Status of Dance-related Curriculums for University Acting Courses and their Implications

Abstract

This study analyzed the present status of dance-related curriculums for acting courses offered by Korean universities and colleges with intent to identify the characteristics of those curriculums and provide implications thereof. Specifically, focused on the dance-related curriculums for 108 courses provided by 92 universities and colleges listed in the ‘2023 Entry to Theatre and Film Studies Guide(Jong-Yeul Lee, 2022),’ this study analyzed the number of courses offered, the number of units offered, the semesters in which such units were offered, the titles of such units, and the credit points assigned to such units. Based on the analysis, first, 86 acting courses provided dance-related curriculums (79.6%), and a majority of such courses spanned 4 years. Second, mostly dance-related units were offered in 4 semesters, and all types of the educational institutions selected here offered dance-related units nearly every semester. In total, 4-year universities offered 120 units, while 2~3-year colleges offered 42 units. Third, mostly, the titles of dance-related units involved body, dance, choreography and movement. Body- and dance-related titles of units outnumbered other types of titles at 4-year universities and 2~3-year colleges, respectively. As for the credit points assigned to dance-related units, 2 credit points showed the highest distribution. In conclusion, dance-related units accounted for high percentages in the curriculums for tertiary acting courses and their titles varied across semesters. These findings indicate dance-related units are used as a way of helping acting majors understand the movement of human body, and imply that scholarly and practical efforts need to be made to facilitate the systematic development of dance-related curriculums for acting courses by exploring the concept of physical training for actors and delivering the educational value of dance.