In this studio course students use somatic practices, meditation, improvisation, performance, and creative and intellectual practices to delve into questions and experiences of stillness. Over the term, we read widely within religious, philosophy, performance, and disability studies, and examine concepts in social justice, visual art, sound (and silence). We explore movement within stillness, stillness within movement, stillness in performance and in performers’ minds. We look at stillness as protest and power. We wonder when stillness might be an abdication of responsibility.
I developed “Stillness” after many years of teaching interdisciplinary courses within the Program in Dance. As I worked closely with Princeton students, it became clear that, for many at Princeton, our growing edge is actually in exploring a gentler, deeper, and more still approach to learning and physicality rather than practicing pushing faster and further. I’ve found that Princeton students are hungry to have time to digest all they are learning and that they find value in developing tools to practice quieter approaches to work and their own lives. In the course, we integrate an intellectual approach to the study of stillness with an embodied one, moving back and forth between learning about stillness across fields and then practicing it. We delve into fields across the arts, from dance and theater performance to visual art and music. We explore stillness across religions, philosophy, sciences, and social justice movements.
Students’ homework includes readings, viewings, and creative projects. They write weekly reflective journal assignments, helping integrate the material. Along the way, they develop personal practices that last long past the end of the course. Previous students have remarked upon the value of the course in providing tools that help them dig deeper into their studies while also pausing and caring for themselves, ultimately helping them connect passionately to their work, and lives, in ways that are sustainable.
Distribution Area: LA
Other Requirements
Open to first year undergraduates only.
