Readings

Some Ways to Consider Movement (PDF)

Texts

Jonas, Gerald. Dancing. New York, NY: Harry Abrams, 1998. ISBN: 9780810927919.

Needham, Maureen. I See America Dancing: Selected Readings, 1685-2000. Urbana, IL: University of Illinois Press, 2002. ISBN: 9780252026935.

Additional Readings

Please see the Calendar page for a schedule of readings.

Brown, Carol. “Re-tracing Our Steps: The Possibilities for Feminist Dance Histories.” In Dance History: An Introduction. Edited by Janet Adshead-Lansdale and June Layson. New York, NY: Routledge, 1994, pp. 198-216. ISBN: 9780415090308.

Carter, A. Dance Studies Reader. London, England: Routledge, 1998, pp. 125-134. ISBN: 9780415164467.

Daly, Ann. “The Balanchine Woman: Of Hummingbirds and Channel Swimmers.” TDR 31 (1987).

DeFrantz, Thomas. “Simmering Passivity: The Black Male Body in Concert Dance.” In Moving Words: Re-Writing Dance. Edited by Gay Morris. London, England: Routledge, 1996, pp. 106-121. ISBN: 9780415125437.

Dils, Ann, and Ann Cooper Albright. Moving History/Dancing Culture: A Dance Studies Reader. Middletown, CT: Wesleyan University Press, 2001, pp. 256-270. ISBN: 9780819564139.

Foster, Susan. “The Ballerina’s Phallic Pointe.” In Corporealities: Bodies, Knowledge, Culture, and Power. Edited by Susan Foster. New York, NY: Routledge, 1995, pp. 1-24. ISBN: 9780415121385.

Gottschild, Brenda Dixon. “Barefoot and Hot, Sneakered and Cool: Africanist Subtexts in Modern and Postmodern Dance.” In Digging the Africanist Presence in American Performance: Dance and Other Contexts. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 1996, pp. 47-58. ISBN: 9780313296840.

Humphrey, Doris. “An Introduction to Choreography.” In The Art of Making Dances. New York, NY: Grove Press, 1962, pp. 15-41. ISBN: 9780802130730.

Jowitt, Deborah. “A Private View of Dance Criticism.” In The Dance Has Many Faces. Edited by Walter Sorell, 3rd Revised Edition. Chicago, IL: Chicago Review Press, 1992, pp. 202-209. ISBN: 9781556521249.

Kealiinohomoku, Joann. “An Anthropologist Looks at Ballet as a Form of Ethnic Dance.” In What Is Dance?: Readings in Theory and Criticism. Edited by Marshall Cohen and Roger Copeland. New York, NY: Oxford University Press, 1983, pp. 533-549. ISBN: 9780195031973.

Novak, Cynthia. “Ballet, Gender and Cultural Politics.” In Dance, Gender and Culture. Edited by Helen Thomas. New York, NY: St. Martin’s Press, 1993. ISBN: 9780333513743.

Stuckey, P. Sterling. “Christian Conversion and the Challenge of Dance.” In Dancing Many Drums. Edited by Thomas DeFrantz. Madison, WI: University of Wisconsin Press, 2001. ISBN: 9780299173104.

Thompson, Robert Farris. “Dance and Culture, An Aesthetic of the Cool: West Africa Dance.” African Forum 2 (Fall 1996): 85-102.

Ward, Andrew H. “Dancing in the Dark: Rationalism and the Neglect of Social Dance.” In Dance, Sex, and Gender. Edited by Judith Lynne Hanna. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press, 1988, pp. 16-33. ISBN: 9780226315515.

Viewings

The following citations are for recordings and editions that may not be identical to those shown in this course, but may be more available. Alternate sources, such as YouTube, may be useful as well.

Dancing.” Directed by Orlando Bagwell and Geoff Dunlop. Produced by Susan Bellows. Washington, DC: PBS, 1993.

Ailey, Alvin. “Revelations.” Performed by Alvin Ailey, James Truitte, Minnie Marshall, Thelma Hill, and the Alvin Ailey Dance Theater. In Lamp Unto My Feet. Directed by Martin Carr. Produced by Pamela Ilott. New York, NY: WCBS-TV. March 4, 1962.

———. “Revelations.” Performed by the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. Produced and directed by Thomas Grimm. Chicago, IL: Home Vision, 1986.

Humphrey, Doris. “New Dance.” Performed by Linda Tarnay, Peter Woodin, and the American Dance Festival Repertory Company. New London, CT: Ted Steeg Productions, June 30, 1972.

Shawn, Ted. “Kinetic Molpai.” Performed by Ted Shawn and his Men Dancers. New York, NY: Ted Shawn Collection, New York Public Library. *MGZHB 6-322

Jones, Bill T. “Fever Swamp.” Performed by Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. In Three by Three. Directed by Patricia Birch. Produced by Ellis B. Haizlip & Catherine Tatge. Washington, DC: PBS Great Performances in America/Dance in America, September 3, 1985.

Rainier, Yvonne. “Trio A.” In Great Performances: Dance in America. Directed by Merrill Brockway. Produced by Merrill Brockway and Carl Charlson. Washington, DC: PBS, May 21, 1980.

Tharp, Twyla. The Catherine Wheel. Originally released 1983. West Long Branch, NJ: Kultur Video, 2005.

Cunningham, Merce. Story. Performed by Merce Cunningham Dance Company. Directed by Hakki Seppala. Produced by the Finnish Broadcasting Company. Filmed in Helsinki, Finland, 1964. New York, NY: Cunningham Dance Foundation, 1980.

Balanchine, George. “Agon.” Performed by the New York City Ballet. In Balanchine Celebration, part II. Directed by Matthew Diamond. Produced by Judy Kinberg. New York, NY: Nonesuch, 1996.

———. “Jewels.” Performed by the Paris National Opera Ballet. Heathfield, UK: Opus Arte, 2006.

———. “Prodigal Son.” Performed by the New York City Ballet. In Choreography by Balanchine. New York, NY: Nonesuch, 2004.

Dance Black America. Directed by Chris Hegedus, D. A. Pennebaker, and David Dawkins. Pennington, NJ: Dance Horizons Video, 1990.

Zollar, Jawole Willa Jo. “Batty Moves.” Performed by Urban Bush Women. UBW, 1995.

Course Info

Instructor
As Taught In
Spring 2008
Learning Resource Types
Written Assignments with Examples
Presentation Assignments