T-Contemp Trends

This studio dance course offers a series of contemporary dance technique master classes with Smith MFA teaching fellows and other dance artists. It is designed to augment students' on-going dance training. Through this course students engage in a wide range of approaches and material in the contemporary dance realm. Each week is a “deep-dive” into a different aesthetic and artistic philosophy. It aims to introduce students to a variety of perspectives on dance and its place in our culture.

Music From Dancer's Perspect

A primary goal is development of the ability to focus on subtle details in music while dancing, teaching, choreographing, or performing. Dancers cultivate an open-mind and skills for imagining many relationships between dance and music. Students improvise music, make up songs, translate choreography into music, and dance with music from various cultures and historical periods. The course emphasizes rhythm, terminology, and categories, meaning in music, and strategies for finding music.

Dance Anthropology

What are social functions of dance? How does the body signify culture? How does movement articulate identities? What forms of knowledge do dance anthropologists produce, and how? Through theories of performance and embodiment, this course illuminates the relationships between self, body, culture, and society. It discusses the nature of fieldwork and ethnographic research in dance, critically examining how contemporary ethnographers negotiate the historical relationship between anthropology and coloniality.

Intermediate Hip Hop

This course journeys through time and allows students to experience in their own bodies the evolution of Hip hop from its social dance roots to the contemporary phenomenon of commercial choreography that Hip hop has become. Using film and text in addition to studio work, this class creates a framework from which to understand and participate in the global culture of Hip hop dance. May be taken twice for a total of four credits. Enrollment limited to 30.

Intermediate Afro-Modern

This course focuses on developing modern dance technique, specifically técnica cubana as conceptualized by Cuban choreographers Ramiro Guerra and Eduardo Rivero. This technique integrates elements from Graham, Cunningham, Limon, ballet, and Afro-Cuban dance, emphasizing improvisation and expressive breathing techniques. Through this course, students enhance their performance and creative skills by exploring various movement qualities, such as spine articulation, body isolations, awareness of gravity, and complex polyrhythms.

Intermediate Tap

This course is structured to deepen students' relationship to the art of tap dance. The course focuses on refining technical and improvisational skills. In addition, the course delves into the historical and cultural context of the art form. Specifically, students hone their practice of technical building blocks e.g. shuffles, paddle-and-rolls, pull backs, rhythm turns, and wings. Students also experiment with various time signatures, polyrhythms, tones, volumes, and tempos to familiarize themselves with the complexities possible in the form.

Intermediate Pointe Technique

This course is an intermediate study of contemporary pointe technique. All students are assumed to have an appropriate level of ballet technique (as covered in the FCDD's ballet courses or the equivalent). The FCD Advanced Placement status is not required however, all students must be concurrently registered for a related two credit technique class and are required to be at the intermediate level in that technique. May be taken up to three times. Meets with DAN 327. Combined enrollment limited to 30.

Intermed Ballet 2

A continuation of DAN 222. Intermediate study of the principle and vocabularies of classical ballet. Class covers both Barre and Center. The primary concepts from the beginning study are developed: body alignment, development of whole-body movement, musicality and embodiment of performance style. All types of turns and various jumps are developed, both petit and grand allegro. Two to three semesters at the intermediate level are recommended before auditioning for Advanced levels. Prerequisite: Previous dance experience. May be taken up to three times.

Intermediate Contact Improv

A duet form of movement improvisation. The technique focuses on work with gravity, weight support, balance, inner sensation, outer awareness, and touch, to develop spontaneous fluidity of movement in relation to a partner. Prerequisite: at least one previous dance technique course or equivalent. Enrollment limited to 25. Instructor permission required.
Subscribe to