Professor: Patricia Cohen
Tuition: $295 member / $370 non-member
This course is a pre-requisite for OPDI-111b,but can also be taken alone without 111b. Learn more about OPDI-111b.
6 Weeks; 1.5 NDEO-Endorsed PDCs
This course is offered in two parts. It provides an overview of dance history in cultural and historical context, from its earliest documentation (pre-historic times) to current practices, including the emergence of
new dance forms through transmigration (e.g. Kathak to Flamenco, Clogging to Tap, Gumboot to Stepping). Global in its perspective, the course equally emphasizes Western and Non-Western dance forms. Using context as its primary lens, the course covers theatrical, folk and social forms of dance in socio-economic, religious, and political environments. The effects of culture on what and how we dance and the corresponding influence of dance on its society will also be explored. The course is intended to serve the needs of a wide variety of students including: 1) dance students, professional dancers and educators who desire a global overview of dance history, 2) students, professional dancers and educators who are curious about the interconnections of dance and society, 3) students who need a dance history prerequisite for further study, or 4) dance educators preparing for K-12 certification content exams in certain states such as New York.
This course is a pre-requisite for OPDI-111b,but can also be taken alone without 111b. In Part 1 of this course the student will explore the terminology and descriptions used in the study of dance history along with the functions that dance plays in our lives such as social, theatrical, political, religious, etc. The course will then move on to a review of Classical dance forms (e.g. ballet, Bharata Natya, etc.) and Blended dance forms (e.g. tap).
Book Required: Dils, A. and Albright, A. (2001). Moving History/Dancing Cultures. Middletown, CT. Wesleyan University Press.
Questions about this Course? Email opdi@ndeo.org