DANCE 200G Dance and Culture

Schedule
Schedule A: Music, Art and Contemporary issues

Semester
Semester Two

Campus
City Campus

Note: Does not satisfy the General Education requirements for BDanceSt or BPerfArts.

Through practical dance classes and theoretical investigations into diverse cultural environments around the world, this paper critically examine the interrelationship between dance and wider political and cultural movements.

You will physically engage in the study of various social dance forms. You'll discuss and write about the cultural environments that contributed to, and were affected by, these dances.

Dances include:

• Tango
• Salsa
• Dabke
• Traditional Chinese dance
• Kanak dance
• Bharata Natyam

This paper illustrates how dance can create and critique cultural and social traditions and conventions.

The purpose of this course is to introduce you to the interrelationship between dance and culture through both practical and theoretical classes.

By the end of this course, you should be able to confidently perform and critically engage with dances from different locations in the world.

You will:

• Understand a range of diverse dance practices in relation to socio-political contexts.
• Access relevant information from the literature, AV libraries and the dance community.
• Present your ideas in group debates.
• Improve your abilities to perform, teach and investigate dance.

Your objectives within this course are to:

• Learn, rehearse and perform dances from different cultural locations.
• Investigate the cultural contexts and meanings associated with these dances.
• Critically reflect on the function of dance in society.
• Formulate and present arguments on contentious issues within dance and culture.
• Investigate the ways dance may cross cultural boundaries.
• Enhance their competence in critical discourse.

Students who are interested in engaging physically and theoretically with dance from a variety of cultural contexts and developing understandings of how dance connects with wider socio-cultural issues such as politics, conflict, trauma, gender, histories, globalization. No prior dance expereince is required to participate in this course.

By the end of this paper, you will:

• Feel greater confidence when performing dance.
• Have a clear understanding of the stylistic conventions of the dances studied.
• Feel greater confidence when presenting critical arguments in public forums.
• Have a clear understanding of the cultural environments that the dances emerge from.
• Be able to critically contextualize dance within society. 

Lectures

• Globalisation of dance.
• Meanings of performance in dance.
• Dance and politics.
• Innovating with dance traditions: is dance fusion creating confusion?
• Cultural ownership of dance: can someone ‘own’ a dance?
• Judging dance: do dance competitions destroy artistry?
• Dance criticism: can anyone critique dance?
• Dance teaching and learning dance in diverse cultural contexts.
• Dance, gender and culture.

Practical classes

• Introducing dance in diverse cultural contexts, such as New Caledonia, Palestine, China, India, Argentina, and Cuba.
• Learning movements/choreographies: from dances such as Tango, Salsa, Dabke, traditional Chinese dance, Kanak dance and Bharata Natyam.
• Improvising with dance traditions.
• Performing dances individually and in groups.

• 1 hour lecture per week
• 2 hour practical class per week

Teaching and learning methods for this paper include:

• Experiential activities
• Self-directed learning
• Critical discourse
• Group discussions
• Collaboration with peers

The assesssment of this course is through a 50% exam and 50% coursework. The course work includes assemsent of practical dances, short essays, group debates and participation.

• Course readings.
• DVDs.