Modern
Dance II
DANCE 2490 – 1.5 Credit Hour
Instructor: Erik Stern
WSU
Department of Performing Arts, Spring 2012
Mon/Wed/Fri 10:30AM - Noon, Swenson Gym
Room 72
Extension: x6615 E-mail:
estern@weber.edu
Office: Browning Center, room 213B
Pre-requisite: Modern Dance I
Modern Dance is a dance form developed in the early 20th century. Although the term has also been applied to a category of 20th Century ballroom dance, Modern dance usually refers to 20th century concert dance. - Wikipedia
Modern dance involves exploring, clarifying, fulfilling and playing with movement. It is a tradition of innovation.
Technique is the way in which the fundamentals, as of an artistic work, are handled. It is the study of principles, and goes deeper than what is “right” and “wrong.”
Course Description
The purpose of the class is to build on your previous study of Modern Dance Technique. The key is to come on time, ready to dance. If the movement is a little beyond your reach, don’t worry. Just try to the best of your ability.
We will work on:
1. Traditional technique: floor work, center combinations, across the floor.
2. Improving our ability to process movement material.
The first week of class is an audition for students who have not had the prerequisites. Return students must dance also. For new students who are auditioning, please wait after class is over to discuss with me your status. On Fridays, Modern II/III and Ballet II/III are combined and meet in BC 38 (unless otherwise noted). Friday topics will vary, but come prepared to move. Check bulletin boards in the dance studios for a schedule of topics for Friday combined classes. There may be extra assignments for those students in Modern Dance III.
Requirements
Attendance. Student are allowed four absences. Each absence after that lowers the grade (for
example, a B becomes an B-). Being tardy or leaving class early three times will count as one
absence. If you are sick or injured but are still coming to campus, observe class. You will learn
from the experience.
Appropriate Dress Bare feet. Dress in a way that does not restrict your movement, is not baggy, and allows me to see your alignment. The room can be cold, so bring layers. No extra long pants. No words on your clothing. No chewing gum.
Skills test/Self-evaluation About mid-way through the semester, students are evaluated by performing phrases of movement from class. The phrases are videotaped and then placed on reserve in the Browning Center's Multimedia Lab, room 322. Each student will then go and view the midterm and write a self-evaluation. Modern III students will be required to perform an extra phrase or two.
Monday, April 16 is the final day of class. Yes, we will meet; it will be a discussion/writing day.
Responsibilities
A dance
class is at once highly personal and communal. Trust, mutual respect, an open
mind and responsibility are as important as physical skill and experience.
Because a class can be adversely affected by student behavior, the following
responsibilities are pre-requisites. The instructor reserves the right to
address the following areas individually with students. If a student is unable
to properly address these areas, the instructor reserves the right to remove the
student from class:
1) Each student must be able to assess his or his own physical condition and injuries and adjust accordingly.
2) Each student
must be aware of his or her own and others' safety.
3) Each student must be prepared to take feedback about how he or she moves and uses the body.
4) Cell phones must be off during class. If a phone rings during class time, the owner will teach the next phrase.
5) Each student must enter the studio and begin to warm up until class begins.
Ideally, we should all help one another learn; at the very least, no student may adversely affect the learning environment of another.
Any
student requiring accommodations or services due to a disability must contact
Services for Students with Disabilities (SSD) in room 181 of the Student
Services Center. SSD can also arrange to provide course materials (including
this syllabus) in an alternative format if necessary. You must make your request
for accommodation no later than the beginning of the second week of classes.
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
Class activities and assignments develop:
• Ability to see and sense movement
• Ability to remember movement sequences and to break them down into component parts
• Qualitative awareness
• Ability to express through movement, and to connect breathe with movement
• Spatial and rhythmic awareness, and learn to respond to the accompanist
Through class activities and assignments students acquire:
• New neuromuscular patterns
• Core strength and ability to utilize that strength
• Understanding of fundamental kinesiological principles, such as opposition and stabilization
• Greater range of motion
• Appreciation for the skills and artistry of Modern Dance
• Understanding of the elements of a warm-up and cool down
• Increased knowledge of dance terminology
LEARNING OUTCOMES
The following areas are assessed through: in-class performance (application, development and improvement); peer feedback; midterm; written self-evaluation; and end-of-semester showings. Those in bold are strongly emphasized in the class.
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EVALUATION When evaluating a student I ask these questions:
• Did the student show up regularly?
• What were the student's work habits? Was she attentive? Did he have physical energy? Did she have mental energy?
• Did the student grasp the concepts? If not, did he take steps to grasp it (e.g. ask questions, work before and after class, try other materials)?
• Was the student able to incorporate the concepts physically? Did she have the discipline to address habits and change?
• Was the student's written work thorough and honest?
How might this statement relate to dance technique class?
ACADEMIC HONESTY: As specified in PPM 6-22 IV D, cheating and plagiarism violate the Student Code. Plagiarism is "the unacknowledged (uncited) use of any other person’s or group’s ideas or work." Students found guilty of cheating or plagiarism are subject to failure of a specific assignment, or, in more serious cases, failure of the entire course.
CORE BELIEFS According to PPM 6-22 IV, students are to “determine, before the last day to drop courses without penalty, when course requirements conflict with a student's core beliefs. If there is such a conflict, the student should consider dropping the class. A student who finds this solution impracticable may request a resolution from the instructor. This policy does not oblige the instructor to grant the request, except in those cases when a denial would be arbitrary and capricious or illegal. This request must be made to the instructor in writing and the student must deliver a copy of the request to the office of the department head. The student's request must articulate the burden the requirement would place on the student's beliefs."
DISABILITY ACCOMMODATION: PPM 3-34 notes: "When students seek accommodation in a regularly scheduled course, they have the responsibility to make such requests at the Center for Students with Disabilities before the beginning of the quarter [semester] in which the accommodation is being requested. When a student fails to make such arrangements, interim accommodations can be made by the instructor, pending the determination of the request for a permanent accommodation."
EMERGENCY CLOSURE: If for any reason the university is forced to close for an extended period of time, we will conduct our class as a hybrid, meaning we will complete core components online using our course website, Weber email, and possibly Blackboard.
USE OF ELECTRONICS IN CLASS: Please turn your phone to silent during the class hour.