Incorporating aspects of jazz, modern and ballet, this contemporary dance class focuses on strengthening fundamental alignment and coordination. Technique class will start with exercises designed to organize the body and prepare for more technical movement. Class will build in physical intensity culminating in phrase work that is vigorous and challenging. In choreography, students will develop their understanding of the ways in which structural elements and movement vocabularies contribute to a dance’s impact and content.
Sample reading list:
Roger Copeland and Marshall Cohen, What is Dance
Sally Banes, Writing Dancing in the Age of Postmodernism
Nancy Reynolds and Malcolm McCormick, No Fixed Points
Louis Horst and Carroll Russell, Modern Dance Forms
Joyce Morgenroth, Speaking of Dance
Debra Jowitt, Time and The Dancing Image
See instructor for complete list
Reading/Writing assignments:
Ongoing choreographic assignments (approx. 2 hours outside classes/week); reading and viewing live and videotaped performances (approx. 2 hours outside classes/week); several short papers analyzing choreography and discussing dance based on reading and class work; and participation in an end of semester showing.
