World History of the Dance / Fall 2023

  I Unit: Ancient Greece Theme: The Athenian Chorus   Introduction Ancient Greece was a northeastern Mediterranean civilization, existing from the Greek Dark Ages of the 12th–9th centuries BC to the end of classical antiquity, that comprised a loose collection of culturally and linguistically related city-states and other territories   II Learning Objectives   Understand the cultural aspects of Ancient Greece that relate to performance Explain the role of Ancient Greek theater as a community center Gain an awareness of the role of the Greek chorus in Ancient Greece Experience the choreography of an Ancient Greek chorus in the subjunctive mood.    III Main Lesson 1 Minoan Crete   (7000 BCE - 1500 BCE)   The Minoan palaces show evidence of destruction by earthquake c. 1700 BCE, after which they were rebuilt.  The palaces were well-appointed, monumental structures with large courts, colonnades, staircases, religious crypts, light-wells, d...

   I Unit: Ancient Egypt Theme: Processions     Introduction   The Ptolemaic dynasty, sometimes referred to as the Lagid dynasty, was a Macedonian Greek royal dynasty which ruled the Ptolemaic Kingdom in Ancient Egypt during the Hellenistic period. Their rule lasted for 275 years, from 305 to 30 BC. The Ptolemaic was the last dynasty of ancient Egypt.   II Learning Objectives Understand the importance of the Ptolemaic dynasty Explain the meaning of the procession of shrines Gain an awareness of the excess of wealth displayed by processions Experience the staging of a procession          III Main Lesson    1   Alexander the Great Alexander III of Macedon (356 BC - 323 BC) commonly known as Alexander the Great, was a king of the ancient Greek kingdom of Macedon. A member of the Argead dynasty, he was born in Pella—a city in Ancient Greece—in 356 BC.     2      Ptolemaic Dynasty The...

  Ancient Egypt Timeline Ancient Egypt lasted for three main periods in history: the old Kingdom, which lasted from 2,700-2,200 B.C., the Middle Kingdom, from 2,050-1,800 B.C., and the New Kingdom, which reigned until about 343 B.C.    *   I   Unit: Ancient Egypt   Theme: The Yemenites   Introduction     Yemenite Jews or Yemeni Jews or Teimanim are those Jews who live, or once lived, in Yemen, and their descendants maintaining their customs. Between June 1949 and September 1950, the overwhelming majority of Yemen's Jewish population immigrated to Israel in Operation Magic Carpet. However, their dances were kept throughout history. II Learning Objectives Understand the causes of the Jewish exodus Explain the consequences of the emergence of monotheism Gain an awareness of the the importance of singing, dance and music in the preservation of paraliturgical poetry Experience the Ancient Yemenite dance     III   Main Le...