Course Description

DA 205 DANCE IN IRELAND: HISTORY AT CROSSROADS   3.0 Credit(s)
This course steps right into Ireland's vibrant history of ritual and social dance, including traditions of crossroads dancing, where rural communities gathered at roadsides, and young people met to find partners - in dance and in life. We will immerse in Irish traditions of dance like set dancing, céili dancing, and sean nós, and visit indoor and outdoor gatherings. We will talk to artists and organizers who are reviving dance events in creative ways around Ireland. We will compare these traditions and innovations with other instances of ritual and social dance around the globe, including North America, the Caribbean, Brazil, India, and Japan. Along the way, we will ask ourselves: How does dance intersect with the spaces and landscapes it inhabits? How does dance build community, create identity - and even resist oppression? Why has dance been so essential to Irish culture, and cultures all over the world. Why is it so often "in the crosshairs?"
Offered: As Needed Contact Department