96431 - History of Dance

Learning outcomes

By the end of the course the student: acquires a basic knowledge of the history of the dance, especially in the context of the European theatrical culture from the 19th century until today; learns and is able to use some analysis methodologies of the dance performance; is able to read and understand bibliographical, iconographical and video documents.

Course contents

The History of Dance course aims to provide students with useful tools for navigating the broad and complex landscape of European-rooted theatrical dance from the 19th century to the present day.

We will therefore follow the path traced by several productions, such as Giselle (1841), Swan Lake (1895), and The Rite of Spring (1913), which, though created in eras far removed from our own, have been continuously restaged over time—both through reconstructions aimed at faithfully reproducing the past and through deliberately innovative reinterpretations by choreographers such as Pina Bausch, Matthew Bourne, Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker, Jérôme Bel, and Virgilio Sieni.

Through these works, we will explore the 19th-century dance repertoire, move through the revolutionary movements of the early 20th century, and examine the experimental trends that marked the second half of that century, all the way to the diverse variety that characterizes the times in which we live today. In this way, the course will also explore key themes such as identity, the originality and reproducibility of works, authorship and intellectual property, the perspectives and visions of the audience, the relationship between past and present, nostalgia, memory, and time.

Part of the course will be devoted to sharing and applying tools useful for critically analyzing dance performances. Various examples will be viewed and discussed in class; these may serve as the subject of short critical essays, which will also be written during practical classroom exercises, to be completed individually or in small groups. The essays produced may be included in a publication edited by the students.

Readings/Bibliography

Exam preparation is based on:

 

1) the study of the book

Caterina Pagnini, Storia della danza, Le Monnier Università, Firenze 2026 (pp. 293-517 only);

 

2) the study of the book

Elena Cervellati, I classici della danza. Tra ricostruzione e reinvenzione, Carocci, Roma 2027;

 

3) the study of five articles (all available on Virtuale)

• Layson, June, Dance history source materials, in Carter, Alexandra (a cura di), The Routledge Dance Studies Reader, Routledge, London-New York 1998, pp. 144-153
• Mauss, Marcel, Nozione di tecnica del corpo (1934), in Id., Le tecniche del corpo, Einaudi, Torino (qualunque edizione)
• Adshead, Janet, An introduction to dance analysis, in Carter, Alexandra (a cura di), The Routledge Dance Studies Reader, Routledge, London-New York 1998, pp. 163-170
• Banes, Sally, On your Fingertips. Writing Dance Criticism, in Id., Writing Dancing in the Age of Postmodernism, Wesleyan University Press, Middletown c1994, pp. 24-43
• Ubersfeld, Anne, Il lavoro dello spettatore, in Id., Leggere lo spettacolo, Carocci, Roma 2008, pp. 235-253

4) viewing of at least eight performances (live or via audiovisual recording) from among those cited in the readings under points a and b. Students must bring a list of the performances they have viewed to the exam; these will be analyzed and discussed orally.

 

For students attending classes in person, the readings listed in point 3 may be replaced by writing one or more reviews of performances (seen live or via audiovisual recording), and, if desired, by an oral presentation in class on those same performances. The written assignments and the oral presentation may be completed individually or in small groups.

 

 

Students with learning disorders and\or temporary or permanent disabilities: please, contact the office responsible (https://site.unibo.it/studenti-con-disabilita-e-dsa/en/for-students) as soon as possible so that they can propose acceptable adjustments. The request for adaptation must be submitted in advance (15 days before the exam date) to the lecturer, who will assess the appropriateness of the adjustments, taking into account the teaching objectives.

Teaching methods

Classroom lessons will be supplemented by guided viewings of visual materials and video recordings of performances, and enriched by meetings with artists and scholars. Active participation (not mandatory) will be encouraged, particularly in the analysis of performances and the writing of short critical essays.

Assessment methods

The students’ learning outcomes on the history of the dance and the arts of the movement will be verified through an interview concerning the recommended bibliography to verify their ability to move within the key phases of the history of the theatrical dance beginning from the 19yh century to the present day and to make specific reference to specific artistic experiences.

It will be assessed as excellent the performance of those students achieving an organic vision of the course contents, the use of a proper specific language, the originality of the reflection as well as the familiarity with the tolls for analysing the Dance history.

It will be assessed as discrete the performance of those students showing mostly mechanical or mnemonic knowledge of the subject, not articulated synthesis and analysis capabilities, a correct but not always appropriate language, as well as a scholastic study of the Dance history.

It will be assessed as barely sufficient the performance of those students showing learning gaps, inappropriate language, lack of knowledge of the discipline.

It will be assessed as insufficient the performance of those students showing learning gaps, inappropriate language, no orientation within the recommended bibliography and inability to analyse the Dance History.

Teaching tools

Vision of iconographic and videographic documents, analysis of performances through playful tools.

Office hours

See the website of Elena Cervellati