This course introduces students to the field of critical dance studies. Students discuss relations between dance and other disciplines (such as art history, anthropology, cultural and media studies, performance studies, and philosophy), while asking why the field of dance studies has taken so long to develop. Students think critically about the body as an object of study and will consider the opportunities and challenges that come with analyzing movement. The course explores issues such as the performance of identity; the migration of expressive culture; ephemerality; notions of technique, gesture, and improvisation; and theories of embodiment. Students read foundational texts that present a variety of methodological and theoretical approaches, including writings by Anurima Banerji, Barbara Browning, Jane Desmond, Susan Foster, Mark Franko, Thomas DeFrantz, Brenda Dixon Gottschild, Anthea Kraut, Martin Nachbar, and Andre Lepecki. In addition to reading, students watch videos of dance and attend live performances in "high art" spaces, in clubs, and on the streets. This is a required course for Lang Dance majors and minors.