Syllabus: Dance
Title:
Dance & Society I
Department:
Programme:
Business and Humanities
BA in Folk Studies
Level:
Year 2: Module 1
Credit Rating: 5
Pre-requisite(s): Basic knowledge of dance
Aims:
 To examine the connection between Folk Dance and the working habits/social
customs of the Irish People
 To explore how dance reflects the traditional working habits and social customs of
North Kerry in the Siamsa repertoire
 To compose dance pieces which reflect traditional work and social customs
 To compare and contrast Set Dances from different areas of Kerry
 To expand the Molyneaux vocabulary to a full range of steps [reels, jigs,
hornpipes, set dances]
 To use Contemporary Dance to reflect defining periods in Irish history and
evolving movement patterns from rural life to industry
 To explore the relationship between dance and flexibility during warm-up and
cool-down routines
Learning Outcomes:
Having successfully completed this module, the student will have:
 Understood the relationship between Folk Dance and social environment with
specific reference to working practices/social customs
 Performed dance pieces from the Siamsa repertoire which reflect the traditional
working practices/social customs of North Kerry
 Understood evolving movement patterns from rural life to industry
 Been able to choreograph dance pieces to reflect facets of particular lifestyles
and defining periods of Irish history
 Performed one full range of steps from the Molyneaux repertoire
 Danced Set Dances from different areas of Kerry
 Appreciated the differences and similarities between dance pieces through
practice, media analysis and Laban analysis
 Devised a basic warm-up and cool-down routine based on physiological
information; flexion, extension, rotation, abduiction, adduction breathing
technique, alignment
 Utilised the floor in a variety of ways; side-to-side, diagonal crossing, random
movement
Syllabus Content:
Hours
64
Traditional Irish Dance:
50%
 Traditional working practices of the Irish People: scythesman, cutting the turf, the
blacksmith, the hand-wheel potter, basket-maker etc
 Traditional customs: rambling, wakes, crossroad dances, fair day etc.
 Siamsa dance pieces which reflect working/social practices, e.g. Bucket Dance,
Fox Chase
 Improvised dance pieces reflecting traditional social/working practices
 Kerry Set Dances
 Full Molyneaux vocabulary: reels, jigs, hornpipes, set dances
Contemporary Dance:
25%
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Traditional/Modern working practices/social habits–stimuli
Defining Irish history periods–stimuli
Choreography–AB (Binary), ABA (Ternary), ABACADA (Rondo)
Contemporary Dance as a counterbalance to restrictive movement patterns today
Sensory Stimuli/Conceptual Stimuli
Dance Appreciation:
15%
 Basic Tools: Perception, Description , Analysis , Interpretation , Evaluation
 Basic Movement Analysis–Contemporary Dance
Physiological Information:
10%
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


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Basic principles of warm-up/cool-down
The Muscular/Skeletal System
Basic stretching
Areas of controversy in stretching procedures
Basic first aid
Essential Texts:
Laban, Rudolph, Modern Educational Dance, Plymouth: Northcote 1988
Danaher, Kevin, The Pleasant Land of Ireland, Mercier: 1980
McFee, Graham, Understanding Dance, Ruthledge: London 1992
Brennan, Helen, The Story of Irish Dance, Brandon Press:1999
Additional Texts:
Siamsa Tire Videos
O Suilleabhain, Sean, Irish Wake Amusements, Mercier: 1985
O Suilleabhain, Sean, The Folklore of Ireland, London: 1974
Danagher, Kevin, In Ireland Long Ago, Mercier: 1974
O Suilleabhain, Sean, Irish Folk Custom and Belief, Mercier: 1967
Cullinane, John P., Further Aspects of the History of Irish Dancing, Ballinaspig Publications: 1990
Moylan, Terry, Irish Dances, Na Piobairi Uilleann: 1985
Indicative Time Allowances: (Hours per week)
Lectures
Practicals
Independent Learning
2
2
2
Total:
6
Learning Strategies:
Lectures
Group Work
Video
Cross Curricular Work
Presentations
Project Work
Research
Independent Study
Visits