Theatre Arts 272 - Dance and Culture

What are the functions that dance serves in society? How does the dancing body signify cultural values? How is dance a vehicle for the articulation of cultural identities? This course attempts to answer these questions from the perspective of dance anthropology and, on occasion, dance history. We will analyze documentaries and texts that illustrate the diverse manners in which dance ethnographers and historians approach the study of dance as a cultural expression. Balancing breadth and depth, the course focuses on a handful of dance forms from North America, Latin America, Africa, Asia, the Middle East, and Europe.