THA 120B Movement and Dance Theater Composition
Instructor: Susan Dibble ()
Time: Monday and Wednesday 5-6:20
Place: Spingold 205 Merrick Studio
Course Description:
“I live therefore I move. I am a live human being.” (From The Art of Making Dances by Doris Humphrey)
In this course students will learn about the process involved in making dance-movement-theater compositions. The students will be introduced to a variety of choreographic forms of choreography and composition for movement based theater. The course is designed for students with a variety of experience and they will be encouraged to use their ideas for creating pieces that have visually dynamic action and dramatic themes. In addition to dance and movement, the class will include music, painting, sculpture, patterns of movement in nature, animal and human behavior, creative writing and poetry. Students will work alone, in pairs, and in groups.
“The imagination is the liberty of the mind...Your imagination is your own.” Doris Humphrey
This course is designated as an Experiential Learning Course. This means that you will be engaged in active learning-you will participate in collaborative projects, present your own work physically, share your research and process orally, and practice basic techniques designed to create more strength and flexibility physically. Composition is the act of combining parts or elements to form a whole. In the class you will learn how to make compositions by using your own story, themes that you are interested in or passionate about, or concepts that you want to explore. What materials can you gather from observations- nature, communities, paintings, music, sculpture, moving patterns, and conversations- during your daily life to make a dance or movement piece? We are dependent on form and structure in our lives, and in the course you will be given the opportunity to open our minds to a creative view of the world around us and learn how to put these images into a dance composition-an artistic form. The mind alone is not capable of molding and making a work that fills a space physically. How can you capture what your mind is imagining and put it into a form that comes alive physically?
Objectives
-To develop a process for working on original dance/theater pieces.
-To expand the imagination, and make-work based on observations, response to nature, paintings, and the self.
-To understand the importance of structure, theme and variation, and design in a performance space.
-To develop an individual vocabulary of movement and choreography and find new ways to approach telling a story through dance and movement.
-To explore and learn about different styles of dance and physical theater forms.
-To learn how to work collaboratively and communicate your ideas clearly.
Course Requirements:
- Attend ALL classes and arrive on time.
- Complete all projects and reading assignments on time.
- Wear clothing that is appropriate for moving and dancing. (sweat pants, leggings, long shorts, or footless tights)
- Participate with energy and focus. Be respectful and collaborative when working with classmates.
- Do not eat food or chew gum in the classroom.
- Only Drinking water is allowed in classroom.
- Do not use cell phones during class.
- Ask permission if you mustuse the restroom when the class is in session.
Grading:
75% of grade is based on attendance, commitment, growth and focused/energetic participation. Assignments are graded with
25% of grade is based on assignments.
You are allowed 2 absences. Each additional absence will lower the grade ½ a point. Assuming you begin with an A, an unexcused absence will lower the grade to A-. If you are late more than 2 times, your grade will be lowered ½ point.
Be sure to communicate with the professor if you need to miss a class. You may ask to make up the class with an additional assignment, or participate in another class that has a physical component.
It is important to attend all classes in order to stay on top of the course progression
Class Outline:
Every class will begin with stretching and technique exercises. Reading assignments will be posted on latte in a timely fashion.
Week 1:
8/30: Introduction, Directions in Space, Focus, Movement and Body Design
Week 2
9/6: Action and Stillness in Space
Week 3
9/11 & 9/13: Gesture as Language-Reading Assignment 1
Week 4
9/18 & 9/20: Phrasing- Reading Assignment 2
Week 5
9/25 & 9/27: (Hand out Time Assignment Due 10/9), Emotions-Expressionism
Week 6
10/2 & 10/4: Time/Meter/Variationsand Dynamics-Reading Assignment #3
Week 7
10/9: Time Assignment Due
10/11: No Class-Brandeis Thursday
Week 8
10/16 & 10/18: Design and Form-Reading Assignment #4
(Doris Humphrey)
Week 9
10/23 & 10/25: Theme and Content-Reading Assignment #5
Week 10
10/30 & 11/1: Visual Arts
Week 11
11/6 & 11/8: Using the Voice: Words and Movement-Reading Assignment #6
Week 12
11/13 & 11/15: Review
Week 13
11/20: Poetry and Fiction- Reading Assignment #7
Week 14
11/27 & 11/29: Work onFinal Projects
Week 15
12/4 & 12/6: Present Final Projects
If you have a documented disability on record at Brandeis University please notify me.
Contact Professor Dibble if you are sick, injured, or unable to come to class.
You are expected to be honest in all of your academic work. Please consult Brandeis University Rights and Responsibilities ( for all policies and procedures related to academic integrity.
Success in this 4 credit hour course is based on the expectation that students will spend a minimum of 9 hours of study time per week in preparation for class (readings, papers, discussion sections, preparation for exams, etc.).