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Bowdoin College DANC 1104 Dance Improvisation: Practices, Forms, and Structures Spring 2018

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Bowdoin College DANC 1104 Dance Improvisation: Practices, Forms, and Structures Spring 2018 Bowdoin College DANC 1104 Dance Improvisation: Practices, forms, and structures Spring 2018 Instructor: Aretha Aoki [email protected] (preferred method of contact) 207-725-3258 Location: Edwards Arts Center, room 210 Class Hours: M/W 8:00-9:55 am Office hours: M/W 10:00-12:00 or by appt. (Edwards rm. 217) Dance Improvisation: Practices, forms, and structures is an introduction to dance improvisation as a mode of performance and as a compositional tool. Warm-ups and structures enhance creative expression, range of movement, and body awareness. Various forms are introduced such as Contact Improvisation—a partnering dance form—Authentic Movement, Viewpoints, Emergent Improvisation, and the improvisational methods and strategies of specific contemporary dance artists. Classwork includes reading, writing, discussion, watching live and recorded dances, and performing in the Spring Dance Concert. No previous dance experience is required. Objectives -be able to draw on a variety of tools in order to dance spontaneously with or without music -to feel confident and have the necessary skills to improvise in a solo, duet, and as part of a larger ensemble -understand the concept of an improvisational “score” and to able to create one’s own -understand the importance of warming up for readying the body for improvisational dancing -to be able to reflect on improvisation’s relationship to the “known” and “unknown” (Albright/Gere) and “constraint” and “freedom” (Goldman) -have a cultural/historical context for contemporary improvisational practices -to reflect deeply on one’s experience learning new improvisational forms Students are expected to spend an average of 4-6 hours/week outside of class time on readings and assignments. The Spring Dance Concert requires additional time for onstage rehearsals. Please see the below for more information. Materials • A notebook/journal brought to every class meeting, and used to record and reflect on activities, readings, and viewings. You will not be required to submit your journal. Assignments Body History Due 01/29 Write the history of your body (2-3 pages). What has informed you physically? Identify technical training practices (dance, sports, martial arts, theater, etc.), memories of dancing with friends and family; injuries, surgeries and illnesses; earliest memories of movement; environments where you lived; comments about yourself that shaped your body image; and anything else you want to include. *Only include what you are comfortable sharing. Use your discretion here; it is fine to exclude sensitive information. Our bodies are our instrument. We contain multitudes. We want to honor these voices/experiences/stories and be open to the infinite possibilities that are present. —Andrea Olsen 1 Midterm reflection Due 02/26 Self-reflection paper (2-3 pages) Reflect on your growth and discoveries as an improviser. How have the weekly readings by Albright/Gere informed, challenged, or enhanced your physical practice? Identify goals for improvement and continued discovery for the remaining semester. Midterm check-in Week of 02/26 and 03/05 Make a 10-minute appointment with me during office hours to discuss your progress. Use your midterm reflection as a launching off point. Research Paper Due 03/26 Research on an improvisational dance form of your choosing through library and online research and physical practice. Write a 4-5 page paper exploring the form’s cultural and historical context, its relationship to the “known” and “unknown”, “structure” and “surprise” (Albright & Gere) or “constraint” and “freedom” (Goldman). How does the dance form reflect wider cultural values and norms? How does the form challenge, negotiate and/or reinforce dominant ideas of race, class, ability, gender, or sex? When possible, take a class in the form of your choosing via the student dance clubs (Hip hop, Breakdancing, Modern, and African Step dancing are options that are available). Collaborate with two other students to create and perform your own improvisational score. Each person in the group comes to the group with one idea, task, material, or question. The score should be written/drawn/notated on a piece of paper. Sound/music is optional. Incorporate at least one concept or movement exploration from the semester. Attend to possibilities for staging, context, and the configuration of the audience. Write a 2-3, page paper, outlining the score/describing the structure, and reflecting on the process of collaboration, and the performance itself. What were your expectations and were they met? What were the surprises? How did you contend with the unknown? Due 05/07 Participate in the Spring Dance Concert 05/03-05/05 plus additional tech and dress rehearsals (see below) Taken by Surprise: A Dance Improvisation Reader A weekly, one-to-two-page summary of salient points. You must also research and define 1-3 unfamiliar references, individuals, or concepts. Please use double-spacing. Write your summary in essay form followed by the definitions, which can be in note form. Do cite your sources. Attend all dance and theater concerts on campus (see list of performances) Usher for one concert in the Theater and Dance department. Nicole Boudle will be in touch with more information. There is no midterm and no final exam. Grading/Attendance Punctuality and presence are paramount: unless you have a class immediately before this one, plan to be in class a few minutes before the start time—and you may always leave promptly at the scheduled end time. Absences lower your final grade precipitously: missing more than two classes for any reason 2 precludes the possibility of earning an “A” for the semester—those missing four classes for any reason will not receive course credit. Grading standards: A Outstanding, above and beyond expectations, punctual, ample evidence of experimentation and risk-taking, highly engaged and thoughtful. B Thorough and capable handling of challenges, punctual, satisfactory level of risk-taking and engagement. C Assignment completed according to expectations, minimal risk taking, punctual, minimal engagement and participation. D Less than satisfactory completion of expectations, minimal results, late, sloppy or incomplete. F Failure to complete minimum expectations. Grades are weighted as follows: 25% Weekly Summaries 10% Body History and Midterm Reflection paper 15% Improvisation research paper 20% Final Assignment: Improvisational Score 30% Engagement/participation (punctuality, awake-ness/quality of presence, contributions to class discussions, participation in the Spring Dance Concert) Required Concerts Love and Information March 2-4 Friday and Saturday at 7:30PM Sunday at 2PM Pickard Theater Tense Vagina April 6 at 7:30 PM Wish Theater Spring Dance Concert May 3-5 at 7:30 PM Pickard Theater COURSE CALENDAR M 01/22 Warming up What is improvisation? W 01/24 Solo Vocabulary Bring a journal and something to write with M 01/29 Solo: “Personal Movement Vocabulary” *Body History paper due Summary: Introduction and Leigh Foster 3 W 01/31 Terrence Guest Teach M 02/05 Solo continued Summary: Curtis and Zaporah *Reading due: Goldman Introduction W 02/07 Solo: Sensory Work and movement qualities Emergent: duet with music M 02/12 Solo: Authentic Movement and Tuning Scores Summary: De Spain and Ross W 02/14 Emergent Improvisation duets M 02/19 Summary: Forti and Hermann Ensemble: Viewpoints W 02/21 Ensemble: Emergent Improvisation Compositional Tools and Structures Ensemble: Emergent Improvisation Structures M 02/26 Summary: Banes and Valis Hill Emergent Improvisation practice and assessment/reflection W 02/28 *Midterm Reflection due Improvisation Scores M 03/05 Summary: Heffner Hayes and Thompson Drewal Flamenco with Lindsay Bourrassa *One-on-one meetings this week. W 03/07 Improvisation Scores continued *Reading due: Durning & Waterhouse 03/10-03/25 SPRING VACATION M 03/26 Summary: Marks and Meduri *Research paper due Contact Improvisation Ensemble practice 4 W 03/28 Contact Improvisation Ensemble practice *Reading due: brooks M 04/02 Summary: Stark Smith and Paxton Guest Teacher: Kristen Stake W 04/04 Summary: Contact Quarterly, Brooks Guest Teacher: Kristen Stake M 04/09 Summary: Gibbs and Schaffmann Ensemble Practice W 04/11 Ensemble Practice M 04/16 Rehearse for Spring Dance Summary: Albright and Kaplan W 04/18 Rehearse for Spring Dance M 04/23 Rehearse for Spring Dance Summary: Keefe and Webb W 04/25 Rehearse for Spring Dance M 04/30 Rehearse for Spring Dance Summary: Stark Smith and Albright W 05/02 Rehearse for Spring Dance 05/03-05/05 SPRING DANCE CONCERT Call time: 6 pm *There are mandatory tech. and dress rehearsals between 04/29 and 05/02. Please make sure to be available this week. M 05/07 Improvisation Score Showing W 05/09 5 Improvisation Score Showing and closing reflections Preliminary Bibliography Albright, Ann Cooper and David Gere, Eds. Taken by Surprise: A Dance Improvisation Reader. Middletown, CT: Wesleyan University Press, 2003. Bogart, Anne and Tina Landau. The Viewpoints Book: A Practical Guide to Viewpoints and Composition. New York: Theatre Communications Group, 2005. brooks, mayfield with interview by Nelson, Karen. “IWB: IMPROVISING WHILE BLACK: writings, Interventions, interruptions, questions.” Contact Quarterly Vol. 41.1, Winter/Spring 2016, 33-39. Buckwalter, Melinda. Composing while Dancing: An Improviser’s Companion. Wisconsin: The University of Wisconsin Press, 2010. Durning, Jeanine & Waterhouse, Liz. “Out-Score/In-Score Workshop: Teaching Artistic Agency in Contemporary Choreographic Practices.” Contact Quarterly Journal, Winter/Spring 2014, 24-29. Goldman, Danielle. I Want to Be Ready: Improvised Dance as a Practice of Freedom. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 2010. Sgorbati, Susan with Climer, Emily & Haas, Marie Lynn. “Emergent Improvisation: on the nature of spontaneous composition where dance meets science.” Contact Quarterly Chapbook 4, Summer/Fall 2013. This syllabus is subject to change by the instructor. 6 .
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