Columbia University in the City of New York · Courses
DNCE BC
71 courses with the subject DNCE BC, each shown exactly as we captured it from the college's catalog, with every element we hold. Where the wording looks broken, that is our reading of the catalog, not the college's text.
DNCE BC1135BALLET I2.00
This course is designed for the absolute beginner or the student returning to ballet class after a lengthy hiatus and is intended to familiarize the student with the classical ballet terminology, to foster independence in this particular vocabulary, to introduce the historical context of the Western art form and conventions of a ballet class. Learning the physical practice of this centuries-old craft will give the student basic classical ballet terminology as well as gaining an anatomical understanding of the body
This course is designed for the absolute beginner or the student returning to ballet class after a lengthy hiatus and is intended to familiarize the student with the classical ballet terminology, to foster independence in this particular vocabulary, to introduce the historical context of the Western art form and conventions of a ballet class. Learning the physical practice of this centuries-old craft will give the student basic classical ballet terminology as well as gaining an anatomical understanding of the body
This course is designed for the student with prior beginning ballet study, knowledge of the basic ballet vocabulary and the ability to process a combination with relative proficiency. During this semester you will be introduced to an expanded vocabulary, with focused attention will increase your technical ability, work with dynamics and speed, may work with a partner to analyze a movement combination or may be asked to produce and present a combination in class
This course introduces students to urban dance styles, focusing on the foundations and origins of hip-hop dance, street dance culture, and the physical vocabularies of hip-hop and freestyle dance. Classes are geared to condition the body for the rigors of hip-hop technique by developing strength, coordination, flexibility, stamina, and rhythmic awareness while developing an appreciation of choreographic movement and structures. Compositional elements of hip-hop will be introduced and students may compose brief movement sequences
This course is designed for movers with little or no experience with dance, or who are unfamiliar with modern dance styles. It is intended to introduce modern dance techniques, terminology, and historical context, as well as improve anatomical and spatial awareness, and foster physical confidence moving to music. Students of this course will also cultivate comfort with watching, interpreting, and discussing modern dance. Love of dance is not a prerequisite, but is definitely a goal
This course is designed for movers with little or no experience with dance, or who are unfamiliar with modern dance styles. It is intended to introduce modern dance techniques, terminology, and historical context, as well as improve anatomical and spatial awareness, and foster physical confidence moving to music. Students of this course will also cultivate comfort with watching, interpreting, and discussing modern dance
This course is designed for movers with some experience with dance, or who are unfamiliar with modern dance styles. It is intended to introduce modern dance techniques, terminology, and historical context, as well as improve anatomical and spatial awareness, and foster physical confidence moving to music. Students of this course will also cultivate comfort with watching, interpreting, and discussing modern dance. Love of dance is not a prerequisite, but is definitely a goal
This course is designed for movers with some experience with dance, or who are unfamiliar with modern dance styles. It is intended to introduce modern dance techniques, terminology, and historical context, as well as improve anatomical and spatial awareness, and foster physical confidence moving to music. Students of this course will also cultivate comfort with watching, interpreting, and discussing modern dance
Tap I is a beginning level tap class for students with some previous dance or movement experience. We will cover basic tap technique, proper use of the body to enhance sound quality and style, a variety of music styles and structures, and improvisation
This course is designed for intermediate dancers who are interested in maintaining their established ballet technique as well as advancing their knowledge and familiarity with the classical vocabulary. Students of Ballet III should have completed two semesters of Ballet II or it’s equivalent, or one semester of Ballet III or its equivalent, and have a firm mental and physical understanding of barre exercises (plié, battement tendu, battement dégagé, rond de jambe à terre, battement fondu, frappé, and grand battement), as well as general center concepts such as adagio, waltz, pirouettes, and petit allegro (including changement, glissade, jeté, and assemblé). This is a graded, semester long, two credit course
This course is designed for intermediate dancers who are interested in maintaining their established ballet technique as well as advancing their knowledge and familiarity with the classical vocabulary. Students of Ballet III should have completed two semesters of Ballet II or it’s equivalent, or one semester of Ballet III or its equivalent, and have a firm mental and physical understanding of barre exercises (plié, battement tendu, battement dégagé, rond de jambe à terre, battement fondu, frappé, and grand battement), as well as general center concepts such as adagio, waltz, pirouettes, and petit allegro (including changement, glissade, jeté, and assemblé). This is a graded, semester long, two credit course
This course is designed for advanced intermediate dancers who are interested in maintaining their established ballet technique as well as advancing their knowledge and familiarity with the classical vocabulary. Students of Ballet IV should have completed two semesters of Ballet III or its equivalent, or one semester of Ballet IV or its equivalent, and have a firm mental and physical understanding of ballet technical exercises. These include all barre exercises (plié, battement tendu, battement dégagé, rond de jambe à terre, battement fondu, battement frappé, and grand battement), as well as center exercises including adagio, waltz, pirouettes, petit allegro, and grand allegro. Focus of this class will be on how to practice ballet safely, efficiently, musically, and joyfully. This is a graded, semester long, two credit course. This class is offered in person only, and no remote learning option will be available
This course is designed for advanced intermediate dancers who are interested in maintaining their established ballet technique as well as advancing their knowledge and familiarity with the classical vocabulary. Students of Ballet IV should have completed two semesters of Ballet III or its equivalent, or one semester of Ballet IV or its equivalent, and have a firm mental and physical understanding of ballet technical exercises. These include all barre exercises (plié, battement tendu, battement dégagé, rond de jambe à terre, battement fondu, battement frappé, and grand battement), as well as center exercises including adagio, waltz, pirouettes, petit allegro, and grand allegro. Focus of this class will be on how to practice ballet safely, efficiently, musically, and joyfully
This class explores contemporary jazz movement using music from both American and Diasporic pop culture. Students can expect to work on technique, performance, groove, musicality, and retention of choreography (additional emphasis on story-telling). There will be opportunities for discussions of professional development pertaining to navigating a career in dance (auditioning, submissions, agencies/representation, etc) on evaluation days
In This JAZZ ll Level Course, You will develop a solid understanding within your body that demonstrates advanced fundamentals, rhythm, technique, connectivity and phrasing necessary to communicate each movement. You will learn new phrases and dynamic material while continuously applying technical information. We will delve deeper into technique preparing your body to perform more efficiently and effectively at a higher rate while reducing the risk of injury. Prerequisites: DNCE BC1247, BC1248 or permission of instructor
Prerequisites: Intermediate level of dance or permission of the instructor. This Course introduces intermediate level students to urban dance styles, focusing on foundations and origins of hip-hop dance, street dance culture, and the physical vocabularies of hip-hop and freestyle dance. Classes are geared to condition the body for the rigors of hip-hop technique by developing strength, coordination, flexibility, stamina, and rhythmic awareness, while developing an appreciation of choreographic movement and structures. Compositional elements of hip-hop will be introduced and students may compose brief movement sequences. The course meets twice weekly and is held in the dance studio. Prerequisite: Intermediate level of a dance form or permission of the instructor
In West Africa, dance is part of daily life. It is used to mark occasions such a birth, death, harvest, and marriage. It is also used to unite the community in times of crisis. West African dance is not as much a strict technique as it is a movement coming from the spirit and the rhythm of the drum and the energy of the people. While there are certain steps that go with specific rhythms, it leaves space for the individual interpretation and improvisations which is an important element. Dancing is more about the communication between dancer and drummer. The movement of West African dance tends to be energetic and big. It is very expressive, and the energy is outward. Some African dance steps are taken directly from daily activities such as planting or hunting. Most, however, are an expression of joy or release of the spirit. Dancing is done by communicating with a drummer to create positive energy. It is a way to enjoy oneself and each other. In African dance, the name of the dance is the same as the name of the rhythm played by the drummer. The individual steps that make up the dance do not have names. In this course, we are going to be learning various West African dances such as Sikko, Socco, Kuku, Mandiany, Farakorroba, Sunu, Soli, Lamba, Mandjo, Diambadong, Doundounba, Kaolask, Thieboudjeune, Niarry---gorong, Ekongkong, Wolossodong, Zaouly, Ngorong, Niakka, Maraka, Djansa and Lengeng/Kutiro
Prerequisites: DNCE BC2252 or permission of instructor. In West Africa, dance is part of daily life. It is used to mark occasions such a birth, death, harvest, and marriage. It is also used to unite the community in times of crisis. West African dance is not as much a strict technique as it is a movement coming from the spirit and the rhythm of the drum and the energy of the people. While there are certain steps that go with specific rhythms, it leaves space for the individual interpretation and improvisations which is an important element. Dancing is more about the communication between dancer and drummer. The movement of West African dance tends to be energetic and big. It is very expressive, and the energy is outward. Some African dance steps are taken directly from daily activities such as planting or hunting. Most, however, are an expression of joy or release of the spirit. Dancing is done by communicating with a drummer to create positive energy. It is a way to enjoy oneself and each other. In African dance, the name of the dance is the same as the name of the rhythm played by the drummer. The individual steps that make up the dance do not have names. In this course, we are going to be learning various West African dances such as Sikko, Socco, Kuku, Mandiany, Farakorroba, Sunu, Soli, Lamba, Mandjo, Diambadong, Doundounba, Kaolask, Thieboudjeune, Niarry-gorong, Ekongkong, Wolossodong, Zaouly, Ngorong, Niakka, Maraka, Djansa and Lengeng/Kutiro
Bharatanatyam is typically studied as a theater dance form, and as a spiritual practice. In this class, traditional and contemporary teaching approaches are combined to introduce the participant to an overview of technical and performative aspects of the form. An example of the adjusted structure of the classes is that we begin each class with hatha yoga based stretches and dance warm ups that specifically target the kind of joint articulation that the form presupposes. We focus on the basic stance, the ardha-mandi, along with the technique of stamping as exemplified in the series of adavu, (basic combinations of hand, foot and rhythmic movement.) Following the progressive difficulty of the adavu system itself, more challenging combinations of hand and footwork will be introduced. Head and eye techniques will be introduced first in isolation then in combination. The last stage of this class involves learning a short abstract dance to music especially pre-recorded for a particular version of a dance genre and adjusted for difficulty level. This is in order to experience how the parts of the technique are integrated and to experience the state of performing. Students will be invited to perform at informal showings
This course introduces students to the African-based dances of Cuba, including dances for the Orisha, Rumba, and the immensely joyful “Rueda de Casino” style of Salsa. In addition to learning rhythms, songs, and dances, we will have an ongoing, informal discussion about the historical and contemporary significance of Afro-Cuban dance performance, making connections to personal experience through practice and ongoing reflection. We engage Afro-Cuban music and dance as a living and evolving tradition, where culture, artistry, and history are intimately bound
DNCE BC2256Advanced Explorations in AfroCuban Dance2.00
An upper-level exploration of Afro-Cuban Dance focused on performance. Building on the foundation of Afro-Cuban Dance: Orisha, Rumba, Salsa, this course is a deeper dive into aesthetic principles, cultural themes, and improvisation as performance in the African dance context. Students explore multiple distinct dances and learn to engage the storytelling and cultural significance of each dance through improvisation with the drums. The course culminates with final, in-class presentations. Open to experienced movers and students who have completed Afro-Cuban Dance: Orisha, Rumba, Salsa. Permission of instructor required
DNCE BC2260HIP HOP DANCE ＆ CULTURE III (ADVANCED)2.00
Advanced technique and repertory in hip hop. Classes are geared to condition the body for the rigors of hip-hop technique by developing strength, coordination, flexibility, stamina, and rhythmic awareness, while developing an appreciation of choreographic movement and structures. Compositional elements of hip-hop will be introduced and students may compose brief movement sequences. The course meets twice weekly and is held in the dance studio
Modern III continues training in contemporary/modern technique for the beginning-intermediate level dancer, emphasizing alignment and musicality while expanding on the dancer’s physical and intellectual understanding of articulation, phrasing, dynamics, performance and focus. Our class will incorporate relevant principals from classical modern techniques along with contemporary aesthetics, improvisation and reflection. Our class aims to create a space that is in support of your artistic development, aesthetic fluency, and creative explorations as a dancer
Modern III continues training in contemporary/modern technique for the beginning-intermediate level dancer, emphasizing alignment and musicality while expanding on the dancer’s physical and intellectual understanding of articulation, phrasing, dynamics, performance and focus. Our class will incorporate relevant principals from classical modern techniques along with contemporary aesthetics, improvisation and reflection. Our class aims to create a space that is in support of your artistic development, aesthetic fluency, and creative explorations as a dancer. Prerequisites: Intermediate experience in ballet and/or contemporary modern
Modern IV is a contemporary technique class for the intermediate to advanced-intermediate level dancer, emphasizing alignment and musicality while expanding on the dancer’s physical and intellectual understanding of articulation, phrasing, dynamics, performance, and focus. Our class will incorporate relevant principles from classical modern techniques with contemporary aesthetics, improvisation, and reflection. Our class aims to create a space that is in support of your technical and aesthetic development as a dancing practitioner, performer, and creator
Modern IV is a contemporary technique class for the intermediate to advanced-intermediate level dancer, emphasizing alignment and musicality while expanding on the dancer’s physical and intellectual understanding of articulation, phrasing, dynamics, performance, and focus. Our class will incorporate relevant principles from classical modern techniques with contemporary aesthetics, improvisation, and reflection
Course Description: This intermediate Contemporary Caribbean Dance class draws from different Caribbean dance styles. This Caribbean fusion class explains different cultural dances, focusing on African Diaspora principles and practices such as syncopation in body and in music. Based on many of the dance of the Caribbean Islands, students learn to identify dances and rhythms that draw from traditions, such as Arara, Palo, Salsa, Rumba, Tambu, Tumba, Merengue, Reaggaton, Cha Cha Cha, Zouk and Afro Dance, as well as more contemporary styles such as “Technica Cubana” and learn to apply them in contemporary combinations. The course is designed for students who have some dance training and are looking to widen their understanding of different dances and learn to use different body parts that are not traditionally used in modern dance but are recognizable in Jazz, hip hop and current offerings in popular
Tap II is an intermediate level tap class for students who have at least 2 years of tap dance training. We will cover tap technique, proper use of the body to enhance sound quality and style, a variety of musical genres and structures,classic tap dance routines, and improvisation. The prerequisite for Intermediate Level Tap is previous experience in intermediate level tap classes. Students on this level are assumed to have mastered tap basics, be comfortable with intermediate level technique, and must be ready to learn at a slightly accelerated pace
Pilates for Dancers is a full-body, low impact exercise class based on the work of Joseph Pilates, including movement concepts from Rudolf von Laban and Irmgard Bartenieff. We’ll work on a yoga or Pilates mat doing exercises and movement sequences that build strength, flexibility, coordination and clarity in the body. The class is suitable for dancers, athletes and movement enthusiasts. A Pilates ring is highly recommended. A limited number of Pilates rings will be available in class. This course may not be appropriate for those with spine, neck, and shoulder injuries. If you have any of these types of injuries, kindly present a doctor’s note clearing you for participation in the class
Through guided practice-based lessons in Awareness Through MovementÒ (ATM), students develop sensory awareness of habitual neuromuscular patterns resulting in increased movement efficiency, improved skill acquisition, and greater strength, coordination, and flexibility. Applicable to all dance styles and activities
Moving with the Voice is an interdisciplinary creative exploration using the voice, improvised and created music, dance, and theater. Students will explore extended vocal techniques, gesture, character and musical structures (e.g. hockets, rounds, rhythms, deconstructions) within both a solo and ensemble framework, composing their own soundscapes and creating their own voice/movement/theater work through improvisation, individual assignments and in-class assignments. Certain assignments will be inspired by the work of Meredith Monk or the percussion show Stomp. The course is suitable for students interested in music, dance and theater, and also for those interested in improving their public speaking skills. Open to all levels of experience. A willingness to sing is required
Prerequisites: Basic knowledge of dance techniques in ballet or modern. The purpose of this course is to introduce students to the fundamentals of biomechanics as it relates to various dance forms. As biomechanics is a branch of physics, the course will include basic mathematical concepts, and some knowledge of geometry and trigonometry is recommended. The course will explore applicable functional human anatomy and will cover the application of biomechanical principles to both qualitative and quantitative description of human movement. Additionally, it will provide an understanding of how biomechanics can be applied in terms of physical ability and wellness, giving students the opportunity to apply the knowledge to themselves
This course introduces foundational concepts in movement science as applied to dance, integrating biomechanics, motor learning, neuroscience, and movement analysis to better understand mastery of complex motor skills. Students will develop an understanding of movement sciences which will equip them as aspiring movement professionals and dancers with tools for mastery of dance and choreographic technique, injury prevention, and health sciences research. Through lectures, discussions, movement exploration, and lab-based experimentation, the course bridges scientific and artistic perspectives. Students engage with motor learning theory, as well as quantitative, qualitative, and mixed-method approaches for analyzing movement performance through introduction to technologies such as video analysis, wearable sensors, and 3D motion capture. The course also examines dance as a health art, highlighting evidence-based dance interventions used in neurological rehabilitation and health promotion
Continued study of choreography as a communicative performing art form. Focuses on the exploration of ideas and meaning. Emphasis is placed on the development of personal style as an expressive medium and unity of style in each work. Group as well as solo compositions will be assigned
Investigates the multicultural perspectives of dance in major areas of culture, including African, Asian, Hispanic, Indian, Middle Eastern, as well as dance history of the Americas through reading, writing, viewing, and discussion of a wide range of resources. These include film, original documents, demonstration, and performance
Prerequisites: Previous dance experience is necessary, a comp course in the dpt is preferered, permission of instructor This course covers basic music theory, ear training, and literature, incorporating practical exercises in which students apply musical understanding to compositional and performative modalities of movement. Students will investigate the elements of music that drive dance, the expressive influence dance can have on music, and the vital reciprocity between both activities. Emphasis will be placed on an historical survey and analysis of western musical forms from the Middle Ages to the present as well as influential music from other cultures, expanding students’ awareness of the aural characteristics of a variety of musical styles while giving historical context and critical perspective on contemporary popular styles. In addition to lectures and reading requirements, the course involves listening assignments and in-class exercises structured to develop basic musical literacy and skills. Students will be introduced to multiple approaches to listening and to creating music through a combination of studio practice, theoretical study and analysis. Exploration of musicality as perceived by performer and audience will be covered, as well as learning conventional music terminology
Study of the cultural roots and historical contexts of specific communities using New York Citys dance scene as a laboratory. Students observe the social environments in which various modes of dance works are created while researching the history of dance in New York City. Course includes attendance at weekly events, lecture-demonstrations, and performances
DNCE BC3000FROM PAGE TO STAGE: DANCE ＆ LITERATURE3.00
This course explores how dance and other forms of embodied performance adapt literature, as well as how dance serves as inspiration for the written word. What is retained, what is lost, and what is enhanced when moving bodies enliven literature, or when literature seeks to capture the motions of dance? How does choreography transform the constituent parts of literature, from characters and plot to the rhythms of language? How do words and movement collaborate to tell the stories of such disparate figures as lovers, monsters, migrants, and robots, and in modes that range from the pastoral to the autobiographical to the comic? To answer these and other questions, we will read short fiction, plays, and poems, focused largely on the nineteenth and twentieth centuries; and watch numerous genres of dance, including ballet, experimental dance, dance-theater, musical theater, hip hop, silent film, and puppetry. To explore the conceptual relationship of body and text, students will gain introductory exposure to theories of narrative, performance, adaptation, and more. "Page to Stage" welcomes, and is geared toward, students from any disciplinary background
Focuses on the history of theatre dance forms originating in Europe and America from the Renaissance to the present. Includes reading, writing, viewing, and discussion of sources such as film, text, original documentation, demonstration, and performance
Ballet V, a technique course for the high-intermediate, advanced-level dancer, continues to refine and strengthen advanced-level technical skills, with a particular focus on alignment, musical phrasing, and the dancer's artistic voice in both practice and performance. Movement exercises at the barre, connecting to center work, will continue to build the dancer’s progression toward fluency in their craft. Ballet V will also explore longer movement phrases in the center, which may be practiced in solo or group form. Taking barre or center en pointe may be an option for those with advanced or professional experience in pointework, with the instructor's permission
This course is for the intermediate advanced dancer. Material presented will focus on healthy anatomical alignment in barre work, extended combinations in the center, fostering personal artistic expression, and integrating improvisation in combinations with the ballet vocabulary. Clarification, analysis and repetition are fundamental elements for a sound technique of any dancer and are the foundation of this course. Center work will include attention to shaping adagio work, multiple turns in the large poses, batterie, and extended grand allegro
This course is for the intermediate advanced dancer. Material presented will focus on healthy anatomical alignment in barre work, extended combinations in the center, fostering personal artistic expression, and integrating improvisation in combinations with the ballet vocabulary. Clarification, analysis and repetition are fundamental elements for a sound technique of any dancer and are the foundation of this course. Center work will include attention to shaping adagio work, multiple turns in the large poses, batterie, and extended grand allegro. You may be assigned the construction and presentation of exercises, which will be explained in detail further into the semester. You will be assigned a grading exercise at the end of the shopping period and will get written observations from me
This course is for the advanced dancer. Material presented will focus on healthy anatomical alignment in barre work, extended combinations in the center, fostering personal artistic expression, and integrating improvisation in combinations with the ballet vocabulary. Clarification, analysis and repetition are fundamental elements for a sound technique of any dancer and are the foundation of this course. Center work will include attention to shaping adagio work, multiple turns in the large poses, batterie, and extended grand allegro
Variations class is a course for the intermediate to advanced dancer. As in all other ballet classes, there will be a focus on correct physical alignment, proper technique and musicality. The added challenges in this course will be the pointe shoe technique, creative choreographic choices, and musical phrasing. The class will include variations based on works ranging from Petipa to Balanchine to today’s choreographers. Dancers will explore personalizing already known works, pushing the boundaries of the pointe shoe, examining how choreography has evolved and developing the stamina required to execute a full variation. Learning material rapidly while paying attention to the stylistic demands of each choreographer’s works and being able to shift from one stylistic choice to another is simply expected
Seeing the Body: Movement and Physicality in Modern Visual Culture investigates how shifting experiences and awareness of the body in movement, space, and time in daily city life played prominent roles in the emergence of the urban visual culture of the interwar years (1919-1939), contributing a “choreographic voice” to the age. We will also examine how contemporary interactions with visual/digital culture in the local and global spaces we inhabit relate to the tumultuous interwar visual landscape. Our lecture-format course, which includes the critical study of relevant texts, photographs, images, films, with group discussions, individual and collaborative analyses, and research projects, is also cross-listed with the Art History and Urban Studies Departments and satisfies selected elective requirements
Prerequisites: DNCE BC2248x, y or permission of instructor. In This JAZZ llI Level Course, You will develop a solid understanding within your body that demonstrates advanced fundamentals, rhythm, technique, connectivity and phrasing necessary to communicate each movement. You will learn new phrases and dynamic material while continuously applying technical information. We will delve deeper into technique preparing your body to perform more efficiently and effectively at a higher rate while reducing the risk of injury. Prerequisites: DNCE BC2248 DNCD BC 2249 or permission of instructor
Prerequisites: DNCE BC1137x, BC1138y, BC1332x, BC1333y, or Permission of instructor. Intermediate level in modern or ballet technique is required. The study of contemporary flamenco dance technique with special emphasis on improvisation and performance. Through video and reading assignments and attendance at live performances, students will also develop a context for understanding flamenco art, pedagogy, and culture
DNCE BC3331NOW. Moving in the Moment: An Introduction to Dance Improvisation3.00
There are as many reasons to improvise as there are cultures. People from all over the world have turned to improvised dance for personal, social, and political reasons. Improvisation is equally as useful in developing self-expression as it is in forming community and mutual understanding. It can be a vehicle for discovering more about our world by heightening our senses and awareness. It can be a mind-puzzle, as practitioners devise creative constraints for the purposes of producing structure and clarity. Whatever the reason for improvising, all practitioners share a sense of questioning and curiosity. This course will cover five units of study, each one aimed at exploring a different function of improvisation: self- expression; music and space; our bodies and environment; structure and cognition; and community-building. Learning in the classroom will rely on reading texts and viewing images and videos, written work, peer-to-peer learning and self-directed inquiry. In the studio, students will be given different exercises and prompts to explore and refine. By the end of the semester students will understand how improvisation occurs and how it differs from codified or prescriptive work, and why different people choose to improvise. They will also be able to develop and perform their own improvisatory work, drawing from the skills learned over the semester
This contemporary technique class invites students into an embodied practice focusing on a daily physical experimentation and challenge. Emphasis will be placed on corporeal ways to explore questions around propelling, listening, connecting, healing, and action. This course offers a chance for students to use their sensatorial experience to reflect on individual pathways/ desires for expression while, challenging the body to take risks and practice as their movement knowledge expands. Emphasis on sensation, initiation, and weight will be introduced in a floor or standing warm-up that will expand to a standing exploration of the transition between form and space. A focus will be to continue our development of a strong-grounded technique with healthy placement that moves with ease in and out of the floor. We will continue to develop our true embodied relationship to environment, people, and time
This contemporary technique class invites students into an embodied practice focusing on a daily physical experimentation and challenge. Emphasis will be placed on corporeal ways to explore questions around propelling, listening, connecting, healing, and action. This course offers a chance for students to use their sensatorial experience to reflect on individual pathways/ desires for expression while, challenging the body to take risks and practice as their movement knowledge expands. Emphasis on sensation, initiation, and weight will be introduced in a floor or standing warm-up that will expand to a standing exploration of the transition between form and space. A focus will be to continue our development of a strong-grounded technique with healthy placement that moves with ease in and out of the floor. We will continue to develop our true embodied relationship to environment, people, and time
Improvisation is an open level, movement based class in which students will learn collaborative improvisation tools, skills, practices, and mindset through experience, reflection, practice, and generation. Deep play, support for others, and a willingness to experiment and reflect are key in this discovery based course
This contemporary technique class invites students into an embodied practice focusing on a daily physical experimentation and challenge. Emphasis will be placed on corporeal ways to explore questions around propelling, listening, connecting, healing, and action. This course offers a chance for students to use their sensatorial experience to reflect on individual pathways/ desires for expression while, challenging the body to take risks and practice as their movement knowledge expands. Emphasis on sensation, initiation, and weight will be introduced in a floor or standing warm-up that will expand to a standing exploration of the transition between form and space. A focus will be to continue our development of a strong-grounded technique with healthy placement that moves with ease in and out of the floor. We will continue to develop our true embodied relationship to environment, people, and time
This contemporary technique class invites students into an embodied practice focusing on a daily physical experimentation and challenge. Emphasis will be placed on corporeal ways to explore questions around propelling, listening, connecting, healing, and action. This course offers a chance for students to use their sensatorial experience to reflect on individual pathways/ desires for expression while, challenging the body to take risks and practice as their movement knowledge expands. Emphasis on sensation, initiation, and weight will be introduced in a floor or standing warm-up that will expand to a standing exploration of the transition between form and space. A focus will be to continue our development of a strong-grounded technique with healthy placement that moves with ease in and out of the floor. We will continue to develop our true embodied relationship to environment, people, and time
Prerequisites: Limited to twenty people. Examination of the gender-neutral partnering technique that is now common in contemporary dance. Focus is placed on recent improvisatory forms, sensation building, center connection and risk. Emphasis is placed on listening and sensing rather than controlling or leading. This course will introduce the exploration of a partnering technique that is enriching for the mind and body. Contact Improvisation is not only an important tool for the dancer as it informs the body how to move with weight and connection and is required by most contemporary styles – it is also a technique that informs the artist in us all as it emphasizes listening, trust, and spontaneous creativity. In this course, students will use contact to support the creation of most duets, trios, and larger group dance. Focus is placed on recent improvisatory forms, sensation building, center connection, and finding the safe edges of risk as well as applying these studies to creation and expression. Students in this course will explore their own weight and how it relates to other bodies by listening as well as employing emotional, psychological, and cultural structures to their improvisation. Emphasis is placed on listening and sensation rather than controlling or leading. Students will explore the dynamic ride and risk taking of improvisation and trusting another body by giving and taking weight. Contact Improvisation is open to all students
Prerequisites: DNCE BC2447, BC2448, or permission of instructor. Tap III is an advanced level tap class for students who have 5 or more years of tap dance training. We will cover tap technique, proper use of the body to enhance sound quality and style, a variety of musical genres and structures, and improvisation
DNCE BC3500Broadway’s New York: A Cultural History of the City on Stage3.00
This course explores the intertwined histories of Broadway and New York City, examining the theater as both a cultural stage and a lens for imagining urban life. By analyzing landmark musicals and plays set within the five boroughs, students will investigate how the "Great White Way" reflects shifting social landscapes and operates as a central pillar of the city's economics, tourism, and cultural identity. Students will engage with the material through traditional lectures and screenings, supplemented by immersive field experiences including museum, archive, and theater tours
Prerequisites: Must have taken a Dance Department Composition course, have some dance training. This experiential, hands-on course requires all students to choreograph, dance, and film. Focusing on single-shot film-making, the duet of the camera and the dance will create an understanding of the interaction between the two, enabling students to create a final short film
Focuses on collaborative creation as conceptual artists, choreographers, improvisers, and performers with an emphasis on site-specific projects and experimental methods. Spring 2026: DNCE BC3566 Course Number Section/Call Number Times/Location Instructor Points Enrollment DNCE 3566 001/00566 M W 1:10pm - 2:25pm 110 Barnard Hall Caroline Fermin 3.00 10/15
A range of dance genres, from the traditional to the innovative, co-exist as representations of Indianness in India, and beyond. Identities onstage and in films, morph as colonial, national, and global contexts change. This course zooms from micro to macro views of twentieth century staged dances as culturally inflected discourse. We review how Indian classical dance aligns with the oldest of performance texts, and with lively discourses (rasa as a performance aesthetic, Orientalism, nationalism, global recirculations) through the ages, not only in India but also in Europe, Britain and America. Throughout the course, we ask:- How is culture embodied? How do historical texts configure dance today? How might they affect our thinking on mind-body, practice-theory, and traditional-contemporary divides? How does bodily patterning influence the ways that we experience our surroundings and vice versa? Can cultural imaginaries instigate action? How is gender is performed? What are dance discourses?
This course offers intensive practice in writing on dance and explores a range of approaches to dance criticism from the 1940s through today. Starting from the premise that criticism can be an art form in itself, we ask: What are the roles and responsibilities of a critic? How do our own identities and experiences inform how we see and write? With the proliferation of dance in digital spaces, what new possibilities arise for dance criticism? Class meetings include discussion, writing exercises, and peer workshops. Assignments involve viewing performances outside of class
Why do we dance—in groups, as couples, on our own, and in genres that range from ballroom dance to hip hop? How does the collective experience of dance create and transform community, produce subcultures or diasporas, and facilitate conformity or rebellion? This course approaches such questions by treating both reading and dancing itself as complementary modes of critical inquiry: we will divide our time between reading history, theory, memoirs, literature, and more; and actually learning and doing social dances of the past and present that have provoked upheavals in social orders. We will study dances that range across history while focusing on the twentieth century and present day, spanning topics that include Renaissance choreomanias, French-Caribbean minuets and contradances, the “wicked waltz,” “animal dances” of the ragtime era, lindy hop, salsa, voguing, viral dances of social media, and contemporary clubbing. Through the constant interplay of critical reading and critical dancing, we will query the power dynamics, historical forces, European and African aesthetics, and more, that intersect in social dances across history, and indeed in our own bodies. This introductory course welcomes students from any discipline, and of all abilities
This course is designed as a workshop in both immersive devising and performance skills, revolving around the creation and execution of an immersive experience. Through a collaborative devising process, students will explore possibilities of environmental, site-specific, experiential, and ambulatory design. Students will develop compositional structures and strategies for creating content, create and develop embodied characters, as well as design and physically navigate the particular architecture of a performance environment. Students will also hone skills specific to interactive performance such as maneuvering audience, gaze, breath work, and choice making and improvisation within the parameters of storytelling
Research and scholarly writing in chosen topics relating to dance. Methods of investigation are drawn from prominent archival collections and personal interviews, as well as other resources. Papers are formally presented to the Dance Department upon completion
Prerequisites: Audition. Do not register for this course until you have been selected at the audition. Subject to cap on studio credit. Can be taken more than once for credit up to a maximum of 3 credits a semester. Students are graded and take part in the full production of a dance as performers, choreographers, designers, or stage technicians
The course can be taken for 1-3 credits. Students are graded and take part in the full production of a dance as performers, choreographers, designers, or stage technicians
