THDA 105, Seeing Performance in the Twin Cities: In this course, first-year students critically attend live dance and theater performances in the exciting arts scene of the Twin Cities, and articulate their individual reactions by writing reviews, responses, and essays. In this process of studied spectatorship, students acquire the vocabularies of the field. Readings include seminal texts in dance and theatre criticism, as well as manifestos and scholarly articles. We will attend dance and theater performances at professional venues such as the Walker Arts Center, the Guthrie, Penumbra Theatre, Mixed Blood, Northrop Auditorium, and Cowles Center. This course is typically reserved for incoming first-years and not open to returning students.
Frequency: Every Fall.
Fulfills U.S. Identities and Differences and Writing WA requirements.
Course Objectives
- Gain a historical perspective about trends in dance and theater in the United States and their direct relationship with a range of socio-cultural experiences of citizenship (USID);
- Strengthen argumentative writing skills (WA);
- Fluency in the vocabularies of the field;
- Learn about various research resources and acquire research skills;
- Direct exposure to live performance in the Twin Cities.
Methodology
- Viewing live and filmed performance
- Readings
- Lectures and class discussions
- Writing and revisions
- Research, including sessions with Macalester’s Fine Arts reference librarian
Evaluation
- Course participation: 25%
- peer reviews, preparation and completion of readings, quality engagement in class discussions, attendance, and punctuality.
- Four reviews of live performances (3 pages): 10% each
- One review that includes artistic context (5 pages): 15%
- Class presentation: 20%
- Students will work on a four-page essay on a filmed performance of the student’s choice from the list provided. Please connect to the readings and/or performances examined throughout the semester, provide artistic context, and include images of the performances you discuss or the artistic context (video, photographs). Total time of the presentations is 15 minutes. 4 pages/10 minutes.