The performance analysis paper PLEASE READ ALL SUMMARY AND INSTRUCTIONS!!! 6 pages //with a work cited pages//1-inch margins MLA style, Citations & Sources All sources must be credible, quoted within the text and cited on the works cited page in M.L.A. format, correctly. All interpretations of scholarly concepts and ideas must be supported by scholarly sources; all facts described about performances must be sourced by popular sources (ex., video streaming platforms, reputable journalism, etc); and all technical information must be supported by research from technical sources (ex., government offices, research institutes, professional organizations, etc). Relying on inappropriate sources will completely undermine your ability to write a strong, quality term paper.

Performance Studies is interdisciplinary and it engages scholars from multiple fields to analyze human expressive behaviors or cultural enactments. Performance research relies on utilizing literature from the arts, humanities, and the social sciences. Although, performance research can be wide in scope the central endeavor of its scholars is to understand deeply the pervasiveness and function of performance in both social and cultural life. Performance, therefore can fall under traditional art categories, such as theater, performance art, dance, sound/music, visual and installation art, story-telling, public speaking, avant-garde performance, popular culture & entertainment, drag performance, direct actions (activist acts), or online performance which often defies categorization. Performance studies also focuses on non-traditional art, such as sacred rituals and any human behavior that can be considered the performance of everyday life – examples can come from a wide spectrum of categories, such as sporting events, rituals of play, community festivals, micro-level expressions of identity (ethnicity, race, class, sex, gender, sexuality, etc), county fairs, sex shows, civic events, conferences, political displays, etc. Necessarily, research in this area requires that scholars think critically about the manner with which a performance from any of the above categories produces knowledge and makes meaning in the larger world. The performance paper, therefore, is an exercise in Performance Studies research. This will require that you conduct an in-depth critical analysis of a performance of your choosing (according to the definition provided above). Then develop a scholarly driven interpretation of the performance; and design a specific, coherent argument (thesis) regarding the larger social meaning of that performance. In other words: (1) Pick a performance; (2) Research and consider the meaning of your performance; (3) Develop a specific understanding of the most substantive levels of meaning the performance holds for a specific identity group, community, society, nation, etc. This is your thesis. (4) Then build your argument and justify your thesis while providing scholarly support for the points of your argument. You must demonstrate your research by using at least 4 SCHOLARLY sources in the paper. These sources must be from either cultural, rhetorical, performance, dance, film, queer, feminist, gender, critical race, ethnic studies; literary theory; history; the social sciences; or art history to help support the method and finer points of your argument. You may also choose to use any of the course readings, when appropriate. • Describe the performance. This means describe the details of the performance for a reader that is not familiar with the performance. DO NOT offer your opinions, personal commentary, or unsourced speculation about the intent of either the creator, the performers of the piece, or the relevant audience. • Describe the circumstance or context within which the performance occurs. Define the audience for this performance. Explain what the performance accomplishes, and how it accomplishes it. • Identify and explain the location, the site, the community or the geographic area involved in the performance (in some cases this may overlap with who the intended audience is, but in other cases, it may not). What are its defining features? What links any performers to the audience of the event? What is expected of the audience for this performance? Does it take place in the “real” world or the virtual world, or both? How so? • Do an in-depth analysis of the most significant or revealing aspects of the performance. Apply definitions from your scholarly sources to this performance, and explain your decisions. • Analyze the larger context or social institution within which this performance exists. Explain what elements within it reflects larger systems, such as cultural values, beliefs, ideologies, or institutions. • Explain how it reinforces, resists, or contradicts the status quo and for what purpose it does so. • Consider the power dynamics–who benefits from the accomplishment of this performance? What (or who) controls the framing and progression of the performance (who has the power to start it, and who has the power to stop it)? Performance Analysis Paper Outline 1) Introduction: a. Introduce the performance. b. Explain who is the creator. c. Explain who is the audience. d. Describe the most relevant details of the performance. e. Explain the context and background. 2) Main Body: Offer the points of your analysis, using your scholarly sources to justify and guide the perspective of your analysis. 3) Conclusion: summarize and explain the social significance of the argument you are making about the performance. EXAMPLE TOPIC AREAS a theatrical play a dance work a political demonstration a political debate or speech a story telling event a sporting event an art exhibit an art installation a dance/poetry/MC cypher performance poetry/poetry slam, a street performance a social dance event, theme night at a club a live concert a film or movie a television series a parade a rally avant-garde art a drag show a religious or spiritual event/ritual a court proceeding an architectural work a fashion event an online event a press conference a festival, carnival, an altar, shrine, sanctuary a vigil a funeral or memorial social distancing protocols a drive-thru birthday or graduation party a car show a professional or recreational conference