The Dance, Touching The Spirit Bear

Native American art forms have been dwindling in the past few years. Even though they have been decreasing, some tribes gather still to continue traditions. Art forms such as dance, pottery, and weaving have been passed down from generation to generation. There are many different types of dances including war dances, grass dances, and rain dances. Each dance has its own meaning and represents something unique. Native American dance is a creative way to tell a story, share values, pass down traditions, and communicate traditions of their ancestors in the 21st century.

Cole doesn't understand why he feels trust. Cole tried to kill the bear, but yet the bear has trust toward Cole. Also Cole had, “...hated it with every fiber of his existence.” Even after he touched the bear Cole had a sensation. Cole realized that the world was beautiful.

All Indians must dance, everywhere, keep on dancing. Pretty soon in next spring Great Spirit come. He bring back all game of every kind…all dead Indians come back and live again. They all be strong just like young men, be young again. Old blind Indian see again and get young and have fine time. When Great Spirit comes this way, than all the Indians go to mountains, high up away from whites. Whites can't hurt Indians then. Then while Indians way up high, big flood like water and all white people die, get drowned! After that, water go way and then nobody but Indians everywhere and game all kinds thick… (Wovoka, The Paiute Messiah qtd. In Brown 416).

I believe color, and in part lack of, is very important to this masterpiece. Cole colors the river valley light green and light brown to show vibrancy and cultivation of the cleared fields. He colors the forest dark green and eliminates colors in the shattered tree trunks and rugged cliffs to show the natural wonder of the untouched forest. These differences in color show how man is destroying the natural wilderness in favor of agricultural advancement.

Throughout the settlement of Western America, Native Americans were culturally assimilated. This was an attempt by the Americans to transform the Natives’ culture and civilize them through white education and living on reservations. However, the Natives preserved their cultures, tribal identities, and even developed self-sustaining economic practices. First, The Ghost Dance Movement was a revival of Native beliefs that further helped them regain hope through religion. Specifically, it was a religion of the late 1880s and early 1890s that combined elements of Christianity and traditional Native American religion. It fostered the Plains Indians’ hope that they could resurrect the great bison herds and call up a storm to drive whites back across

traits from that of a child and possesses traits which helps develop the themes throughout the book.

Characters are a vital element of fiction; without them, a story falls apart because the readers are forced to only focus on its plot, setting, or other aspects of fiction. Characterization is the process in which the author describes the distinctive nature or features of a particular character. A character is often characterized by their own dialogue, actions, thoughts, appearance, and interpretation by the author or by other characters in the story. Through these methods, an author can really bring their characters to life for the reader. In “My Kid’s Dog,” Ron Hansen uses these methods to bring all his characters to life. He portrays the strained relationship an owner has with his ‘daughter’s’ pet dog, and the difficulties overcoming his hardships. Through methods of characterization, Hansen unveils the friction between the dad and the dog and allows the reader to empathize with them, incorporating humor throughout the story, as well.

Past memories hinder in the hollows of Cole Matthews’ mind. And yet, an inspiriting element echoes in the shadows of his beliefs. Can “change” bestow an ingredient of happiness or derive a recipe for disaster? Ben Mikaelsen’s, Touching Spirit Bear pertains the prospects of Cole Matthews- a minor whose emotions are misinterpreted. Cole’s mind is challenged with a dilemma of thoughts, that obscure his path to prosperity. Nevertheless, several individuals enlivened Cole in acquiring a sense of positivity amongst himself. This has paved the path for a pivotal element to arise in the novel: change. Change, a major theme is displayed in the novel, as Cole’s persona has altered due to the attitudes depicted by various identities and

For example, as Cole was lying helplessly on the ground he thinks a lot of what he has done in the past and he realizes he wants to live. “Suddenly in that moment, Cole made a simple decision. In death there was no control, no anger, no one to blame, no choices, no nothing. To be alive was to have choice. The power to choose was real power, not fake power of making others afraid” (Mikaelsen 83). After the attack, when Cole gets banished to the island for the second time, Cole doesn’t laze around after Garvey and Edwin leave. “Cole drove himself hard after Edwin and Garvey left, staying busy every waking minute of each day. If he had to spend a whole year on this island, he had no intention of living like an animal. Each morning, he soaked in the pond and carried the ancestor rock. Afternoons, he worked improving camp” (Mikaelsen 177). This demonstrates that he pushes himself so he can get off the island and probably try to change his reputation from a mean and scary boy to a changed boy. At the end of the novel it’s easy to tell that Cole has changed a lot and this is an example that he has mastered the task of

By the end of the book Cole’s personality was gentle and kind and Cole had patience for people in his life. Cole changed a lot from the beginning of the story thanks to the Circle of Justice’s decision to send Cole to a deserted island in Alaska. He learned respect from the Spirit Bear and realized that he couldn’t control all situations.

In Cormac McCarthy’s novel All the Pretty Horses, John Grady Cole’s actions often conflict with his thoughts and feelings. While he is really just a young man in search of a new life in mexico, his appearance and horseback escape from Texas make him seem like an outlaw. On the outside, Cole seems unphased and apathetic about violence throughout the novel. In his heart, he knows this is not the way he intends to live his life. Often times people conform to meet the expectations of those around them, but in the end, they find out who they really are.

Kyle Abraham’s “Absent Matter” is the newest dance performed by the Abraham In. Motion company and the Joyce Theater located on 175 8th Avenue in New York, NY was debuted on November 10, 2015. This is another racially driven performance by Pittsburgh born Kyle Abraham dancer and choreographer (Kourlas). The dance is broken down into three separate sections including “The Quiet Dance”, “Absent Matter”, and “The Getting”. All three sections are performed with a sense of spontaneity and sincerity which is inspired from both Jazz and Hip-hop music and dances (Kourlas). It is believed this most recent production is inspired by the police brutality around the United States, and the Black Lives Matter movement.

Ghost Dance was a Gathering of tribes to trade things and tell people about their religion, how to hunt, beliefs, and to exchange stuff. Some of the Natives Gathered at Wounded Knee Creek where about 300 Natives were shot down by the Seventh Cavalry. How the Ghost Dance started was by a man named Wovoka who had a vision that “the the earth would be covered with tons of new dirt, which would bury all the white people and get rid of them forever.¹” and the “fears were realized years earlier when the Arapahoes, Cheyennes and Sioux came together to defeat Custer.1” And Wovoka “preached peaceful coexistence and a strong work ethic and taught ceremonial songs and dances to resurrect dead Indians.1”

My personal aesthetic in the terms of dance extends far beyond mentioning what I like and what I dislike. It unfolds the layers of my personality, my style, and my past experiences. I tend to think of aesthetics in the form of a jigsaw puzzle. Within a puzzle there are hundreds of important pieces that fit together to make a grand image and each puzzle piece requires a process of development and self-discovery. My aesthetic puzzle pieces include confidence, vulnerability, dynamic, high energy, illusion, and emotional connection. Most of my aesthetic is initiated by personal preference or a significant event in my life, but I will start with the foundation of my dance training first. I was raised in the dance studio where I regularly practiced ballet, jazz, tap, musical theatre, and contemporary. I was blessed to have the opportunity to explore multiple genres of dance at a young age and as a result of this, I began my aesthetic development with a very versatile palette of movements and interpretations.

Dance has been a natural movement form since the beginning of time. The origin of dance is unknown, just as the knowledge of the benefits of dance are unknown to many in our society. Many people do not enjoy dancing and also do not fully understand the positive benefits that come from dancing. Researchers such as Edwards, Duberg, and many more have found countless mental and emotional benefits of dance that originate from movement patterns, brain connections, and even expressions of emotion. Many are aware of the physical benefits of dance, but beyond the physical benefits of dance, there are also emotional and mental benefits that come from dance as well.