This is a core module for Level 5 Dance students that introduces the concept of ‘popular dance' through the examination of a range of theoretical approaches, the analysis of a number of popular dances, practical embodiment and students' own ethnographic research. During the module we will examine the concepts of popular culture and popular dance using writing from cultural studies, popular music, film and media studies, and sociology. We will examine a number of popular dance forms within their specific contexts of production, circulation, consumption and participation, and consider how the various sites in which they take place (across the vernacular, stage and screen media) have an effect on meaning, value and aesthetics. We will consider how engaging in popular dance provides individuals with ways to negotiate, and challenge constructs of identity, and the social frameworks in which they are located. We will also discuss and examine various methodologies used for the research of popular dance forms, and through practical workshops learn about specific technical and performative techniques that are often used when popular dance styles become theatricalised and codified.
Lectures and discussion groups are used to introduce and examine areas of theoretical, historical or conceptual study. The module is supplemented by practical workshops and field visits to assist students to embody and reflect on a range of popular dance forms.
The module is divided into blocks of study that analyse popular dances according to the context in which they occur (street, studio, stage and screen). It is taught in a two hour weekly session. Each week this module provides one hour for the supplementary technique class scheme (STS).
A number of key skills are developed as part of this module. In particular students will develop self-awareness, research and information literacy, communication, inter-personal, management and leadership, and creativity and problem-solving skills. These will be developed through activities such as small group and class discussion, research tasks and practical classes.
| Definitive UNISTATS Category | Indicative Description | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Scheduled learning and teaching | Lecture / seminar | 30 |
| Scheduled learning and teaching | Practical workshops | 14 |
| Guided independent study | Independent study | 234 |
| Scheduled learning and teaching | Technique classes | 22 |
| Total (number of credits x 10) | 300 | |
As this is a core skills Level 5 module the assessments test the key skills students require to progress effectively on this degree programme.
Students will complete first drafts of set tasks during the course of study, and receive feedback on these before final submission. There will also be elements of formative assessment, for example, a written critique of an article and a research proposal for the final written task.
| Learning Outcome | Assessment Strategy |
|---|---|
| 1. Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of theoretical and methodological approaches relevant to the study of popular dance forms | Group presentation and written essay |
| 2. Situate popular dance forms in relation to their historical, cultural, economic and political contexts | Group presentation and written essay |
| 3. Show an understanding of embodied expressions of meaning, value and aesthetics within performances of popular dances | Group presentation and written essay |
| 4. Demonstrate key skills of research, documentation and analysis relevant to the ethnographic study of popular dance forms | Written essay |
| Description of Assessment | Definitive UNISTATS Categories | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| PRC | Group presentation | 35 |
| Coursework | Essay | 65 |
| Total (to equal 100%) | 100% | |
It IS NOT a requirement that any major assessment category is passed separately in order to achieve an overall pass for the module.
Buckland, T. (ed.) (1999) Dance in the Field: Theories, Methods and Issues in Dance Ethnography Basingstoke: Macmillan.
Dodds, S. (2011) Dancing on the Canon: Embodiments of Value in Popular Dance Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.
Dixon Gottschild, B. (2002) Waltzing in the Dark: African American Vaudeville and Race Politics in the Swing Era New York: St. Martin's Press.
Dodds, S. & Cook, S. (eds.) (2013) Bodies of Sound: Conversations Across Popular Music and Dance Farnham: Ashgate.
Malnig, J. (ed.) (2009) Ballroom, Boogie, Shimmy Sham, Shake: A Social and Popular Dance Reader Urbana and Chicago, IL: University of Illinois Press.
McMains, J. (2006) Glamour Addiction: Inside the American Ballroom Industry Middletown, CT: Wesleyan University Press.
Pini, M. (2001) From House to Home: Club Cultures and Female Subjectivity Basingstoke: Palgrave.
Osumare, H. (2007) The Africanist Aesthetic in Global Hip Hop New York and Basingstoke: Palgrave.
Sterns, M. & Sterns, J. (1994) Jazz Dance: The Story of American Varnacular Dance New York: De Capo.
Storey, J. (2003) Inventing Popular Culture Oxford: Blackwell.
Thomas, H. (2003) The Body, Dance and Cultural Theory Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.
Valis Hill, C. (2010) Tap Dancing America: A Cultural History USA: Oxford University Press.