HUM 195 Theorizing Dance and Language,
Taught by Cynthia Hansen, anthropology, and Celeste Miller, emeritus theater, dance, and performance studies.
Course travel to Prague in March 2025 and London in May 2025.
In this course, we will play the role of detectives, exploring cross-disciplinary collaboration between linguistics and choreography, fields that both study human expression. We will delve into how these fields intersect and diverge, and how ideas flow between them in cross-disciplinary partnerships.
We start in Prague to focus on the Interwar years, where the Prague Linguistic Circle and the avant-garde artist group Devetsil each developed groundbreaking theories that shaped their respective disciplines. We will investigate the potential influence these groups had on each other through archival research, museum exhibits, and artistic performances.
Our journey then takes us to London, where we will seek evidence of how ideas transcend boundaries and time, bridging the past, present, and future. Our exploration will involve archival research and active participation in a community dance program alongside stroke survivor ambassadors. Through this experience, we aim to learn from their expertise in reclaiming language use through choreographed physical expressions. Throughout the course, we will use various investigative techniques, using both mind and body in establishing methods for studying human expression.