FNAR 267/1-2021/SPRING/DAY - Contemp Dance and Composition

Passcode 204075
 FINE ARTS    
                                 CONTEMPORARY DANCE & COMPOSITION
Professor Dexter Sawyer
FNAR 267
3 credits
T/Th 1:30-2:45 PM
Online in Zoom; Spring 2021

PURPOSE: This class explores current developments & trends in Dance, Theater, & Performance.

DESCRIPTION: You learn the artistic craft of making a dance/performance work on iMovie or other video applications. You learn
      How to create a "motif" & its variation. A motif comes from the motivation behind the movement. It's the movement, gesture, image, or feeling the piece evokes. The motif is the theme of your Composition.
       You incorporate Four Fundamentals -- Body - Energy - Space/Shape/Spirit - Time/Tempo
This is your BEST.
        I will guide each of you from knowledge/information gleaned from Sandra Minton's book Choreography.

GOALS: Create a "state-of-the-art" video performance & online in Zoom class performance.

REQUIREMENTS & SCHEDULE:
        Attendance
        Art Journal Maintenance with Weekly Entries & Sharing -- We will share online/Zoom Art Journaling weekly!
                          Questions to ponder/answer
  •                           Where do Dance trends come from?
  •                           Why do we dance? Why do we create? Why do we perform? Why create Theater?
  •                           Further subjects to address stem from YOUR PERSONAL EXPERIENCE & videos, information I will share...         
  • COMPOSITION 1 -- create a movement phrase that demonstrates two opposing elements; The dynamics of Bound/Flow DUE TBA
  • COMPOSITION 2 -- create a movement phrase that shows two ways to work with Music/or a Sound Track -- e.g. moving on the beat vs "contretemps" or counter the tempo DUE TBA
  • COMPOSITION 3 -- create a movement/visual/image-based piece that ties your two assignments into a "motif" with a Theme & Variation. This will be danced online in class & you must also make an artistic video of it!
Rubric of required elements:
Expressiveness
Inventiveness
Tempo
Dynamic Flow
Levels
Spatial Movement
Directional shifts
Bound/Flow
On the beat & counter the beat
DUE TBA (End of semester)

ASSESSMENT & GRADES:
50% BASED ON ATTENDANCE, IN CLASS PARTICIPATION (we MUST be on camera) 500 points
50% BASED ON PERFORMANCE OF COMPOSITION ASSIGNMENTS, ART JOURNALING, IN CLASS DISCUSSION & SHARING 500 points
Your objective: 1,000 points = A

WE WILL HAVE A GREAT SEMESTER CREATING TOGETHER!!!