Dance in Paris

May 5 – June 3, 2012

Paris is possibly the most exciting place for a student of dance to study both technique and dance history. The city is filled with history of collaborations between dance artists and visual artists as well as the influence of American dance artists who lived and thrived in Paris.  Dance in Paris is designed to immerse the dance enthusiast in a unique program of study combining technique classes at various dance academies and conservatoires in Paris with a course in special topics related to dance history and cultural sites.

The Academie Americaine de Danse de Paris (AADP), under the direction of Brooke Desnoes, will partner with the FSU School of Dance to provide a home-base for the FSU Dance in Paris Study Abroad program. Located in the heart of Paris, FSU students will have the opportunity to take technique classes at AADP and interact with the school's students and distinguished faculty. Over the course of four weeks, students will also explore “open dance classes” throughout Paris.

The Dance in Paris experience will be enhanced with topics in dance history including 16^th and 17^th ballet history, the Impressionists with emphasis on artists inspired by dancers, the Diaghilev period (1909-1929) and American artists - Josephine Baker, Loie Fuller and Isadora Duncan – who lived in Paris for extended periods and greatly influenced 20^th Century dance history.   To complement each of these areas of study, possible site visits will be conducted to the Paris Opera Ballet School in Nanterre, the Conservatoire National Superieur de Musique and Danse, a dress rehearsal at the Moulin Rouge and a performance of the Paris Opera Ballet at the Palais Garnier.  Museum sites include Versailles, Musee de l’Orangerie, Musée D’Orsay and the Centre Pompidou.  Both guided and self guided tours will further explore the role of dance history in Paris.

Areas of Study
Dance technique and special topics in dance history

Course Work

DAN 4935-01 Special Topics:  Studio and Related Studies (3 credit hours) with the emphasis on ballet and contemporary technique. Students will take 1-2 classes per day for four days each week at the Academie Americaine de Danse de Paris as well as other conservatoires and studios that offer open classes. Classes typically last 1-½ hours. Students will be asked to keep a journal of their experiences in classes including reflections about French teaching styles, taking classes with French students, and a daily log of their experiences and progression.  The final written requirement will be a short essay comparing and contrasting their studies at Florida State University with similar classes in Paris.

This course will also be offered at the graduate level: DAN 5930-01 (3 credit hours.)

Students will have additional written assignments in critical response of performances and informal showings viewed during the four week summer session.

Course DAN 4935-02 Special Topics: Dance History in Paris (3 credit hours)

This course will focus on four different areas in dance history in Paris including the development of classical ballet in France, the Impressionists period with emphasis on Degas and Toulouse-Lautrec, the Diaghilev Period (1909 – 1929) and the study of American dancers in Paris, namely, Loie Fuller, Isadora Duncan and Josephine Baker.  This course will incorporate site visits, guided and self-guided walking tours and guest lecturers.  This course compliments dance history course DAN 3145.

With the exception of three lecture/master classes, all class meetings will take place outside the traditional classroom.  Most classes will take place at the museums and include both guided historical walking tours and walking tours designed by students as part of their group projects.

This course will be offered at the graduate level: DAN 5930-02 (3 credit hours.)

This course complements dance history course DAN 5191.  Each graduate student will research the architecture of one of the museums or theatres we visit and present their research as part of the historical overview of the sites.

Eligibility
This program is currently opened to all undergraduate and graduate dance majors approved by the School of Dance assessment committee.

Faculty/Contact:  Joyce Fausone  jfausone@fsu.edu