Ethics, Aesthetics, and the Moving Body

What are you willing to do to "look right?" In this course we will investigate how questions about what is good, and what is beautiful, affect how we treat our bodies. We will explore somatic techniques, in which the body is used as a vehicle for understanding compassion. In contrast, we will examine the extreme physical regimens of concert dance techniques that originated in the U.S., Europe, and Asia, in which the body is seen as an object to be molded into an aesthetic ideal. The course will utilize readings in philosophy and dance history, reflective and research based writing, and movement practices. (No previous experience necessary) 3 hrs. lect./1 hr. lab