DCE 212 - Intermediate Contemporary Dance Technique
1 credit hour
Spring, 2008
Instructor: Eluza Maria Santos
Office: 220B Phone: 334-3262 Email: emsantos@uncg.edu
Office hours: posted outside instructor's office
Prerequisites/Co-requisites: Departmental permission. May be repeated for credit.
For Whom Planned: Required course for dance majors
Course Description: Further development of technical skills in modern dance, including increased movement capabilities, rhythmic accuracy, and spatial relationships, with emphasis on aesthetic and expressive qualities that lead to performance.
Purpose: Basically, technique can be described as bodily training for a dancer, which means acquiring skills to execute movements well. However, I also like to think of technique as a systematic approach to the whole process of moving. Hence, I like to emphasize the development of the total dancer. The term total dancer refers to the integration of doing, thinking, and feeling/sensing in the performance of movement. Furthermore, this course is designed to enhance physical capabilities, artistic expression, and aesthetic sensibility.
Student Learning Goals:
(to the degree appropriate for the Intermediate level of contemporary dance training)
1. Demonstrate dynamic alignment (see attached alignment statement).
2. Prompt grasp of class exercises and combinations.
3. Refined sense of the body in relation to itself and to the space.
4. Refined sense of initiation and articulation of movement.
5. Demonstrate rhythmic accuracy and qualitative understanding of musical nuances by moving
on the beat and anticipating it when required.
6. Deep exploration of the qualitative aspects of movement sequences, without
extraneous tension.
7. Dynamic phrasing of movement sequences to enhance the variations within movement
phrases.
8. Projection of energy while dancing, performing with confidence/full engagement.
9. Exploration of the range and depth of motion in space and through space, going
beyond oneÕs comfort zone.
10. Performance creativity through spontaneous solutions to improvisational prompts and/or
demonstrate creative spontaneity within a given technique.
11. Commitment, engagement, and responsibility to course assignments and activities
(movement based, written, or as defined by the instructor).
12. Demonstrate development of professional skills, independent work practices within the class,
and responsible preparation before and after class.
Learning goals 1-10 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.
Learning goals 11 and 12 describe efforts/attitudes necessary for progress toward excellence in dance and indicate specific behaviors that demonstrate them.
Teaching Strategies:
To enable student achievement of the learning goals, I will:
I. Demonstrate, explain, analyze, and lead explorations of movement exercises and combinations designed specifically to develop the skills required for achievement of learning goals 1-10;
2. Observe your daily work in class and (a) orally assess your achievement of learning goals 1-12, and (b) make recommendations for improvement in achieving learning goals 1-12*;
3. Provide a written assessment on the Dance Technique Feedback Sheet (DTFS) of your achievement at midterm and again near 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 assess your own and others' progress toward the actual achievement of the learning goals (through partner work, videotaping class material, self-evaluations, etc);
* not every student will receive individual feedback during each class, but all students will receive individual feedback regularly throughout the course of the semester.
Course Requirements:
Class participation
(at least 80% of class meetings)
Self-evaluations at midterm and at the end of the semester
(based on videotaped class material and on the DTFS)
Individual conferences with the instructor at midterm and at the end of the semester
(to assess your learning efforts)
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 (self-evaluations at midterm and at the end of the semester);
6. Observe other dancers and assess their performance as assigned.
I will assess your progress toward and your actual achievement of the learning goals through:
1. Daily oral feedback to you and/or others on work done in class;
2. Written midterm and final evaluations of your achievement using the Dance Technique Feedback Sheet;
3. Oral and/or written feedback of the accuracies and inaccuracies I perceive in your written self-assessments.
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 the written assignments will be additional factors in calculating your final letter grade.
Attendance Policy: Class begins on time. Latecomers need to tell me, at the end of class, that they were late - 2 tardies will turn into 1 absence. If you arrive more than 10 minutes late, you need to observe the class, and I will give you an assignment every time you observe the class. There may be other times when you need to observe class, but keep in mind that too many class observations will affect your final grade, at the discretion of the instructor. You are allowed a maximum of 2 absences in this course. In extreme circumstances, up to 2 missed classes may be made up by special arrangement. Occasional personal situations, including emergencies and injuries, will be dealt with as they appear (students should try to notify the instructor before class). 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.
Note: Any other assignment not completed will also cause a 1/3 of a letter grade deduction in your final grade.
Class Participation: The Dance Department requires an 80% participation rate. Students must dance 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. Just 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.
Required Texts/Readings/References: N/A
Topical Outline:
Warm-up exercises and combinations designed to enable your technical achievement will remain fairly consistent over the course of the semester. Other exercises and combinations will develop over the course of the semester in length, speed, and in rhythmic and qualitative complexity so as to enable your further technical growth and provide opportunity for you to practice the integration of skills inherent to the achievement of all the learning goals.
Academic Honor Code: Students are expected to comply with the Academic Honor Code. Please refer to the UNCG Undergraduate Bulletin.
Additional Requirement: N/A
Announcements/information for this course will be done via email, so students need to check their email before each class (with plenty of time before class) in order not to miss any important communication.
There may be a few guest teachers in this course throughout the semester (TBA).
I call the students' attention to the ethical behavior expected in this course: you should be attentive and engaged in the learning process all the time (even when you are watching a movement demonstration or a correction given to a classmate, you're still learning), please do not practice material from other classes during this particular class and do not leave the dance studio in the middle of class (unless there is an emergency), do not chew gum or eat any food/snack during this class, and most of all use your common sense/good judgment to behave in respectful ways, enhancing our learning experience.
Remember that overly baggy clothes, very long pants, and excessive jewelry should be avoided, and hair should be secured out of face and neck. At times, you may need to wear kneepads.
Also remember that cellular phones should be off during class.
Let's work together and have a great semester!
A few thoughts on contemporary dance technique
By Eluza Maria Santos
Basically, technique can be described as bodily training for a dancer, which means acquiring skills to execute movements well. However, I also like to think of technique as a systematic approach to the whole process of moving. Hence, I like to emphasize the development of the total dancer. The term total dancer refers to the integration of doing, thinking, feeling/sensing in the performance of movement.
My technique courses are designed to enhance physical capabilities, artistic expression, and aesthetic sensibility. Physical capabilities provide the foundation for bodily strength, mobility, flexibility, and kinesthetic awareness. Artistic expression concerns the individual's engagement in presenting the movement phrases. Aesthetic sensibility involves the dancerÕs perception of different qualities in movement, dynamics, rhythmic structures, phrasing, and spatial clarity.
Finally, my contemporary dance technique is based on my personal dance experiences. It is an integration of Western modern dance genres with the qualities present in the movement forms of my own country, Brazil - samba, capoeira, Afro-Brazilian movement styles, etc. My movement aesthetic is based on groundedness, expansive movements through the space, marked/strong rhythmicity, and the exploration of a wide dynamic range. It is a dance style mostly about moving through the space, with grounded/earthbound resiliency and strong dynamics. In addition, familiarity with methods of body training such as Ideokinesis and Pilates, as well as with movement systems derived from Laban theories, provides me with an approach to dance technique that emphasizes efficiency and qualitative clarity of motion.