Histories of Theatrical and Concert Dance

3 units

This course is a survey of dance on the stage. It examines the interrelated histories of ballet, modern, jazz, hip hop, and musical theatre dance, and it discusses how these forms have converged in today's contemporary dance scene. It offers an overview of key artistic movements, both mainstream and avant-garde, while examining selected dances through a combination of formal analysis and a consideration of the social and political contexts that contributed to their meaning. Students will learn how to analyze dance using a variety of sources, such as visual art, photographs, film, and written texts. The classroom format will emphasize discussion. Throughout the course, we will interrogate the categories of theatrical dance and concert dance, seeing how the definitions have changed over time to include or exclude certain types of dancing.