Bernice Hearvey

Zack De Piero
WRIT 2
November 3, 2015

Hearvey 1

Dance in Writing
Dance is more than just body motion; it is a competition, a health remedy, a social
transformer. I analyzed how these different operations of dance were evaluated through the
disciplines of dance and health care, as well as a dance magazine source. Each source presented
their argument through different genres using different moves and rhetoric that was aimed at
convincing the reader of their claim. When compared and contrasted, one can understand how
the moves and rhetoric that makes one piece effective may not be the case for the other.
In the article One more Round the Competitive Couple Dancing the author, Leslie Hall,
explains dancesport (couple dancing) and how it can be done competitively. This article is
written from a dance discipline point of view, and the genre would be considered a journal
article. The post The Diversity Experiment at Ballet Memphis was posted on Dance Magazines
website by Jennifer Stahl, and in it she explains how the Ballet Memphis diversified their
dancers and choreographers in attempt to engage with a larger dance community, as well as the
possible reactions to this diversification (Stahl). The genre of Stahls article is a magazine post.
In The Health Benefits of Dance, Patricia T. Alpert explains the mental and physical benefits of
dance on the human body from a health care discipline and through a medical research article
genre.
The genres of each author have conventions that vary between each piece. In Halls piece,
she has chapter headings stating the main topic of the chapter, as well as short paragraphs
examining the different contexts of couple dancing. This is supposed to help the reader quickly
identify the point of the chapter, and easily read it. Alperts article is similar in that it too has a

Hearvey 2
title stating its main point, however, it also includes a list of her credentials, a list of keywords
given towards the top of the page, bolded subtitles signifying the certain effect of dance being
analyzed under that section, and references. The credentials add credibility to her argument by
showing the reader that she is qualified in the medical field and the list of keywords show the
reader what specific aspects of the reading they should pay attention to. Stahls article differed
from both others in that throughout it she included her personal opinion on the subject,
references to other peoples opinions, and images to show the reader a glimpse of the art forms
spoken of. This is seen in her work when she says We need more places where both of these
artists can share their personal perspectives and work with dancers who bring a variety of
different backgrounds to the movement (Stahl).
Each authors work has a different focus based on their point of view on dance. Halls
study on dance centered on the different parts that made up couple dancing, its role in the
twentieth century, its origin, and how it functions competitively. Hall approaches dance with an
appreciation for its ability to be competitive. Patricia Alperts study focuses on the medical
benefits of dance, and her perspective is that dance is something that holds great medical value.
Stahls study is about how the Ballet Memphis is playing a role is creating more diversity in
modern day ballet. She pursues her study with an appreciation of the social impact of dance on
the art form of ballet.
Through a point of view based on their discipline, the authors each apply rhetorical
moves to their piece with the goal of advancing their argument. Alpert, in her article, Captures
Authorial Action to add credibility to her argument by referring to the studies of U.S. Public
Health Service and the Verghese and associates, and to herself given her statement in her bio that

Hearvey 3
she is an associate professor at the University of Alabama (Alpert, 157). In her reference to these
people and institutions, she also is Signaling Who Is Saying What. In the last sentence of the last
paragraph the author changes her narrative and speaks in the second person by addressing her
concern of how it is her hope that you will dance your way to staying healthy (Alpert, 157). I
find that that move decreases the effectiveness of the piece because in that one sentence the tone
sounds sympathetic which makes her sound almost desperate for people to apply her research to
their lives. Alpert also Entertains Objections when in the third paragraph she states that In spite
of the increased recognition of the importance of dance in health care, it is still infrequently
equated synonymously with exercise. (Alpert, 155). That is effective by allowing her to prove
that statement wrong.
In Stahls article she Introduces Quotations with Glamour magazine and Alastair
Macaulays critique of how the dances are imaginatively breaking the rules. By introducing
quotations she also signifies who says what and adds credibility to her writing (Stahl). She also
Entertains Objections by bringing up certain arguments that are in opposition to the actions of the
Ballet Memphis like how people argue that this perusal of diversity could water down our art
form (Stahl). Having a counter argument makes her article more persuasive because it shows
how she, as the writer, is aware of all sides of the situation.
The audience varies based on each authors genre. The audience Hall appeals to is
generally anyone interested in the different sorts of ways a person can dance-- and specifically in
this case-- competitive couple dancing. Given the context of the article focusing on the history
and appreciation of couple dancing, Halls audience should expect an exposition on dancing,
specifically Latin dances, and how it relates to couple dancing in competitions. Alperts audience

Hearvey 4
can vary from people in the medical field doing research on this topic, to ordinary people with
health problems looking to see how dance can help. Anyone who is a part of her audience should
look forward to finding examples and proof of the positive effects of dance on a persons health.
The audience Stahl is appealing to is anyone interested in the changing world of modern ballet.
The audiences expectations should be to gain an understanding and bias to the Ballet Memphis
actions in creating more diversity among their dancers.
By understanding the genre and audience that each author is appealing to, I can begin to
understand the authors purpose for the rhetoric they used and start to judge how effective their
discourse is. Unlike non-academic texts, scholarly texts, like The Health Benefits of Dance, have
more logos and ethos that makes their argument more convincing and effective. For instance that
article stated that according to the U.S. public Health Service Americans do not participate in
adequate levels of physical activity which is an example of logos because it is a fact based on
the U.S. Health Services research (Alpert, 155). A non-academic argument like The Diversity
Experiment at Ballet Memphis, can have more opinionated commentary and rhetoric that tries to
convince the reader through their personal opinion rather than facts which is not as effective
because of the authors bias. The audience of The Health Benefits of Dance would find both
other articles less persuasive given that Stahls article was predominantly based off of personal
views and that Halls article did not have a clear distinction between each topic in her article that
made it at times difficult to understand. The medical research paper genre limits Alpert in that
any sort of personal opinion would diminish the credibility of the paper, but in her case it
actually aids to the effectiveness of her article because people tend to want proven facts and
treatments in regards to their health.

Hearvey 5
In the genre of journal articles, Hall also faces limitations as well as leverage in making
her argument effective. One limitation is not being able to state personal experience hindering
her credibility in couple dancing. Hall makes up for it by the affordances of being able to state
the history and relevance of couple dancing making her argument more effective by providing
background and relatability to her subject. In the genre of magazine posts there is limitation in
that these posts are supposed to bring up controversial topics that are commented on by the
author. It contains very few facts and are quite ineffective in convincing an audience in their
argument.
The most persuasive type of evidence is one that matches the time and place of your
rhetorical situation (Lunsford, 396). In each authors rhetorical situation they try to utilize the
appropriate evidence that will effectively back up their argument and persuade their reader.
Leslie Hall is stated, in her article, to be a music professor at Ryerson Polytechnic University
which adds to her credibility in her writing. In her journal article she uses empirical evidence to
support her argument. An example is when she says how in the 1930s an 40s, the rumba, which
originated in Cuba, became popular in America and Europe (Hall, 5). Her observation of the
rise of European and American interest of rumba is for the purpose of informing her readers, and
it is effective in her argument because the reader has a higher regard for her observation given
her credibility. Also Hall gives different examples of couple dancing and uses pictures of actual
participants of competitive couple dancing in certain dance poses for visual literacy. Visual
literacy is important in understanding the messages that are conveyed by photography, and
Hall uses it to give the reader a visual of the look of the dancing done in competitive couple
dancing to help them remember what it looks like (Losh and Alexander, 16).

Hearvey 6
Patricia Alpert uses statistical evidence, specialized knowledge, and examples to support
her argument. She is also an expert in her field, preventive care, and an associate professor at the
School of Nursing at the University of Nevada, both of which gives her credibility with the
evidence she uses in her writing. An example of her evidence includes the Verghese and
associates study that individuals 75 years old who engaged in reading, dancing, playing board
games, and playing a musical instrument had a 7% lower risk for developing dementia
(Alpert, 156). Statistical evidence is very effective because it created logos in her argument that
is accompanied by the ethos given by her occupational position.
Each author deals with the topic of dance through different approaches that interplay in
how they structure and present their argument. Within their argument they aim to address the
problem, consider the audiences needs, provide accurate information, and have a compelling
claim (Carroll, 55). In order to do this they use moves, rhetoric, and evidence in the hopes of it
being effective in convincing their audience. However, depending on the genre of the articles and
the approach of the author not every move will always be effective.

Works Cited
Alpert, Patricia T. "The Health Benefits of Dance." Http://hhc.sagepub.com/content/23/2/155.
N.p., n.d. Web. 1 Nov. 2015.
"The Diversity Experiment at Ballet Memphis - Dance Magazine." Dance Magazine. N.p., 29
Oct. 2015. Web. 02 Nov. 2015.
Hall, Leslie. "One More Round The Competitive Couple Dancing."
Http://web.b.ebscohost.com/ehost/detail/detail?vid=4&sid=4bc92565-657d-4a19-9c50f85c698206b8%40sessionmgr114&hid=109&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d
%3d#db=a9h&AN=2988986. N.p., n.d. Web. 1 Nov. 2015.

Did Not Meet

Met Expectations

Exceeded

Expectations

Expectations

Thesis Statement

X/X-

Use of Textual Evidence

from Genres

Use of Course Readings

X
X

Analysis
Organization/Structure

Attention to
Genre/Conventions and
Rhetorical Factors

Sentence-level Clarity,
Mechanics, Flow

X
Bernice,

Other Comments
Nice work here. To take this to the next level, here are some ideas:
- I need more of an argument here. Move past describing and get
to evaluating -- try to pinpoint the so what? of this assignment as
much as possible.
-Include a lot more analysis of the kinds of data/evidence these
different sources are using and what kinds of RQs theyre asking.
Consider some of the big pictures questions here that get at
how do these different disciplines approach this topic from
different perspectives? What was the study about? What
questions did they ask? What data did they gather? How do the
ways in which these researchers went about studying this topic
differ from the other authors/researchers, and what does it suggest
in terms of the importance they're placing on their methods?
-Think about what kind of structure/organization would be best
suited for your argument
-Consider working in moves throughout the whole piece.
Consider naming them too, just like we did in PB2B.
-Work in the course readings I didnt see any, and that was an
essential part of this assignment. Use them to help you use the

language of the course and to develop your argument.

Z
8/10