This course is designed for advanced students interested in performing. The work developed will be performed on the fall Faculty Concert.

This course is designed for advanced students interested in performing. The work developed will be performed on the fall Faculty Concert.

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.

This course will continue developing the choreographic tools introduced in Elementary Composition, including phrasing, formal design and counterpoint. The context for this work will be sound, sound design, music and musical composition in relation to choreography. Beginning with simple experiments in listening and moving, voice work, rhythm, syncopation, and counterpoint/polyphony, students will go on to explore and develop short choreographic projects inspired by four different musical traditions: Minimalism, Classical/Baroque, Pop/Contemporary, and Sound Collage.

On the antinomy of the citizen and the foreigner. We will examine both classic theories of citizenship and practical challenges to those theories posed by diasporic groups and other cultural strangers such as exiles, refugees, economic migrants, and stateless populations. We also will consider the pressures placed on traditional notions of citizenship by transnational social and environmental problems, as well as by the power of global economic forces over domestic political communities.

Journey through time and experience the evolution of hip-hop from its old-school social dance roots to the contemporary phenomenon of commercial choreography that hip-hop has become. Using film and text in addition to studio work, this class will create a framework from which to understand and participate in the global culture of hip-hop dance.

When and how did the notion of 'development' emerge and spread? Why does nearly every country now aspire to it? What stigmas and hierarchies does the term 'under-development' imply? Throughout Latin America, such language proves problematic not only as a material reality but also as a framework for understanding place, time, and selfhood. In this course, students rethink conventional wisdom about 'underdevelopment' through the study of writers, filmmakers, and painters from Latin America working at different historical junctures of the twentieth century.

This course continues the study of the classical ballet technique, concentrating on small and big poses at the barre, pirouettes and adagio work in the big poses in the center, and jumps in the small and big poses in the allegro section of the class. More complex grand allegro will be presented.

This course is designed to present an overview of dance as a performing art in the twentieth century. Through readings, video and film viewings, guest performances, individual research projects, and classroom discussions, students will explore principles and traditions of twentieth-century concert dance traditions, with special attention to their historical and cultural contexts. Special topics may include European and American ballet, the modern dance movement, contemporary and avant-garde experimentation, African American dance forms, jazz dance, and other cultural dance traditions.

Explore the joy of making music with your feet! This course will give you a foundation in the technique and style of four diverse percussive dance traditions: Appalachian clogging, rhythm tap, Cape Breton step dancing, and body percussion. The class is designed for beginners, and the steps will be broken down into clear, approachable elements. Community, rhythm, playfulness, and musicality will be emphasized. Tap shoes recommended.