Develops technical proficiency and creative movement skills across various styles. Examines choreographic principles alongside the historical and cultural origins of diverse global dance forms.
In small groups, students take a known short phrase and alter its timing structure to alter its meaning. They present the variations and discuss how time manipulation changed the audience's interpretation.
Students investigate the power of the 'stop' or 'freeze' in a rhythmic sequence. They practice freezing on unexpected counts to build core control and dramatic tension.
The class splits into two groups performing different movement phrases that intersect at specific moments. Students focus on the spatial timing required to avoid collisions and create interesting visual patterns.
Students take a single movement and perform it over 1 count, 4 counts, and 8 counts. They analyze how the muscular tension and quality of movement change based on the duration allowed.
Students learn the difference between unison, strict canon, and cumulative canon through simple arm movements and formations. They experiment with how 'ripples' of movement travel through a line of dancers at different speeds.
The final assessment where students perform a set phrase three times with distinct variations, followed by peer critique and self-reflection on artistic intent.
A synthesis of all previous elements through guided improvisation, where students respond to rapid-fire cues to shift their spatial, temporal, and energetic qualities.
Students investigate the qualities of movement through Laban concepts of flow and weight, experimenting with how different energy inputs change the tone of a dance.
This lesson focuses on manipulating tempo and rhythm, challenging students to execute movement phrases at varying speeds while maintaining technical precision.
Students explore spatial levels, pathways, and the distinction between personal and general space through a series of technical workshops and a simulation hook.
Students study Pina Bausch and the German Tanztheater movement, exploring how repetitive gestures and speech are combined with dance to address human relationships. They create a short 'dance-theater' sketch.
Examines the Judson Dance Theater era and the elevation of pedestrian movement to the status of high art.
Analyzes how choreographers like Kurt Jooss and Alvin Ailey used the stage for social and political commentary.
Investigates Merce Cunningham's use of chance operations to separate dance from music and narrative.
Delves into Graham technique and the 'contraction and release' method as a physical expression of psychoanalytic theory.
Explores the rejection of ballet's constraints by pioneers Loie Fuller and Isadora Duncan, focusing on natural movement, lighting, and fabric.
Examining the Judson Dance Theater era, students analyze the 'No Manifesto' and the idea that any movement can be dance. They create short studies using only pedestrian actions (walking, sitting, running).
The sequence concludes with Pina Bausch's Tanztheater. Students analyze the blending of speech, elaborate sets, and repetitive movement to address human relationships and psychological reality.
Students study the radical shift of the 1960s where 'anything is dance.' They analyze Yvonne Rainer’s 'No Manifesto' and create sequences that reject spectacle and virtuosity in favor of pedestrian movement.
Students explore the theory of 'Fall and Recovery' developed by Doris Humphrey and Charles Weidman. They examine how this technique utilized gravity rather than defying it, contrasting it with traditional ballet.
The culminating project where groups perform unison routines relying on non-verbal cues and internal timing.
Focuses on syncopation and off-beat phrasing to create rhythmic tension and interest in dance.
Explores how movement quality and energy must adapt to changing BPMs and tempo transitions.
Challenges coordination by assigning independent rhythms to different body segments, focusing on dissociation and motor control.
Students analyze 4/4, 3/4, and 6/8 time signatures, identifying downbeats and phrasing through auditory and physical drills.
A high-energy lesson focused on mastering an 8-count hip hop sequence featuring advanced waving, Toyman, and Loose Legs techniques.
Students work in teams to propose a hypothetical dance production that fuses two distinct styles respectfully, justifying their choices based on historical context and cultural sensitivity.
Students examine how social media (TikTok, YouTube) changes choreography and discuss issues of credit and copyright for creators, particularly Black creators.
A seminar-style lesson where students define the difference between respectful cultural exchange and appropriation, analyzing real-world controversies in the dance world.
Students investigate the training systems and choreographic structures of K-Pop, identifying influences from Hip Hop, Jazz, and local traditions while focusing on the concept of 'exporting' culture through dance.
Students research how ritual dances are preserved or modified when performed on a proscenium stage for entertainment. They debate the ethics of commercializing sacred practices and the concept of cultural sustainability.
This lesson analyzes dances with martial roots, such as Capoeira and the Haka. Students study the historical necessity of these forms for defense and intimidation, and how they transitioned into cultural symbols of identity.
Students investigate how indigenous cultures in the Americas and Oceania use dance to preserve history and oral tradition. The lesson highlights the connection between storytelling, drumming, and footwork in passing down ancestral knowledge.
Focusing on Ancient Egypt and Greece, students examine how dance was integrated into religious worship and mythology. They compare the role of the 'professional' dancer in pharaonic courts to the participatory nature of Greek Dionysian festivals.
Students analyze the fusion of Indian classical dance (Kathak, Bharatanatyam) with Western pop styles in Hindi cinema, discussing how this genre constructs national identity for a global audience.
Connecting the 1970s Bronx breaking scene back to ancestral ring traditions, exploring the 'cypher' as a space for community and competition.
Tracing the cross-cultural fusion of Irish and African dance traditions that birthed Tap, highlighting key innovators and stylistic shifts.
A look at the social and cultural explosion of the Harlem Renaissance, focusing on the Lindy Hop and the democratizing power of the Savoy Ballroom.
An examination of how enslaved people maintained cultural identity through the Ring Shout and Juba, using the body as a percussive instrument when drums were banned.
Introduction to West African dance fundamentals, focusing on groundedness, isolation, and the complex layers of polyrhythm.
Analyze the 20th-century shift toward abstraction led by George Balanchine, focusing on the relationship between pure movement and music.
Examine the Imperial Russian era under Marius Petipa, focusing on the structured Grand Pas de Deux and the rise of technical virtuosity.
Investigate the shift toward the supernatural and the technological innovation of the pointe shoe during the Romantic era.
Analyze Louis XIV's role in establishing the Royal Academy of Dance and how the codification of the five positions served as a tool for political control.
Explore the origins of ballet in Italian and French courts, focusing on how restrictive social etiquette and heavy clothing influenced early movement standards.
