Syllabus (PDF)

General Course Description

This course explores the forms, contents, and contexts of world traditions in dance that played a crucial role in shaping American concert dance. For example, we will identify dances from an African American vernacular tradition that were transferred from the social space to the concert stage. We will explore the artistic lives of such American dance artists as Katherine Dunham, and Alvin Ailey along with Isadora Duncan, Martha Graham, George Balanchine, and Merce Cunningham as American dance innovators. Of particular importance to our investigation will be the construction of gender and autobiography which lie at the heart of concert dance practice, and the ways in which these qualities have been choreographed by American artists.

In the introductory arc of the class, we will ferret out the roots of classical ballet and its American presence via visiting ballerinas such as Fanny Essler and Marie Taglioni. From this we will trace a rise in performance venues; the Puritan resistance to dance as 'immoral'; and the breaking of tradition which allowed Isadora Duncan, Loie Fuller, and Ruth St. Denis to create a space for concert dance which was not ballet. We will uncover the streak of feminist independence which is at the root of modern dance practice. Martha Graham, Katherine Dunham, Pearl Primus, and Agnes de Mille fit directly into this lineage as first-generation modern dance artists. Class lectures and discussions will analyze works created by these artists, taking into consideration a variety of historical and political contexts which gave rise to their inventions. Frequent viewing assignments will help students identify visual, musical, and kinesthetic underpinnings of choreographic structure.

The requirements for this subject conform to the mechanical requirements for all HASS-D's: There will be no fewer than three writing assignments that will add up to a minimum of 20 pages; there will be a final exam which will be scheduled by the Registrar's Office and which will account for a substantial portion of the grade (no less than 15%); and no less than one hour per week will be devoted to discussion.

Core Texts:

Jonas, Gerald. Dancing. New York: Harry Abrams, 1992.

Foulkes, Julia L. Modern Bodies: Dance and American Modernism from Martha Graham to Alvin Ailey. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 2002.

Tickets to two concert dance performances, to be determined.

1. Approximately 50 pages of reading and 1 hour of viewing weekly. Participation in class discussions will account for 10% of the final grade.
   
   
2. We will attend at least two performances of dance concerts in the Boston area.
   
   
3. Three short papers, of 7-10 pages length, on the topics described below in response to a video viewing of American concert work to be determined by the instructor. All viewing assignments will be available at the Music Library, some will be available in our private course locker. Short papers account for 45% of the final grade (15% each):
   
   Paper One - Religion and Social Order
   Paper Two - Cultural Mores and Cultural Identity
   Paper Three - Cultural Fusion
   
   
4. A midterm oral project web-research assignment, defining a work of American concert dance as classical art. The midterm assignment will account for 20% of the final grade.
   
   
5. A final exam, in which students will be asked to synthesize material covered throughout the semester. The final exam will account for 25% of the final grade.