influences of popular dance in an isolated culture where the entertainment media and the customs of the community are impediments to an artistic appreciation of dance. Although these individual components are found in other American cultures today, the unique combination of these issues in this specific culture made it difficult to introduce a new idea of dance. As these cultural difficulties were overcome through numerous educational and artistic endeavors, an understanding of dance as an art form began to take shape.
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Papers by Avis HatcherPuzzo
Today, Southern communities with historically Black colleges are known for holding several debutante balls during the spring season. Local cultural organizations often team up with the alumni chapter of a Black sorority and organize the event months in advance of the actual ball. Promoted as educational and social preparatory programs, area middle- and high-school girls are eagerly signed up by their parents or grandparents to participate in the balls. As part of the grooming experience, debutantes attend numerous cultural events including dance concerts, theater performances, and museum exhibits. There are
workshops in leadership, fundraising, women’s issues and community service activities. To prepare for the ball itself, these young ladies take elocution lessons in table setting, fashion and social etiquette.
Today, Southern communities with historically Black colleges are known for holding several debutante balls during the spring season. Local cultural organizations often team up with the alumni chapter of a Black sorority and organize the event months in advance of the actual ball. Promoted as educational and social preparatory programs, area middle- and high-school girls are eagerly signed up by their parents or grandparents to participate in the balls. As part of the grooming experience, debutantes attend numerous cultural events including dance concerts, theater performances, and museum exhibits. There are
workshops in leadership, fundraising, women’s issues and community service activities. To prepare for the ball itself, these young ladies take elocution lessons in table setting, fashion and social etiquette.