Humanities Arts Cultural Stu 0230 - Critical Moves: Performance, Politics, and Activists Bodies

Athletes taking a knee, bodies marching in the street, dance movements that go viral. How can Dance Studies help us see and understand the urgency of [social] movement in our current moment? At the same time, how does dance challenge normative conceptualizations of history and politics? Exploring dance and embodied politics of the 20th and 21st century through the lens of Dance Studies, this course works from the perspective of "Critical Moves" proposed by late dance theorist Randy Martin: "Critical moves. Steps we must take. Movement that informs critical consciousness." The interrelationship between theory and practice will be emphasized through reading, writing, movement exercises, and creative workshops. Students will regularly read, write, and move; view and discuss performances; pursue a final research project through embodied, visual, and text-based methods; and work on a collective performance intervention that will take place on campus during the semester. No dance experience necessary, just open curiosity. Keywords: dance, performance, politics, activism, body

In/Justice Students in this course can expect to spend 6 to 8 hours weekly on work and preparation outside of class time.