Course Components, Paris Summer Program
Students enroll in a month-long, 3-6 credit course entitled "Dance and Culture in Paris." This course is designed as an immersion in Parisian culture from the point of view of the dancer. The course is divided into three major components: technique, composition, and history.
Students are exposed to a variety of technique classes and workshops each weekday which include many of the following: contemporary, ballet, yoga, floor technique, Forsythe Technologies, Gaga, physical theatre, improvisation, Dance of Mali and the Ivory Coast, and a special Dance for Parkinson鈥檚 workshop depending on the summer鈥檚 particular faculty and specialties.
The purpose of the choreographic workshops (le d茅rive 鈥 "the drift") is to foster an understanding between the choreographer and the urban landscape: What kinds of inspirational materials can be used in choreography? What kinds of images can be distilled into gestures or phrase work? How does the urban landscape inspire different movement choices? How does the 鈥渉istory鈥 of a certain location influence one鈥檚 choreographic choices?
Students visit specific Parisian neighborhoods and explore the architecture, ambience, and sub-culture of that area, and transform their observations into a short piece of solo choreography. Among the areas students will be investigating are P猫re Lachaise Cemetery, 脦le St. Louis, Montmartre, the Marais, Viaduct des Arts, the Latin Quarter, Les Halles, the Passages, and the Canal St. Martin, among dozens of other corners of Paris.
Students are given studio time to work on their choreographic projects, as well as receiving feedback from the faculty. The purpose of the studio time is to create a short solo work based on students鈥 observations, assigned readings, field work, personal journals, and sensations. The final solos are performed in an informal setting to an invited audience.
Lectures and discussions are conducted by the directors and selected scholars to contextualize some of the historical and social lenses with which students experience dance in France through performances and visits to major historical sites associated with dance. These discussions will require students to participate in conversations of ideas around race, gender, aesthetics, social mobility, and their relationship to dance on the Continent. Assigned readings will accompany these seminars.
Grading is based on weekly projects, journals, a final paper assignment, and pro-active engagement in all aspects of the program.