Dance: Movement and Performance

(2 Credits)

This foundational dance course introduces students to the building blocks of movement practice in the service of self-expression and group collaboration, and the body as a frame for practicing physical performance and movement. The class encourages a sensory as well as a mechanical experience for students to build an individualized movement practice in a group setting. These fundamental movement skills will support the sharing of a common movement-based vocabulary: Walking, falling, skipping, jumping, giving and taking weight, and partnering will be among the elements of this embodied practice. Through maintaining the dual focus on creating and learning movement, students will enter the world of physical gestures, movement material, and choreography with an understanding of their importance in all artistic and creative contexts. The course also introduces students to notions of space, time, shape, rhythm, and composition, as components that can be applied to an ensemble, or individual physical practice.