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“Many people do not perceive dance as an important form of art, or self expression, but dance is one of the few ways I really got to know myself,” said Taylor Goben, a dance major at PCC.

Pasadena City College’s Dance History: Spectacle and Performance Art class teaches students the importance of dance and the history behind the various forms.

“This class covers dance in contemporary society, and modern dance history. It also focuses on dance and film and how we perceive the body,” said Roberta Shaw, a dance professor.

Students at Pasadena City College who are interested in joining a class that focuses on dance as an art form should highly consider taking this class.

“Most academic forms forget the body,” said Rebecca Pappas, another dance professor.“Academia leaves out the body and focuses on the mind.”

Dance History is a course that focuses on the human body as an art form.

“Dance is a very relevant art form for race identification, gender identification, and getting in touch with ones self and being able to practice the knowledge you have in art”, Shaw said. “By studying dance as an academic subject, you can actually embody ideas taught in this class,” Pappas added.

The class also covers the craft of dancing, choreographing, and how to watch and be an audience while addressing cultural appreciation and pop culture. And the class looks at recent music history as well, critiquing Miley Cyrus’ VMA performance and Katy Perry’s use of Asian cultural stereotypes, according to Shaw.

Also, students looking to transfer can fulfill the Arts and Humanities requirements for UCs and Cal States.

“Being able to separate my mind, body, and spirit, but still knowing how to use them all at the same time is a lesson I couldn’t have learned without the concepts taught in this class,” Goben said, “This class helped me grow not only as a dancer, but helped my mind expand to places I never imagined.”

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