Hobart and William Smith Colleges

Dance and Movement Studies

Department Faculty
Donna Davenport, Professor
Michelle Iklé, Associate Professor
Kelly Johnson, Associate Professor
Cynthia Williams, Professor (Chair)

The dance curriculum emphasizes the interconnectedness of dance as physical practice, creative process, and as an expression of cultural, social, and/or political positionality. Dance and Movement Studies department professors encourage students to develop a foundation of applied and theoretical dance knowledge that transcends studio and classroom boundaries and encourages students to engage with critical inquiry across genres and disciplines. At the core is a belief in the importance of learning that empowers personal growth and engaged movement research.

We offer studio-based courses in movement forms including ballet, contemporary/modern dance, jazz, Jamaican, and Afro-Diasporic forms at both the introductory and upper levels. We endorse a non-hierarchical perspective on dance forms and genres and actively seek through our curriculum and pedagogy to dismantle the racist, sexist, ablest and colonialist approach to dance studies that has been historically normalized. Courses in dance composition and improvisation engage students with the craft and practice of dance as an expressive art; courses in dance history trace the changing perspectives on the gendered body, aesthetics, culture, and politics; and courses that combine experiential and theoretical knowledge of the moving body such as kinesiology, somatics, Laban theory, and embodied dance writing are relevant to students across many disciplines. Students in the Dance and Movement Studies Department frequently combine their coursework with practical applications, such as supervised community internships, teaching opportunities, and/or off-campus performance opportunities.

There are four Dance Major tracks with specific concentrations, a Dance minor, and a Movement Studies minor. Each major track emphasizes a particular expertise yet shares a broad-based perspective on dance as a field. The Dance and Movement Studies Department expects its students to recognize the diversity that dance entails as an artistic, interdisciplinary, and human expression. We affirm the importance of dance for every body, while recognizing the intersectional nature of dance as a cultural, historical, and living art form.

Mission Statement

The Dance and Movement Studies Department is committed to providing HWS students with educational experiences that encourage the development of embodied knowledge through study of the artistic, physical, historical, scientific, and philosophical elements of the art of dance. This commitment is demonstrated by our broad range of course offerings that emphasize the interconnectedness of dance as physical practice, creative expression, and as an expression of cultural, social, and/or political positionality. Dance as a field encompasses many possibilities for in-depth study; we encourage our students to engage in movement research across many modalities. We seek to provide multiple opportunities for our students to engage in somatic, theoretical, artistic, and practical research in Dance, from studio and lecture courses to teaching and performing experiences on campus and beyond. We welcome students of all backgrounds and abilities to join us and explore the myriad possibilities that dance encompasses.

Offerings

Dance Major (B.A.) in Performance & Choreography

disciplinary, 12 courses
Learning Objectives:
A major focus of this track is movement research as embodiment and performance. Students who pursue this major are expected to:

• Locate themselves in the matrix of identities that dance studies encompass to demonstrate respect for the diverse ways that dance is manifest in the world.
• Engage with dance as a cultural art form.
• Demonstrate the ability to develop and communicate one’s creative voice as a composer and movement artist.
• Demonstrate an understanding of dance performance and the craft of choreography as embodied history, theory, practice, and production.

Requirements:
DAN 200 or 250; DAN 225; DAN 300; DAN 325 or DAN 305; either DAN 210, DAN 212, or DAN 214; DAN 460; two DAN 900 technique courses; DAN 980; and three DAN electives (not technique) in consultation with the advisor.

Dance Major (B.A.) in Dance Education

interdisciplinary, 12 courses
Learning Objectives:
The interdisciplinary major in Dance Education is designed for students who seek sophisticated knowledge in pedagogical and curricular aspects of Dance as informed by dance cultures, histories, and artistic practices. Students who pursue this major are expected to:

• Locate themselves in the matrix of identities that dance studies encompass to demonstrate respect for the diverse ways that dance is manifest in the world.
• Demonstrate competency and potential as a dance teacher or movement educator, grounded in empathy, curiosity, and ethical behavior.
• Embody content knowledge related to dance pedagogy, cultural relevancy, dance education curriculum, and inclusive teaching methods, including interdisciplinary coursework.
• Speak and write analytically and reflectively about the fundamental experience of dance as education.
• Develop proficiency in such areas as dance production, community engagement, and educational/arts administration.

Requirements:
Two courses from among DAN 225, 305, and 325; either DAN 200, 250, or 300; either DAN 210, 212, or 214; DAN 432; DAN 460; two DAN technique (900 series) courses; one DAN elective (not technique); and three electives drawn from Education and/or Psychology in consultation with the advisor.

Dance Major (B.A.) in Movement Studies

interdisciplinary, 12 courses
Learning Objectives:
This major, grounded in Dance, emphasizes theoretical integration and embodied practice through core courses in movement sciences, somatic practices, and movement analysis for enhanced movement performance. Students who pursue this major are expected to:

• Locate themselves in the matrix of identities that dance studies encompass to demonstrate respect for the diverse ways that dance is manifest in the world.
• Analyze and describe movement through multiple theoretical perspectives.
• Integrate multiple movement perspectives into physical practice.
• Design and guide relevant movement experiences for a range of individual participants.
• Articulate interdisciplinary relationships between movement practices and other such fields as Biology, Education, Physics, and Psychology.

Requirements:
Required: DAN 225, DAN 305, DAN 325; two DAN technique courses (at least one must be from 900 series); two DAN electives (not technique); Capstone DAN 460 (or DAN 450 or 499); one Human/Behavioral/Developmental elective; and three electives outside the department chosen in consultation with the advisor.

Dance Major (B.A.) in Theory and Performance Studies

interdisciplinary, 12 courses
Learning Objectives:
A key aspect of this major is interdisciplinary integration of theoretical concepts—making connections across fields, incorporating dance as an anchor. Students who pursue this major are expected to:

• Locate themselves in the matrix of identities that dance studies encompass to demonstrate respect for the diverse ways that dance is manifest in the world.
• Demonstrate an embodied understanding of dance as a movement practice in one or more movement forms.
• Demonstrate a theoretical understanding of movement as an expressive artistic discipline that is reflective of cultural, historical, social, and physical influences.
• Demonstrate a functional knowledge of the physical body, as understood through an anatomical lens, a somatic lens, or a movement lens.
• Articulate the ways in which dance specifically connects to (an) other academic field(s), as for example dance and aesthetics, dance and the environment, dance and gender studies, or dance and social justice.

Requirements:
DAN 980; DAN 210, 212, or 214; DAN 225, 305, or 325; two DAN technique courses (900 series); two DAN electives (not technique); DAN 460; and four courses outside the department chosen in consultation with the advisor. 

Dance Minor

disciplinary, 7 courses
Requirements:
Either DAN 210, 212, or 214; either DAN 200, 250, or 300; either DAN 225, 305, or 325; two DAN (900 series) dance technique courses; and two DAN electives (not technique).

Movement Studies Minor

interdisciplinary, 6 courses
Requirements:
Either DAN 225, 305, and 325; one full-credit dance technique course; two electives from outside of Dance, chosen in consultation with the advisor

Course Descriptions

DAN 100 Introduction to Dance  This studio-based, beginning level course is an introduction to traditional and contemporary dance techniques. Through the study of multiple dance forms, students refine their physical skills and develop artistic literacy through the learning of movement vocabulary, historical contexts, embodied practice, creative explorations, concert attendance, reading, and reflective writing assignments. Topics each term are determined by the instructor and may include a combination of Jazz/Ballet/Modern/Yoga/Afro-Caribbean styles. No prior dance experience is required. (Davenport/Iklé, offered annually)

DAN 101 Introduction to Dance: Body and Self  This introductory movement course will focus on the development of both functional movement skills and the body's expressive capacities. Course content will include: developmental movement patterning, introductory Laban/Bartenieff Movement Analysis, and other somatic approaches, all of which will be applied to the lived, adult, movement experience. Students can expect to move fully during class time and have reading and writing assignments in which they are asked to relate theoretical movement material to their classroom learning and experiences. No prior dance experience is required. (Davenport/Staff, offered alternate years)

DAN 102 Introduction to Modern Dance  This course is designed for students with little or no previous dance experience who are curious to learn more about their dynamically moving selves and the genre of modern dance. In this studio-based course, students have the opportunity to experience movement as a form of individual and artistic expression. Course material focuses on increasing individual kinesthetic awareness and personal artistry with movement lessons that emphasize proper alignment and movement mechanics and the development of expressive range. Students refine their physical skills and develop artistic literacy through the learning of basic movement vocabulary, creative explorations, concert attendance, and reading and reflective writing assignments. No prior dance experience is required. (Iklé/Staff, offered annually)

DAN 107 Introduction to Jamaican Dance  This course introduces students to dances and rhythms from the island of Jamaica. In this studio-based dance course, students gain the historical grounding associated with each dance so they may embody the movement with a responsible approach to embodied research. The many manifestations of Jamaica's dance traditions and how dance continues to play a critical role in defining Jamaican national identity and artistic expressions guide each unit. Students develop a theoretical framework for the dances through movement experiences, weekly reading, viewing and writing assignments, class discussion, and witnessing live performance. No prior dance experience is required. (Johnson, offered annually)

DAN 110 Introduction to Dances of the African Diaspora  This course introduces students to dances and rhythms from Guinea, West Africa, the Caribbean, and the United States. Each dance practiced is presented as a language for communicating and preserving the values and traditions of each given community with respect to its lineage stemming from the African continent. In this studio-based course, students develop a theoretical framework for the dances through movement experiences, weekly reading, viewing and writing assignments, class discussion and witnessing live dance. No prior experience is required. (Johnson, offered annually)

DAN 200 Dance Composition I  This is an introductory course in the art and craft of creating dances. Techniques to nurture the individual creative process are explored, including movement improvisation, visual art imagery, chance procedures, musical influences, poetic imagery, and prop and costume studies. The course culminates in each student's presentation of a substantial composition. This course has a multi-disciplinary focus and is open to all students interested in the arts and creative process. (Davenport/Williams, Fall, offered alternate years)

DAN 210 Dance History I: Perspectives on Ballet  The course examines the development of the western theatrical dance form of ballet from the Renaissance through 20th century ballet, with an emphasis on understanding how dance both influenced and was influenced by prevailing currents of thought and artistic expression. Rather than tracing the evolution of ballet solely in chronological order, we will investigate specific pivotal moments in ballet history, and study particular iconic ballets from a variety of angles, seeking to understand the social, political, and economic climate and context of the work. We will be looking at dance through the lens of five central points of reference: Images of women (ballerinas), Images of men (dancers), The structure and institutionalization of the "ballet d'ecole" (ballet technique), Narratives, subtexts, and messages of the ballets, and Aesthetic/artistic symbols and essences. The course examines the ways in which ballet represents a Eurocentric perspective on dance, and how the history of ballet has centered whiteness. Ballet is one of many culturally specific dance forms, and as such, has developed in connection with dominant social, artistic, and political belief systems, many of which contain racist, sexist, ablest, and discriminatory ideologies. By examining ballet's history and evolution, we will also seek to identify the ways in which we can participate in a call for change, and support the movement toward equity and justice in ballet. (Willams, offered alternate years)

DAN 212 Dance History II: Perspectives on Modern Dance  This course examines the development of theatrical (concert) dance from the late 1800's through the contemporary period. A special focus of this course is the rise of modern dance and the women who were its pioneers and creators: Loie Fuller, Isadora Dunca, Ruth St. Denis, Martha Graham, Hanya Holm, and Doris Humphrey. The emergence of modern dance in America was greatly influenced by the social and political reform movements of the late nineteenth century, and we will investigate the subsequent social, political, economic, and aesthetic forces that shaped its creation and development. The course interrogates the ways in which the values and practices of modern dance as a concert dance form reinforced or challenged an othering of non-white dance forms and/or non-white dancers and choreographers. As we explore modern dance history we must acknowledge that the telling of this history isn't neutral – the people and their dances have been adjudicated by social, political, aesthetic and organizational systems that present them in particular ways  – and it is incumbent upon us to be mindful of the ways in which some voices have been traditionally silenced or erased, or other voices amplified. (Williams, offered alternate years)

DAN 214 20th Century Dance History; Gender, Race and Difference  This course examines contemporary trends in concert dance and looks critically at how "post modern dance" evolved from the revolutions in culture and aesthetics of the 1960's. Key questions we will explore include how gender identities are constructed and performed in contemporary dance through women's bodies, men's bodies, and gender fluid bodies; how prevailing social notions of body and (dis)ability inform our thinking about dance and dancers; how dance can be a platform for social, racial, and ethnic identities and assert political values, and the ways in which contemporary dance can be seen as a visible metaphor for social, political, and aesthetic values in the 21st century. (Williams, offered alternate years)

DAN 225 Anatomy and Kinesiology  This course focuses on human skeletal and muscular anatomy and practicing the principles of kinesiology from an interdisciplinary perspective. Once the basic skeletal and muscular anatomy is understood, the course focuses on analysis of action, with particular attention to the role of gravity and its effect on posture and muscular function. The course includes both lecture and experiential investigations. Principles of alignment, conditioning, and injury prevention while attending to individual differences in structure and function will be emphasized. The course material is relevant for students interested in movement education, action analysis, physical therapy, athletic training, human biology, and other movement sciences. (Iklé, offered alternate years)

DAN 230 Community Arts: Activism Embodied  Taught sometimes as a service learning course that takes students into the local community and to campus to embody an activist role, course work focuses on commitment to social change. Taught also as a combined studio and theory course, the focus is on deepening understanding of privilege, stereotypes, oppression, and the inequities and injustices that surround us in the USA. Students utilize contemplative body practices as a tool for deepening empathy for self and others and explore creative expression through the arts. By the end of the course, students embody greater self-awareness and commitment to positive social change. (Davenport, offered alternate years)

DAN 250 Dance Improvisation  This course is devoted to movement improvisation, the ability to create movement spontaneously, responding to one's inner impulse to move, the presence and actions of others, or to environmental stimuli. Many types of movement improvisation are explored, with a particular emphasis on the form called Contact Improvisation, which, as its name implies, involves physical contact with a partner or partners: finding, initiating, traveling through points of contact with self and other(s). The course is designed to explore the practice and art of improvisation physically, intellectually, and emotionally. Each class involves participation in the practice of improvisation; each class will demand your total participation as a thinking, breathing, moving, and emoting self. Dance improvisation doesn't require any formal dance training; but our home base is the body. Students participate in a variety of structured improvisations throughout the semester that are designed to improve their sensitivity to group dynamics, individual movement creativity, and recognition of the expressive capacities for movement expression. While movement is the media, prior dance training is not required. (Williams, spring, offered alternate years)

DAN 300 Dance Composition II  This course explores further the art and craft of making dances with a focus on group choreography. Composition II covers such aspects of choreography as developing a unique movement vocabulary, group compositions, site-specific work, and choreographic process and documentation. Collaborations with musicians, actors, poets, and visual artists are encouraged. (Davenport/Williams, Fall, offered alternate years)

DAN 305 Somatics  This course explores therapeutic and educational practices relating to physical and psychological wellness and philosophies toward the body and mind as a unified whole. The course examines prominent bodymind practices such as Feldenkrais Method, Alexander Technique, Ideokinesis, Body-Mind Centering, Rolfing, Laban/Bartenieff, Trager, Craniosacral Therapy, Traditional Chinese Medicine, and Eastwest Shin Somatics methods. Students are expected to develop somatic self-awareness, recognize individual patterns of movement behavior, practice skills of teaching through touch, and simultaneously gain a more comprehensive knowledge of the field by learning the philosophies, terminology, and techniques within each modality. Course format includes movement exploration, lecture/discussion, reading and reflective writing assignments, and hands-on application of course materials. Students interested in movement education, therapeutic practices, and wellness perspectives are generally well-suited for this course. (Iklé, offered alternate years)

DAN 314 Dance Criticism: Embodied Writing  This course is designed to introduce students to dance criticism – its history, its prominent writers and their individual contributions; to examine current modes of dance criticism and speculate on its fullest development, and to study the ways in which dance criticism makes visible prevailing social, political, and artistic values. Additionally, students will observe dance performance and write reviews, engaging in the practice of dance criticism from a somatic/embodied perspective. Key questions we will explore include: what are the elements and functions of dance criticism, how does it impact audiences, choreographers, and dancers; how does responding to and writing about dance either shape or reflect artistic and aesthetic values, and in what ways have dance critics helped to give the ephemeral art of dance substance and resonance? In collaboration with those questions, we will explore how somatic awareness contributes to embodied writing, and how the practice of embodied writing might communicate understandings of the dances being described. We will also focus on how white-centered bias has dominated the conversation about dance, and the ways in which this may/should change, both in viewership and in writing about dance. (Williams, offered alternate years)

DAN 325 Movement Analysis: Laban/Bartenieff Theory  This movement-based course introduces the theories of Laban Movement Analysis, which includes studies in Effort, Shape, Space, and the Bartenieff Fundamentals. These theories apply directly to all physical actions of the human body, nonverbal communication, cultural differences, choreography, body wellness and health, live performance, therapeutic practices, and teaching methodology. The course focuses on the personal relevance of Laban theories to the individual student, as well as to the related disciplines such as movement studies/science, theatre, dance, anthropology, psychology, and education. Students are taught how to observe and describe the movement and how to understand their own movement patterns as a way to enhance personal expression, body connectivity, and wellness. (Willams/Staff, offered alternate years)

DAN 335 Arts and Education   Not a course about dance, the primary purpose of the course is to explore the ways in which the arts serve human development and social justice. Students examine the relationship between the arts, schooling, cognition, culture, and social-emotional learning. This course is interdisciplinary and experiential in nature and addresses the following questions: What is aesthetic education? What do the arts teach children that other traditional subjects do not teach? How is creativity taught and why is it important? Students are encouraged to explore connections between the arts and education while also reflecting upon the significance of the arts in their own lives. Dually designated as EDUC 335. (Davenport, offered annually)

DAN 432 Dance Education Seminar  Sometimes taught as a service learning course that takes students into local schools, arts academy, or after school programs, the course is designed to explore practices and principles of teaching dance. In addition to considering inclusive pedagogy and the cultural relevance of course content and delivery of movement material, students generate learning objectives and construct lesson plans, design curriculum, and examine unique concerns of the dance classroom: injury prevention, use of imagery to elicit physical response, and composition of movement material to cognitively as well as physically challenge students, and to support differences along a wide continuum of learners. (Davenport/Williams, offered occasionally)

DAN 450 Full Credit Independent Study

DAN 460 Senior Seminar: Advanced Topics in Dance  This seminar provides an opportunity for faculty-guided research of a particular area of interest to senior or junior dance majors. (Dance minors admitted with permission of instructor.) Students will work toward the development of choreographic and performance material, in addition to pursuing individual studies of career-related topics such as dance education, dance science, somatics, dance anthropologyu, dance criticism, dance administration or other areas of interest. (Iklé/Davenport, Spring, offered annually)

DAN 495/496 Honors A course to be completed in partial fulfillment of the requirements for Honors work in dance. Permission of the Honors advisor required.

DAN 499 Dance Internship  This internship offers an option for the student who wishes to pursue workplace experience in dance education, arts administration, technical production, and/or professional venues. Specific course content varies with each individual situation, but in general, students are expected to spend a minimum of 10 hours a week at their placement under the supervision of a workplace professional. Academic credit is for credit/no credit only, with appropriate mid-term and end of semester assessment agreed upon in advance in consultation with the professor. (Offered each semester)

Dance Technique and Performance Courses (DAN/DAT)
The 900-series of Dance courses are upper level, studio-based courses designed for students with previous dance experience who wish to continue their study of dance technique. All of the 900-level Dance courses may be taken as a one-half credit course (DAT) for credit/no credit or as a full credit DAN course. Students electing the full credit DAN courses are expected to complete the academic components of the course, which may include reading and writing assignments, concert reviews, and research projects, in addition to the studio-based movement component. Students enrolling in the half-credit DAT course must register for credit/no credit only. All registered students will be expected to complete midterm and final assessments as designated by each professor.

DAN/DAT 920 Classical Ballet II  This studio-based course offers intermediate to advanced level student dancers instruction in classical technique, and therefore focuses on learning new classical steps and movement sequencing, as well as performing the classical vocabulary with greater precision and clarity. Developing a more nuanced understanding of musicality and artistic choice is emphasized. Somatic and kinesiological sound approaches to learning classical ballet technique are prioritized. Classical ballet variations serve as an inspiration for barre and center combinations so that students gain a deeper understanding of the aesthetic and historical nuances of classical ballet. A solid foundation in ballet technique is required. (Fall, offered alternate years)

DAN/DAT 920 Pointe Laboratory  This lab is linked to the intermediate and/or advanced ballet classes. It is designed for dancers who have reached a level of technical proficiency and strength that enables them to work on Pointe. This class focuses on learning and performing classical ballet variations, and is structured with barre and center floor combinations to teach the technical and artistic principles essential for classical Pointe work. Prerequisite: Concurrent enrollment in DAN/DAT 930 or DAN/DAT 920 and permission of instructor required. (Offered annually)

DAN/DAT 922 Contemporary Ballet II  This studio-based course offers intermediate to advanced level student dancers instruction in the contemporary ballet technique, and therefore focuses on learning non-traditional ballet positions and movement sequencing, as well as performing the contemporary vocabulary with greater precision and clarity. Developing a more nuanced understanding of balance and off-balance, direction changes in center work, complex musical phrasing and meters, and the differences between contemporary and classical ballet is emphasized. Somatic and kinesiological sound approaches to learning contemporary ballet technique are prioritized. Contemporary ballet versions serve as an inspiration for barre and center combinations so that students gain deeper understanding of the aesthetic developments and artistic trends of ballet technique. A solid foundation in ballet technique is required. (Offered annually)

DAN/DAT 922 Pointe Laboratory  This lab is linked to the intermediate and/or advanced ballet classes. It is designed for dancers who have reached a level of technical proficiency and strength that enables them to work on Pointe. This class focuses on learning and performing classical ballet variations, and is structured with barre and center floor combinations to teach the technical and artistic principles essential for classical Pointe work. Prerequisite: Concurrent enrollment in DAN/DAT 932 or DAN/DAT 922 and permission of instructor required. (Offered annually)

DAN/DAT 940 Modern Dance II: Somatic Foundations  This is a studio-based course designed to further students' performance and understanding of the technical, stylistic, and expressive aspects of modern dance. A consistent emphasis throughout the term will be on establishing a strong sense of alignment in both stationary and locomotor sequences, and identifying the particular strengths and weaknesses that contribute to one's personal movement capabilities. A central focus is on providing a rich array of dance experiences that support students' growth as dance artists by helping every individual discover and uncover their movement habits and patterns. Complex and diverse movement experiences will emphasize breath support, movement clarity, versatility, body connectivity, and self-expression in order to develop greater technical acuity and enhance performance artistry. Bill Evans technique, Laban/Barteneiff movement concepts, historical modern dance styles, and contemporary somatic systems are presented to serve as frameworks for physical and artistic development. ( Williams, offered annually)

DAN/DAT 942 Modern Dance II: Contemporary Practices  This is a studio-based course designed to further students' performance and understanding of the technical, stylistic, and expressive aspects of modern dance. A consistent emphasis throughout the term will be on establishing a strong sense of alignment in both stationary and locomotor sequences, and identifying the particular strengths and weaknesses that contribute to one's personal movement capabilities. A central focus is on providing a rich array of dance experiences that support students' growth as dance artists by helping every individual discover and uncover their movement habits and patterns. Complex and diverse movement experiences will emphasize breath support, movement clarity, versatility, body connectivity, and self-expression in order to develop greater technical acuity and enhance performance artistry. This course focuses on the integration of modern dance principles within a contemporary performance context, which includes improvisation, dramatic expression, personal signatures, variety of music, and site performance. (Davenport, offered annually)

DAN/DAT 944 Modern Dance II: Performance Techniques  This is a studio-based course designed to further students' performance and understanding of the technical, stylistic, and expressive aspects of modern dance. A consistent emphasis throughout the term will be on establishing a strong sense of alignment in both stationary and locomotor sequences, and identifying the particular strengths and weaknesses that contribute to one's personal movement capabilities. A central focus is on providing a rich array of dance experiences that support students' growth as dance artists by helping every individual discover and uncover their movement habits and patterns. Complex and diverse movement experiences will emphasize breath support, movement clarity, versatility, body connectivity, and self-expression in order to develop greater technical acuity and enhance performance artistry. Movement content will include classical and contemporary modern dance styles, contemporary partnering techniques, and somatic perspectives as students further develop their sense of personal agency and artistic identity. (Iklé, offered annually)

DAN/DAT 945 Jazz Dance: Tradition and Innovation  This studio-based course is designed for movers with previous experience in any form of dance who wish to study traditional and contemporary jazz dance forms. Through a somatic pedagogy, movement material will encompass a diverse range of jazz styles from jazz's social beginnings to contemporary forms. Historical and cultural contexts will be woven throughout the term as we consistently emphasize embodiment of rooted jazz elements within all jazz-influenced dance forms: polyrhythms, improvisation, swing, articulate spine, individuality, and community. Enhancing stylistic versatility, dynamic range, individual expression, and increased performance clarity will also be emphasized each class as vital components of jazz dance. Concert attendance, video resources, reading, and writing assignments supplement course material as students situate themselves within the context of jazz dance. (Iklé, offered annually)

DAN/DAT 946 Modern Dance II: Diasporas in Dialogue  This is a studio-based course designed to further students' performance and understanding of the technical, stylistic, and expressive aspects of modern dance in relationship to Diasporic dance forms. A central focus is on providing a rich array of dance experiences that support students' growth as dance artists by helping every individual discover and uncover their movement habits and patterns. Complex and diverse movement experiences will emphasize breath support, movement clarity, versatility, body connectivity, and self-expression in order to develop greater technical acuity and enhance performance artistry. A particular focus of this course is the fusion of Western concert (modern) dance with dances of the African Diaspora. African and Caribbean dance techniques are studied in relationship to modern dance styles and techniques and within this dialogue students are encouraged to celebrate and recognize an aesthetic that supports the following values: ancestry, lineage, creolization, rhythmic sensitivity, dynamics, juxtaposition, coolness, assertive approach to space, sensuality and arriving at personal artistry. (Johnson, offered annually)

DAN/DAT 950 Jamaican Dance II  This is an upper level studio-based course focusing on both traditional and contemporary Jamaican folk forms, their role in shaping Jamaican national identity and their significance in preserving Jamaican cultural traditions. This course builds upon information presented in the introductory course. Students generate individual research topics and further develop their artistry as composers and performers of Jamaican dance. (Johnson, offered annually)

DAN/DAT 955 Dances of the African Diaspora II  This is an upper level studio-based technique course that builds upon prior knowledge of African and Caribbean dance aesthetics and aims for sophistication and nuance in both theory and practice. This course builds upon information presented in the introductory course. Students are encouraged to investigate how the body is used as a tool for expression and definition of cultural voice. Students generate individual research topics and further develop their artistry as composers and performers of African Diasporic dance. (Johnson, offered annually)

DAN/DAT 980 Dance Ensemble  Enrollment in this course is typically by audition only, and requires participation in the Faculty Dance Concert (Spring) or End of Term Showing (Fall). Students selected for the course will collaborate with Dance faculty or guest artist choreographers in the creation of new or repertory work. The Dance Ensemble experience provides students with opportunities to learn about the choreographic process, performance techniques, and the technical aspects of concert production, such as lighting design, videography, and stagecraft. Because each section of Dance Ensemble is a unique choreographic process and experience, the final performance experience will be different across sections, but in general the course is designed to enhance students' understanding of 1) collaborative, creative process 2) performance techniques 3) the editing process in rehearsal 4) compositional principles 5) choreographic feedback 6) the influences of culture and society, and 7) technical aspects of concert production (lighting design and stagecraft). Students enrolled in DAN/DAT 980 Dance Ensemble must register for a concurrent DAN or DAT dance technique course. Course requirements in terms of outside of class work are different for the DAN (full credit, graded) 980 and the DAT (half-credit, CR/NC) sections, with additional emphasis in the DAN 980 course on performance/choreographic research assignments. The in-class, studio-based experience is the same regardless of DAN/DAT enrollment status. (Spring, offered annually; Fall, offered occasionally)