| CODE | DCS2016 | ||||||||||||
| TITLE | Choreography: Modernism and Postmodernism | ||||||||||||
| UM LEVEL | 02 - Years 2, 3 in Modular Undergraduate Course | ||||||||||||
| MQF LEVEL | 5 | ||||||||||||
| ECTS CREDITS | 4 | ||||||||||||
| DEPARTMENT | Dance Studies | ||||||||||||
| DESCRIPTION | At the other end of the continuum from Dance Theatre, this practical unit investigates the philosophies, practices and theories of choreographers whose work is characterised by the terms classical, neo-classical, formalist, modernist, abstract, analytic, minimalist or post modern. Issues to be addressed in practice include: beyond narrative; theoretical influences on formalist and abstract approaches; autonomy and coexistence; scores and chance methods; aural, visual and kinetic experience; open ended systems, fragmentation and deconstruction; technical and pedestrian preoccupations. Drawing on selected antecedents from modern ballet, modern and postmodern dance from America, the UK and Europe (e.g Balanchine, Cunningham, Brown, Childs,Butcher, Forsythe, Alston, Davies, McGregor), these resources will be used as catalysts to extend the quality and articulation of improvisation, indeterminacy, choreographic and performance work; new and more sophisticated relationships of concept, form and content will be explored. Students will be engaged with practical research, the reconstruction of excerpts of seminal works, and the creation and development of new work which reflects aspects of this unit's themes. Study-unit Aims: - To investigate selected models, theories and concepts of contemporary dance choreography related to abstraction and formalist tendencies; - To develop the ability to recognise and analyse stylistic features of this domain and to place them in historical and cultural context; - To investigate practically through tasks, improvisations and reconstructions, selected methods and approaches from particular choreographers and/or cultures; - To create, develop and perform in small groups some specimen works. Learning Outcomes: 1. Knowledge & Understanding: By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: - Demonstrate understanding of selected models, theories and concepts of contemporary dance choreography related to modernist and postmodernist tendencies; - Investigate practically through tasks, improvisations and reconstructions, selected methods and approaches from particular choreographers; - Create, develop and perform work in small groups. 2. Skills: By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: - Demonstrate knowledge of selected key practitioners and practices and their geo- cultural, historical and genre/style contexts or compositional strategies; - Engage in small groups in processes by which performance is created, realised and managed, such as the processes of rehearsal, devising, scenography, improvisation, choreography, performer training techniques and production arts. Main Text/s and any supplementary readings: Main Texts - Banes, Sally. 1994. Writing Dancing in the Age of Post-Modernism, (Hanover: NH.Wesleyan University Press). - Burt, Ramsay. 2006. Judson Dance Theatre: Performative Traces, (London and New York: Routledge). - Butterworth, Jo and Lorna Sanders. 2020. Fifty Contemporary Choreographers, (London and New York: Routledge). Supplementary Readings - Cvejic, Bojana and Anne Teresa de Keersmaeker. 2014. Drumming and Rain: A Choreographer’s Score (Yale U.P). - Hay, Deborah. 2000. My Body, The Buddhist (Wesleyan University Press). - Jordan, Stephanie. 1992. Striding Out: Aspects of Contemporary and New Dance in Britain (London: Dance Books) - Lepecki, Andre. 2006. Exhausting Dance: Performance and the Politics of Movement (London and New York: Routledge). - Reynolds, Nancy and Malcolm McCormick. 2003. No Fixed Points: Dance In The Twentieth Century (New Haven: Yale University Press). |
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| STUDY-UNIT TYPE | Independent Study, Performance & Practical | ||||||||||||
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The University makes every effort to ensure that the published Courses Plans, Programmes of Study and Study-Unit information are complete and up-to-date at the time of publication. The University reserves the right to make changes in case errors are detected after publication.
The availability of optional units may be subject to timetabling constraints. Units not attracting a sufficient number of registrations may be withdrawn without notice. It should be noted that all the information in the description above applies to study-units available during the academic year 2023/4. It may be subject to change in subsequent years. |
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