Dance Appreciation

Amanda Clark is a Professor and Dance Program Coordinator at Western Kentucky University, where she teaches all levels of jazz and tap dance technique, along with dance theory coursework. She received an MFA in Dance from the University of Oklahoma and a BPA in Dance Performance from Oklahoma City University. Amanda’s choreography has been presented nationally and internationally and encompasses a mix of classical and contemporary approaches within the jazz and tap dance genres. Amanda’s primary research interests lie in the history and pedagogy of jazz and tap dance. Sara Pecina is the Director of Dance at Berry College. She received her MFA in Dance from the University of Oklahoma and graduated with a BA in Dance from Western Kentucky University. She has presented research on the history and pedagogy of jazz and tap dance both nationally and internationally at various dance conferences, including both the National Dance Education Organization and the Dance Studies Association annual conferences. Sara is a certified mat Pilates instructor and has also trained to teach Dance for Parkinson’s Disease with Mark Morris Dance Group and is in the American Tap Dance Foundation’s Rhythm Tap Teacher Program.

Introduction; Part One: What is Dance?; Introduction; Chapter One: Purposes of Dance; Chapter Two: Viewing Dance Through a Cultural Lens; Chapter Three: Crafting the Dance; Chapter Four: Perceiving Dance; Part Two: Exploration of Western Theatrical Dance Forms; Introduction; Chapter Five: Ballet; Chapter Six: Modern Dance; Chapter Seven: Tap Dance; Chapter Eight: Jazz Dance; Chapter Nine: Hip-Hop Dance; Part Three: Behind the Scenes; Introduction; Chapter Ten: Dance Media and Technology; Chapter Eleven: Training and Education; Chapter Twelve: The Dancer; Chapter Thirteen: Dance Health; Chapter Fourteen: Careers in Dance; Glossary