28 courses with the subject DANC, 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.
DANC 001008. Performance Practicum
Students participating in the Ursinus College Dance Company will take part in an intensive rehearsal process in preparation for performance at the Ursinus College Dance Company Concert (UCDC). Opportunities each semester could include working with faculty members, working with professional guest artists, and participating in selected student choreography. The company will represent a range of dance styles that varies by semester. It is highly recommended that students participating in UCDC also take a dance technique course. Enrollment is by audition or permission of instructor. Students may repeat this course for credit. Graded S/U. Four hours per week. One semester hour. (A; may be used to partially fill requirement.)
This course is designed to broaden students’ understanding and appreciation of dance in the United States and throughout the world. Students will explore a wide variety of styles and forms, including modern, ballet, global forms, post-modern, jazz dance, hip-hop and social/vernacular dance. Through the study of major choreographers and dance trends the course will address the diverse creativity of individual and cultural expression through the art of dance. This course involves both critical analyses of performance and theory as well as practical dance experience. Three hours per week plus one hour arranged production related activity per week. Four semester hours. (A, DN.) DANC/HS-200. Modern Dance: All Levels The course explores foundational movement techniques in modern dance. Class sessions will focus on the basic principles of dance movement, including alignment, coordination, whole body awareness, musicality, and locomotion through space. Students will develop increased body awareness, flexibility, strength, and ease within a broad movement vocabulary. May be taken more than once for credit. Three hours per week. Two semester hours. (A; may be used to partially fill requirement.)
This course is designed to explore the technique of individual and group movement improvisation as a performing art and a compositional tool. Course work will focus on the development of individual expression through structured exercises with influences from a variety of arts disciplines including dance, theater, creative writing, music and visual art. Students will practice skills in individual and group movement generation and response with an ultimate goal of interacting in the present moment with full embodiment and kinesthetic awareness. Course requirement includes weekly journal responses and reading assignments. Open to all levels. May be taken two times for credit within the dance major or minor curriculum. Four hours per week. Two semester hours. (A; may be used to p
This course explores the theory, practice, aesthetics and historical foundations of hip hop culture. The focus of this course will be to learn the proper movement technique and execution of hip hop dance and its historical and contemporary applications. May be taken more than once for credit. Three hours per week. Two semester hours. (A, may be used to partially fill requirement.)
This neo-traditional West African dance course explores the movement, rhythms and cultural context of selected dance traditions. The course will provide an active dancing experience with live African drum accompaniment. In accordance with common West African traditions, students will participate in full community engagement with their classmates and learn the cultural context of each dance and rhythm studied. May be taken more than once for credit. Three hours per week. Two semester hours. (A, may be used to partially fill requirement.)
In this studio course, we will study the past, present, and future of rhythm tap dance through the techniques and Black American histories, traditions, and legacies that have established and continue to sustain the form. While learning fundamental steps and foundational routines, we will interact with various media curated to introduce some of rhythm tap’s important people, happenings, and places. As we move through the course, essential music theory, methods for rhythm analysis, and approaches to improvisation will remain topics of focus. Additionally, we will closely examine the work of contemporary tap artists to identify how the form is being cared for and how Black traditions are being used to shape innovations and new approaches. Class time will be devoted to physical p
In this advanced studio course, we will engage in a fast-paced study of rhythm tap dance technique and the Black American histories, traditions, and legacies that have established and continue to sustain the form. In addition to learning and working to master complex historical repertoire, we will work on improvisation and explore physical approaches at various tempos, in different time signatures, and within diverse genres/ musical contexts. In order to understand current applications of the form, we will watch and analyze the work of both historical and contemporary tap artists as we design combinations, phrases, and short solos of our own. This course may be taken more than once for credit. Prerequisites: Extensive tap dance experience is required to enroll in this course.
The course addresses a contemporary approach to ballet training, designed to develop whole body awareness in the student. The warm-up opens, extends, and integrates the body by focusing on alignment, breath and movement efficiency. Students will build strength, flexibility and coordination by incorporating barre exercises, center floor work, and across the floor dance combinations. May be taken more than once for credit. Three hours per week. Two semester hours. (A; may be used to partially fill requirement.)
An intermediate/advanced level course in ballet technique. Students will develop the ability to clearly articulate ballet movement vocabulary and gain a sense of dynamic phrasing in performance. The course will focus on developing technical skills including amplitude, extension, rotation, and correct alignment. Extensive previous ballet training or permission of instructor required. May be taken more than once for credit. Three hours per week. Two semester hours. (A, may be used to partially fill requirement.)
This course celebrates jazz dance as a passionate, expressive and continuously evolving form. Inspired by vernacular dance and music, the class explores movement sourced from a wide range of music such as swing, blues, jazz, ragtime, rhythm and blues, soul, funk and contemporary. Students will increase their technical skills as well as deepen their stylistic sophistication. May be taken more than once for credit. Three hours per week. Two semester hours. (A; may be used to partially fill requirement.)
An intermediate/advanced level course in jazzdance technique. Students will gain an understanding of the stylistic range and complexity of jazzdance, in combination with developing technical and performance skills including musicality, expressive individual performance, and mastery of jazzdance vocabulary. Students will learn to approach jazzdance from a somatically sophisticated base, integrating elements from current and classical movement techniques with a deep understanding of the body. Prerequisite: Extensive previous jazz dance training or permission of instructor required. May be taken more than once for credit. Four hours per week. Two semester hours. (A, may be used to partially fill requirement.)
In this course, students will work with a dance faculty member to create a performance for the Ursinus College Dance Company Concert (UCDC). Students will take part in weekly rehearsals as active members of a collaborative creative process. Students may be expected to conduct outside research for the development of the piece, keep a weekly journal and write a reflective analysis about the development of the work. The course is geared toward intermediate/advanced dancers with considerable performance experience. Enrollment is by audition or by instructor’s permission. May be taken more than once for credit. Four hours per week. Two semester hours. (A; may be used to partially fill requirement.)
An intermediate/advanced level course in modern dance technique. Students will gain an understanding of the stylistic range and complexity of modern dance, progressing toward virtuosity and confidence through technique, stamina, movement quality, performance aesthetic, improvisation, musicality and style. This course in intended for students with considerable experience in modern dance. Prerequisite: Extensive modern dance training or permission of instructor required. May be taken more than once for credit. Three hours per week. Two semester hours. (A; may be used to partially fill requirement.)
This course offers an active movement experience in selected dance styles not regularly offered in the curriculum. Techniques will vary by semester. May be taken more than once for credit. Three hours per week. Two semester hours. (A; may be used to partially fill requirement.)
DANC 260Special Topics in Dance: Theory and Practice
This course will focus on a specific topic within the field of dance not covered in other courses in the curriculum. Four hours per week. Four semester hours. (A.)
The course is a historical study of the origin and development of 20th and 21st century Modern Dance as a reflection of the individual, society and culture. The course will focus on the forces, processes, and personalities that influenced dance during this time. Students will develop a critical understanding of the major trends in the development of modern dance and will make connections between embodied modern dance movement and historical, socio-political, cultural, and aesthetic contexts. Prerequisite: DANC-100 or permission of instructor. Three hours per week. Four semester hours. (A, DN, H.)
This course investigates a variety of compositional concepts and practical structures as a foundation for making dances. Course work will take influence mainly from modern and post-modern ideologies to investigate the relationship of form and content in creative process and performance development. Students will practice generating and manipulating movement through the study of basic elements such as space, time, energy, shape, imagery, thematic intention and improvisation, with an ultimate goal to find an awareness of one’s own aesthetic tendencies and creative potential. In addition to creating in-class assignments and creative development work outside of class, course requirements include journal responses, reading and viewing assignments, and a final public performance. P
This course will examine the theory and practice of various collaboration techniques used in the art of contemporary performance making. The course is open to students of all majors and will include research and seminar discussion as well as a major group project component. Potential discipline contributions from students for assignments may include dance, theater, music, creative writing, visual art, mixed media and technology. Classes will consist of active collaboration practice in the studio (which will include movement exercises) as well as discussions of assigned readings or videos and presentations of creative work. This course is designed for students with considerable experience in their artistic medium and will culminate in a public performance and presentation. May
The course is designed to provide methods for the instruction of a variety of dance genres and styles, with particular emphasis on modern dance. The course will focus on several dance education settings/populations: dance studios, K-12 public school education, private school education, after school programs, and community arts center programs. The particular context for shaping local, state, and national arts education policy is addressed as related to curriculum reform and government grants. The course format will enable students to develop theoretical and somatic knowledge in dance as well as provide practical lesson planning and teaching experiences. This course in intended for students with considerable experience in a particular dance genre. Prerequisites: DANC-100 or pe
This course investigates the unique origin and evolution of jazz dance in America. The course will follow the chronological development of jazz dance, including: African dance and music source material; African American vernacular dance forms; the relationship to jazz music; the contributions of specific choreographers and styles; and the impact of popular entertainment, such as vaudeville, musical theater, films, television, and music videos. Students will develop an understanding of jazz dance in the United States as related to socio-political and cultural contexts in the 20th century and the beginning of the 21st century, including a study of race and gender relations and the dynamics of power and privilege. Throughout the course of the semester, students will have the opp
DANC 340The Thinking Body: Somatic Theory and Practice
This course investigates the theoretical study and embodied practice of somatic movement techniques that explore the mind/body relationship. Students will learn various methods of somatic theory and apply these principles to identify their own habitual movement patterns, develop their sense of proprioception and kinesthetic awareness, and deepen their anatomical and physiological understanding. These somatic methods can be applied to enhance the skills of the performing artist, as a tool for injury prevention, and to improve everyday health and wellness. The course will include lecture/discussion sessions as well as active movement explorations. Open to all majors. Recommended for juniors and seniors. Four hours per week. Four semester hours. (A.)
DANC 350Special Topics in Dance: Advanced Theory and Practice
This course will focus on a specific topic at an advanced theoretical or critical level within the field of dance not covered in other courses in the curriculum. Four hours per week. Four semester hours. (A.)
Individual work on a project related to the study of dance. Prerequisites: Written consent of a department faculty member. Graded S/U. 40 hours of research. One semester hour. Note: This course may be taken more than once.
Individual work on a project related to the study of dance. Prerequisites: Written consent of a department faculty member. Graded S/U. 80 hours of research. Two semester hours. Note: This course may be taken more than once.
DANC 461Advanced Directed Studies/ Research in Dance
Advanced individual work on a project related to the study of dance. Prerequisite: eight credits of 300-400 level course work in dance, demonstrated competence in the specific area of study, a written proposal and permission of a department faculty member who will serve as project adviser. 120 hours of research. Three semester hours.(XLP.) Note: This course may be taken more than once.
DANC 462Advanced Directed Studies/ Research in Dance
Advanced individual work on a project related to the study of dance. Prerequisite: eight credits of 300-400 level course work in dance, demonstrated competence in the specific area of study, a written proposal and permission of a department faculty member who will serve as project adviser. 160 hours of research. Four semester hours.(XLP.) Note: This course may be taken more than once.
This work is open to candidates for departmental honors and to other students with the permission of the departmental chair. Four semester hours. (XLP.)
A continuation of DANC-491, culminating in a written and oral presentation of a major research project. Prerequisite: DANC-491. Four semester hours. (XLP.)
