Online only and in-person sections offered. Lecture course - no movement or prior movement experience required!
What are the dances that have captured the attention and imagination of the American public over the last century on the stage, the club, and the screen? We will look at who dances, how they move, and how movement constructs identity through styles such as ballroom, Broadway, Hip-Hop, YouTube, television and video gaming. Identification of movement vocabulary and choreographic staging will lead to discussion of how popular dance reflects and influences our perceptions of gender, age, ethnicity, and economic status. Overarching themes include the role of media and music in the development and dissemination of dance and issues of innovation and appropriation. This course fills the General Education “Cultures and Ideas” and “Social Diversity in the United States” requirements.
Sample IN-PERSON section syllabus.