Music
| Article Title | Author |
|---|---|
| The Resurfacing of Traditional Feet | Administrator |
The Resurfacing of Traditional Feet
Date: 1997
Submitted as the long essay/dissertation component (which counts for 50% of the degree) in fulfilment of the requirements of the Degree of Master of Arts in the Department of Cultural and Media Studies, University of Natal, Durban.
Abstract
This essay is an examination of John Thompson’s articulation of the “mediazation of tradition” (180) from his book The Media and Modernity (1993). He identifies the double-edged nature of the media’s contact with traditional practices and asserts that even though the media is a destabiliser of traditional practices, it can also alternatively provide the very means for their enhancement, both within and outside of their contexts of origin. The paper examines this theory with specific reference to traditional Irish dance. The renaissance of traditional Irish dance in the years 1994-1997 can be contributed almost exclusively to the ubiquity of the media. The filming of the Irish step-dancing production Riverdance : The Show and the subsequent communication and transmission primarily through televised and videoed displays of performances to a global audience, has assisted in the renewal of this dance form.
