Course Description
Dance as a reflection of culture and as an art form from the times of earliest lineage-based societies up to the 21st century. Socio-cultural influence and the contributions of individual artists will be investigated.
Athena Title
Studies in Dance History
Pre or Corequisite
Third-year student standing and permission of department
Semester Course Offered
Offered spring
Grading System
A - F (Traditional)
Course Objectives
1. To examine the development of dance, including the changes and influences affecting that development; 2. To discover how dance reflects changes in society and historical periods; 3. To assimilate the historical information; 4. To understand the broad concepts in/of meaning, reasons, and motivations for dance in various cultures throughout the world; 5. To clearly express thoughts and ideas about the relationship between the historical information and the broad concepts in coherent and cohesive essays; 6. To investigate, analyze, synthesize, and write knowledgeably and coherently on one aspect of dance history within the time periods covered in the course in a written course project (with feedback on all essay exams and written projects); 7. To have the experience of speaking clearly, effectively, and informatively about a chosen subject in dance history through an oral presentation which will summarize the written project. Feedback will be given on oral presentation.
Topical Outline
Primitive Dance Dance in Eastern Cultures: India and Asia Dance in Ancient Civilizations: Egypt, Greece, and Rome Dance During the Middle Ages: Early Roman Christianity, Dance of Death Pre-Renaissance Dance: Courts of Love Renaissance Dance and the Pre-classic Dance Forms Ballet du Cour and Catherine de Medici Dance in England: Elizabethan and Shakespeare Louis XIV and the dominance of the French courts: Baroque Dance, the Academies, Theatrical Dance Women in the Theatre Popular Italian Theatre: Commedia del’Arte Reformers, Choreographers, and Teachers The French Revolution The Romantic Era: Ballet Emerges Styles and Schools of Dance Decline of the French Ballet and Emergence of the Russian Ballet The Petipa Legacy The New Dance The Ballets Russes The Birth of Modern Dance Early 20th-Century Ballet in America Early 20th-Century Ballet in Europe Early Modern Dance in Europe Vaudeville and Burlesque Emergence of the American Ballet Emergence of American Modern Dance The Changing Influence of Dance in the 1930’s Major Dance Companies in America and Europe Form and Technique in the 1940’s Dance Hits the Movie Screen Happenings and Events The New Meaning of Dance in the 1960’s and 1970’s Cross-cultural Influences in Dance The Dance Boom of the 1980’s Trends in the 1990’s Dance in the New Millennium and 21st Century What’s happening now and where will it go from here?
Syllabus