PMA 1182

FWS: Speaking Bodies, Dancing Knowledge in the Caribbean

Course Description

Course information provided by the Courses of Study 2024-2025.

This course examines the pasts, presents, and futures of dance in the Caribbean. From nightclub performances to sacred rituals, we will consider how factors such as discrimination, tourism, migration, and globalization have impacted various dance forms and the ways in which they are staged, practiced, or experienced today. We will watch documentary films, stage performances, and music videos that feature influential artists such as Katherine Dunham, Alicia Alonso, Celia Cruz, Ivy Queen, Romeo Santos, and Bad Bunny. We will also read critical dance studies articles to help us develop informed written reflections. Students will write five formal essays discussing different dance styles and issues related to migration, tourism, globalization, and race/gender/class relations in the Caribbean, and in preparation, submit topic proposals, drafts, and peer-review exercises.

When Offered Fall.

Satisfies Requirement First-Year Writing Seminar.

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