From the European origins of classical ballet to the influence of the Africanist aesthetic to boundary-breaking experimentations of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries, the course investigates the aesthetic and cultural themes embedded in the history of Western concert dance, with emphasis on major stylistic trends, multi-cultural influences, as well as significant artists and their works. Topics span important traditions and innovations from the Renaissance to the present, with discussions of artistic concerns, as well as implicit social and political issues such as race, class, and gender. Prerequisite: English 105 or equivalent. (Alternate years. Offered Spring 2019) (Group IV) (Writing Option)