University of North Carolina - Greensboro

Spring 2008    DCE 112D-01

Advanced Beginning Contemporary Dance

T/R 11:00 a.m. -12:15 p.m.  HHP 322

 

Instructor:  Karla Coghill

Office:  220F     Cell:  336-306-0528

E-mail:  sidelong@bellsouth.net OR kwcoghil@uncg.edu

Office Hours: By appointment.  Please e-mail or call me to set up an appointment.

 

Catalogue Description: Development of technical skills in contemporary dance, including rhythmic perception and spatial awareness, with emphasis on aesthetic and expressive qualities that lead to performance.

 

Student Learning Goals To the degree appropriate for the advanced beginning level of contemporary dance training, students in this course will learn to:

1. Move contra-laterally during locomotion (left/right body halves in opposition).

2. Grasp and retain sequences of simple exercises and combinations.

3. Breathe appropriately and as needed while moving.

4. Anticipate the beat when required.

5. Maintain energy/endurance throughout each combination and a full class.

6. Demonstrate commitment/responsibility as appropriate in and out of class.

7. Demonstrate awareness and attention to studio/classroom procedures.

8. Demonstrate dynamic alignment-as appropriate to exercises/combinations in the class and involving awareness of center.

9.  Move on the beat when required.

10. Show appropriate use of the legs as called for in an exercise/combination.

11. Show appropriate use of the feet as called for in an exercise/combination.

12. Show command of skills involving initiation of movement.

13. Show command of skills involving weight shift.

14. Avoid extraneous tension in performing simple movements - walks, skips, etc.

15. Fulfill the time/counts given for each part of the movement.

16. Demonstrate attributes of/qualities in movement as specified.

17. Demonstrate clarity of body line in simple movement combinations.

18. Demonstrate clarity of spatial direction in simple movement combinations.

19. Perform set movement with confidence/full engagement.

20. Respond spontaneously and imaginatively to improvisational prompts, with confidence/full engagement, and some degree of invention-and/or demonstrate  creative spontaneity within a given technique

 

Learning goals 1-20 mark distinct areas of skill in dance technique.  Excellence in dance artistry is a matter of developing a high degree of skill in each area and integrating these skills during the performance of movement.

 

 Teaching Strategies To enable student achievement of the learning goals, I will:

 

*Demonstrate, explain, analyze, and lead explorations of movement exercises and combinations designed specifically to develop the skills required for achievement of learning goals 1-20

*Observe your daily work in class and (a) orally assess your achievement of learning goals 1-20, and (b) make recommendations for improvement in achieving learning goals 1-20

*Provide a written assessment on the Dance Technique Feedback sheet of your achievement at mid-term and again near the end of the semester;

*Provide opportunities for individual appointments in which we may discuss your learning efforts

*Provide opportunities for you to assess your own and others' progress toward the actual achievement of the learning goals

PLEASE NOTE:  Not every student will receive individual feedback during each class, but all students will receive individual feedback regularly throughout the course of the semester. 

 

Evaluation Methods and Guidelines for Assignments The fundamental and ongoing assignments in this class are to: 

1.  Attend to movement material presented, as well as to explanations and analyses of its specific components

2.  Listen carefully to and apply all corrections and recommendations for improvement that I provide in class

3.  Learn the movement material as quickly as you can through observation and practice;

4.  Perform the movement material as accurately as possible each time you are called upon to do so

5.  Reflect in writing as assigned on your progress toward and actual achievement of the learning goals

6.  Observe other dancers and assess their performance as assigned.

 

Your achievement in mastering the learning goals to the degree appropriate for this course, and as documented on the Dance Technique Feedback Sheet, will provide the primary basis for calculating your final letter grade.  Your attendance record and your record in turning in any written assignments will be additional factors in calculating your final letter grade. Your letter grade will be determined as follows:

93-100=A 

90-92=A- 

87-89=B+ 

83-86=B

80-82=B-

77-79=C+

73-76=C

70-72=C-

67-69=D+

63-66=D

60-62=D-

Below 60=F

The relationship between attendance and your final letter grade is as follows:  1/3 of a letter grade will be deducted for each absence incurred over the maximum absences allowed for this class.  See absences and grades policy below. 

 

Absences and Grades

 

In classes meeting two days a week, two absences are allowed.  In classes meeting three days a week, three absences are allowed.  For each absence over the number allowed, the final grade will drop 1/3 of a letter (for example, from an A- to a B+, or from a B to a B-).  One missed class may be made up by special arrangement (only required for three or more absences).  When injured or ill (but not contagious), students may still be counted as present if they attend class and participate to the degree that the injury/infirmity allows. If you are too ill or injured to participate in class a doctor's note is required for the absence and/or non-participation.  All students must meet participation requirements to pass this class. See below for the participation requirements.  

 

If you arrive late, please wait for the instructor to recognize you before joining the class. If you arrive more than 10 minutes late or are repeatedly late you will be asked to sit out.

 

Participation

 

The Dance Department requires an 80% participation rate (students must dance in 24 out of the 30 meetings in classes that meet twice a week, and in 36 out of the 45 meetings in classes that meet three times a week) to get credit for the course.  Sitting and watching a class does not count as participation.  Students who do not meet the participation requirement for any reason will need to repeat the course. 

 

Class Requirements

 

-Attendance and active participation.

-Appropriate dance attire – I need to be able to see your shapes and lines.

-Long hair pulled back out of the face.

-An open mind and a positive attitude.