Dance Composition 4 (2 Credits) DAA 3615 Tuesday/Thursday 12:50 –2:20 Monday UnShowings (variable times and dates, please see schedule in this document).
INSTRUCTOR: Nita Little 352-273-0522
Offices: Nadine McGuire Theatre & Dance Pavilion 2nd floor Office Hours: TBA (posted on dance board or faculty offices) SoTD Office Phone: 352-273-0500 Main Office
*Email Policy: Use ONLY your UFL.EDU email account for e-mail correspondence related to class. Please include your name & class in the subject line or within the body of all correspondence.
Syllabi are posted at CFA website under: Student & Parents: http://arts.ufl.edu/syllabi/
*Please note, this syllabus is under review and will be changed.
Course Description:
“Dance lives at the point at which reflection and embodiment meet, at which doing and anticipation are intertwined.” (Randy Martin as quoted in Butterworth and Wildschutt: 3)
This is the terminal composition course for dance majors. While continuing to engage with student’s enquiry into the choreographic process, we will think of dance composition as a research practice that speaks to a broad range of artistic and cultural issues. As research, we understand and anticipate that the processes of choreography, while requiring craft, are activities of discovery, uncertainty, and inquiry. We will reflect on our work as we analyze its relationship to a number of subjects proposed by our text and by our own insights made evident through our rehearsal processes. Our primary goal is the construction and production of each dance major’s final project, yet this work will be done within a context that places choreographers’ work in dialogue with an expanded conception of contemporary dance as it is practiced around the world within unique contexts and through particularities of modality, process and application.
As dancers change in their conditioning and possibility, western choreographers are also changing. They have moved away from an interest in discovery of what is essentially human, a modernist concern, to a post modern dismantlement of clean lines and set forms, the fracturing of cultural idealism. This has developed into an interest in finding and making difference which effects the composition of dance companies, dancers, their skills, and the form, content, methodologies and concern of dances and dance making. To keep up with these exciting times, this class will knit theory with practice. Choreographers will analyze the relationship between their devising practices, their rehearsal culture, and their aesthetic results. Through our reading we will see that often our methodologies fall within a historically cultural trajectory as well as within a changing dance aesthetic. Our purpose is to help unique choreographers locate themself within a larger discourse so that they can adequately determine, speak to, and with, their developing artistic voices. Choreographers will learn to clarify not only the artistic message or concept that they choose to make, but also to ensure that their choreographic practices are congruent with those messages. They will gain empirical insight into themselves as artists, ultimately giving themselves greater choice.
Through readings in our text, Contemporary Choreography: A Critical Reader, choreographers will be introduced to a broad range of compositional and choreographic practices and concerns. A compilation of essays by artist/theorists from around the world, this text addresses contemporary issues of choreography beyond the mainstream. Each essay uniquely defines an area of choreographic concern that expands and interrogates new theories of dance making. It is through these essays that our discussions and actions will gain practical and critical perspective of a global scale.
Course Objectives:
We have multiple objectives. Our foremost is the development and performance of a final composition project. After being adjudicated, some projects will be performed in the Spring Dance Showcase. Class showings will include sectional demonstrations, design, music, and/or other collaborative materials, and scores. Choreographers will practice verbally defining their work in these showings. Rehearsals will be the responsibility of the choreographer, as will all aspects of the final performance including design and production. Our goal is for choreographers to grasp the breadth of choreographic responsibilities including the development of initial concepts and the articulation of an integrated aesthetic, managing rehearsal culture, taking directorial responsibility for content, guide collaborative processes, and effectively master scheduling, technological materials, scoring, and production. We are in training for professional practice.
Our second concern is with contextualizing student’s works within an international discourse on contemporary dance’s changing aesthetics, dance as intercultural and community based, it’s political overtones, and other conceptual and philosophical considerations that impact its content as well as how it is devised, constructed and performed. This will give dancers conceptual language and a breadth of knowledge through which to be able to write and speak of their own work.
A third objective is the development of strong choreographic voices that can speak and write about work that is still in development. Evaluation and feedback will help students place their work into the multiple discourses we will be studying. We will encourage clarity in one another’s creative logic as we analyze the process of feedback and encourage a community engagement of mutual support. We will invite difference.
A fourth objective is for students to gain an understanding of their future possibilities. To this end, we will consider how dance as art happens, its venues, modalities, and its purposes. Students will locate themselves within these frames or will develop new ones. Each student will be encouraged to discover their cutting edge as an artist and be able to locate themselves on a map of their own making.
Structure: Meeting twice weekly, this course will roughly have three areas of on-going engagement: With our projects, including discussion and showings; with our texts, involving pertinent weekly reading and discussion; and with a variety of subjects often explored physically, and designed to help students understand a broad reach of choreographic topics and practices pertinent to their forward progress as dance makers. Students should come prepared to move and ready to write.
Teaching Philosophy: I teach composition with the belief that each person is an artist. I define art making as experiential philosophy in practice. It is political, not merely functioning within culture, but constructive of it. It is a great responsibility to be an artist. My job, as a teacher, is to make this responsibility imminently clear to my students and help them grasp the reins by which they are able to create the culture they choose to live. This responsibility acts on every level of the art making process, not merely in its product. The work of becoming a choreographer is the development of skills and knowledge through practice and, in this 21st century, through a relationship with an on-going global discourse. My work is to empower students’ discovery of what is possible.
Requirements:
• Assignments: • Project showings will be ongoing throughout the quarter. Project showing schedule will be determined as class progresses. Be prepared to show sectional work weekly. • Projects in process will also be performed for the Monday UnShowings. All composition students are required to attend all UnShowings.
Performance and Event Dates Dates/times subject to change – please check dance bulletin board and/or contact appropriate box office. You will receive a voucher (coupon) at the beginning of the semester for assigned SoTD productions with instructions of how to use it to get discount tickets. Viewing of SoTD plays is highly recommended, but not required. Non-majors, please verify event schedule with instructor, as you may not be required for attendance at all events.
Faculty & BFA Spring Dance Showcase Auditions, Thursday, January 8, G-6, 6:30-8:30 UnShowing Organizational Meeting, January 12, 6:30, G6 UnShowing #1, January 26, 6:30-8:30, G6 UnShowing #2, February 9, 6:30-8:30, G-6 UnShowing #3, March 23, 6:30-8:30, G-6 UnShowing #4, March 30, 6:30-finish Adjudication, G-6 UnShowing #5, April 6, 6:30-9:30 Designer Showing, G-6 BFA Fall Dance Showcase, April 16-19, McGuire Studio Theatre G-6 Community In Motion Concert April 18 matinee McGuire Studio Theatre G-6 Dance 2015, March 13-20, Constans Theatre (Final) UnShowing #6, April 20 6:30-8:30, G-6 • Blogs are to be maintained for each class. (i.e. Your blog can mention that you left a comment on another student’s blog). Blogging is conversational but significantly is to be informing, evaluative, and contain the questions you are asking and issues you may be tackling in your project rehearsals. Informal in style, blogs may contain personal viewpoints or experiences. However, they also need to contain some relationship to our work, the reading, the viewing, and the creative and aesthetic theories and ideas expressed in class. Blog notes should be 100 - 150 words. Comments can be two to three sentences. Content of blogs will be discussed in each class. *Note: this entry on blogs is 118 words. • Weekly readings and viewing will be due and discussed. Our text, Contemporary Choreography will be read in sections. Each student will read one chapter from a section and be responsible for giving a synopsis of its primary points to the other students. Through this method, the book will be made available to all, although no one person will read the full text. Written demonstration of reading will be expected to be in evidence on your blog. Other reading will be requested but provided via handouts. These will be selections derived from the suggested reading list. • Writing and Scoring assignments are specific to your project and your personal track as an artist. Three assignments will be essays and another will be your project score. Essays are 1000 words minimum, single spaced, with the word count at the conclusion. Essays will detail the relationship between your project and various subjects that are defined in our reading. Assignments will be due: January 29, February 26, March 31 (Score), and April 21. Be prepared for smaller intermediate assignments to arise in conjunction with reading. • Viewing dance is an ongoing expectation. Class discussions will remark on concerts and work viewed. A short list of concerts is below. Attendance to no less than two (2) concerts (or other art production with my approval) is expected. Blog responses to concerts are required to be a minimum of 400 words. (*Please give me ticket stubs in class). Event Options (PCPA = Phillips Center): January 23 Metamorphoses (SoTD play) opens Constans Theatre February 13 Gator Tales (SoTD play) opens McGuire April 3 Comedy of Errors (SoTD play) Constans Friday, February 6, 7:30, Les Ballets Trockadero PCPA Sunday, March 8, 7:30, Ballet Hispanico, PCPA Friday, March 20, 7:30, Dance Alive National Ballet PCPA Friday March 25, 7:30 Centre Chorégraphique National de Créteil et du Val-de- Marne/Compagnie Käfig • Attendance see attendance policy.
Text: Jo Butterworth and Liesbeth Wildschut (2009) Contemporary Choreography, Routledge.
Additional readings will supplement our text. These will be provided by the instructor. The suggested readings below may support your further education.
Our schedule will be organized by our class progression. Readings will be weekly and assigned in class. Topics by order: . Modes of Choreography, the Choreographer/Dancer Relationship: (Didactic - Democratic), Devising Dances. (Chapter 12)
*Please note that students will choose a single chapter per book section. Readers will together be responsible for teaching the chapter - they will give a synopsis, key points and a brief analysis of the chapter. Each will speak to how it relates to the dance piece they are constructing.
. Conceptual and Philosophical Concerns- (Section 1 - Chapters 2-5) Practice as Research, Creative decision-making, Visible thought, and Issues of Gender. . Approaches and issues in Dance-Making - social and practical concerns in the working process. Issues of exclusion, ability, and difference. (Section 3 - Chapters 13 - 16) . Intercultural Contexts - perspectives from around the world. (Section 4 - Chapters 17 - 20). . Changing Aesthetics - globalization, kinesthetic, the influence of technology, and interactive installations. Section 5 - Chapters 21 -24). . Relationships with other disciplines and what they can teach us about dance making. - Dramaturgy, Space and Spaces in Site-Specific Work (Architecture and Philosophy), Collaboration (even with Technology), Insights from Science. (Section 6 - Chapters 25 - 28).
Movement and written assignments will be driven by our reading and by the work we are making but will also include:
• Modes of Making Dances (from chapter 12) - experiential practice. • Understanding Synesthesia and the visual-kinesthetic logic of access in changing the dynamics of Space. • Understanding Visual Rhythm • Understanding Kinesthetic Rhythm • Beyond interpretation - understanding body-language through understanding how the body knows. Insides and Outside surfaces. • Representation and Beyond - Modes of being, modes of representation, modes of demonstration. • Understanding duration. • Building and defining your audience relationship - meeting your audience and understanding your prepositional impact (with, at, around, beside, etc.). • Other subjects will arise as our dance pieces reveal special issues. We will learn from one another through what we do and what we have not yet done.
Suggested Readings Anaheim, Rudolf; Visual Thinking. Bel, Jerome. Catalogue Raisonné, http://www.catalogueraisonne-jeromebel.com/>. Bogart, Anne. The Director Prepares. Buckwalter, Melinda; Composing while Dancing: An Improviser’s Companion. Burrows, Jonathan. A Choreographer's Handbook. Foster, Susan Leigh. Reading Dancing: Bodies and Subjects in Contemporary American Dance. ---. Dances That Describe Themselves: The Improvised Choreography of Richard Bull. Forsythe, William; Improvisation Technologies. Gere, Ann Cooper Albright and David, ed. Taken by Surprise: A Dance Improvisation Reader. Morgenroth, Joyce. Speaking of Dance: Twelve Contemporary Choreographers on Their Craft. Shaw, Norah Zuniga; Palazzi, Maria; Forsythe, William. "Synchronous Objects: Interactive Media Connecting Dance, Science, and Discourse ".
Students with Disabilities: I encourage students with disabilities, including non-visible disabilities such as chronic diseases, learning disabilities, head injury and attention deficit/hyperactive disorder, to talk with me, after class or during my office hour. Any student with a documented disability needing academic adjustments or accommodations is requested to speak with me as soon as possible. All discussions will remain confidential.
COURSE POLICIES: ATTENDANCE: Attendance Guide: • Mindful participation in each class meeting is the only way to meet the objectives of this course. • Attendance, which is mandatory, means that when you enter the classroom, you are present, alert, and contributing to the progress of the class every second. • If you are not present when attendance is taken or class begins you are marked absent. • In the case of extended health issues, refer to the Injury and Illness Policy in the SoTD 2014-15 Handbook (SoTD website) and included in this syllabus.
Dance Absence Policy • Five (5) or more absences (excused or unexcused) result in automatic failure. • All undocumented absences are unexcused: each unexcused absence = 5 point deduction. Excused absences may include those related to illness/injury which are documented by a medical professional. Events related to family emergencies or professional obligations should be discussed with your instructor. (See Make-up Policy for more information on excused absences.) • If you should leave class early, 3 points are deducted from your grade. • If unable to dance but still attend, with instructor permission, you may ‘actively’ observe for full class credit, onetime. You will complete an assignment as assigned by the instructor due at the end of class. • UF approved religious days are excused and do not need to be made-up. (Travel time not included.) You are responsible for material covered during your absence. • A MEDICAL WITHDRAWAL will not be supported without approved documentation. An Incomplete is only considered by UF Dance in extreme cases and is not available in technique classes.
MAKE-UP POLICY: Dance – Makeup Policy • You are responsible for all material covered during any absence • There are no makeup options for unexcused absences • Absences from Written Exams, Quizzes, Mid-Terms, and/or Finals may only be made up with approved documentation • To earn credit (amount of credit determined by the instructor) for an excused absence you must do two things: 1) Immediately after your return to class, turn in approved/legal documentation to instructor. If you need the original documentation, the instructor will accept copies. 2) Make-up the class with an approved assignment submitted on the required date. If the assignment is to attend another class as a make-up, it must be the same technical level, or lower; student must request permission of that instructor.
In the UF Dance Program, three unexcused absences will reduce your grade one-letter grade (i.e., from B to C). Each subsequent unexcused absence lowers your grade by half letter grade (i.e., from C to C-). After five unexcused absences the student may not return to class and result in automatic failure of the course. A student with medical documentation may apply to UF for Medical Withdrawal.
Please consult the following sites for UF’s physical and mental health resources: http://shcc.ufl.edu/ (Student Health Care Center) http://shcc.ufl.edu/forms-records/excuse-notes/ (excuse note policy) http://dso.ufl.edu/ (Dean of Students)
UF POLICIES: UNIVERSITY POLICY ON ACCOMMODATING STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES: Students requesting accommodation for disabilities must first register with the Dean of Students Office (http://www.dso.ufl.edu/drc/). The Dean of Students Office will provide documentation to the student who must then provide this documentation to the instructor when requesting accommodation. You must submit this documentation prior to submitting assignments or taking the quizzes or exams. Accommodations are not retroactive, therefore, students should contact the office as soon as possible in the term for which they are seeking accommodations.
UNIVERSITY POLICY ON ACADEMIC MISCONDUCT: Academic honesty and integrity are fundamental values of the University community. Students should be sure that they understand the UF Student Honor Code at http://www.dso.ufl.edu/students.php.
NETIQUETTE: COMMUNICATION COURTESY: All members of the class are expected to follow rules of common courtesy in all email messages, threaded discussions and chats. http://teach.ufl.edu/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/NetiquetteGuideforOnlineCourses.pdf
GETTING HELP: If applicable: For issues with technical difficulties for E-learning in Sakai, please contact the UF Help Desk at: ● [email protected] ● (352) 392-HELP - select option 2 ● https://lss.at.ufl.edu/help.shtml Any requests for make-ups due to technical issues MUST be accompanied by the ticket number received from LSS when the problem was reported to them. The ticket number will document the time and date of the problem. You MUST e-mail your instructor within 24 hours of the technical difficulty if you wish to request a make-up. Other resources are available at http://www.distance.ufl.edu/getting-help for: • Counseling and Wellness resources • Disability resources • Resources for handling student concerns and complaints • Library Help Desk support
GRADING POLICIES: 1. Continuous Assessment 35 points Frequent class Showings These following areas are used to assess student progress throughout the semester: Creative Research Practices - flexibility, curiosity and the development of the skills of creative and critical inquiry. Serious play and invention - Creative Risk- taking—student dares to explore new territory. Leadership skills combine listening and speaking skills. This includes an ability to define what one is doing and seeking. The development of an articulate understanding of one’s critical edge. Self and team assessment. Relational and collaborative skills - Thoughtful feedback, readiness to support one another. Teamwork. Devising Skills - an ability to think on multiple levels and scales within the creative process from the making of movement materials and their structuring to the designing of sound, set, and other mediums critical to one’s work. Scoring skills: Writing down the dance so that the design complexities converge and can be shared. Archival skills - Keeping track of the process and the final product. Serious play and invention - Creative Risk-taking—student dares to explore new territory. Overall Improvement—student demonstrates a clear positive progression throughout the semester.
2. Blog: 20 points 3. Reading and viewing discussions: 20 points (Prepare for pop quizzes.) 4. Final Project: 25 points
GRADING SCALE: Total: 100 points A 93-100 points A- 90-92 B+ 86-89 B 83-85 points B- 80-82 C+ 77-79 C 73-76 points C- 70-72 D+ 67-69 D 63-66 points D- 60-62 E 59 and below
Your overall score may be affected by your attendance record.
*Disclaimer: This syllabus represents current plans and objectives. As we go through the semester, those plans may need to change to enhance the class learning opportunity. Such changes, communicated clearly, are not unusual and should be expected.
Please Note: Our work in the studios is designed to be challenging; physically, intellectually, and emotionally. Dance classes often involve touching. Physical contact may range from simple touch, to correcting alignment and/or relaxation massage. Students may also be asked to experiment with exercises that involve weight exchange. If you have a related medical consideration or touch makes you uncomfortable, it is your responsibility to notify the instructor at the start of the semester.
FACULTY EVALUATION: Students are expected to provide feedback on the quality of instruction in this course by completing online evaluations at https://evaluations.ufl.edu. Evaluations are typically open during the last two or three weeks of the semester, but students will be given specific times when they are open. Summary results of these assessments are available to students at https://evaluations.ufl.edu/results/.
EACH STUDENT IS RESPONSIBLE FOR MONITORING HER/HIS OWN PROGRESS
Evaluations: Midterm and Final evaluations occur during the class. You will be observed by the instructor and perhaps other members of the dance faculty, and grades will be assigned based on the technical proficiencies listed above. If there is rotation in the instructors, all participating instructors will contribute to your grade. For the BFA major, application of your technique work to concert/performance work will be factored into your technique grade.