A Student Wants to Perform a Sacred Step
A high school dance appreciation class of 28 students is in a three-day unit on cultural context and power. During discussion, a student asks whether she can use a hop-step she learned at a family wedding in a specific Pacific Islander community in her solo for the spring concert. Another student says, “Movement belongs to everyone; restricting it is censorship.” A parent email says the teacher is “policing culture.” The district equity policy asks teachers to examine cultural appropriation and to include community voice. The class has already read two short program notes: one from a contemporary choreographer who credits community elders and one from a fusion company that does not. The teacher has one class period before the unit assessment and wants students to analyze the request rather than settle it by opinion. The student says her aunt married into the community and that she was taught the step informally.
1. Describe how you would facilitate the discussion so students distinguish cultural appreciation, exchange, and appropriation without turning the lesson into a verdict on the student.
Read the worked answer
I would slow the either/or framing. Begin by distinguishing appreciation (learning about and respecting a form), exchange (mutual sharing with consent), and appropriation (taking without context, permission, credit, or benefit). Then ask students to map the specific case: What community is the step from? Who has authority to share it? Is it sacred, secular, or both? What credit and reciprocity would be involved? Does the student's family connection change the analysis? I would not put the student on trial; intent matters but so does impact. I would also avoid treating “Pacific Islander” as one culture and require students to research the specific community. The goal is evidence-based reasoning, not a classroom vote. I would close by naming that communities can have protocols without that being censorship.
2. What evidence would you require in the students' written analysis, and how would you assess it?
Read the worked answer
Students' written analyses should include: a specific cultural context claim with evidence from the program notes or approved research; a distinction between permission, credit, and benefit; an analysis of power and audience; a consideration of the student's relationship to the community; and a proposed course of action with reasons. I would assess with a rubric that rewards accurate use of concepts, evidence, counterargument, and nuance-not a predetermined verdict. A strong answer could conclude either that the student should seek permission and credit, or that she should choose a different movement for this solo, provided the reasoning addresses community protocols and the limits of her knowledge. I would penalize unsupported claims like “dance is universal” or “any restriction is censorship” because they skip context.
3. How would you respond to the parent email and to the student's request about the solo?
Read the worked answer
To the parent, I would respond privately and briefly: the unit is not policing a student's identity; it teaches students to analyze cultural context, permission, and credit, as the district policy requires. I would offer to show the materials and invite a conversation. To the student, I would say her family connection is relevant and worth discussing, but the class cannot decide permission for a community. I would give her three pathways: research the specific community's protocols and seek guidance from a cultural bearer; adapt the phrase in a way she can credit and explain; or choose a different movement for the spring solo. I would not publicly shame her. If she proceeds, I would require a program note that credits her sources and explains her choices.