The Dance History discipline at Sarah Lawrence provides opportunities for students to examine critical aspects of dance as a separate, credit-bearing seminar or lecture course rather than a component within a performing arts study. Encompassing political, cultural, creative, and embodied practices at the intersection of the arts, humanities and social sciences, these courses serve as hubs for interdisciplinary inquiry. All courses within the Dance History discipline are open to the entire college community. No previous knowledge of dance is required.
Dance History 2024-2025 Courses
Intersections of Dance and Culture
Open, Seminar—Year | 10 credits
DNHS 3121
Note: This course can be taken as a five-credit course per semester (Fall or Spring) OR as ten-credit for a year. This course may be counted as either humanities or creative arts credit. This course may also be taken as a semester-long component within a Dance, Music or Theatre Third. No prior experience in dance is necessary. Students who wish to join this yearlong class in the second semester may do so with permission of the instructor.
When we encounter dancing, what are we seeing, experiencing, and understanding? How do current representations of dance perpetuate and/or disrupt assumptions about personal and social realities? Embedded historical notions and enforcements based on race, economic class, gender, social/sexual orientation, nationality/regional affiliation, and more are threaded through our daily lives. Performing arts, inside and outside of popular culture, often reinforce dominant cultural ideas. Can they also propose or inspire alternatives? In this class, we will view examples of dancing on film, digital/Internet media, television programs and commercials, as well as live performance. These viewings, along with readings of selected texts from the fields of dance and performance, literary criticism, feminist theory, queer theory, and cultural studies will form the basis of class discussions and exercises. Each student will develop an independent research project arising from one or more class activities. Independent research will include reading, writing, and presentation. The central aim of this course is to cultivate generously informed conversation, using academic research and experiential knowledge to advance our recognition of dance as an elemental art form.