RC Dance Courses (History, Theory and Culture)
Ballerinas Violette Verdy and Suzanne Farrell talk to students at the Balanchine symposium, Fall, 2003.
RC Students prepare backstage at Hill Auditorium for a Javanese dance drama.
Did you know that Louis the XIV was a terrific ballet dancer who used dance as an important tool of political power? That the “Lord of Dance” is not Michael Flatley, but the Hindu god Shiva, whose dancing image is at the core of Hindu cosmology? That Shakespeare and his actors danced the latest social dances for their audiences after tragedies as well as comedies? And did you know that Michael Jackson’s moonwalk, Elvis Presley’s shimmy, and today’s hip-hop moves can be traced to African and African American dances that go back hundreds, if not thousands, of years?
Humans have always danced. Children all over the world learn social values as well as survival skills through dance. Dance has played an important role in political and social struggles. Rites of passage from birth to death are marked by dance. Dance is a form of worship on every continent. And dance – from ballet to post modern, tap dance to hip-hop, bharata natyam to bedhoya – is, as you do know, also an art – thrilling to watch, fascinating to analyze, as well as an important reflection of the history and values of the people who dance it.
New York City Ballet principal Peter Boal illustrates a paper by scholar Stephanie Jordan on Balanchine’s ballet Baiser de la Fée.
The RC offers a unique series of courses and activities that give students the chance to study the history and cultural context as well as the practice of dance.
Click here for more detailed information about RC Dance course offerings.
