In the context of the DNSPD, choreographic and artistic culture corresponds on the one hand to a chronological exploration of the history of dance, mainly Western performance dance from the Renaissance to the present day, and on the other hand to targeted approaches to international choreographic creation, essentially from the 20th and 21st centuries. The content is therefore partly a cultural history of dance and partly an analysis of works or extracts from works.

The course covers the essential elements of choreographic activity - aesthetics, practices, artists, productions and theories - in relation to their social and artistic context, in order to identify the evolution of forms and issues.