Musical Theatre Dance I DANC 178 Fall ’09 Eastern Michigan University M/W 4:00-4:50 Instructor: Asst. Professor Phil Simmons
Office: Quirk 103D
Office Hours: M/W/Th 11 am to 12:30, Tu 2 pm to 3 pm Email: [email protected] Final Exam: Monday, Dec. 14, 2009 3:30 - 5:00 pm
Course Description
This course is designed to give the Musical Theatre performer an understanding of the structure behind stage choreography and an insight into the necessary showmanship and/or performance of that choreography. And, because we learn by seeing and hearing, we’ll be watching clips of those who do it best.
Class Policies/Expectations o This class is a safe zone. We are all here to learn, to experiment, to be unafraid in our ventures. You will always be respectful of ALL work that is done, completely supportive of your classmates, and only constructive criticism is appropriate.
o Always arrive for class on time, as each late arrival will result in a 10 point deduction from your attendance point total.
o If you arrive late, it is your responsibility to let me know. In other words, if you arrive after I’ve taken attendance, then it is your responsibility to let me know at the end of class, that you were indeed in class.
o BE DRESSED and READY TO DANCE at 3 pm. This means that you are in the studio, dressed out in your dance togs and are standing center floor to begin the warm-up at 4 pm. It does NOT mean that you walk through the door at 3 pm and then change your clothes, put on your shoes and then jump into the warm-up.
o DO NOT MISS CLASS. Because this is a performance class, attendance is mandatory. Each unexcused absence will result in a deduction of 20 points. It is possible to accrue a negative score under the “Attendance” category, so don’t miss class.
o 15 minutes or more equals an absence. If you arrive more than fifteen minutes late or class, you will be marked absence, no questions asked.
o Turn cell phones off! Kindly make certain your phone is switched off before you walk through the classroom door! Each time a cell phone rings in class, you will be charged $1.00. The second time, $2, then $4, then $8—you get the idea. At the end of the semester, your “donation” will be sent to Broadway Cares, Equity Fights AIDS. BC/EFA funds HIV/AIDS research, houses performing artists who cannot afford housing, and provides doctors and medical care for performers and artists who do not have health insurance at the Al Hirschfeld Clinic in New York City. BC/EFA also funds the Phyllis Newman Women’s Health Initiative which deals primarily with breast and ovarian cancer. Thank you in advance for your donation.
o Extenuating Circumstances: Of course, regarding attendance and performances/exams, there are bound to be extenuating circumstances such as illness or other “acts of God” that prevent you from coming to class. When you find yourself in one of these situations, email me IMMEDIATELY. Any emails sent “later” will not be considered with regard to being “excused.”
Requirements
Shoes. Obviously, you’ll need to have some shoes in which to dance. As long as you’re comfortable and your feet are well-supported, I don’t care what type of jazz shoes you use. The usual black jazz oxfords (soft sole) are fine for both the ladies and gentlemen. Ladies, if you’d like to have the 2-inch character T-strap, that’s the most common shoe for you (also what you’d be wearing in a show), either black or beige. Or, if any of you like the split-sole sneakers (as I do), please be my guest—but make them black.
Personal Hygiene is mandatory. I have to mention this because this is a physically demanding class that is full to overflowing. Make sure you bathe regularly.
Dress appropriately. Wear clothing that will allow you to:
1. Stretch and dance comfortably without being inhibited. 2. Cover everything that should be covered even while jumping, turning, kicking, and/or stretching. 3. In other words, shorts that aren’t at least knee-length are NOT appropriate. 4. Jeans are NOT appropriate. 5. Ladies, you might want to invest in a sports bra. 6. Gentlemen, you’ll want to wear a dance belt. Wearing sweats or dance pants without a dance belt or athletic supporter is NOT appropriate. 7. Loose-fitting cargo pants, even pajama pants made of heavy material (and accompanied by one of the aforementioned undergarments) are appropriate. 8. T-shirts and tank tops (as long as they cover everything they need to cover) are completely appropriate.
Assignments
• Performances: You will present 2 performances for a grade—1 during the semester at a time we as a class decide on, and a Mid-Term. NOTE: This does not include the Final Project (which is your Final Exam) which is also a performance.
• Choreographer Presentations: You will choose a Musical Theatre Choreographer and craft a presentation about that ographer. You will be divided into groups (because our class is so large) and will collectively give us an oral report (using video clips) to inform us about your choreographer. This presentation will NOT include a performance component.
• Reactionary Review: You will write a paper—a minimum of 2 pages long in reaction to a live, musical theatre performance. Refer to the criteria in this document immediately following the syllabus concerning your paper. NOTE: This paper MUST discuss a live dance performance of some kind (okay-ed by me) that you have seen during THIS semester! If you submit a paper discussing a live event PRIOR to this semester, you will receive a grade of “0” for this assignment.
• Final Project: Using the work of the same choreographer about whom you gave your initial presentation, you will choose an already-choreographed piece to restage and perform. When we get to this point in the semester, you will be given time in class to rehearse so that you won’t have to bother with arranging out-of-class times/spaces for your group to meet and work.
Possible Points
Attendance 100 Points Class Participation 100 Mid-Term & Performance 1 (2 @ 100 points each) 200 Choreographer Presentation 100 Reactionary Review 100 Final Project 100__
Possible Total 700 Points
Letter Grade Break-Down
700 to 630 . . .A 629 to 560 . . . B 559 to 490 . . . C 489 to 420 . . . D 419 or less . . . E
NOTE: As with any course, this syllabus will serve as a general guideline for our class. As I get a sense of the class as a whole, we may take detours or tackle other tangents related to our task.
Criteria for Presentations and Reactionary Papers
Presentations
These are oral research papers. Choose a choreographer whose style and/or work really interests you so that you will enjoy researching it, and we will enjoy hearing about it. Here is a list of some of my favorite choreographers, however, you may choose any musical theatre choreographer you like (as long as I okay it):
Bob Fosse (you knew he’d be first) Michael Kidd Twyla Tharp Jerry Mitchell Susan Stroman Jerome Robbins Agnes DeMille Tommy Tune
Tell us everything about your choreographer in terms of:
o The impact on musical theatre as an art form o Any Tony or Drama Desk nominations or wins o What was good or positive about his/her work o What was bad or negative about his/her work o What defines or distinguishes it o Comments upon his/her reputation as a choreographer o Everything interesting and/or extraordinary associated with it
Make sure you use as many of the following as possible:
o Hand-out’s o Illustrations of some sort o Powerpoint Presentations o Video clips o Incorporating a game or interactive exercise into your report o Guest artists (or classmates) to illustrate a point
Presentations should be 12 to 15 minutes long. Do everything you can to make your presentation polished, smooth, and professional. Just be sure to make them seamless and consistently interesting and informative, and stay within the time limit.
Reactionary Paper . Your paper should be AT LEAST 2 (TWO) pages long and double-spaced, using 12-point font. . Do NOT make it less than two pages (even by a few lines)! . If your paper is less than two pages (even by a few lines) it will not be graded you will receive NO points for it. . Include a cover/title page with: Your name Date Show you are discussing Course My name . Do NOT include the above information as part of your two pages.
Content
NOTE: This paper must discuss a live musical theatre choreographic performance of some kind (okay-ed by me) that you have seen during THIS semester! If you submit a paper over a live event prior to this semester, you will receive a grade of “0” for this assignment.
Simply tell me about the things you 1.) liked and/or didn’t like about the production. Then, tell me 2.) exactly WHY you liked or didn’t like the points you’re presenting. Make sure that you use 3.) specific examples and details to support your assertions.
Make sure that you refer to The MLA Handbook for matters of format, grammar, and source citation. As you will be graded on all 3 of those elements plus content, it would behoove you to have someone proof read your paper or if your computer has a Spell Check or Grammar Check, please do take advantage of them!
Final Note: If you are enrolled in more than one class with me this semester, you cannot use the same live performance event for both papers! You must see one live performance event per paper per class and they must all be from this semester!
. Also, as much as you can, try to see something that really might interest you so that your paper will be interesting for YOU to write and for ME to read!