Documentary

For theater class we were assigned to do a documentary on a traditional dance, since that was the unit we were covering, I was partners with Su and Amal and we decided to do a documentary on the Bhangra which is a type of Indian folk dance. Before we could start we needed to do some research, we divided it and I did research on the instruments and dance steps, Su did research about the history and Amal did about costumes and the characteristics of the Bhangra, we decided to make a Google doc and that way each of us could read what the other person has put down. When I learned about the instruments I learned that the Bhangra consists of many instruments and each is used for a different genera in the Bhangra. I didn't know that there were different sub generas I thought the Bhangra was just one dance, however I learned there were many different types like the Daankara is a dance with sticks, the Gatka is a dance performed with swords and daggers, the dance and dancers are very ambitious. Bhangra used a lot of string and drum instruments to give the dance a rhythm. Whilst researching I learned that the Sarangi and Ektar are stringed instruments which almost look like a violin and the Dhol and Dhad are commonly used drums, they normally combine the string and drum instruments together. I never knew that the Bhangra originated in the Punjab region in Pakistan and that workers who worked in the fields celebrated the harvesting season and cherish the last seasons fruit bearing. I somewhat knew that this traditional dance would be celebrated at weddings or festive events as I've seen a couple of Indian dances before on the television, the one thing I loved about the dance was all the vibrant colors associated with the costumes, it brings so much life to the dance, I learned that there was a certain traditional dress that both women and men had to follow,the men had to wear a Chaadra which looks similiar to a Turban and the women had to be dressed in a dress called the Ghagra. Interestingly also the lyrics in the Bhangra deals with social issues such as marriage and love which I didn't know about. I really loved doing this documentary, my partners and I worked great as a team, at first I was hesitant that it wasn't going to be fun but a lot of work and stress, however it turned out the opposite, it was an amazing experience, I always love learning about other cultures and so this is one thing I can keep in mind. Also the most fun part of it all was actually getting to learn how to Bhangra, we searched for some YouTube tutorials and we watched a couple of moves and created our own combination of moves, but wow it was so tiring like a workout but I enjoyed it a lot, I think also the reason why doing this type of dance was fun is because it is very vivacious and I never got bored of watching people dancing the Bhangra since there's so many moves. We asked a couple of people on UN day if they could come do the Bhangra, mostly people from Pakistan and India came to help as they were familiar with it, we showed them the dance moves but wow I was so mesmerized by how much they loved doing this dance, they never got tired and they also incorporated their own moves, I could see they genuinely had fun and loved doing it.  And I have to thank Amal for putting together such an amazing video, as I wasn't good with technology but overall we really thought out the process and what to include such as voice overs and a step by step dance for a person to easily follow, we kept that in mind. The other two groups in our class did their documentaries on Gum Boot dancing and the Maori. Gum boot dancing originated from South Africa, since I am from South Africa, I remember as a kid always watching people perform it on the streets and it used to be so appealing to me but I never really understood the meaning behind it, until now. I learned that Gum boot dancing originated in the mines where black people would work, however their boss who is a white man would tell them that they can't communicate, and so they would tap their boots they used to wear, certain taps meant certain words or they would chant words, usually it would be about their frustrations and issues, the boss and the conditions they used to live in, however the boss did say that they could perform these dances as a way to vent outside the mines. They would drink and dance and just chant about their issues, this dance became so popular not only in South Africa but in Namibia and Zimbabwe, also it is currently being shown on broad way, I think it is such a powerful dance with so much meaning and emotions, the miners would also use beer caps and wire and tie it around their boots to make a jingle noise for it to be more effective. I also learned some steps from the group, it was quite fun and I think the dance looks really amazing when it's done fast. Another dance I learned about was the Maori a dance that originated from New Zealand. I knew about this dance before since I always used to see it during Rugby when the All Black would perform it before a match, the dance would always look so intimidating and I'd think to myself.. what is the other team thinking? Moreover the dance is the Haka, I always thought that the dance could be only done by men however, mixed groups or women were allowed. This dance was originally performed by warriors, I learned the dance includes facial contortions such as showing the whites of the eyes and the poking out of the tongue, and a wide variety of vigorous body actions such as slapping the hands against the body and stamping of the feet. As well as chanting, a variety of cries and grunts are used. It's very entertaining to watch they use their hands, arms, legs, feet, voice, eyes, tongue and the body as a whole combine to express courage, annoyance, joy or other feelings relevant to the purpose of the occasion. It was really fun learning this dance however I get quite shy I think because it's like no other dance I've ever done or am used to. I'd be embarrassed because of all the facial expressions used, however it is a forceful and might dance. For Arsenic and Old Lace Su Min and I did Travis's makeup the first time we did it we had no clue what to do with his face however has we practiced, we became more experienced and got better, it developed my skills to make his face look realistic as possible with the wax especially, our job was to make him look ugly, however it does take time if the person is good looking,however the end results we could not be more happy about, we really focused on the wax to blend it into his face and make it brown to really enhance it for the audience to see, it was challenging but worth it.