Setting:
This class would be available to able and disabled bodies of students at the college age or above. Beginners to advanced movers are welcome to share in the experience. The ideal space is at least a 50 x 30 ft well lit dance studio with marly or sprung wooden floors. Access to a flat grassy space and traversing areas outdoors is necessary for sight specific class lessons and practice. Access to projection and internet are necessary to supplement some lessons.
COURSE DESCRIPTION:
What are the benefits of creating more awareness and presence in our bodies? How does this impact our experience within the world? This course seeks to utilize yoga and meditation as a consistent movement/embodied practice in combination with the spontaneity of improvisational movement and the wisdom of metaphors. This fusion hopes to create a grounded approach to movement by exploring presence, perception, sensory awareness and mindfulness. Techniques based in contemplative and modern dance (as well as some basic acrobatic skills) will also be utilized to further create tactics regarding gravity, momentum, proximity, relationship, effort, shape and space. The use of imagery and metaphor will challenge and inspire the connection of mind, body and visual literacy while adding to one's physical vocabulary. This class hopes to cultivate awareness of one's various cultural settings and the ways in which we navigate through them. With an emphasis in studio practice, this class will also engage in reading, video supplements and discussions.
COURSE OBJECTIVES:
REQUIRED:
*A Meditation Pillow (Think of this as your text book for class)
*Paper notebook and pen/pencil for class notes (vs. laptop or other electronic devices)
Class Etiquette/Studio Care
Dress Policy
Criteria for Success
Attendance Policy
Participation is the only way to meet the objectives of this course.
Class Schedule Over 15 Weeks: 2 classes per week, expect an ongoing Meditation and Yoga practice to begin each class
Week 1: Introduction to Class, Breath, Initiating Movement
Week 2: Introduction to Syllabus/Expectations, Yoga/Meditation/Improvisation
Week 3: Image Based Improvisation
Week 4: Metaphor to Image to Movement/Creative Process
Week 5: Contemporary Metaphorical Movement, Work in Groups
Week 6: Group Showings of Contemporary Metaphorical Movement Project, Intro to Silence
Week 7: Working in Silence, Opening of the senses
Week 8: Space and Place, Somatic Movement
Week 9: Group Meditation/Improvisation: Four Postures
Week 10: Insertion Improvisation/Place and Space Video Project Research, 1 class time to work
Week 11: Place and Space Video Showings
Week 12: Walking Yoga/Movement/Improvisation
Week 13: Cumulative Practice
Week 14: Project Research and Development
Week 15: Final Culminating Creative Group Project Showings
Injury If you are injured during class, stop dancing immediately and bring it to the attention of the instructor. If you have an injury or other medical reason that prevents you from physically participating in class, please let the instructor know before class; you may observe class and complete an in-class observation assignment. Only two observations per semester will be allowed. Please submit observation notes at the end of class for full participation credit. See instructor if you’ve sustained a long-term injury, as an incomplete or withdrawal may be needed.
Tactile Work
This class may involve tactile hands on work between instructor and/or student and student to student as a part of the learning process. If you are not comfortable with this type of “hands on” training, please speak with your instructor privately.
Grading
A+ 97 - 104%
A 93 - 96%
A- 90 - 92%
B+ 87 - 89%
B 83 - 86%
B- 80 - 82%
C+ 77 - 79%
C 73 - 76%
C- 70 - 72%
D+ 67 - 69%
D 63 - 66%
D- 60 - 62%
F 0 - 59%
A+, A, A- denotes excellent mastery of the subject and outstanding scholarship.
B+, B, B- denotes good mastery of the subject and good scholarship.
C+, C, C- denotes acceptable mastery of the subject and usual achievement expected.
D+, D, D- denotes borderline understanding of the subject, marginal performance, and does not represent satisfactory progress toward a degree.
F denotes failure to understand the subject and unsatisfactory performance.
Assignments
Growth, Development and Active Participation: 40%
Discussions: 10%
Projects: 10% EACH
Dance/Experiential Response Paper: 10%
Midterm/Final Reflection Papers: 10%
-This syllabus is subject to change. Students will be notified in advance of important changes that could affect grading, assignments, etc.
As your Instructor, I am committed to providing a classroom atmosphere that encourages the equitable participation of all students regardless of age, disability, ethnicity, gender, national origin, race, religion, or sexual orientation. Potential devaluation of students in the classroom that can occur by reference to demeaning stereotypes of any group and/or overlooking the contributions of a particular group to the topic under discussion is inappropriate and unacceptable.
This class would be available to able and disabled bodies of students at the college age or above. Beginners to advanced movers are welcome to share in the experience. The ideal space is at least a 50 x 30 ft well lit dance studio with marly or sprung wooden floors. Access to a flat grassy space and traversing areas outdoors is necessary for sight specific class lessons and practice. Access to projection and internet are necessary to supplement some lessons.
COURSE DESCRIPTION:
What are the benefits of creating more awareness and presence in our bodies? How does this impact our experience within the world? This course seeks to utilize yoga and meditation as a consistent movement/embodied practice in combination with the spontaneity of improvisational movement and the wisdom of metaphors. This fusion hopes to create a grounded approach to movement by exploring presence, perception, sensory awareness and mindfulness. Techniques based in contemplative and modern dance (as well as some basic acrobatic skills) will also be utilized to further create tactics regarding gravity, momentum, proximity, relationship, effort, shape and space. The use of imagery and metaphor will challenge and inspire the connection of mind, body and visual literacy while adding to one's physical vocabulary. This class hopes to cultivate awareness of one's various cultural settings and the ways in which we navigate through them. With an emphasis in studio practice, this class will also engage in reading, video supplements and discussions.
COURSE OBJECTIVES:
- To demonstrate personal growth in body-centered awareness through the skills and fundamentals of Meditation, Yoga and Dance Improvisation, and to translate this knowledge into other movement techniques, unique expression and open-bodied/open-hearted movement in everyday life.
- To express an increased understanding and facility of one's spontaneous movement choices through improvisation and authentic expression.
- To develop and demonstrate kinesthetic intelligence within individual and group exercises while recognizing the deep-rooted knowledge movement can recall.
- To examine the abilities and tools necessary in proposing ones own unique practice of body-centered awareness through meditation, yoga, daily improvisation and use of metaphor.
- To employ a practice of seeking movement based experiences and community beyond the classroom via performances, yoga studios, dance studios etc.
REQUIRED:
*A Meditation Pillow (Think of this as your text book for class)
*Paper notebook and pen/pencil for class notes (vs. laptop or other electronic devices)
Class Etiquette/Studio Care
- Arrive on time, in proper dress and remove shoes before entering the studio.
- NO CELL PHONES Please. This class has a mindfulness ritual of placing phones on AIRPLANE MODE at the beginning of each class.
- No food, drink or gum. Water in re-closable bottles is allowed and encouraged.
- Treat yourself, other students, the instructor and the space with respect.
- Email etiquette includes: listing the class name or number in the subject line, addressing the instructor by name and also signing your name. Please allow 24 hours for a response.
Dress Policy
- Form fitting & suitable for movement attire.
- No oversized clothing.
- No shoes or hats.
- Hair needs to be confined and out of the students' face.
- No large jewelry, including watches.
- Kneepads and a towel are recommended to have available.
Criteria for Success
- Be professional.
- Work hard - what you put in, is what you will get out.
- Bring organization, preparation, and concentration to the process - this begins once you enter the room.
- Be open, honest and positive and receptive to others being open, honest, and positive.
Attendance Policy
Participation is the only way to meet the objectives of this course.
- Active Participation is REQUIRED.
- Active Participation will be assessed every class.
- If you are not present when attendance is taken you will be considered absent. Please check with instructor at the end of class to make sure this is corrected. More than 30 minutes late is an absence.
- Tardy Policy: If you are late to class by 15 minutes or more you will not be allowed to physically participate in the class. This is for your own personal safety as the first 15 minutes is crucial to preparing your body to dance without injury for the rest of the class. You will be permitted to observe the class for partial participation credit for the day. To receive partial credit, you will complete a written assignment as assigned by the instructor due at the end of class. If the tardy observer is being disruptive to the class or using their cell phone the instructor can ask them to leave, which in turn gives them an absence for the day.
- Leaving Early Policy: If you leave early (before the end of class), there will be a deduction from your active participation grade for that day. Please let the instructor know in writing if you have class immediately following this class on a different part of campus so you may promptly exit class with no penalty.
- If unable to dance, with instructor permission, one time you may ‘actively’ observe for full credit. You will complete a written assignment as assigned by the instructor due at the end of class.
- UMD approved religious days are excused. (Travel time not included.) You are still responsible for material covered during your absence. Please refer to the UMD list of approved religious holidays.
- There are NO makeup classes.
Class Schedule Over 15 Weeks: 2 classes per week, expect an ongoing Meditation and Yoga practice to begin each class
Week 1: Introduction to Class, Breath, Initiating Movement
Week 2: Introduction to Syllabus/Expectations, Yoga/Meditation/Improvisation
Week 3: Image Based Improvisation
Week 4: Metaphor to Image to Movement/Creative Process
Week 5: Contemporary Metaphorical Movement, Work in Groups
Week 6: Group Showings of Contemporary Metaphorical Movement Project, Intro to Silence
Week 7: Working in Silence, Opening of the senses
Week 8: Space and Place, Somatic Movement
Week 9: Group Meditation/Improvisation: Four Postures
Week 10: Insertion Improvisation/Place and Space Video Project Research, 1 class time to work
Week 11: Place and Space Video Showings
Week 12: Walking Yoga/Movement/Improvisation
Week 13: Cumulative Practice
Week 14: Project Research and Development
Week 15: Final Culminating Creative Group Project Showings
Injury If you are injured during class, stop dancing immediately and bring it to the attention of the instructor. If you have an injury or other medical reason that prevents you from physically participating in class, please let the instructor know before class; you may observe class and complete an in-class observation assignment. Only two observations per semester will be allowed. Please submit observation notes at the end of class for full participation credit. See instructor if you’ve sustained a long-term injury, as an incomplete or withdrawal may be needed.
Tactile Work
This class may involve tactile hands on work between instructor and/or student and student to student as a part of the learning process. If you are not comfortable with this type of “hands on” training, please speak with your instructor privately.
Grading
A+ 97 - 104%
A 93 - 96%
A- 90 - 92%
B+ 87 - 89%
B 83 - 86%
B- 80 - 82%
C+ 77 - 79%
C 73 - 76%
C- 70 - 72%
D+ 67 - 69%
D 63 - 66%
D- 60 - 62%
F 0 - 59%
A+, A, A- denotes excellent mastery of the subject and outstanding scholarship.
B+, B, B- denotes good mastery of the subject and good scholarship.
C+, C, C- denotes acceptable mastery of the subject and usual achievement expected.
D+, D, D- denotes borderline understanding of the subject, marginal performance, and does not represent satisfactory progress toward a degree.
F denotes failure to understand the subject and unsatisfactory performance.
Assignments
Growth, Development and Active Participation: 40%
- Skills, Alignment and accepting feedback
- Improvement, proper attire, arrival/leaving on time
- Presence in class, active participation and journal writing
- Innovation and willingness to add unique perspectives to class
Discussions: 10%
- Presented topics to be written in journal and brought to class discussion
- Video/reading/experientials discussed in class
- There will be 8 class discussions over the span of the course
Projects: 10% EACH
- Contemporary Metaphorical Movement Group Project
- As a group you will decide on current happenings/issues in the world and will work to discover a solution through metaphorical movement - it will be performed or shown as a video in class
- How can the group use metaphor through movement to explore, engage and express a contemporary happening in culture? How can the process itself teach us choices of engagement?
- Minimum 4/5 minutes to be presented in class
- Image Based Metaphor to Movement Project: Space and Place
- Choosing metaphors, students will work to create an image from this in class
- A movement phrase will then be created from this image using ideas of space, effort, dynamic, relationship, etc
- A video project will be created based on each groups decision regarding metaphor in the use of place, space and imagery
- The video will be presented in class - minimum 4 minutes
- Culminating Creative Group Projects
- Groups will demonstrate their knowledge of the tools learned in class via video, presentation or the combination of both
- Groups will demonstrate a clear creative process in working together to connect the class lessons, including references utilized
- A performance, experience, video or a combination of these will be presented in class, Minimum 5 minutes
Dance/Experiential Response Paper: 10%
- Must attend either one dance experience or one yoga experience/class in the community
- 1-2 page response paper due 1 week after experiential
Midterm/Final Reflection Papers: 10%
- One response of reflection due at midterm/One final self assessment/reflection due at final - 2/3 pages each
- ASSESSMENT:
Evaluating a movement class is, at best, subjective to some extent. What is important is your commitment to the process, personal improvement, your willingness to go beyond personal boundaries, and your contribution to a focused concentration and thorough embodiment. There are grey areas and many things open to perception in this work, your awareness and ability to stay present with yourself in witnessing your own experience is very important and crucial to personal development in this class. - Final Personal Practice Assignment Due with Final Reflection Paper
- An embodied and present centered daily/weekly personal practice plan
- A developed understanding of consistent yogic practice and plan for integration into life schedule
- Use of image, improvisation and metaphor should also find its way into your plan
- ASSESSMENT:
-This syllabus is subject to change. Students will be notified in advance of important changes that could affect grading, assignments, etc.
As your Instructor, I am committed to providing a classroom atmosphere that encourages the equitable participation of all students regardless of age, disability, ethnicity, gender, national origin, race, religion, or sexual orientation. Potential devaluation of students in the classroom that can occur by reference to demeaning stereotypes of any group and/or overlooking the contributions of a particular group to the topic under discussion is inappropriate and unacceptable.
