Studio Practice: Combined Contemporary Modern Dance Forms (DAN4810B.01, section 1)

Curt Haworth & Mikhail Calliste

This course proposes a transrelational investigation of two distinct contemporary approaches to movement practice.

Calliste:  Inspired and influenced by artist, choreographer Camille Brown, this course investigates various styles of the African diaspora, fusing and contrasting footwork and shaping of Afro-Caribbean dance and includes step dancing, body percussion, hip hop and street dance. Students in this course will be encouraged to investigate in and through movement the “possibilities of the imagination.”  

Haworth:  This is a Contemporary Modern Technique class that has been influenced by Ideokinesis, Alexander and Klein techniques. The work dives into Personal-Genius, refining technique while maximizing artistic expression. Class begins with self-care and a somatic based warm up, lubricating joints and stretching muscles. Floor improvisation and Bartenieff Inspired Fundamentals instill skills and ready the body for open dancing. The middle section has a yoga stretch that has been influenced by somatic and alignment work. Center work focuses on: foot, back, and leg exercises before diving into handstands. The work emphasizes a fluid spine and grounded weight while highlighting specificity of initiation, alignment and releasing into space. The class builds dynamically from subtle exercises into large athletic phrases that move in and out of the floor, on the hands, and through space with easy exciting sequential momentum. Improvisation is used to deepen understanding of the material, and occasionally the class will drop into performance practice.






Learning Outcomes:
Students will be able to:
-Foster critical thinking about the dancing body and ways of moving
-Combine and organize a body practice that reflects on and supports the physical demands of the expanding fields of dance research and performance
-Integrate movement through the frames of time, space and poetics
-Demonstrate readiness to assume the working life of a professional dancer, whether in academia, world stages or within one’s community


Delivery Method: Fully in-person
Prerequisites:
Previous dance experience required.
Course Level: 4000-level
Credits: 2
M/Th 1:40PM - 3:30PM (2nd seven weeks)
Maximum Enrollment: 20
Course Frequency: One time only

Categories: 4000 , All courses , Dance (BFA) , Fully In-Person , Second Seven Week , Two Credit
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