95881 - Theories and Practices of Dance (Lm)

Academic Year 2021/2022

Learning outcomes

At the end of the course students will acquire articulated knowledge about the theoretical thoughts developed between XIX Century and the present days about on the theatrical dance; will acquire articulated knowledge about the practices developed by choreographers and dancers in the same period; will be able to autonomously practice their own ability of analysis on critical and theoretical texts about dance; will be able to analyze related iconographical and video documents.

Course contents

The first part of the course (module I) will be dedicated to outlining the theories of dance developed by choreographers of the twentieth century, analyzing some examples of putting into practice - or "putting into dance" - these theories, or the languages of movement of the choreographic creation processes that are intertwined with them. The discussion will then be expanded through a survey of the specific field of screendance, whose path will then be outlined over time, from the first experiments between the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries to the most recent experiences.

The second part of the course (II module) will develop by deepening some of the issues touched upon in the first part, finding a concrete application in an articulated analysis of some specific case studies, which will not neglect the relationships with the musical field, also aimed at provide a useful outline for the realization of the written paper that the students will be required to prepare, individually or in small working groups.

The aim of the course is therefore to offer useful coordinates for orienting oneself in the panorama of theories and practices of theatrical dance in the twentieth century and today; to allow the acquisition of historical-critical-aesthetic skills around screendance, understood as a field of artistic creation but also as an instrument of testimony and documentation; to develop and exercise skills in the analysis of the choreic show and in the drafting of a scientific text.

The first module corresponds to the 6 CFU course (30 hours), the combination of the I and II modules corresponds to the 12 CFU course (60 hours).

Lessons will start on Thursday 23 September 2021 and will end by 29 October for those who will follow the 6 cfu course (I module), by 17 December for those who will follow the 12 cfu course (I and II module). Unless otherwise required by health conditions, lessons will take place at the headquarters of the Department of Arts in via Barberia 4; students will be able to choose whether to follow them in presence, i.e. in the classroom, or in live streaming, by connecting remotely, via the Teams platform.

The lessons timetable will be as follows:

Wednesday, 9.00-11.00

Thursday, 11.00-13.00

Friday, 11.00-13.00

Readings/Bibliography

6 cfu course (I modulo)

1) Elena Randi, Il corpo pensato. Teorie della danza nel Novecento, Dino Audino, Roma 2020

2) Alessandro Amaducci, Screendance. Sperimentazioni visive intorno al corpo tra film, video e computer grafica, Edizioni Kaplan, Torino 2020

 

12 cfu course (I e II modulo)

1) Elena Randi, Il corpo pensato. Teorie della danza nel Novecento, Dino Audino, Roma 2020

2) Alessandro Amaducci, Screendance. Sperimentazioni visive intorno al corpo tra film, video e computer grafica, Edizioni Kaplan, Torino 2020

3) Papers in the the list below (all available online in open access):

  • Noël, Carroll, Toward a Definition of Moving-Picture Dance, in «The International Journal of Screendance», numero monografico Screendance has not yet been invented, n. 1, 2010, pp. 111-125, online: https://screendancejournal.org/issue/view/198
  • Di Bernardi, Vito, “A continuous awakening movement”. Note sul choreocinema di Maya Deren, in «Danza e ricerca. Laboratorio di studi, scritture, visioni», n. 10, 2018, pp. 161-173, online: https://danzaericerca.unibo.it [https://danzaericerca.unibo.it/]
  • Romanini, Giulia, Danza e paesaggio. Die Klage der Kaiserin di Pina Bausch, in «Ricerche di S/Confine», Dossier Agire il paesaggio. Teatri, pensieri, politiche del 'luogo', 2013, pp. 91-107, online: www.ricerchedisconfine.info
  • Walon, Sophie, Poetic Phenomenology in Thierry De Mey's Screendances: Open Corporealities, Responsive Spaces, and Embodied Experiences [https://screendancejournal.org/article/view/4529], in «The International Journal of Screendance», numero monografico Practice (into) Theory, n. 4, 2014, pp. , online: https://screendancejournal.org/issue/view/135
  • Addis, Maria Cristina, Rimediazioni coreutiche. Riflessività dello sguardo e pedagogia della percezione nella danza filmica di Cristina Rizzo, in Tiziana Migliore (ed.), Rimediazioni. Immagini interattive, vol. 2, Aracne, Roma 2016, pp. 53-78
  • Ottoboni, Lucrezia, Odissī, una tradizione in transizione. Il case-study “Indian Odissi Classical Dance || Ed Sheeran–Shape of You”, in «Danza e ricerca. Laboratorio di studi, scritture, visioni», n. 10, 2018, pp. 217-238, online: https://danzaericerca.unibo.it
  • Dodds, Sherill, On Watching Screendance, in «The International Journal of Screendance», numero monografico Screendance Now, n.10, 2019, pp. 141-145, online: https://screendancejournal.org/article/view/6726/5272

4) The preparation will be completed by a written paper, the content of which, however to be agreed with the teacher, will focus on a theme connected to the macro-area of "dance on the screen". The paper must have a length of 5-10 pages, be complete with a bibliography and a videography and follow the editorial rules available among the materials on the "Virtual" online platform. Attending students will be able to present their work during the lessons; non-attending students must deliver the paper at least one week before the exam date and must be able to orally illustrate its content during the exam.

Bibliographical variations are possible, in accord with the professor.

Teaching methods

Lessons will be supported by commented view of the videos and pictures, as well as by meetings with artists and, possibly, attending at live performances. The active participation of the attending students will be solicited suggesting readings and discussions.

Assessment methods

The students’ learning outcomes on the course’s themes will be verified through an interview concerning the recommended bibliography and through a conversation about the written paper.

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 analyzing the course’s themes.

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 course’s themes. 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 analyze the course’s themes.

Teaching tools

Visual documentation through projections of fixed and moving images.

Office hours

See the website of Elena Cervellati

SDGs

Quality education Gender equality

This teaching activity contributes to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals of the UN 2030 Agenda.