Intermediate Dance Syllabus

2017-2018

Teacher: Ms. Vago

Office Phone: (480) 575-2524

E-mail:

Office Hours: Monday/Wednesday 2-2:45

Room:Dance room (Office located in Girl’s Dance Locker room)

Course Description: This course will cover dance technique in the styles of ballet/lyrical, modern/ contemporary, jazz, hip hop and a variety of partner dancing. Also, students will explore improvisation, choreography, and dance history. The focus of this course will be on technique, performance and choreography. Additionally, students will be required to work with guest choreographers who may work in the dance styles listed above or in cultural or contemporary dance styles. Tactile methods will be used for correction purposes.

Course Objectives:

The student will be able to:

  • Perform dance in the styles of ballet/lyrical, modern, jazz , and hip hop at an intermediate level
  • Choreograph, making creative choices moving through levels, interesting patterns through space and utilizing the elements of dance
  • Demonstrate a sense of body awareness and alignment while moving in dance
  • Explore dance as an art form

Lockers: Students will be issued a padlock, with a combination, and locker for use in the locker room. Lockers will be shared, and students should keep the lock combination to themselves. Lockers and padlocks/combinations will be issued on August 11th, 2017. Students will be asked to share a locker and padlock with a friend.

Dance Dress: Comfortable dance pants – sweatpants, yoga pants, etc (full length, Capri or knee length) must be worn in class. Shorts that are too short in length will not be allowed due to the nature of the movement we will be learning in class. Students may wear any appropriate shirt that is comfortable to move in; however, you may not wear the clothes you wore to school. No dresses or skirts. Also, no street shoes are allowed on the dance floor. You may wear ballet, jazz or lyrical shoes, go barefoot or wear socks. Dressing out is an important part of your participation grade, so please be prepared. You must have your dance clothes to put in your locker on Monday, August 14th, 2017.

Dressing out: All students must dress out daily unless told otherwise. You must dress out in the locker room – same rules apply to you as they do to other classes – if you are late, you will be marked “tardy” and you will need to make up participation points for the day. Students will have 5 minutes to dress in and out – no exceptions. If you are not ready to dance after the five “to dress” minutes, you will lose participation points. If you are too ill to dress out for the day, you will lose your participation points for that class. You may, however, (with a sick note from a parent or guardian) make up the points by reading an article in a dance related magazine (in class) and hand writing a full 8 ½ x 11 page summary, which MUST be turned in at the end of class. If you are ill for more than one class, a doctor’s note must be provided to make up missed participation points. Passes to leave this class will not be accepted unless for an emergency.

Make-up Work: If you miss class due to an excused absence, you must make up the class participation points for the day. You have two days to make up work for every day missed. There are several options for make-up work:

  • One typed page, double-spaced, on health and/or dance related health problems or injuries. Subjects can be calluses, shin splints, cancer, water and hydration, sprains, cramps, strains, knee problems, tendonitis, diet, obesity, nutrition, weight loss, etc. Do not plagiarize. Cite your sources.
  • One typed page, double-spaced, about a dance performance or musical that you attended. Must include ticket stub, brochure or program.
  • One typed page, double-spaced, about a dance competition/convention that you attended.
  • Attend office hours and dance with Ms. Vago.
  • Come to office hours and review an article in a dance related magazine.
  • Watch a YouTube dance performance by a pre-professional of professional group and write a one page, double-spaced essay about the dance and choreography. You must provide the link for the teacher to access.

If you do not hand me your homework at the beginning of class, it is considered late, and late homework will NOT be accepted for grade points.

You MUST discuss make-up work with teacher before beginning it.

Concert: Dance is a performing art, and all students enrolled in a dance class must perform. The concert dates will be given to students well in advance, and students must attend rehearsals outside of class. If students are unable to perform due to an emergency, you can discuss other options with the teacher to make-up all the grade points missed.

Student Choreography Concert: (optional) Feb. 12th – 16th. Monday and Tuesday will be tech. Wednesday will be dress rehearsal. Performances will be Thursday and Friday of this week.

Spring Concert: The final end-of-the year dance concert will take place during the week of April 30th – May 4th. Please plan on clearing the entire week, as we’ll be in the theater Monday – Friday this year. All students must participate. Please plan accordingly. A specific rehearsal schedule will be provided well in advance. This is your Final Exam and you must participate.

Grades:

  • Students have the opportunity to earn 5 participation points a day. These points will reflect dressing out, fully participating in movement, and not being tardy. A student who does not do all dance activities during class will not earn participation points for the day.
  • Also, students will be given skills tests on dance combinations learned in class/ Need to create movement - Choreography. Students will be given a rubric in advance, and the class will discuss the grading
  • Students will be learning and tested on the history and vocabulary of Jazz, Ballet, and Modern
  • Other assignments may be required.
  • Total possible points per marking period will be totaled.

Cell Phones:Classrooms are now designated as ‘No Phone Zones’ except with teacher permission. All phones are expected to be housed in backpacks during class time.

District Policy JK-R

A student may be subject to disciplinary action when the student engages in any of the following forms of academic misconduct:

  • Lateness - For missing or leaving school or class without permission or excuse.
  • Cheating - Including but not limited to copying, using unauthorized help sheets and the like, illegally obtaining tests in advance, substituting for a test-taker, and other forms of unauthorized collusion.
  • Plagiarism - Representation of the ideas or work of another person as his/her own.
  • Collusion - Supporting malpractice by another student as in allowing one’s work to be copied or submitted for assessment by another.
  • Duplication of work - Presentation of the same work for different assessment components and/or requirements.
  • Fabrication of Data - Manufacturing data for a table, survey, or other such requirement.
  • Any behavior that gains an unfair advantage for a student and/or affects the results of another student.

Cactus Shadows High School takes academic dishonesty seriously. Any violation of this policy will result in a zero for the assignment/assessment for a first offense, a zero for the assignment/assessment and short term suspension for a second offense and a loss of credit for the semester course (.5) and short term suspension for a third offense.

Students who share assignment/assessment information with other students via pictures, paper or electronics will receive a zero on the assignment/assessment and a short term to long term suspension (prior academic misconduct referrals from any other school or CCUSD grade level will be considered).

School Absence Policy

Students are responsible for contacting teachers to complete missed work. Parents can e-mail teachers to request homework to pick up during a student’s absence. For every day of excused absence, a student has two days to make up homework, classwork, quizzes, and tests (parents have 24 hours to contact the school to excuse the absence). Work previously assigned with a due date during an absence is due on the first day of his/her return to school (including suspension dates). Be advised that each department, which assigns extended projects, has specific deadline dates. All make up work from an excused absence is eligible to receive full credit if completed and turned in within the 2 day window. Some courses such as Honors, Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate and Dual Enrollment courses have numerous long-term projects or portfolios, which may have absolute deadlines. Students will be advised of these project/portfolio deadlines in the course syllabus or on grading outlines and will be expected to turn in projects/portfolios prior to the designated date for credit regardless of days absent. Assignments, tests, quizzes not completed within the 2 day window will receive a zero. (Ref: Board Policy JH-R)

Dance Contract 2017-2018

Please read this syllabus carefully. You are responsible for the rules herein, and your grade will depend on your following them. By signing this, you are confirming to me that you can comfortably adhere to the policies and the consequences of infraction of these policies. Please make note of the required dance performance.

Sign this contract and return to Ms. Vago onFriday, August 18th.. This signed contract is worth 10 Points in the Grade Book.

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Dancer/Student – PRINT NAME Date

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Dancer/ Student signature

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Parent/Guardian – PRINT NAME Date

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Parent/ Guardian signature