Duke University Dance Program

Description and Requirements for the Major in Dance

The field of dance includes the practice, creation, observation and analysis of theatrical, social, and culturally specific dance forms both contemporary and historical. Choreographic and developmental processes and   technical disciplines are the foundations that define every dance form.   Cultural body behaviors are the movement vocabularies from which dance forms are made.   The observation and analysis of dance in its cultural context is central to the study of cultures and a vital aspect of exploration in cross-cultural inquiry. A   culture's values are embodied (literally and figuratively) in its dance forms, and for most civilizations of the world, dance is one of the most important expressions of their world-view. To analyze historical, current and cultural dance forms, scholars must study the physical knowledge that has been handed down from body to   body, from master to novice through generations of dancers.   This is true whether they are investigating classic theater forms such as ballet, or analyzing the rites and rituals developed by a culture over hundreds of years. The living kinetic artifacts of movement - dance forms and dance choreography - are critical research   components that provide scholars the tools to discuss and analyze specific cultures and communities, periods of dance history and the work of seminal creative artists.   

The integration of the creative, intellectual, physical and emotive spheres through dance leads one to apprehend, understand, analyze and acquire knowledge in a way unique among disciplines.   Therefore, the Dance Program   emphasizes a balanced integration between the creative/performance and the historical/theoretical aspects of dance in order to develop in students creative, analytic and critical ability.   The aim of the program is to develop scholar/artists who are flexible, creative thinkers able to perceive, examine and evaluate different points of   view; who are sensitive and articulate physical and verbal communicators of the visual art of dance; and who are proficient in the analysis of dance in its cultural manifestations, leading them beyond knowledge of a culture to an understanding and tolerance of difference.   

Dance is inherently interdisciplinary and offers a nexus of information that is looked at by many different disciplines.   The Dance Program seeks to maximize this attribute through courses that examine dance from   many perspectives: historical, cultural, mythological, aesthetic, literary, technical, musical, scientific and creative.   Dance courses crosslisted with AAAS, AALL, Art and Art History, Biological Anatomy and Anthropology, History, Cultural Anthropology, Music, Religion, Romance Studies, Sexuality Studies, Theater   Studies and Women's Studies attest to the many fascinating interdisciplinary threads connecting dance to other disciplines.

REQUIREMENTS

To major in Dance, a student must take a minimum of TWELVE courses, as follows.

Academic full-credit courses - 10 course credits
One Course             101. Introduction to Dance
One Course             135S. Dance Composition
One Course in Dance History, Dance Theory or World Cultures of Dance selected from the following list.   Students cannot select a course that is also listed under their chosen concentration. For example. If students select Dance of the Twentieth and Twenty-first Centuries as their concentration, they cannot choose 130, 131S, 132S, or 188S from the list below.

           110A & B. West African Rootholds in Dance
           128. The Art and Cultural History of Flamenco
           129S. A History of Ballet before 1900
           130. Ballet Masterworks of the Twentieth Century
           131S. Iconoclasts and Visionaries: Modern Dance, 1890-1950
           132S. The Victory of the Iconoclasts: Modern Dance, 1950-present
           147. History and Practice of Dance of India
           149. Dance and Dance Theater of Asia
           158. Dance and Religion
           175. Gender in Asian Dance and Dance Theatre Performance
           188S. The Diaghilev Ballet, 1909-1929
One course chosen from Music 55, 65 or 70
Two courses chosen from one of the following three concentrations

Two courses chosen from
Dance of the Twentieth and Twenty-first Centuries
            130. Ballet Masterworks of the Twentieth Century
            131S. Iconoclasts and Visionaries: Modern Dance, 1890-1950
            132S. The Victory of the Iconoclasts: Modern Dance, 1950 to the Present
            153S. The Art of Transformation (FOCUS Program)
            179. History of Performance Art
            188S. The Diaghilev Ballet, 1909-1929
Faculty: Dickinson, Khalsa, Shah, Walters, Stiles (Art History)
Or two courses chosen from
Dance and Human Movement in its Cultural Context
            110A & B. West African Rootholds in Dance
            114. T'ai Chi and Chinese Thought.
            128. The Art and Cultural History of Flamenco
            147. History and Practice of Dance of India
            149. Dance and Dance Theater of Asia
            155. Kundalini Yoga and Sikh Dharma: Technology for Living in the Aquarian Age.
            158. Dance and Religion
            175. Gender in Asian Dance and Dance Theatre Performance
Faculty: Khalsa, Shah, Vinesett, Nickerson (Religion)
Or two courses chosen from
Choreography and Performance
              95S. Introduction to Theater Production.
            111. Dance Science: An Evolutionary Approach to Functional Anatomy.
            136T. Advanced Dance Composition.
            151. Functional Anatomy for Dancers.
            159. Performance Styles (New Course)
            169S. Design for the Theater.
            182T. Choreography.
Faculty: Dickinson, Dorrance, Khalsa, Shah, Taliaferro, Vinesett, Walters, Williams (BAA), faculty in Theater Studies
One Course             199S. Dance Research and Methods (New Course)
One Course             200T. Senior Project
Two Courses Two additional courses in dance at the 100 level or above.

Two course credits in technique and performance (half-credit courses)
One Course Credit Two courses (one in each of two different dance forms) in dance technique at the second level or above (e.g. Modern Dance II, African Dance II, Ballet II, Jazz II).
One Course Credit Two courses in Repertory chosen from Dance 81, 82, 83 and 84.

TOTAL - TWELVE COURSES TO FULFILL THE MAJOR IN DANCE

Students may petition that courses offered in other departments and programs be counted as coursework toward the major, as long as there is clear documentation of their intellectual value to the overall goals of the major.   One course credit earned at the American Dance Festival may be counted toward the requirements of the major.   Appropriate courses taken through the Duke in New York Arts Program and during Study Abroad may fulfill requirements for the major.   Students majoring in Dance are expected to attain and/or maintain the high intermediate level of modern dance or ballet or African dance technique. Twenty hours total of crew and production work are required of each student. This may be completed at any time during the four-year undergraduate experience.