Dance Theory and Composition

Image of a book cover on dancing circa 1878.

Image of the front cover of a book on dancing, circa 1878. (Image courtesy of the Library of Congress.)

Instructor(s)

MIT Course Number

21M.675

As Taught In

Fall 2003

Level

Undergraduate

Cite This Course

Course Description

Course Features

Course Description

This course introduces students to the art and formal ideologies of contemporary dance. We explore the aesthetic and technical underpinnings of contemporary dance composition. Basic compositional techniques are discussed and practiced, with an emphasis on principles such as weight, space, time, effort, and shape. Principles of musicality are considered and developed by each student. Working with each other as the raw material of the dance, students develop short compositions that reveal their understanding of basic techniques. Hopefully, students come to understand a range of compositional possibilities available to artists who work with the medium of the human body.

Related Content

Thomas DeFrantz. 21M.675 Dance Theory and Composition. Fall 2003. Massachusetts Institute of Technology: MIT OpenCourseWare, https://ocw.mit.edu. License: Creative Commons BY-NC-SA.


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