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The Arts
US Modern Dance
Division: Upper School
Department: Fine and Performing Arts: Dance
Course
Title/Code:
Modern
Dance Art 600
Grades
9-12 Year Long
Course
description
This
dance class meets five days a week. The objectives of the
class are.
-
To
teach modern dance technique to a diverse student
population. That is to say that some students may have
never studied dance at all; others may have studied
extensively in private studios; some may have studied in
the middle school of Cary Academy.
-
To
teach improvisational skills which will allow a dancer
to develop an original movement vocabulary.
-
To
teach the concepts of weight sharing, counter-balance
and contact improvisation, to give students the tools
and understanding to create work with partners.
-
To
teach the elements of choreography, including visual
design, effort and shape (Laban principles), and
thematic development in dance.
-
To
create a supportive environment for students to explore
their work.
-
To
produce two formal dance concerts each school year where
students show their work and learn the principles of
dance production.
-
To
nurture creativity and self confidence in students.
Goals
The goal
of this course is to teach students to recognize their
creative potential. Students will be encouraged to find
their own “voice” in movement and will learn how to speak
with that voice through exercises in technique,
improvisation and choreography.
Skills
-
Regular
practice of dance technique
-
Study of
anatomy to understand how movement originates
-
Study of
movement invention
-
Study of
improvisation
-
Study of
choreography
-
Study of
performance and production technique
Activities
-
Classes
in dance technique to practice the physical skills and
control one needs to dance
-
Improvisation exercises designed to help students discover
new ways of moving
-
Choreography assignments which teach the students how to
make a dance
-
Journal
writing assignments designed to help students develop ideas,
to create images, to find an artistic voice
-
Performance of student work for the teacher and peers and
discussion of that work
-
Students
are required to attend at least one modern dance performance
each trimester and to write a review of the work.
-
Students
perform in two concerts each year, presenting their work in
a formal showing.
Assessment:
Students
will be graded daily on class participation.
Students are given at least one
practical test each trimester
To asses their skill level
Students are graded weekly on
compositional projects
Journals are graded to check the
completion of assignments.
Dance reviews are graded each trimester
Student work is videotaped as a record
of student progress and as an evaluation tool.
Students
are expected to pay a costume fee each year of $65.00
Resources for class:
Basic
Concepts in Modern Dance
by Gay Cheney
Prime
Movers
by Jospeh Mazo
The
Performer, a Guide to the Collaborative Process
by
Shelia Kerrigan
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