Dance

This course introduces non-majors to dance as an expression of culture that involves aesthetic awareness, technical training (formal and informal), and social interaction. It emphasizes foundational movement skills and historical and anthropologic studies. A variety of dance forms will be examined in terms of their power to heal, celebrate, tell stories, and resolve conflicts. 

The course explores the artistic qualities and techniques of dance in musical theater through integrated theory and practice.

This course examines both theories and practices of safe dance and the integration of somatic practices within dance education, performance and health contexts. Anatomy, kinesiology, nutrition, injury prevention and rehabilitation, conditioning, and psychological well-being will be studied in relation to dance practices. Topics covered include: studio based experiential anatomy; fundamental conditioning practices; warming up/cooling down; safe dance environments as a dancer, dance educator, or leader; nutrition; psychological issues in dance; injury prevention, rehabilitation, and management; current dance medicine and science research; pain and pain management; body image and related issues.

This course examines fundamental dance techniques and their use in the creation of choreography. The course develops an insight into the roles of dancer and choreographer and the use of physical language as a means of expression through the exploration of dance techniques, approaches to dance-making, choreographic tools, rehearsal techniques, and dance performance.

This course examines the histories, philosophies and current issues within the context of dance in Aotearoa/New Zealand. 

This course discovers dance works to expand students' body of references. It trains the eye by examining different cases (and repeating the experience); mobilizes concepts and tools to think about the notion of dance works; allows students to be creative in the practice of analysis; prepares students to situate their point of view, explain their analytical tools, and clarify their approaches. The course methodological principles include investigation, experimentation, and analysis of practice. The corpus of works studied in class include Nijinsky's THE RITE OF SPRING (1913) about choreographic writing; Boris Charmatz's LA LEVÉE DES CONFLITS (2010) on question of interpretation; Mickaël Phelippeau's NUMÈRO D'OBJET (2011) on the notion of spectacular dispositif; Steve Paxton's CONTACT IMPROVISATION (from 1972 to the present) on kinesthetic empathy; Odile Duboc's PROJET DE LA MATIÈRE (1993) on the creative process; and Jean-Claude Pinault's LE DEFI DE LA MATIÈRE (2000) on the concept of the “matter” of the work.