INTRODUCTION TO MODERN DANCE ATHR238—Fall 2010 (Call #5510)
Instructor: Ione Beauchamp
Phone and Email: 442-3813,
Office: PE , Mail to PAC 346. Office hours by appointment.
This course fulfills the Arts category of the General Education Program as defined in The Undergraduate Bulletin.
General education offers explicit understandings of the procedures and practices of disciplines and interdisciplinary fields. General education provides multiple perspectives on the subject matter, reflecting the intellectual and cultural diversity within and beyond the University. General education emphasizes active learning in an engaged environment that enables students to become producers as well as consumers of knowledge. General education promotes critical thinking, about the assumptions, goals, and methods of various fields of academic study and the interpretive, analytic, and evaluative competencies central to intellectual development.
Arts courses enable students to demonstrate: 1) an understanding of the history and/or practice of one form of artistic expression, 2) an understanding of the function and meaning of form, 3) that they have the vocabulary they need to continue to learn about how art is made and interpreted, 4) depending on the nature of the course, recognition of the difference and overlap between creative and critical thinking, 5) depending on the nature of the course, an understanding of how art works are embedded within different cultures at different times and places.
Class Description:
This is a studio class involving modern and contemporary dance technique, dance history and appreciation. Class time will be divided between movement, watching video and discussion of the required text and performances. Reading, some of the video viewing, and attendance at performances will happen outside of class time. Students will create their own movement studies to be shown in class. Come prepared to move for each class: Sweatpants and layered tops are a good idea, since the studio temperature can vary. We will be dancing in bare feet. Socks are not permitted--the floor is too slippery with them on. Hair must be pulled back, jewelry kept to a minimum. No gum chewing.
Grading
Grades are based on regular and prompt attendance, enthusiastic participation (movement and discussions), integration of class material, and completion of performance requirement and reading assignments; as well as assigned movement studies. There will be a quizzes on historical information - drawn from videos and reading.
50% of grade is based on in class participation: Mastery of movement material, participation in class discussions, presentation of movement studies. Attendance Policy: You are allowed three absences (excused or not—this includes illness, injury and athletic team events, etc.). More than three absences will result in a drop of a 2/3 letter grade for EACH additional absence—A to B+, A- to B, B+ to B-, etc.
25% of grade is based on completion of performance requirement. Failure to attend and submit written work for each required performance will result in a drop of a 2/3 letter grade.
25% based on the three written quizzeson reading and video. Quizzes will take place at the end of September, October and November (before Thanksgiving).
REQUIRED PERFORMANCES:
There are 3 required performances. Write a short paper for each performance. It should be approximately 3 paragraphs: 1) facts of the event--who, what where, when, etc.; 2) objective description--describe movement style, setting, scene, costumes, cast, etc., with no personal opinion attached to your comments; 3) subjective description--how did what you describe affect you. Attach ticket and program to your paper. Be prepared to discuss each performance in class. In the case of Theatre Department Productions discuss what role movement played in supporting the play. Ideally you will attend one performance at each venue listed below.
The EGG Presents (Downtown Albany):
Mark Morris
Friday, September 24 @ 7:30pm. Pre-show talk at 6:45.
$18 with student id 1 hour before show.
Pascal Rioult
Friday, October 22 @ 8:00pm. Pre-show talk at 7:15.
$13 with student id 1 hour before show.
EMPAC PRESENTS (Troy, RPI campus):
Info: 276-3921; <EMPAC@rpi>;
Wally Cardona & Rahel Vonmon “A Light Conversion”
Friday, September 17/Saturday, Saturday 18 @ 8pm. $10.
Festival Filament
Friday October 1-Sunday October 3
BalletLab, Yanira Castro (exact times to be announced)
UAlbany Performing Arts Center (“PAC”) Productions:
Step Afrika!
Main Theatre. Thursday September 30 at 7:30pm; $12.
[Extra Credit: Lecture Demonstration: Tuesday, September 28 at 7pm; free.
Master Class: Wednesday September 29 at 6pm; free.]
Ellen Sinopoli Dance Company “Branches of Words”
Recital HallWednesday, November 3 at 7:30pm. $10.
EXTRA CREDIT
Attendance and/or participation in UAlbany Theatre Department Productions
READING:
Required: No Fixed Points/Dance in the 20th Century, Nancy Reynolds & Malcolm McCormick, Yale Univ. Press. ©2003. Book is available on reserve in the library, and for sale at the UAlbany Bookstore, as well as, at Mary Jane Books at 215 Western Avenue.
Chapter1: New Dance Americas Pioneers
Chapter 3: Modernism Revealed: Ausdruckstanz, the Dance Expression
Chapter 5: America After Denishawn: The Heroic Age of Modern Dance
Chapter 9: Modern Dance the Second Generation 91935-1980s)
Chapter 10: Schism and Transition: Reinterpreting Modern Dance (1960-1980)
Chapter 11: Beyond the Boundaries: Postmodernism (1960-1980)
Chapter12 (pp. 476-92): Internationalism: The Merging of the disciplines (1950-2000)
Chapter 15: late Modernism: Pluralism and the Ascendancy of Style (1960s-2000).
Recommended: Appreciating Dance/A Guide to the World’s Liveliest Art, 3rd edition by Harriet R. Lihs; A Dance Horizons Book, Princeton Book Company.
Composition Assignments (these will be further elaborated on in class):
Name phrase: Write your full name in script. Make a dance out of your signature. It does not need to be literal (we do not need to be able to “read” it).
Breath phrase: Feel the movement of your breath. Make a dance that makes what you are feeling visible.
Cube: Draw a cube. Mark 26 landmarks/locations on the cube: 8 corners, 12 middle of lines, 6 centers of planes. (Groups of 4).
Flyer: Pick a flyer from a contemporary dance concert. Make a dance out of it.
End of Semester Studio Show?
Videos:
Here is partial list of Videos we will watch. Most are on reserve at the library and on-line through E-Res:
Dancing (Vols. 7) “The Individual & Tradition” GV 1594 D36X 1993
European Dance Theatre/tanztheaterGV 1783 E83V 1997
The Men Who Danced GV 1786 T43X M46 1985
Martha Graham in Performance “A Dancer’s World”GV 1786 M37X M37 1980Z
Charles Weidman: On His OwnGV 1623 C53X 1990
Free to Dance (3 Volumes)GV 1624.7 A34 F74V 20001
Cage/CunninghamGV 1623 C34X 1991
Paul Taylor: Dance MakerGV 1785 T39 D36V 1999
Trisha Brown Dance CompanyGV 1783 U25V 1999 or
Set and Reset GV 1738.2 S48V 1985A
Contact Improvisation: Fall After Newton & ChuteGV 1781.2 C66V 1987
Retracing Steps: American Dance Since Post-ModernismGV 1783 R48V 1988A
Ione’s DVDs (not on-line)
Wire Monkey Dance Documentary
Mark Morris
Beyond the Mainstream
Isadora Duncan
Ruth St. Denis
Trail Blazers
¡To dance is to live to live is to dance!