MFA in Dance - Critical Issues in Dance in Irvine United States | University of California Irvine

This course examines key topics in the dance community while developing skills in analytical writing and persuasive argumentation. It features a dedicated segment on dance criticism, exploring the critic's role and different approaches to dance-related writing. As an advanced writing course, it emphasizes improving writing proficiency through diverse assignments including event reviews, reading responses, and analytical essays. Titled Critical Issues in Dance, the curriculum highlights dance's cultural significance by addressing themes like sexuality, social justice, censorship, cultural identity, power structures, and gender representation. Participants engage with current dance topics through class presentations and written work analyzing both mainstream media and academic publications. The program fosters critical thinking through readings, performances, and dialogue, helping students develop their unique perspective in an art form dominated by physical expression. The course equips learners to critique dance professionally, advocate for dance education, analyze popular dance media, or effectively communicate dance's global relevance through various written formats.