Dance in Context
Objectives
1. Recognizing dance and the choreographic as latent expressive and discursive means in human beings and their potential to represent subjectivity, territory and human relationships in culture and society
2. Developing analysis methods that are adequate to dance and allow naming and explaining form and content that characterize and singularize works, styles and genres.
3. Observing and analyzing ethic and aesthetic approaches lying in choreographic practices and their relationship with critical perspectives and theories of art in contemporary times.
4. Identify and argue about dichotomies (such as body/mind, cultural/natural, and rational/emotional) that undermine the value and density of dance as a reflex of society and contribution to knowledge.
General characterization
Code
722011102
Credits
10.0
Responsible teacher
Paula Gouveia Varanda
Hours
Weekly - 3
Total - 280
Teaching language
Portuguese
Prerequisites
None
Bibliography
Adshead-Lansdale, J. (1988). Dance Analysis: Theory and Practice. Dance Books.
Carter, A. and O’Shea, J. (eds) (2010) The Routledge dance studies reader. Routledge.
Dixon, S. (2007). Digital Performance: A History of New Media in Theater, Dance, Performance Art, and Installation. MIT Press.
Fazenda, M.J. (2007). Dança Teatral: ideias, experiências, acções. Celta.
Foster, S.L. (ed.), (1995). Corporealities: Dancing Knowledge, Culture and Power. Routledge.
Gil, José (2001). Movimento Total: o Corpo e a Dança. Relógio D’ Água.
Lepecki, A. (2006) Exhausting Dance: Performance and the Politics of Movement. Routledge.
Louppe, L., (2012). Poética da Dança Contemporânea. Orfeu Negro.
Mitoma, J. (Ed.), (2002). Envisioning Dance on Film and Video. Routledge.
Pais, A. (2019). Ritmos Afectivos nas Artes Performativas. Colibri.
Thomas, H. (1995). Dance, Modernity and Culture: Explorations in the Sociology of Dance. Routledge.
Varanda, P. (2020). 70 Críticas de Dança. Caleidoscópio.
Teaching method
Lecturing by the teacher is combined with practicing interpretation of texts and works, exercicing argumentation in the classroom and the participation of all students, stimulating oral presentations and debates. Bibliographic and audivisual resources are introduced and used, with collective viewing or individual research and, if possible, two field visits to performances in Lisbon.
Evaluation method
Evaluation Methodologies - - essay (3000/4000 words) that explores the relationship between thoery and practice to contextualize dance, articulating methods, critical perspectives and references from the sylabus(40%), - evidence, orally demonstrated, of analysis and presentation skils about a dance piece, using audiovisuals (group work)(30%), - participation in class, assessed by quality and quantity of interventions in debates, collective readings or other contributions by the students(30%)
Subject matter
We aim to dismantle and complexify naturalized pre-conceptions of dance and choreographic practices, considering the context within which they occur. While developing pratical strategies to approach dance, reference is made to critical issues in dance studies, performance studies, communication and philosophy, namely by addressing paradigmatic texts and pieces that relate themes as affect, politics, language ethics and aesthetics. We shall practice analysis, in descriptive or interpretative ways, of choreographic pieces and relate them to key moments of XXth century dance history, such as the revolutionary movement iniciated by contact improvisation in the 1960s, the German dance-theatre, or Post-modernism. The spectre of choreographic works will range from the local/national to the global international scale and will regard different ways of making and presenting such as live performance, video and new media and the internet.