Contemporizing Ballet: Histories, Choreographies, and Pedagogies
DANC 4030/6030
2 hours
Contemporizing Ballet: Histories, Choreographies, and Pedagogies
Course Description
Classical ballet examined through historical, social, political, and pedagogical contexts. Theory and practice of major ballet styles including historical figures, choreography, and foundations of training; also, current issues in reframing ballet training and performance, applied practice in vocabulary, stylistic nuances, and ballet pedagogy. Classroom and studio work.
Additional Requirements for Graduate Students: Graduate students will do extra readings and will develop and write an in-depth research project/paper on one topic related to the course content, with a comprehensive review of primary research sources and demonstrating a mastery of the topic. From this research project, graduate students will prepare a research project presentation and submit a proposal for professional conference presentation.
Athena Title
Contemporizing Ballet
Prerequisite
Permission of department
Semester Course Offered
Offered spring
Grading System
A - F (Traditional)
Student Learning Outcomes
Topical Outline
Unit 1 - Ballet Histories: Creating the 'Canon'
• Defining the classical ballet 'canon' – histories of ballets and historical figures
• Investigating specific ballets in historical, social, political, and pedagogical contexts as well as in content and style
• Personal history in ballet
Unit 2 - Contemporizing Ballet: Questions, Issues, and Contexts
• Ballet then and now: 'dismantling the canon'
• What works and what doesn’t
• Identifying and understanding context then and now
• Appropriation, acculturation, (mis)representation, gender binaries, and cultural identities in choreography, performance, and training
• What changes are being made? What changes can we make?
Unit 3 - Ballet Styles: Histories and Pedagogies
• Philosophical and stylistic differences and vocabulary in the foundational teaching technique methods in major training schools/styles: French foundation, Italian-Cecchetti, Danish-Bournonville, Russian-Vaganova, British-Royal Ballet/Royal Academy of Dance, American-Balanchine
• Ballet vocabulary/terminology
• Framework for structuring a ballet class
• Reframing the narrative of ballet in training and performance
• Personal teaching philosophy; how does it advance ballet training?
