Overview of History of Dance and Ballet 1

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Code	Completion	Credits	Range	Language Instruction	Semester
107OHDB1	credit	3	1 lecture hours (45 min) of instruction per week, 1 seminar hours (45 min) of instruction per week, 57 to 72 hours of self-study	English	winter

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Name of lecturer(s)

Department

Předmět zajišťuje Dance Department

The course contains a chronological outline of the development of dance art in the European (world) context, presents its individual stages and main factors (choreographic personalities, staging methods, choreographic works, performance practice) and focuses on the integration of dance art into the context of the development of other artistic disciplines.

The aim of the study is to gain a broader understanding of the cultural significance and function of dance from the earliest stages of human development to the end of the 16th century. The seminar will then understand how the stylistic characteristics of each period are reflected in dance expression and extant repertoire.

Thematic areas:

Dance as part of the ceremonies of prehistoric people. Types of dances according to their functions in society. Basic dance formations, archaeological findings in relation to dance.
Dance culture of theocratic empires, common features, institutions of temple dancers. Sources of knowledge. Differences between cultures in Egypt, Mesopotamia, China and Japan. The earliest treatises on dance, the links between dance and religions and secular theatre in these empires. Popularity of dance in Greek society, types of dances and their social function, the ideal of kalokagathia. Knowledge of dances in tragedies and comedies. Pantomime dancers in Rome.
Early Middle Ages, first reports of dances in Europe, estampida and first dance melodies. Dancing in early Christian worship. Medieval scholasticism and negative reactions to dance, Gothic dance expressions, choreomania, danse macabre as a form of morality within medieval religious theatre. Basse danse as the first known artifice form of dance.
Change in social attitudes to dance in the Renaissance, guilds of dance masters, first dance treatises. Types of Renaissance dances, the emergence of the dance as well as the musical suite. Dances for spectacle: balli and morisca. The origin of court ballet, its structure. Choreographic principles of the Mannerist period, personalities who influenced the development of court ballet.
The form of court ballet in the first half of the 17th century (early Baroque and Louis XIII period). Dance culture in the period of Louis XIV - the peak and decline of court ballet in France. Development of stage dance in the professional theatre of the High Baroque: comédie-ballet, tragedie lyrique, opéra-ballet, ballet-pantomime, commedia dell'arte.

Learning outcomes

The students orient themselves in the history of dance of the discussed periods. They have gained a broader understanding of the cultural significance and function of dance from the earliest stages of human development to the late 16th century. The content of the final state examination is directly related to the knowledge acquired.

Prerequisites and other requirements

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Literature

Required reading:

ARBEAU, Thoinot. Orchesography. New York: Dover Books, 1967. ISBN 9780486217451.

GARFINKEL, Yosef. Dancing at the Dawn of Agriculture, University of Texas Press, Austin, 2003 (selected chapters on-line:https://books.google.cz/books?id=50uCw0DcW_MC&printsec=frontcover&dq=inauthor:%22Yosef+Garfinkel%22&hl=cs&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwj7je7hjvDdAhXQ-aQKHV6DB1oQ6AEIRTAE#v=onepage&q&f=false)

KIRSTEIN, Lincoln.Dance. A Short History of Classic Theatrical Dancing. Princeton, New Jersey 1994. ISBN 978-0871270191.

KIRSTEIN, Lincoln. Four Centuries of Ballet. Fifty Masterworks. New York: Dover Publications, 1984. ISBN 0-486-24631-0.

RAMEAU, Pierre. The Dancing Master. London: Dance Books Ltd., 1941 ISBN 978-1852730925.

WOOD, Melusine. Some Historical Dances 12th to 19th Century.London: Imperial Society of Teachers of Dancing, 1952.

Evaluation methods and criteria

passing interim tests

Other requirements: 80% attendance, active participation in lectures and seminars

Further information

No schedule has been prepared for this course

The subject is a part of the following study plans

Dance Pedagogy (BA) - Methods of Classical Ballet Technique - from 2023/24 (Required subjects with the possibility of repeat registration)
Dance Pedagogy (BA) - Methods of Modern and Contemporary Dance - from 2023/24 (Required subjects with the possibility of repeat registration)
Dance Pedagogy (BA) - Methods of Folk Dance - from 2023/24 (Required subjects with the possibility of repeat registration)