ARTH 4015 - Traditional Performance Arts of Southeast Asia

The course introduces traditional theater and dance of Southeast Asia (Indonesia, Burma, Cambodia, Thailand, Vietnam, and Laos). We will look at the history and practice of shadow plays in Bali and Java, court and folk dances of Cambodia and Thailand and water puppets of Vietnam. Issues to be discussed include ritual, the body, narrative, and memory. In addition, we will also address what is lost and what is gained when traditional theaters and dances are packaged as tourist attractions. This course is open to anyone who is interested in the dramatic arts but students with a background in design, theater, dance, Asian Studies, film, history, anthropology, and culture studies are highly encouraged to take it.