DNCE12009 Ethnic, Indigenous & Multinational Dance Styles

Throughout time, dance along with other expressive art forms, has had an integral relationship with the culture of societies, particularly in such areas as ceremonials, religious observance and belief systems, and the passage of children into the several stages of the lifecycle. The relationship between dance and society has been heightened as societies take greater interest in the art forms of social minorities, and the instigation of government policies aimed at preserving art forms threatened with extinction as a result of rapid social change. While gaining some practitioner performance skills in a variety of indigenous and ethnic dance forms, students in this course will also place dance into a wider social milieu. The ethnic and indigenous dance forms included in this course may be varied from term to term in order to reflect the knowledge and expertise of teaching staff and student interests.