*Dance Across Cultures: Dance Ethnography I

This course introduces students to dance across a variety of cultures and historical periods. the course will begin with an overview of the history of the field. Surveying the writings and documentaries of early dance ethnologists, ethnographers, and folklorists, such as Katherine Dunham, Maya Deren, De Martino, and Alan Lomax, we will assess the advantages and disadvantages of their methods and approaches. We will then turn our focus to recent dance ethnographies to examine the possibilities and challenges of cross-cultural dance analysis. through lectures, discussion, weekly readings, written responses to the readings, and extensive viewing of filmed and live performance, students will come to understand dance as a rich human activity with many different manifestations and applications.

Prerequisites: Modern Dance I or equivalent. Placement audition required.