Fall 2012 DANCE 201-0 Cultural Studies of Dance

Cultural Studies of Dance

This multidisciplinary seminar will introduce students to the study of dance as an active force in the production of identity, culture and history. In contrast to current trends that portray dance in mainstream media as a mere spectacle and means of inner individual expression, we will analyze how choreography explicitly and/or implicitly enacts sets of politics in relation to a variety of physical abilities and approaches to dancing, on and off the stage.

Through class discussions, a choreographic study, and written assignments, students will apply the research skills learned in class as they articulate their own critical analyses of the social and political implications that various forms of dance have for specific communities and for society in general. Our research questions and discussions will be guided by the potential that dance has to help us not only to learn about the complexities of our individual and collective identities but also to help us forge a more egalitarian world.

Current as of 05/06/13 02:20:23 PM