Subject Area: Dance Studies

Choreography and Theory introduces students to dance theory and aims at developing ways of thinking and writing dancing (criticism, analysis, reflection and theory). The course expands upon key terms for the discipline such as movement, kinaesthetics, choreography, improvisation, somatic knowledge, embodiment, aesthetics and ‘social choreography.' These are developed in relation to the central theoretical paradigms of contemporary aesthetics, placing dance theory into dialogue with discourses in the other arts. The coursework reflects on historical and contemporary case studies - with a particular focus on Australian work - and associated writing, whether technical, critical or theoretical. A structure plotting key creative practices within Western dance history (ballet, Laban, Graham, Forsythe) will be supplemented by other modes of dance including traditional (Indian, Indigenous), social (jazz, hip hop) and popular (tap), demonstrating the crossover between high and ‘low’ art in contemporary dance practice and the influence of concurrent aesthetic fields on its development.