TDPS458Z

Must be a junior standing or higher. What is the point of bringing dance and sports together for comparison? Obviously, they differ in the cultural value placed on them. Concert or theatrical dance is thought of as high art and sports as popular culture Dance is about art and sports are about winning. However, despite those differences, in many ways, athletics and dance honor the same things. They are embodied practices studied, trained for, rehearsed and performed. In this course, we will consider choreography embedded in sports (such as endzone dancing) as well as concert dances about sports, such as Vaslav Nijinskys Jeux (1913), Gerald Arpinos Olympics (1966) and Momixs Baseball (choreography: Moses Pendleton, 1994). Through a variety of viewings, critical readings, and in class discussion, we will consider a variety of relationships between dance and sports.