Spring 2008
DCE 214C-01: Intermediate Ballet
Monday and Wednesday, 12:30-1:45pm (HHP 152)
Instructor: Jennifer Guy
Office: 220 G
Office Hours: By appointment
Email: jnguy@uncg.edu
Phone: 334-4064
Prerequisites/Corequisites: A grade of B or higher in two semesters of 114 or
departmental permission. This
course may be repeated for credit.
For Whom Planned: Ballet course for dance majors.
Credits: 1 Credit Hour
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. 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 one's 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.
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 intergrading 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:
1. 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 of your achievement at mid-term 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 actual
achievement of learning goals;
6. Present
ballet terminology and write on classroom board as needed.
*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 and outside of 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 outcomes;
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 mid-term 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 possible written assignments will be an additional factor in
calculating your final letter grade.
Grading
Scale
|
Score |
Grade |
|
93-1100 |
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 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.
Attendance Policy
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.
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 two maximum absences
allowed for this class. IE: If your grade is a "B" at the end of the
semester, but you have a total of 4 absences, your final grade will be a
"C+".
Observation, Participation,
and Lateness Policy
If you arrive more than ten minutes late, please
sit down and watch. If you are less than 10
minutes late, please quietly join the back of the class and begin working
immediately, with as little distraction as possible. If you are tardy
(within 10 minutes of the start of class) two times or less, your grade is not
affected; however, timely class arrival is strongly encouraged, and is critical
to your safe participation, technical development, and professionalism.
Arriving more than ten
minutes late or leaving more than ten minutes early 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 only 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.
*Observations:
During observation, take notes and submit them. Notes should go beyond just
listing what the combinations were. You must complete the following:
Your
role as an observer is both teacher and student. Pick one student in the class
to observe for the day. Take notes on what he or she does well, on the
relationship between his/her work and the instructorÕs corrections, and on what
s/he could do differently in order to improve his/her technical and artistic
skills. Compile a list of observations and suggestions to present to the student
at the end of the class. Also 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?
Special
Cases
Situations such
as serious illness, long-term injury, or family emergencies may be dealt with
on an individual basis. In some cases, students will be given an
Incomplete to be made up within the next semester. In other cases, I may
recommend withdrawal from the course.
Make Up
Class
Students may make
up ONLY 1 class in another instructorÕs technique class of the same level if
permission is received from that instructor. I must receive a signed
paper from the other instructor (you get it signed and bring it to me)
indicating your participation in his or her class in order to receive make-up
credit. See me before beginning this process. Do not wait until the
end of the semester to take your make-up 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). I encourage you to ask relevant questions during class, but
will not tolerate excessive chatting, socializing, or other distracting
behavior. 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.
Appropriate Attire
No jeans, skirts, hats,
chunky jewelry, short shorts or extra-baggy clothing. Please pull back long
hair. You are expected to wear ballet shoes during class. If you do not
have appropriate shoes by midterm, you will be dropped from the course. If you
have any questions or concerns about footwear, please speak to the instructor.
Ballet shoes can be
purchased at:
Carolina Dancewear
1627 New Garden Road ¥
Greensboro, NC 27410 ¥ Tel: (336) 856-9983
Discount Dance Supply
http://www.discountdance.com/index.php
Dancewear
Solutions
http://www.dancewearsolutions.com/
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.
Expectations
of me as your Instructor
1. To also
maintain the above guidelines while sharing with you my knowledge and experiences
of ballet as clearly as possible
2. To
be prepared for class and to provide you with clear and respectful feedback in
the form of verbal and manual corrections;
3. To be
available for you to approach me with any questions or concerns you might have
regarding any aspects of this course, my teaching, or your progress.
Please look at the UNCG
Dance Department Website (www.uncg.edu/dce)
under ÒSyllabiÓ for Dance Technique Feedback Sheets, definitions of skills,
alignment statement, scores in technique classes, etc.)
Important Dates
January 21 – School
Closed for Martin Luther King Jr. Day
February 25-Video Day
February 27- Video
Observation Day
March 3- Midterm
Conferences. Please bring video observation to conference
March 8-16 –
Spring Break
April 9- Video Day
April 21- Video
Observation Day
April 23- Please bring
your written observation to class.
May 5 – Last Day
of Class