DAN 340 HISTORY OF DANCE

An examination of artistic developments that formed ballet, modern, social dance, and contemporary performance from the 17th to the 21st century. The course interrogates the socio-political and cultural flows that influence aesthetic values of western dance and how these values shift over time.  Topics including dance as identity, cultural production, creative innovation, social form of expression, and political movement, informing investigation of the genealogies of dance forms.  Through movement, readings, writings, discussions, and viewings of video and live performance, students will investigate dance as a vital form of human expression.