Below is my Contextual Studies essay plan and outline:
Essay Title: How Did Josephine Baker and the Radical Female Dancers of the 1920s Impact European Society and Culture?
Introduction
A background on 1920's culture and expectations
Women, POC and queer individuals were marginalised and criminalised
Underground dance movements were often a liberating and freeing space (explain concisely the facets of the dance scenes and nightlife in Europe, how it operated, and how it was viewed by general society eg. through the paintings of Dix and Kirchner)
Key point to answer the question: Josephine Baker, Maud Allan and other marginalised women shaped the evolution of the dance and social scenes of Europe throughout the 1920's through their boundary-pushing fashion, expression and acts
Paragraph 1
Explain the context of the 1920s in greater detail, particularly through the perspective of marginalised figures. Why was it dangerous/scorned? Why was it also liberating? Discussion of dance styles and their features.
Discuss the Bright Young Things & Jazz making its way to Europe as a form of protest?
Paragraph 2
The beginnings of radical feminist upheaval through Maud Allan's 'Salome' dance. Social context. How this impacted the views and decisions of dance circles and the rise of bodily autonomy (in this case through experimenting with sexual connotations within dance at a time of social censorship). Could also bring to light how this links to marginalisation of queer communities - Maud Allan 'accused' of lesbianism and 'corruption' etc ... how one brush chooses to paint all with social scorn
Paragraph 3
The importance of Josephine Baker & the figureheads of radical dance and cultural upheaval.
Baker's impact: why is she so important? Controversial elements of her dance style, how her fashion can be seen echoed in the avant-garde fashion of modern dance etc.
Her influence as well as the influence of other figureheads (eg. Film stars of the time, Tallulah Bankhead
Paragraph 4
Impacts on art (eg. The Breakdown, 1926) but also negative reactions (eg. Dix, Kirchner) how can dance and liberation be used as a scapegoat for post-war issues?
The challenging of societal norms and conventions. How was this reacted to?
Examining the broader impact of the figures on perhaps the futures of feminism, feminist dance, erotic dance scenes and underground social movements
Conclusion
Recapping the key points discussed (i.e. The actions and impacts of the combined figures). Did they truly change the dance scene? We only observe one variable in a sea of others
Nonetheless, actions and conventions can be seen echoed in later fashion, dance, political movements and these figures paved the way for upheaval
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