DANCE DISCIPLINE
COMPREHENSIVE
PROGRAM REVIEW
2011
Riverside Community College District
Office of Institutional Effectiveness
Web Resources: http://www.rccdfaculty.net/pages/PR_status.htm
1
Table of Contents
A. Mission and Relationship to the College
3
B. History
5
C. Data and Environmental Scan
7
D. Programs and Curriculum
11
E. Student Outcomes Assessment
12
F. Collaboration with Other Units
12
G. Outreach
14
H. Long Term Major Resource Planning
17
I. Summary
17
J. Recommendations to the Program Review Committee
18
2
DANCE DISCIPLINE
COMPREHENSIVE PROGRAM REVIEW 2010-11
A. Mission and Relationship to the College(s)
Based on a learner-centered philosophy, [Riverside City] College fosters
critical thinking, develops information and communication skills, expands
the breadth and application of knowledge, and promotes community and
global awareness.
excerpt from RCC Mission Statement, 2010
The mission of the Performing Arts Department at Riverside City College is to
provide students the means to accomplish their goals in the performing arts
with an educational program that prepares them to contribute as artists,
educators, audience and supporters of the arts. At the heart of the
department are outstanding arts experiences, superior teaching, and access
to valuable aesthetic learning in dance, music, and theatre.
RCC Performing Arts Department Mission Statement, 2009
The traditional goal of liberal education is to prepare students with
discipline-specific knowledge including comprehensive understanding of the
cultural and historical context of that knowledge. Similarly, dance education
not only develops technical skills in future dancers, but it also aims to
prepare individuals who understand the cultural, historical, aesthetic, and
expressive significance of the art form. The presence of a sequential and
systematic dance curriculum in educational programs at all levels is thus an
entirely appropriate educational objective.
National Association of Schools of Dance Handbook, 2002
The mission of the Dance Discipline at Riverside City College is to provide a
comprehensive program of dance appreciation, body awareness and technique,
performance, choreography and repertory to serve the general student
population as well as the dance transfer student. The Performing Arts mission
statement as well as the philosophies of the Dance Discipline help to guide the
students in an understanding of the art of dance, as well as the intrinsic
creative and expressive forces in the performing arts through the
• depth of curriculum;
• supporting artistic experiences, such as performance ensembles, faculty
and student concerts; and
• experienced teaching, mentoring and direction.
3
Critical thinking processes are essential in the arts, whether as a performer,
choreographer/director/composer or as an audience member. To understand
the cultural and aesthetic significance of the art students are practicing and
viewing requires “breadth and application of knowledge” in order to inform and
communicate with works of art. Courses and performances are open and
available to the college, district and community on a regular basis, fostering
outreach throughout the Inland Empire and beyond. As dance is inherently a
global communication tool, RCC Dance performances can be accessed
throughout the world via the internet. Clearly, the practices of the Dance
Discipline directly align with Riverside City College’s Mission Statement.
The RCC Performing Arts Department mission statement declares as a primary
focus “to provide students the means to accomplish their goals...as artists,
educators, audience and supporters of the arts”. Since the demographic of the
general education and dance student changes over time, the Dance Program
responds by including new courses, student activities and performance
opportunities, while maintaining the excellence of traditional practices and
approaches. Although currently hampered by budgetary restraints, a typical
semester at RCC finds the dance studio full of classes, rehearsals, and club
meetings every day of the week from 8:00am to 10:00pm, supported and taught
by dedicated faculty who go above and beyond their term assignments.
In addition, an organization which promotes standards and guidelines for postsecondary dance education is the National Association of Schools of Dance
(NASD). RCC Dance has utilized the NASD handbook and policy papers on
many occasions to help determine a working framework for many of the
operational matters facing RCC Dance, such as curriculum, assessment,
facility specifications and other discipline-specific matters.
Even as RCC and Riverside Community College District have been challenged
recently due to budgetary woes and other concerns, the basic quality and
richness of the student experience at the RCC Dance has not changed
substantially from year to year due to the dedication and ingenuity of the
dance faculty. Budget crisis for the arts in America is modus operandi and as
such, all artists are constantly looking to do more with less. It is not surprising
then, that even in the face of budgetary instability, the RCC Dance program
continues to develop and maintain a “sequential and systematic dance
curriculum in educational programs at all levels”. This continues to be the
mantra of RCC Dance for the foreseeable future, although as more class
sections are cut, the depth of the program and number of students served will
seriously undermine this guiding philosophy.
The discipline of history supports the mission of Riverside Community College
District in its “dedication to the success of our students.”
4
By providing the courses and faculty expertise that our students need and will
benefit from, the history faculty aims to meet the Student Learning Outcomes
of the general education program of the district. 61% of RCCD students have
an indicated goal of transfer, AA/AS or certificate completion. History courses
are required for AA/AS and transfer programs. While not all RCC students
transfer to a four-year college or university, all but one of the history courses in
our curriculum are transfer-level GE courses (History 53 is the exception). Our
courses fulfill general education requirements for transfer to California State
University, University of California, and other public and private higher
education institutions. Course outlines in our discipline all include the stated
learning objective that “students will demonstrate the ability to think
independently, assess historical information reflexively, and reason logically.”
This statement aligns with the district-wide general education learning
objective of “critical thinking.” Our discipline has committed to refining our
curriculum, through incorporation into current course offerings and through
future course development, the opportunity for our students to become
engaged in the ideas of world civilizations and peoples and to become aware of
the contributions of various cultures around the world in the evolving course of
history. This principle aligns with another of the district’s general education
learning objectives of developing students’ “global awareness.”
B. History
For the past 25 years, RCC Dance’s program has successfully served dance
transfer students, pre-professional dance students, general education students
and the dance enthusiast. Portions of Huntley Gym and all of the Eleanor
Crabtree Pilates Building have housed lecture and lab classes, faculty offices,
rehearsals, informal performances and club meetings, while Landis Performing
Arts Center continues as the main concert space. Specific concerts and events
change slightly from year to year based on many factors, such as faculty/guest
artist availability and interest, funding, Landis PAC availability, and
curricular/scheduling patterns, and a general outline was included in the
2006-07 Program review. However, a few major changes should be noted:
• Due to budgetary cutbacks for the 2011-12 academic year, the RCC Dance
Program will significantly reduce concert offerings from four to two: the fall
Faculty concert and spring Student Concert will remain on the schedule.
• One of our main stage productions, World Music and Dance Celebration, has
been replaced with the re-establishment of Intersect Dance Theatre, which is a
faculty-driven, semi-professional, ballet/modern dance fusion dance company
with student apprenticeships. Intersect Dance Theatre auditioned and cast
two main stage concerts from 2009 - 2011, and participated in several
festivals during that time. In the coming year, Intersect Dance Theatre will
5
continue to rehearse, produce new work, and perform in various
festivals/concerts without a supporting concert in Landis PAC.
• After 15 years of producing Dancers for Life, a dance concert featuring
professional dance companies and choreographers donating their
performances to raise funds for the Inland AIDS Project and other AIDSrelated charities, RCC Dance has discontinued this outreach concert.
Instead, the Discipline has turned their fundraising efforts towards student
scholarships in response to rising tuition levels and decreasing financial aid
opportunities for students.
• In Winter, 2011, after much planning and support from the Vice-President of
Academic Affairs, RCCD Foundation, and the City of Riverside, the Winter
Dance Residency was established and featured the contemporary dance
company Lux Boreal from Tijuana, Mexico. The Winter Dance Residency
consisted of Lux Boreal company members involved in the following:
• teaching master classes at select Riverside elementary schools, high
schools and at UCR;
• teaching a module of the Winter Intersession modern dance class on
campus;
• critiquing student choreographers creating original work for the
upcoming spring dance concert; and
• re-setting a piece from the Lux Boreal repertory on a group of
current students, alumni, community members and RCC faculty.
Feedback from the residency was overwhelmingly positive from all contingents
involved, especially from the RCC dance students who participated in the
classes and concert piece. Currently, the committee involved in bringing this
project to fruition envisions the Winter Dance Residency as a recurring event
held every other year.
• At the eleventh hour, RCC Dance’s most senior and respected faculty
member (who had recently been awarded full professorship) decided to retire
and work as an adjunct faculty starting Summer session, 2011. The Dance
program at RCC is due in large part to this faculty member’s tireless work in
the areas of choreography, modern dance technique and Pilates as well as a
director and producer of countless concerts and performance groups. The
artistic excellence and creative spirit embodied by this faculty member will
continue to influence RCC Dance even as her presence is reduced; however, it
is vital for the position to be filled as soon as it is possible. The rationale for
faculty hires as established by the Academic Planning Council is covered in
the Dance Discipline’s Annual Unit Plan, however, it is worth mentioning that
there will be a significant hole in the Dance Program without a full-time
faculty member in the core technique of modern dance, along with
6
choreography and Pilates, as well as the mentorship, vision and direction
expected of each full-time faculty.
As indicated in the 2006-07 Program Review document, two areas seemed
ready for expansion. In both cases, however, the Discipline has reconsidered
its plans based on curricular issues which have developed since. Instead of a
certificate program for an Associate of Arts degree in Dance, the Discipline will
be creating a Dance Major. This will be completed upon the revision of our
curriculum (to be covered in more detail in section D.)
The second goal was to create a certificate program for Pilates Teacher
Training. Research and development of an RCC certificate has been ongoing
for many years, however, several courses have not been written which are
specific to the teacher training program, such as Kinesiology for Pilates. As
section cuts have been implemented term after term, the Discipline has
struggled with moving forward with a certificate program which would basically
force additional cuts of classes with larger caps and a broader appeal for those
with a smaller, targeted audience of teacher trainees. Also, as successful
teacher training programs at comparable institutions were examined it became
apparent two full time instructors are needed in order to teach and administer
the kind of quality certification program that is now standard in the Pilates
industry. At this time, it would be very difficult to be able to rationalize a
dance faculty member to be exclusively designated for the certificate program.
Of course, any new program must have dedicated budget support for
equipment and instructional supplies required by the additional sections and
courses, which would exceed current budgetary allotments. The Discipline will
revisit this expansion as soon as growth becomes possible.
C. Data Analysis and Environmental Scan
One of the benefits of the cycle of Instructional Program Review is accessing the
various data compiled by Institutional Research and noticing trends and
changes from year to year. In the most basic measures of enrollment (retention
and success rates), Full-time Equivalent Faculty (FTEF), Weekly Student
Contact Hours (WSCH), and Efficiencies (WSCH per FTEF), the Dance
Discipline has consistently increased enrollments and efficiencies while
maintaining high levels of retention and success as noted below and in
Appendix A & B:
• Enrollments
From Fall of 2000 - 2010, enrollment has more than doubled. As required
section reductions were being implemented in Fall 2009, enrollment numbers
have remained high even with less sections offered. This is no doubt
7
attributable to many instructors initially adding students above cap,
anticipating typical attrition patterns, but later finding that students were NOT
dropping as in previous years.
• Retention and Success
From Fall 2005 - Fall 2010 the average rate of retention has been 80.9%. Due
to reduced class offerings, it has been noted by Dance Faculty that students
have responded to the cutbacks by staying the course more so than in the
past, so the already positive Dance retention rates have remained high.
Success rates for the past three years have remained stable at or around 70%.
In Fall 2010 the percentage of students who successfully completed Dance
courses is 76.8% which is above the college-wide average of 64%.
• Efficiencies for Fall Term Dance courses offered between 2006-2009 have
increased, currently exceeding the target level of 525.
Other demographic information only confirms what Dance Faculty has been
reporting empirically for the past two years. Students in dance classes reflect
the ethnic make-up of RCC students, according to the latest RCCD data (see
Appendix C.)
Of course, not all institutional data reveals enrollments trends and changes in
any given program or discipline. For instance, in the performing arts, one
critical aspect of enrollment is based on recruitment of students from high
schools in the area. In dance there are a limited number of high schools
offering quality programs in dance, but here are a few: Ramona High School,
La Sierra High School, Valley View High School, and A.B Miller High School.
These potential students often come to the college with intermediate to
advanced levels of proficiency, but require mentoring to make the transition
from the high school dance team to college dance program with a greater
variety of options and levels of responsibility. Due to great efforts by the Dance
Faculty interacting with high school dance students and their advisors, we
have had increasing numbers of students coming to RCC specifically to enroll
in the Dance Program.
Another enrollment trend of note, but not readily quantified in institutional
data files is the explosion of dance in the popular media of late. Dancing with
the Stars, So You Think You Can Dance, and America’s Best Dance Crew have
all piqued an interest in the corresponding technique classes. Dancing with the
Stars exhibits social dance, America’s Best Dance Crew showcases mainly hip
hop, while So You Think You Can Dance presents a plethora of genres,
including modern / contemporary dance technique. Many of these techniques
so highly promoted in the media are offered as courses at RCC and increased
enrollment has been noted during the past three years. Of course, hiring
8
outstanding specialists in these genres has resulted in greater interest as well.
It would appear that consistently high enrollment is an outcome of many
factors.
In examining the discipline’s effectiveness as an integral portion of an
undergraduate liberal arts education for both the general student and the
performing arts major, one of RCC Dance’s greatest strengths is in the balance
between three major areas.
1. Acquiring the various skills and experiences in conjunction with
developing aesthetic considerations through coursework, both in the
classroom and dance studio.
2. Support for the creation of artistic work, which involves space, time,
inspiration and mentoring.
3. The actual artistic output - the product to be viewed and critiqued by
its creators, the performers and the audience. Each of these areas is
critical to developing the artist, the general education student and the
dance enthusiast. If focus and resources shift so that one area is
significantly reduced, the program will not function nearly as
efficiently or effectively as a strong component of the arts in liberal
arts education.
Using the fall faculty dance concert Kinetic Conversations as an example:
Fall Semester Coursework:
-Technique classes
-Repertory classes
-Dance 6
-Choreography
Kinetic Conversations Concert:
-Faculty choreography / performance
-Guest artists choreography / performance
-Student performers see creative process &
rehearsal management of faculty/guest artist
-concert attendance mandatory for Dance 6
& technique students
-forum for work to be viewed & critiqued
by peers, students, general public
-postmortem (full-time faculty & production staff)
9
Support of Creative Work:
-Faculty creation support
with studio time, compensation
(TA or special project), music,
costume, lighting, sets/props,
faculty/student/guest artists
available as performers
-peers, concert & technical
director feedback
-postmortem (choreographers,
director)
This balanced approach allows students and faculty the opportunity to
learn by doing in several key ways. In the category of Coursework,
several populations of dance students cover the content inherent in the
creation and execution of the fall concert. For instance, dancers hone
their skills in technique classes taught by faculty, who will in turn utilize
dancers in Repertory classes. Dance Appreciation students learn to
describe movement using body, energy, motion, space and time terms,
and demonstrate their understanding of these terms by viewing,
discussing and writing short critiques of dance pieces. Utilizing the
concepts introduced in Dance Appreciation, Choreography students
manipulate movement on themselves and others.
The Support of Creative Work: A critical element in the consistent
production of art is the level of support by the sustaining institution.
Historically, the subsidizing of art has been found in the ruling
monarchy and/or religious institutions, as they possessed the resources
to commission work on an ongoing basis. In an academic environment,
support of the visual and performing arts is not just in the assigned
budget lines, but also through scheduling, term assignments, and
production resources. Support is also offered before, during and after the
creation of work by peers and colleagues in the Discipline or related
fields, such as music, theatre, visual art, and creative writing, who may
provide critical feedback and/or collaboration.
One special aspect unique to dance is the role of the choreographer and
the method of creating a dance. Choreography is a shared process - the
choreographer must have bodies in space with adequate time to create,
choose and assemble the material that will become a dance. As dance
critic Deborah Jowitt noted in the documentary, Dancemaker, “A
composer can work on a symphony without an orchestra. Painterstubes of paint sort of lay around until you squeeze them, but dancers are
living, articulate beings...it means that the process of creation is an
extraordinarily social event.” Dancers are not just learning “steps” - they
are taking the essence of the movement selected by the choreographer,
then adapting and interpreting the intent of the work throughout the
rehearsal process.
Once the pieces are presented in the Kinetic Conversations Concert,
written and oral critiques are vital expressions of critical thinking and
analysis. All students enrolled in technique classes, Choreography and
Dance Appreciation are required to attend the concert and critique the
10
pieces in the concert, assessing the work of their peers as performers as
well as the choreography of their faculty. It is important that faculty to
be viewed as active practitioners in the art of dance as choreographers,
directors and mentors by their students. This is the equivalent of
“staying current”: in the field of performing arts, faculty must be afforded
the opportunity to create and perform on a regular basis.
Dancers in repertory class(es) will also critique their own work and the
entire concert in dialogue with their choreographer(s) in feedback
sessions, known as postmortems. Postmortems also occur within the
Discipline and by the Director and production staff. The debriefing
highlights the positive aspects of the concert, as well as the areas which
need improvement, and assists concert directors in their upcoming
productions.
Not only does the postmortem process organically assess the projectbased learning provided by the concert, faculty and student dancers will
receive feedback from the audience - friends, family, college and
community members. This acknowledgement is not to be downplayed or
overemphasized - the work AND the process are important and become
personal and professional benchmarks for faculty and dancers alike.
Last, faculty and students become inspired by the work of their peers
and guest artists, often providing an impetus for the next concert.
This model is repeated with each main stage production, performance
group, and informal in-studio concert produced by RCC Dance every
year. Though the scale of the concert/performance may vary, the three
building blocks of coursework, creative nurturing and the
concert/performance outcome are essential to the ongoing
accomplishments of the dance Discipline at Riverside City College.
D. Programs and Curriculum
RCC Dance is currently in the process of reviewing, updating and deleting
dance courses as a vital element of Program Review. In Spring 2010, all fulltime Dance faculty divided the number of Course Outlines of Record (COR’s)
currently offered to update the assignments portion (which was not required
during our last overhaul of curriculum in 2006.) This also provided each
faculty an opportunity to note any additional changes the Discipline should
consider in regards to adding, revising or eliminating courses.
11
At the same time, all Dance faculty were involved in the assessment cycle of
Student Learning Outcomes (SLO’s). During this process it becomes apparent
that certain SLO’s need to be revisited in order to provide clarity for students
and faculty alike. Bringing feedback back to the table has been enlightening,
especially during the Discipline’s assessment round-table events, held at the
close of Spring ’10 semester.
One other important development in the area of revisiting COR’s and SLO’s
specific to dance came from the State Academic Senate’s plenary session in
April, 2010 in regards to repeatability. The outcome was very disappointing not
only for dance, but for visual/performing arts and physical
education/kinesiology as well, seeing as two resolutions supporting
repeatability in these areas were defeated. As of this writing, the California
Community College Curriculum members are forming a task force with all
relevant disciplines. The task force will attempt to outline the options for
approaching the issues with repeatability, according to David Morse of Long
Beach City College. Regional meetings will then be held in September, 2011 to
receive more input. Clearly, this is an issue that must be addressed statewide
before the Discipline can adequately address the COR’s in order for a complete
and thorough review to take place.
In the meantime, the Discipline has completed entry skill validation for the
limited amount of courses with prerequisites, co-requisites, and limitations on
enrollment. There are a few courses which the Discipline has voted to delete as
they have not been offered in some time with very little likelihood of being
offered in their current form in the near future.
E. Student Learning Outcomes Assessment
No district wide assessment projects exist in dance. There are no Full-time
Dance faculty at Norco College and Moreno Valley College, however, some
adjunct Dance faculty at Norco have participated in assessment activities as a
portion of their Term Assignment(s) at RCC.
F. Collaboration with other units including Instructional, Student
Services or Administrative Units (Internal)
One of the units that has collaborated consistently with Dance throughout the
years has been the Associated Students of Riverside City College (ASRCC).
12
Homecoming, Halloweentown, International Student Reception, and recognition
of Black History Month as well as National Tap Dance Day have all been
successful and rewarding events for RCC Dance student and faculty to
contribute to campus happenings.
Dance has also been invited to perform at other on campus events, such as
Convocation / Presidential Inauguration (in collaboration with the Music
Discipline) and Performance Riverside’s Discovery Theatre Field Trips (Dance
Touring Ensemble’s presentation of “Around the World in a Day” / excerpts
from Celebrate Dance.)
Another long-standing collaboration within the Performing Arts Department
has been the Musical Theatre Dance classes taught in conjunction with the
Summer Conservatory. Full-time and adjunct faculty have taught jazz, tap and
modern dance for middle, high school and college participants in the
Conservatory program since 2000. It is an unfortunate consequence of
budgetary concerns and district policies (most notably the suspension of
concurrent enrollment of high school students) that resulted in the cancellation
of the 2010 Summer Conservatory, but Theatre will have a willing partner
when the Summer Conservatory program resumes in the future.
Dance has also been a partner in the ongoing development of the Riverside
School of the Arts (RSA). According to the RSA website, “Its programs
complement, enhance and expand on the existing degrees and certificates
offered at the [Riverside City] College”. Multiple dance spaces were included in
the initial plan, however, the first-phase facility at the corner of Market and
University Avenues does not contain any studio or performance space for dance
or theatre. In order for dance to have a physical presence downtown, the
Chancellor has been active in viewing suitable space for dance which includes
the possibility of sub-leasing studio space from an existing dance school. Since
dance is space driven, it is crucial to “get it right” in order for dance to be
properly included in any new space identified as RSA.
A key series of courses for the dance transfer students is Choreography I, II,
and III, and the students enrolled in this course sequence have many
opportunities for collaboration on campus. One is the inclusion of “sitespecific” studies: students must find and fully utilize a space on campus that is
not designated as studio or performance space and create choreographic work.
From stairwells to bus stops, the entire campus is a potential canvas for
dancers to fill. Of course, anyone wandering through the location
automatically becomes an unpredictable element in the work. This study, and
other showings during the semester, brings together invited guests from other
departments on campus to offer additional observations and perspectives for
students to consider as they develop their own point of view as choreographers.
Since much of dance is abstract and subjective, having a cross section of
observers and feedback is extremely valuable, and gives those outside the
13
Discipline a unique view of the process of choreography and the varying
approaches of our students.
One of the most successful collaborations has been the Winter Dance
Residency, as mentioned in detail on page 3. The partnership of the
Foundation, Office of Academic Affairs, and Grants & Contracts was fruitful
and a model for future endeavors.
G. Outreach Activities (External)
“If the college and greater community are not aware of our events, we simply do
not have an audience! As such, it has always been in the best interest of RCC
Dance to make its presence known and to seek out educational and
performance opportunities.” Some things bear repeating. This statement, from
the 2006-07 Program Review, is a reminder that dance is a performing art,
designed to be viewed by others, many others, in a variety of formats and
venues. Outreach is an essential facet of the dance program along with many
partners in these endeavors.
The RCC Dance Touring Ensemble (DTE) is the most consistent example of
outreach with other educational institutions and the community. From 1987
to the present, the mission of DTE has been the same - bring the art of dance
to elementary, middle and high school students in an informative, entertaining
45 minutes or less! At selected schools, DTE has also provided master classes
and teacher in-services in addition to assemblies tailored to the particular
needs of the school. Often, DTE assemblies have been the culminating activity
for college week observances at both elementary and middle schools. This is
particularly gratifying as one of the primary messages of the question-andanswer period after the show is to promote the opportunities provided at RCC
in all academic areas.
The year-long residency at Gerald A. Smith Elementary School in Bloomington
was a highlight for DTE in 2006-07. Smith Elementary has received a grant in
order to provide in-depth experience in the arts, and dance was selected as the
discipline for the grant’s inaugural year. In order to serve all of the students at
this multi-track site, the Co-Directors of DTE wrote and choreographed four
different shows (each performed a total of four times) with the thematic thread
of rhythm common to each show. This proved to be immensely challenging typically DTE rehearses during the fall semester and does not begin
performances until midway through winter Intersession and then throughout
the spring semester. The quick turnaround between each show was
challenging and invigorating for the Co-Directors and Ensemble members.
14
DTE is also the “go-to” group for events on campus and in the community due
to the diverse repertory and the versatility of the performers. For example, DTE
was selected to perform (along with a brass quintet and a jazz combo from the
RCC Music program) at the statewide NEW PATHS conference held at the
Riverside Marriott in January of 2011. From Harada Elementary School’s
cultural festival to Corona Soroptimist’s Dreams & Decisions day for CoronaNorco middle school girls, DTE is in demand with our educational and
community partners.
The American College Dance Festival Association presents regional festivals
every year for community colleges, university and conservatory programs. RCC
Dance has sent faculty and students to regional festivals since 1995. Festivals
consist of master classes and seminars, informal and adjudicated concerts and
fantastic opportunities for RCC students to view potential transfer schools and
interact with students and faculty from these institutions. Often RCC Dance’s
adjudicated pieces have been selected to perform in the Gala concert at the
close of the Festival, which is a great honor and speaks to the quality of the
RCC Dance program.
Each year the full-time dance faculty is involved with high school and college
dance programs in the Inland Empire. Ramona, La Sierra, Valley View, and
A.B. Miller High Schools and the University of Redlands have brought in faculty
to teach various master classes and to choreograph them. These programs
also send their students to our concerts (often at reduced group rates) and
other dance events open to the public.
RCC Dance provides master classes and workshops which are open to the
public and publicized through the RCC Dance website, mailing list and Face
Book page. In Summer 2011, four guest artists taught contemporary, modern,
hip hop and ballet master classes to supplement the limited course offerings
due to schedule reductions. On a yearly basis, Pilates workshops are offered
and often feature Karen Clippinger, a renowned Pilates instructor, author and
dance kinesiologist from Cal State University, Long Beach as a presenter.
Certified Pilates instructors earn Continuing Education Units for the
workshops, and the variety of topics are appreciated by those who work with
special populations, in addition to dancers and athletes.
Often, RCC Dance faculty and their choreographic works are invited to
participate in various concerts and projects throughout Southern California.
Two recent examples are the Winter Invitational dance concert at the Rose
Center Theatre in Westminister hosted by Ballet Etudes, and InnerState, a
program managed by ODC Theater of San Francisco aimed to help California
dance companies tour the region. At the Winter Invitational, a work premiered
at Kinetic Conversations was brought to be performed by RCC student dancers
along with pieces from Chapman University, Irvine Valley College and the
15
Charles Maple Ballet Company. For InnerState, a faculty piece was chosen to
be set on BARE Dance Company, a professional dance company from Orange
County, for performances in Temecula as well as being featured in a
documentary about the InnerState program.
Intersect Dance Theatre also participated in outreach in 2010-2011. Company
members taught master classes with RCC Dance high school and college
partners, and performed a piece created for the February, 2011 Intersect Dance
Theatre concert at the Professional Invitational Dance Concert at Golden West
College.
Additional outreach activities include:
• RCC is one of the Southern California sites for Cornish College of the Arts
spring audition tour;
• participation by Choreography and dance students at the monthly Riverside
ArtsWalk;
• faculty have been guest teachers and lecturers at the Boulder Jazz Dance
Festival, held every summer at the University of Colorado;
• professional choreographers and faculty from various Southern California
university dance programs serve as adjudicators for the Celebrate Dance
student choreographers mid-semester showing; and
• RCC dance faculty are on the advisory committee for A.B. Miller High School’s
Conservatory (Career Technical Education program).
Future outreach activities are exciting and inspiring despite the unstable
economic climate and the potential lack of institutional funding. The newest
outreach project is participation in a James Irvine Foundation grant. The
grant, awarded to the San Diego Dance Theatre, is to create two site-specific
community dance projects in partnership with the dance communities in
Stockton and Riverside, modeled after San Diego Dance Theater's Trolley
Dances. RCC Faculty, students and space will be utilized to present for these
dances “on the go”, currently slated for October, 2012.
Of course, depending on funding availability, the second Winter Dance
Residency project is proposed for winter intersession, 2013. The City of
Riverside provided monetary support for the first Winter Dance Residency
program and it is anticipated that RCC Dance (through the RCCD Foundation)
will apply again for financial support through the City of Riverside Arts and
Culture Grant Program.
16
H. Long Term Major Resource Planning
A substantial resource that must be mentioned here as a District-wide need is
the “renovation and significant upgrade to [Landis Auditorium’s] aging
infrastructure” (RCC Long Range Facilities Master Plan, 3.51). Landis
Performing Arts Center is the District’s only facility with the capacity of just
under 1,200 seats, and as such is constantly in use by RCC, the District and
outside groups. Safety, ADA compliance and other considerations are of
utmost importance given Landis PAC’s high rate of usage by the Faculty, staff,
students and community.
For the Dance program, a renovation of Huntley Gym, also included in the RCC
Long Range Facilities Master Plan, is long overdue. The aging, overcrowded
facility has long-standing plumbing, safety and accessibility issues which affect
not only the Dance Program, but Physical Education/Kinesiology classes and
their certificate programs, and Athletics.
I. Summary
1. The main goal for the Dance Program in the next four years is obtain
funding equal to the amount of ASRCC funding that, until 2011-12, has
been the main source of support for our main stage productions. Prior to
1994-95, Dance was housed in Physical Education, and the corresponding
budget lines did not cover production-related costs. ASRCC Budget
Hearings became the main avenue by which RCC Dance (first as a Club,
later as an Organization) requested and received monetary support, which
continued as Dance moved into the Performing Arts Department.
Associated Student funding has decreased dramatically for RCC as a whole
starting this year (Dance’s allotment from 2006-08 was $20,000 - this year
funding was cut to $8,720.) Although this is inopportune timing, it is
nonetheless time to address the inequity of funding for dance concerts and
events, which are tied directly to curriculum and course offerings. Both the
Music and Theatre disciplines have comparable college budget lines which
fund their productions and festivals, and Dance should be included in this
dispersement of funding, not solely reliant on Associated Student funding.
2. Creation of a Dance Major is the second priority for RCC Dance. This will
require the support from the College by the replacement position of retired
faculty. The teaching areas of modern dance and choreography are key to
maintaining a strong program for transfer students. In the meantime,
current Faculty and adjunct faculty will fill the gaps, but this is not optimal
in the long run and will hurt the successful transition of transfer students,
especially if there are more budget / section cuts in the near future.
17
3. Revisiting the establishment of a Pilates Teacher Certification program (as
mentioned in section B) will be ongoing. Funding will be a key factor, as
well as faculty, but one should never rule out possible partnerships with the
Pilates industry and/or linkage with certification programs already in place.
J. Recommendations to the Program Review Committee
The only recommendation to the RCC Program Review Committee is to include
an informational Program Review session as one of the offerings at both Fall
and Spring semester FLEX days. In years past, Program Review sessions have
been included in the District-wide Retreats and limited to Department Chairs
and Co-Chairs. Since Program Review is intended to be a time for discipline
vision as well as reflection and data analysis, it would be of great benefit for all
faculty within a particular discipline to be aware of the parameters of the
Program Review process from the start, rather than just one designated contact
person.
18