這門課程會探討塑造美國音樂舞劇之全球舞蹈傳統的形式、概念、情境。例如，辨析非裔美人的傳統舞蹈如何透過社會空間(social space)轉化為音樂劇。同時，認識美籍舞蹈家如凱瑟玲-鄧連(Katherine Dunham)、艾文-艾莉(Alvin Ailey)、伊莎朵拉-鄧肯(Isadora Duncan)、及開創新局之舞蹈家如瑪莎-葛萊姆(Martha Graham)、喬治-巴蘭欽(George Balanchine)、梅西-康寧漢(Merce Cunningham)等人的創作生平。這門課程特別著重於音樂舞劇中性別與自我生平的建構，以及美籍舞蹈家運用這些特質創作的形式。

This course explores the forms, contents, and contexts of world traditions in dance that played a crucial role in shaping American concert dance. For example, we will identify dances from an African American vernacular tradition that were transferred from the social space to the concert stage. We will explore the artistic lives of such American dance artists as Katherine Dunham, and Alvin Ailey along with Isadora Duncan, Martha Graham, George Balanchine, and Merce Cunningham as American dance innovators. Of particular importance to our investigation will be the construction of gender and autobiography which lie at the heart of concert dance practice, and the ways in which these qualities have been choreographed by American artists.