One of the more striking developments in modern North American dance w

One of the more striking developments in modern
North American dance was African American
choreographer Katherine Dunham’s introduction of a
technique known as dance-isolation, in which one part
(5) of the body moves in one rhythm while other parts are
kept stationary or are moved in different rhythms.
The incorporation of this technique into North American
and European choreography is relatively recent,
although various forms of the technique have long
(10) been essential to traditional dances of certain African,
Caribbean, and Pacific-island cultures. Dunham’s
success in bringing dance-isolation and other
traditional techniques from those cultures into the
mainstream of modern North American dance is due
(15) in no small part to her training in both anthropological
research and choreography.

As an anthropologist in the 1930s, Dunham was
one of the pioneers in the field of dance ethnology.
Previously, dance had been neglected as an area of social
(20) research, primarily because most social scientists
gravitated toward areas likely to be recognized by
their peers as befitting scientifically rigorous, and
therefore legitimate, modes of inquiry. Moreover, no
other social scientist at that time was sufficiently
(25) trained in dance to be able to understand dance
techniques, while experts in dance were not trained
in the methods of social research.

Starting in 1935, Dunham conducted a series of
research projects into traditional Caribbean dance
(30) forms, with special interest in their origins in African
culture. Especially critical to her success was her
approach to research, which diverged radically from
the methodology that prevailed at the time. Colleagues
in anthropology advised her not to become too closely
(35) involved in the dances she was observing, both
because of the extreme physical demands of the dances,
and because they subscribed to the long-standing view,
now fortunately recognized as unrealistic, that
effective data gathering can and must be conducted
(40) from a position of complete detachment. But because
of her interest and her skill as a performer, she
generally eschewed such caution and participated in
the dances herself. Through prolonged immersion of
this kind, Dunham was able not only to comprehend
(45) various dances as complex cultural practices, but also
to learn the techniques well enough to teach them to
others and incorporate them into new forms of ballet.

Between 1937 and 1945, Dunham developed a
research-to-performance method that she used to adapt
(50) Caribbean dance forms for use in theatrical perfor-
mance, combining them with modern dance styles she lear-
ned in Chicago. The ballets she created in this fashion
were among the first North American dances to rectify
the exclusion of African American themes from the
(55) medium of modern dance. Her work was thus crucial
in establishing African American dance as an art form
in its own right, making possible future companies
such as Arthur Mitchell’s Dance Theater of Harlem.

1. Which one of the following most accurately expresses the main point of the passage?

(A) Katherine Dunham transformed the field of anthropology by developing innovative research methodologies for studying Caribbean and other traditional dance styles and connecting them with African American dance.
(B) Katherine Dunham’s ballets were distinct from others produced in North America in that they incorporated authentic dance techniques from traditional cultures.
(C) Katherine Dunham’s expertise as an anthropologist allowed her to use Caribbean and African dance traditions to express the aesthetic and political concerns of African American dancers and choreographers.
(D) The innovative research methods of Katherine Dunham made possible her discovery that the dance traditions of the Caribbean were derived from earlier African dance traditions.
(E) Katherine Dunham’s anthropological and choreographic expertise enabled her to make contributions that altered the landscape of modern dance in North America.

2. According to the passage, Dunham’s work in anthropology differed from that of most other anthropologists in the 1930s in that Dunham

(A) performed fieldwork for a very extended time period
(B) related the traditions she studied to those of her own culture
(C) employed a participative approach in performing research
(D) attached a high degree of political significance to her research
(E) had prior familiarity with the cultural practices of the peoples she set out to study

3. The passage suggests that the “peers” mentioned in line 22 would have been most likely to agree with which one of the following statements about the study of dance?

(A) Most social scientists who have attempted to study dance as a cultural phenomenon have misinterpreted it.
(B) Social scientists need not be well versed in dance traditions in order to obtain reliable data about them.
(C) Research into dance as a cultural form cannot be conducted with a high degree of scientific precision.
(D) Most experts in the field of dance are too preoccupied to conduct studies in the field of dance ethnology.
(E) Dance forms are too variable across cultures to permit rigorous means of data collection.

4. In the last sentence of the second paragraph, the author mentions “experts in dance” primarily in order to

(A) suggest why a group of social scientists did not embrace the study of a particular cultural form
(B) suggest that a certain group was more qualified to study a particular cultural form than was another group
(C) identify an additional factor that motivated a particular social scientist to pursue a specific new line of research
(D) contribute to an explanation of why a particular field of research was not previously pursued
(E) indicate an additional possible reason for the tension between the members of two distinct fields of research

5. According to the passage, which one of the following was true of the dance forms that Dunham began studying in 1935?

(A) They were more similar to dance forms used in Pacific-island cultures than to any other known dance forms.
(B) They represented the first use of the technique of dance-isolation within a culture outside of Africa.
(C) They shared certain rhythmic characteristics with the dance forms employed in North American ballets.
(D) They had already influenced certain popular dances in North America.
(E) They were influenced by the traditions of nonCaribbean cultures.

6. Which one of the following is most analogous to Dunham’s work in anthropology and choreography as that work is described in the passage?

(A) A French archaeologist with training in musicology researches instruments used in seventeenth century France, and her findings become the basis for a Korean engineer’s designs for devices to simulate the sounds those instruments most likely made.
(B) An Australian medical researcher with training in botany analyzes the chemical composition of plants that other researchers have collected in the Philippines, and then an Australian pharmaceutical company uses her findings to develop successful new medicines.
(C) A Canadian surgeon uses her skill in drawing to collaborate with a Vietnamese surgeon to develop a manual containing detailed illustrations of the proper techniques for certain types of reconstructive surgery performed in both countries.
(D) A Brazilian teacher with training in social psychology conducts a detailed study of teaching procedures while working with teachers in several Asian countries, then introduces the most effective of those procedures to teachers in his own country.
(E) An Italian fashion designer researches the social significance of clothing design in several cultures and then presents his research in a highly acclaimed book directed toward his colleagues in fashion design.

7. The passage suggests that the author would be most likely to agree with which one of the following statements about the colleagues mentioned in line 33?

(A) They were partly correct in recommending that Dunham change her methods of data collection, since injury sustained during fieldwork might have compromised her research.
(B) They were partly correct in advising Dunham to exercise initial caution in participating in the Caribbean dances, since her skill in performing them improved with experience.
(C) They were incorrect in advising Dunham to increase the degree of her detachment, since extensive personal investment in fieldwork generally enhances scientific rigor.
(D) They were incorrect in assuming that researchers in the social sciences are able to gather data in an entirely objective manner.
(E) They were incorrect in assuming that dance could be studied with the same degree of scientific rigor possible in other areas of ethnology.