The main purpose of this course is to understand fundamental principles of performance from the perspective of human culture. How do people from different cultures create and offer their own experience? We will explore the concept of meaning and value in the diversity of cultural conditions around the world.
The main purpose of this course is to understand fundamental principles of performance from the perspective of human culture. How do people from different cultures create and offer their own experience? We will explore the concept of meaning and value in the diversity of cultural conditions around the world. In this class we will examine performance as a means of creative expression, everyday actions, and an avenue for public engagement. We will attend to both the practice of performance - gestures, behaviors, habits, events, artistic and social dramas – and the study of performance – the documentation, reproduction, analysis, and organization of these happenings. We will focus on four keywords: ritual, play, spectacle, and act. We will attempt to chart not only what performance “is” and “does,” but when and how, for whom, and under what circumstances.