Courses

Summer 2018

French Expressive Dance in New York City and Paris

, 3 pts, S3880

FR EXPRESSV DANCE-NYC & PARIS

Cross-Atlantic influences from both French ballet and French modern dance as seen on the stages of New York City. The course examines not only French dancers and choreographers, but also French conceptions of the expressive body seen in other urban art forms. We study the New York School of Poetry, Painting, Theatre, Dance and Music; French influences on the repertory of American Ballet Theatre and New York City Ballet; the Paris Opera Ballet; the contributions of American choreographers such as Merce Cunningham and Trisha Brown on French dance; and the theatrical impulse in recent French contemporary dance. We will make use of French critical theory ( Merleau-Ponty, Sartre, de Beauvoir, Barthes, Proust, and the work of recent French feminists) to understand how distinct cultures create differing notions of the expressive body. These texts will also help us to see how individual and social movement patterns are created on the stages and in the streets of metropolitan Paris and New York City. When possible, we will attend modern dance performances, and productions of American Ballet Theatre and New York City Ballet. As well, we will visit New York City museums and gallery exhibits, and allied cultural events that help to illustrate the lyric French style. The course will be conducted in English. No prerequisites.

Section Number
001
Call Number
16273
Day, Time & Location
MW 1:00pm-4:10pm 413 Hamilton Hall
Instructor
Jonathan Robinson-Appels