DANCE 241: Modern Dance Technique I
M/W/F 10-11:50AM
Instructors: Leslie Seiters/Sadie Weinberg
“ Movement is not a symbol for expression, it is expression”- Peggy Hackney, Making
Connections:
Course Description:
Classes will consist of movement combinations and somatic explorations designed to give you a
more embodied knowledge of your anatomy and what it/you can do. A kinesthetic understanding
of efficient movement patterns can allow you to express yourself fully and safely while
expanding your range of movement possibilities. We will cover basic biomechanics, use
imagery, develop our senses, and build our neuromuscular coordination, while also taking time
to let go of it all and enjoy dancing. Writing will be approached as a somatic process designed to
help you deepen your understanding of class material and to use what you learn to further
develop the lens through which you view the performing arts.
Fridays will focus on Phrasework (Phrasework Fridays!) We will spend the majority of
class time learning, studying and performing phrases. Every other Friday we will alternate
between combining classes at the end to perform and spending the end of class in writing
and reflection.
Course Objectives:
1. Learn through dancing
2. Engage in a somatic approach to the process of dancing and cultivating awareness.
3. Gain strength through increased biomechanical efficiency. In other words, learn some
basics about the science of movement so you can work “smarter not harder”.
4. Become more comfortable and facile while inverted and/or off balance.
5. Move three dimensionally within your body and through space.
6. Notice how verbal/touch feedback influences your experience.
7. Play with different relationships to music.
8. Recognize that we are learning as a community and consider how dancing in relationship
affects your own process.
9. Practice communicating verbally and in writing, about contemporary modern dance, our
experience of it and what we see as spectators/audience and members/witnesses in class
as well as performance settings.
10. Extend practice beyond class time-into everyday activities outside the studio.
11. Disconnect from the internet, your cell phone, and other technology so you can focus on
your physical experience in the present moment.
12. Increase flexibility, range of joint motion, efficiency, strength, and stamina
13. Experience gravity, falling, momentum, and weight
14. Refine potential for differentiation, articulation and sequencing of movement
15. Explore relation ships between the following pairs: Mobility/stability, doing/being-doneto, Function/expression, Form/freedom, parts/whole, weight/lightness, inner/outer,
power/grace, thinking/doing, me in dance studio/me outside of dance studio.
Requirements:
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Regular attendance and promptness. (We begin class at 10:05 to allow students a brief
transition time to arrive, say hello’s, leave bags, shoes and phones near the entrance, and
be ready to dance.)
Attentive presence, participation and contributions to the class
Completion of class assignments
Attendance to at least three (suggested) dance performances
Journal (a simple composition notebook is ideal.) We will take time weekly to write and
recall activities, experiences, and learning in class. Simply documenting what you
remember is a way to revive that learning. These journals are to develop capacity to recall
and reflect. Students will refer to these in mid semester and end semester writing. Date
entries.
Evaluation Criteria:
1. Participation/Proficiency (80%):
Please be on time to class. If you are more than 15 minutes late, you will have missed too
much of the warm up to safely participate and must observe and take notes. Students will be
awarded between 1 and 5 points weekly. Point values will reflect students’:
• willingness to engage, physically and verbally
• attitude toward moments of perceived failure and or competency
• level of respect toward other students’ processes and progress
• willingness to safely “try on” certain concepts physically before fully understanding them
mentally
• willingness to take responsibility to remain curious and interested in physical explorations
• attentiveness to others when they speak
• willingness to attempt to articulate their physical experience before it is totally understood
• ability to articulate how experience in class affects or relates to their life outside of class
• willingness to ask questions
4. Concert attendance (5%)
Attend three performances and bring ticket stubs to class.
5. Mid/End Writing:
Mid semester writing (5%) Review journal entries and course objectives. Write a brief statement
about what you have been working on and how you have been working so far this semester. (1
page, double spaced)
End semester writing (5%): Review journal entries, course objectives and mid semester writing.
Specific writing prompts will be given to write a reflection paper. (1 page, double spaced)
6. Documentation of “Buddy Project” (5%)
You are required to write brief report from your 3 chosen activities with your “Buddy.” Submit
these as journal entries on blackboard in “Buddy Project.” Due: last day of exam week.
Dance Division Attendance Policy (from handbook):
• Students are allowed to miss the equivalent of the number of classes held in one week. For
example: courses that meet twice a week will allow two absences for the semester without
penalty. Absences in excess of these, no matter what the cause, will result in lowering of final
grade 1/3 of step, i.e., A to A- per absence.
• Situations such as serious illness, long-term injury, or family emergencies may be dealt with
immediately on an individual basis. Family emergencies require documentation, ie. death
certificate or documentation of hospitalization. In some cases, students will be given an
Incomplete to be made up within a year. In other cases, we may recommend to withdrawal from
the course.
• If you stop attending the course without following procedure you will receive a “U” which
calculates as an “F”.
• Lastly, you are expected to be present in both mind and body. The instructor may mark
you absent If you are physically present, but you are disruptive (i.e. personal discussions
with peers unrelated to class material, engaged in coursework from other classes, or using
electronic devices outside of specific assignments from the instructor).
• You are responsible to keep track of the dates of your tardies and absences throughout
the semester. This information is necessary in the event of any discrepancies regarding
attendance.
Tardies:
• Three tardies equals an absence.
• If you are more than 10 minutes late, you will have missed too much of class to participate and
must observe and take notes (see Observation Protocol, below).
• If you arrive after role is taken, it is your responsibility to inform the instructor at the end of
class, to ensure that you were not marked absent. Observation Protocol:
• If you are ill or injured, you may observe class two times with instructor's consent prior to
class. Detailed notes and observations about the class must be typed and submitted as
journal entry on blackboard by the next class meeting time.
• Notes should go beyond listing class activities.
Observation is a practice, not a passive activity. Pay attention to what the students are
doing in relation to the instructor's directions. Make correlations between what you see, hear, and
personally experience when you are physically participating in the class. How does observing
class further enrich your kinesthetic/cognitive understanding of dance?
Be aware that your presence as a witness greatly influences the class. How can you
observe in a way that contributes rather than detracts from what is happening in the room? View
class from different locations in the room, paying attention with respect and generosity. How
does this kind of attention influence what you notice?
Participate in class discussions. What is your experience?
You must handwrite your notes during class and organize and type them outside of
class. If you check your phone or open your computer or tablet, you will be asked to leave
and marked absent. On rare occasions, you may be asked to take a photo or video and
upload it. These are the only exceptions to this rule.
Students with Disabilities
If you have a hidden or visible disability, which may require classroom or test accommodations,
please see me as soon as possible during a scheduled office hour. If you have not already done
so, please visit Student Disability Services, http://www.sa.sdsu.edu/sds/
Leslie Seiters’ Office Hours:
Monday 2-4 or email me for an appointment:
lseiters@mail.sdsu.edu
and
sweinberg@mail.sdsu.edu