[Theater and Rhetoric]

Secondary Concentration in Dance. The dance program emphasizes original, creative work in dance, integrated into the mainstream of a liberal arts education. The secondary concentration in dance consists of six courses or units and other production credits.

The following courses or an equivalent are required:

DANC 250. Twentieth-Century American Dance I.
DANC 251. Dance Composition.
DANC 252. Twentieth-Century American Dance II.
DANC 253A. Dance Repertory Performance I.

One Short Term unit or an equivalent in dance education, such as DANC s29A (Dance as a Collaborative Art I).

One course from among:

Any music or art history course.

DANC 360. Independent Study in Dance.
DANC s25. Ballroom Dance: Past and Present.

THEA 227. Seventies and Eighties Avant-Garde Theater and Performance Art.
THEA 232. Lighting Design: The Aesthetics of Light.
THEA 261. Beginning Acting.
2.5 production credits.

Students are expected to take modern technique and/or ballet twice a week and perform in two productions a year for a minimum of two years.

Technique classes are listed with the physical education department's activity courses and may be taken to fulfill the physical education activity degree requirement. The following classes are generally offered: modern, ballet, hip hop, ballroom, jazz, and African. Participation in the three-week summer Bates Dance Festival is strongly recommended, but not required.

Pass/Fail Grading Option. There are no restrictions on the use of the pass/fail option within the secondary concentration in dance.

General Education. Any one dance Short Term unit may serve as an option for the fifth humanities course.

Courses

DANC 250. Twentieth-Century American Dance I. Dance activity in America presents an overwhelming array of talent and diversity ranging from turn-of-the-century artists such as Isadora Duncan and Ruth St. Denis, through such mid-century innovators as Martha Graham and Doris Humphrey, to Merce Cunningham and the Judson Dance Theater in the sixties. In addition to these artists, the course studies dances from musicals and ballets by choreographers such as George Balanchine, Jerome Robbins, and Agnes De Mille. Most works are seen on video, but students also attend live performances. Open to first-year students. Not open to students who have received credit for Theater 250. Normally offered every other year. Staff.

DANC 251. Dance Composition. Exploration of both the craft and the art of making dances using images, pictures, words, music, and elements of time, space, and energy as sources for improvisations and compositional studies and their applications to group choreography. This course includes discussions, readings, journals, and critiques, and culminates in a project in which each student choreographs a piece that is presented in the theater with costumes and lighting. Open to first-year students. Enrollment limited to 15. Not open to students who have received credit for Theater 251. Normally offered every year. Staff.

AA/DN 252. Twentieth-Century American Dance II. This course focuses on a variety of contemporary questions in dance, including: What is the "body image" that grows out of our culture's view of the body? How do cultural diversity and cultural blending influence contemporary dance? How are gender roles and sexuality finding expression through movement? Discussions center on the ways choreographers and dancers confront these issues. Most works are seen on video, but students also attend live performances. Open to first-year students. Not open to students who have received credit for Dance 252 or Theater 252. Normally offered every other year. Staff.

DANC 253A. Dance Repertory Performance I. Modern dance consists of a plethora of styles with each choreographer's process and technique expressed through his or her work. In this course, students experience three points of view with three different guest artists as each guest artist sets a piece on them during an intensive short-term residency. Students perform each piece informally at the end of each residency and in a formal setting on the stage with costumes and lights at the end of the semester. Recommended background: previous dance experience. This course is offered every other fall in even years. Open to first-year students. Enrollment limited to 20. Written permission of the instructor is required. Not open to students who have received credit for Theater 253A. Staff.

DANC 253B. Dance Repertory Performance II. Modern dance consists of a plethora of styles with each choreographer's process and technique expressed through his or her work. In this course, students experience continued study of three points of view with three different guest artists as each one sets a piece on them during an intensive short-term residency. Students perform the piece informally at the end of each residency and in a formal setting on the stage with costumes and lights at the end of the semester. Prerequisite(s): Dance 253A. Recommended background: previous dance experience. This course is offered every other fall in even years. Enrollment limited to 20. Written permission of the instructor is required. Not open to students who have received credit for Theater 253B. Staff.

DANC 360. Independent Study. Students, in consultation with a faculty advisor, individually design and plan a course of study or research not offered in the curriculum. Course work includes a reflective component, evaluation, and completion of an agreed-upon product. Sponsorship by a faculty member in the program/department, a course prospectus, and permission of the chair are required. Students may register for no more than one independent study per semester. Normally offered every semester. Staff.

DANC 457, 458. Senior Thesis. A substantial project usually in the form of choreography. Students register for Dance 457 in the fall and Dance 458 in the winter semester. Normally offered every year. Staff.

Short Term Units

DANC s25. Ballroom Dance: Past to Present. From 1875 through the turn of the twentieth century, social dancers in America rebelled against proper dance and the court dances of Northern Europe and Great Britain. This gave a new look to dance, introducing exotic, playful music and a new attitude of what social dance in America could be. In this unit, students learn the movements and study the cultures and histories of dances that were inspired by this new music. This unit begins with dances from the early 1900s and continues through ragtime, the Swing Era, the Latin invasion, jitterbug, and disco, to today's dancesport. The unit culminates with three performances based on the swing, the tango, and Latin American rhythms. Open to first-year students. Enrollment limited to 30. Not open to students who have received credit for Theater s25. Normally offered every year. Staff.

DANC s29A. Dance as a Collaborative Art I. The integration of dance and other arts for the purpose of producing a forty-minute piece that is performed mostly for elementary school children. The productions, usually choreographed by guest artists during the first two weeks of Short Term, encompass a wide variety of topics from dances of different cultures to stories that are movement-based. Students participate in all aspects of the dance production necessary to tour for a three-week period of teaching and performing in schools throughout southern Maine. Open to dancers and nondancers. Open to first-year students. Enrollment limited to 25. Not open to students who have received credit for Theater s29A. Normally offered every year. Staff.

DANC s29B. Dance as a Collaborative Art II. Continued study of the integration of dance and other arts for the purpose of producing a forty-minute piece that is performed mostly for elementary school children. The productions, usually choreographed by guest artists during the first two weeks of Short Term, encompass a wide variety of topics from dances of different cultures to stories that are movement-based. Students participate in all aspects of the dance production necessary to tour for a three-week period of teaching and performing in schools throughout southern Maine. Open to dancers and non-dancers. Prerequisite(s): Dance s29A Enrollment limited to 25. Not open to students who have received credit for Theater s29B. Normally offered every year. Staff.

DANC s29C. Dance as a Collaborative Art III. Further study of the integration of dance and other arts for the purpose of producing a forty-minute piece that is performed mostly for elementary school children. The productions, usually choreographed by guest artists during the first two weeks of Short Term, encompass a wide variety of topics from dances of different cultures to stories that are movement-based. Students participate in all aspects of the dance production necessary to tour for a three-week period of teaching and performing in schools throughout southern Maine. Open to dancers and non-dancers. Prerequisite(s): Dance s29B. Enrollment limited to 25. Not open to students who have received credit for Theater s29C. Normally offered every year. Staff.

DANC s50. Independent Study. Students, in consultation with a faculty advisor, individually design and plan a course of study or research not offered in the curriculum. Course work includes a reflective component, evaluation, and completion of an agreed-upon product. Sponsorship by a faculty member in the program/department, a course prospectus, and permission of the chair are required. Students may register for no more than one independent study during a Short Term. Normally offered every year. Staff.

[Theater and Rhetoric]