In collaboration with the University Musical Society (UMS) and the School of Music, Theatre, and Dance, this course is built around UMS performances in Winter 22.
This course connects undergraduate students directly to the touring, world-class artists who perform music, theater, and dance on the U-M campus. Students will attend six live performances, talk with the artists and arts administrators, and explore how the performing arts are an integral part of our lives and the world at large.
Students are required to attend six live performances: three dance performances, two musical performances, and one theater piece. The dance pieces include Requiem: Fire in the Air of the Earth, a piece which reimagines Mozart’s Requiem, reflecting on death and the myths of reincarnation from an explicitly Black perspective; Ballet Folklórico de México de Amalia Hernández, one of the world’s foremost performers of Mexican folkloric dance; and SW!NG OUT, a production celebrating America’s competitive and partnered dance form, the Lindy Hop. The musical performances include Imani Winds with the Catalyst Quartet, a program of chamber works exploring different pathways of migration; and National Arab Orchestra, an ensemble dedicated to preserving and performing classical and contemporary Arab music. The Theatre performance is a musical adaptation of the classic afro-futurist, science fiction novel: Octavia E. Butler’s Parable of the Sower.
Requirements:
This course requires attendance at these performances:
Requiem: Fire in the Air of the Earth - January 8, 2022 8PM
Imani Winds with the Catalyst Quartet - January 29, 2022 8PM
Ballet Folklórico de México de Amalia Hernández - February 6, 2022 4PM
National Arab Orchestra - March 19, 2022 8PM
Octavia E. Butler’s Parable of the Sower - March 26, 2022 8PM
SW!NG OUT - Friday April 1, 2022 8PM
The performances constitute the course’s primary “texts,” and the full package of tickets is available to students enrolled in the course for the dramatically reduced rate of $75. Additional funds are available to support students who cannot cover the cost. Engaging Performance is made possible through a grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation and a partnership between the University of Michigan and the University Musical Society (UMS).
Class Format:
Class will include lectures (including some by guests and visiting artists), weekly discussion sections, required attendance at evening performances, interactive classroom activities, weekly readings, response papers about the performances, and group presentations from students in class.
Please note that there are 18 seats reserved in this class for LSWA students, and the class is cross-listed with ALA260 and MUSPERF200, capped at 55 seats.
Course Requirements:
Requirements:
This course requires attendance at these performances:
Requiem: Fire in the Air of the Earth - January 8, 2022 8PM
Imani Winds with the Catalyst Quartet - January 29, 2022 8PM
Ballet Folklórico de México de Amalia Hernández - February 6, 2022 4PM
National Arab Orchestra - March 19, 2022 8PM
Octavia E. Butler’s Parable of the Sower - March 26, 2022 8PM
SW!NG OUT - Friday April 1, 2022 8PM