SPRING 2008

DCE 114

ADVANCED BEGINNING BALLET TECHNIQUE

1 CREDIT HOUR

MW 5-6:15 (STUDIO 152)

INSTRUCTOR: B.J. SULLIVAN

0FFICE: #222 in HHP

PHONE: 334-3264

E-mail: ejsulli2@uncg.edu

OFFICE HOURS: appointment by email only.

Course description

Development of technical skills in ballet, including safe and efficient alignment and clear articulation of movement vocabulary.

Student Learning Goals

On completion of this course, you will learn to:

1. Move contra-laterally during locomotion (left/right 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 appropriate to exercises/combinations in the class

(see attached alignment statement) 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 such as 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.

Teaching Strategies

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

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

2. Observe your daily work in class and (a) orally assess your achievement of learning goals and (b) make recommendations for improvement in achieving learning goals*.

3. Provide a written assessment on the Dance Technique Feedback sheet of your achievement at mid-term and provide a letter grade assessment at the end of the semester.

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

5. Provide opportunities for you to watch yourself on video to enhance your kinesthetic sense and self- assessment.

*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

To succeed in this class, you will need 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 given to any student for improvement that I provide in class.

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

4. Execute the movement material as accurately as possible and with full body engagement each time you are called upon to do so.

I will assess your progress toward your achievement of the learning goals through:

1. Daily oral feedback to you and/or others on work done in class

2. Written mid-term evaluations and final grade assessment of your achievement using the Dance Technique Feedback sheet

Your achievement in mastering the learning goals to the degree appropriate for this course, and as documented on the Dance Technique Feedback for 112/114 sheet, will provide the primary basis for calculating your final letter grade. Your attendance record will be an additional factor in calculating your final letter grade.

Grading Scale

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)

Attendance

Grades and Mastery of Material can improve only with regular attendance and active participation. You are allowed TWO ABSENCES. Any extra absence will lower your final grade 1/3 of a letter grade. You are not allowed to make up but ONE extra absence in another ballet technique class. Long-term injuries have to be discussed with the instructor and be treated accordingly.

Participation and Lateness

If you arrive more than five minutes late, please sit down and watch. Arriving more than five minutes late three times will count as an absence and will take your grade down 1/3 of a letter. When injured or ill (but not contagious), you may still be counted as present if you attend class and record observations to hand in at the end of the class period. However, this will NOT be counted as a day of participation in the class. 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.

Also, with an injury, you will need to present to instructor in writing a doctor's or therapist's note on injury and a detailed outline of the combinations in this course that you will be able to participate in some way. If combinations need to be altered or modified, how these actions will be done and what additional work or therapy you are engaging in outside of class to treat your injury. This needs to be given to instructor as soon as possible - not a week after injury.

Observations

In the case of temporary injury or non-contagious illness, students are expected to observe class. Your role as an observer is both teacher and student. Observing class provides an opportunity to develop your eye as a dancer/teacher. You should take detailed notes that make correlations between what you see, what you hear, and what you personally experience when you are physically participating in the class. How does observing class further enrich your kinesthetic and cognitive understanding of ballet? These notes should be legible and handed in at the end of class.

Class Conduct

Please be respectful of your fellow classmates, the instructor, and our art by being attentive and following studio etiquette at all times during class (if there are any questions as to the components of studio etiquette, please see me privately). Dance is a discipline to be practiced in and out of class. I encourage you to ask relevant questions during class, but expect a high level of focus. Class time needs to be reserved for refining and improving our craft and our bodies as artistic instruments. For your own safety and enjoyment of this class, no eating or gum-chewing is allowed in the studio. Please turn off or silence all cellular phones and other electronic devices. Should there be a reason you need to have your cell phone out during class, please let me know before we begin.

When it is not your turn to dance, respect the others by remaining QUIETLY attentive. You learn as much from listening, watching and asking as you do from doing. Take the opportunity to review for sequence or areas you may be stumbling through in the combination.

Attire

Every dance environment has different values and rules surrounding attire in class. For the purposes of enhancing your own understanding of living alignment please wear form-fitting clothing. As the instructor, I will be able to help you most if I am able to see the landscape of your structure. This does not mean I require you to wear leotard and tights, however baggy t-shirts and pants are not acceptable. For the safety of you and your peers, please remove all jewelry before class. Bring a water bottle with you as well.

For footwear, please wear ballet shoes with elastics that are secured to help the canvas or leather fit snuggly on your arch. Dancing in socks is not the same as dancing in ballet shoes. If you have concerns regarding any of the attire guidelines please see me in private. Ballet shoes should be purchased within first two weeks of the semester or points will be taken off and your final grade will be affected.

Expectations of you as a Student

In addition to maintaining the above outlined expectations, I also request the following:

1. To actively participate in class, work on corrections, practice and apply concepts and theories in combinations. Always strive to reach new capacities and discoveries!

2. To ask questions if anything is unclear.

3. To keep an open mind toward working the body in a new way while draw upon previous knowledge of and experiences in dance.

During midterms, I will have a sign-up sheet for individual conferences. For these, you will need to fill out a technique feedback sheet, evaluating yourself. This is an opportunity for you to assess yourself, to think about your strengths and weaknesses. Your assessment of yourself will not affect my view of you nor your midterm or final grade.