In a short paragraph, write a response to one of the following questions. This is a freewriting activity, and will not be marked for grammar. The purpose of this activity is to help you reflect on and formulate ideas about the dance “Revelations”
1) How do the dancers represent the physical world (like rippling water) and tell stories individually and as a group?
2) How did Ailey weave different types of music— blues, gospel, and work songs—to create a picture of the African American experience in the American South? Can you identify any of the music? (Here’s one to listen for: in the section “Take Me to the Water,” strains of the well-known traditional spiritual “Wade in the Water” is heard as the baptism is underway.)
3) Think about the importance of performing such a uniquely American work for—and with—people from other cultures and backgrounds. Does its message and meaning change in different communities? What themes in Revelations are “universal”?
