User:MandatoryStudentAccount/Mazurka/MandatoryStudentAccount Peer Review

Peer review
This is where you will complete your peer review exercise. Please use the following template to fill out your review.

General info

 * Whose work are you reviewing?
 * The work of various Wikipedia authors (not in our class).
 * Link to draft you're reviewing: Mazurka

Lead
Guiding questions:


 * Has the Lead been updated to reflect the new content added by your peer?
 * Does the Lead include an introductory sentence that concisely and clearly describes the article's topic?
 * Does the Lead include a brief description of the article's major sections?
 * Does the Lead include information that is not present in the article?
 * Is the Lead concise or is it overly detailed?

Lead evaluation
Though the lead does a good job introducing the article, it does fail to mention an important point. Mazurka, one of Polands 5 national dances (this is not mentioned but should be specified), is a dance with a heavy influence of ballet, particularly the form that has survived due to the nobles influences. In the lower part of the article there is mention of it being performed by a ballet group but the lead does not indicate that this dance is technical and heavily influenced by ballet, as all of Poland's national dances are. Though the first sentence describes the technical aspects of the dance well, the secondary sentence would be more impactful to use as the first to introduce the dance and its importance in Polish culture. The Lead does not introduce the topics that will be covered in the article at all and I believe it would be beneficial to give some indication that the article speaks to its history and its presence outside of Poland. I only realized this is covered when I continued reading - the Lead did not indicate this. However, it did not give information that was not later covered in the article. The lead is concise but I would argue that it is not the best it could be as it does not cover what is in the article and is missing important information regarding this important topic on a national dance that is unofficially considered (by many Folk instructors) one of the most important national dances after the Polonaise.

Content
Guiding questions:


 * Is the content added relevant to the topic?
 * Is the content added up-to-date?
 * Is there content that is missing or content that does not belong?
 * Does the article deal with one of Wikipedia's equity gaps? Does it address topics related to historically underrepresented populations or topics?

Content evaluation
The content that explores the importance of this dance outside of Poland is unsourced and seems vague as well as unimportant because of the way it is displayed. All these countries listed with a short sentence of how the dance was present in that area with no sources to back the statement up makes it seem irrelevant to the importance of this dance. I believe if a source was provided and the information rearranged, it would be more relevant. At this point I believe it takes away from the article. There was too much focus on this and not enough on the dance itself, as evident by the fact that there is no mention of the important ballet influence in the development of this dances through the ages - something that is extremely important in this dance's history. I cannot verify if this information is correct due to lack of sources but as it speaks to the history of this dance, this information is unlikely to be updated as it was well documented in history. As mentioned, the notes on how this dance was present outside of Poland seems a but irrelevant and there is content missing on its historic influence from ballet that shaped it from a commoner's dance to that of nobility. Polish history is a tricky thing and I believe though it may not fit with Wikipedia's equity gaps, I believe it should. Poland was removed from the world map 3 times throughout its history and yet this part of the culture as well as the language survived when speaking Polish was forbidden and having any cultural relics or continuing any cultural practices was illegal. It is something that was unable to be shared for so long due to many unfortunate events, so I believe it is important that this knowledge be shared now. Additionally, there is also too much focus on the work Chopin contributed to this dance than the dance itself.

Tone and Balance
Guiding questions:


 * Is the content added neutral?
 * Are there any claims that appear heavily biased toward a particular position?
 * Are there viewpoints that are overrepresented, or underrepresented?
 * Does the content added attempt to persuade the reader in favor of one position or away from another?

Tone and balance evaluation
The content is written in a neutral and informative fashion. It does not persuade the reader but simply informs. At times some points seem to be elaborated on in greater detail that others, and not in a hierarchy of importance, so it is odd but not necessarily biased. I believe there is too much representation of the presence of this dance outside of Poland that does nothing more than say it was known. Countries where this was the case could easily be grouped together and less importance could be put on it. More focus should be put on elaborating the history and influences on this dance.

Sources and References
Guiding questions:


 * Is all new content backed up by a reliable secondary source of information?
 * Are the sources thorough - i.e. Do they reflect the available literature on the topic?
 * Are the sources current?
 * Are the sources written by a diverse spectrum of authors? Do they include historically marginalized individuals where possible?
 * Check a few links. Do they work?

Sources and references evaluation
The sources used are decent, but too few and could be greatly improved. There is a great lack of sources to support statements made and this is further evident when there is important information lacking. Though this is not the most explored topic in the world, there is a great amount of literature available on these topics from various historical and preservation societies, university dance groups with specialists from different regions and academic work. There is more literature that could be consulted to fill in the missing information on this topic. Many of these sources are aged but that does not make a difference in this topic. Most official documentation of these dances were done in the late 80's and 90's after the fall of the iron curtain. This information cannot be changed or updated due to the nature of the content. It is unlikely it will ever be changed. The sources are diverse but focus too much on Chopin's contributions rather than the dance itself. They seem to all work when I clicked them.

Organization
Guiding questions:


 * Is the content added well-written - i.e. Is it concise, clear, and easy to read?
 * Does the content added have any grammatical or spelling errors?
 * Is the content added well-organized - i.e. broken down into sections that reflect the major points of the topic?

Organization evaluation
It is well written and easy to read, however the information could be organized and displayed better. The content is prioritized well but it breaks down into too many categories when it speaks to the presence of this dance outside of Poland. There are no grammatical or spelling errors that I found. I believe some parts could be written better, but they are not wrong. Some sentences could be broken down to be more accessible for readers of all levels that may want to access this information.

Images and Media
Guiding questions: If your peer added images or media


 * Does the article include images that enhance understanding of the topic?
 * Are images well-captioned?
 * Do all images adhere to Wikipedia's copyright regulations?
 * Are the images laid out in a visually appealing way?

Images and media evaluation
There are no images, however this would add greatly to the page as there is a very specific costume for this dance which is only used in one other national dance (the Polonaise). There is music added which samples some music and the variety of Mazur's that are available. However, once again, there is too great a focus on Chopin. The music adds to the article but there should be other media such as images included for informative purposes as well as to make the article more visually appealing.

For New Articles Only
If the draft you're reviewing is a new article, consider the following in addition to the above.


 * Does the article meet Wikipedia's Notability requirements - i.e. Is the article supported by 2-3 reliable secondary sources independent of the subject?
 * How exhaustive is the list of sources? Does it accurately represent all available literature on the subject?
 * Does the article follow the patterns of other similar articles - i.e. contain any necessary infoboxes, section headings, and any other features contained within similar articles?
 * Does the article link to other articles so it is more discoverable?

New Article Evaluation
N/A

Overall impressions
Guiding questions:


 * Has the content added improved the overall quality of the article - i.e. Is the article more complete?
 * What are the strengths of the content added?
 * How can the content added be improved?

Overall evaluation
The article is growing, however it still lacks a great amount before it can be considered complete. The content was well written and informs the audience well, despite some information missing and some irrelevant information mentioned too often. The content gives the reader a good overview on how this important national dance was and how it spread outside of Poland. The content could be improved if the missing information is added and the focus taken off of Chopin and refocused on the dance itself. There is much to say about its technical development and its cultural importance that could be elaborated on. Overall it is a decent article and a good start, but more information, that is properly cited from an abundance of available sources, would greatly improve it.