This module provides the student with the opportunity to study dance techniques and/or performance styles. Through practical sessions and seminars the student will develop an embodied and conceptual understanding of specific dance techniques and/or performance styles.
The student will learn and consolidate the technical foundations of specific dance forms; learn the terminology used in class and develop an understanding of the role and function of:
(i) Dance technique as a key foundation to the development of dance and artistic practices.
(ii) Dance class as a site for the development of skills and preparation for performance.
The module is designed to develop the students' reflective practice via seminars and tasks. The seminars will introduce students to a range of theories and approaches to reflective practice (eg. Schon, Pollard, Gibbs, Crawley) and the importance of reflective practice in learning processes and skills development. The tasks will develop the students' awareness of reflective practice via written exercises, discussions and the compilation of a reflective blog or reflective journal.
The module is delivered via practical sessions and seminars. In addition to the allocated contact hours, students develop their own practice in independent study that engages reflexively with materials and concepts studied in class.
The module provides students with:
a) A physical understanding through practice of the foundational technical principles of techniques and/or performance styles.
b) The ability to engage in reflective practice and critical evaluation of their own performance in relation to the principles and theories embedded in dance techniques and performance styles.
Each week this module provides one hour for the supplementary technique class scheme (STS).
| Definitive UNISTATS Category | Indicative Description | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Scheduled learning and teaching | Practical sessions | 66 |
| Scheduled learning and teaching | Technique class scheme (STS). | 22 |
| Guided independent study | 212 | |
| Total (number of credits x 10) | 300 | |
The assessment is designed to provide students with various points of formative assessment and monitoring to ensure continuous support and feedback during the module. Formative assessments and tasks will take place in practical sessions and seminars at various points of the year. For example, the creation of a journal of practice and a reflective formative assessment will support their learning and serve as the basis of training and understanding reflective practice.
The assessment takes the form of a portfolio (4000 words) 100%
| Learning Outcome | Assessment Strategy |
|---|---|
| Demonstrate a sound embodied and conceptual understanding of specific dance techniques and performance styles. | Formative: during practical sessions and group presentation Summative: practical assessment |
| Ability to apply the understanding of principles to the development of technical skill. | Formative: reflective tasks Summative: practical assessments |
| Demonstrate a working knowledge and understanding of the terminology used in class and in dance practices | Formative: during practical sessions Summative: practical assessments |
| Ability to evaluate one's performance and take responsibility for one's own learning in the context of a tutored class. | Formative: during class and group tutorials Summative: practical assessments |
| Demonstrate the ability to engage in reflective practice. | Formative: during class and reflective essay. Summative: practical assessments |
| Description of Assessment | Definitive UNISTATS Categories | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| PRC | Technique Class | 50 |
| PRC | Performance Repertoire | 50 |
| Total (to equal 100%) | 100% | |
It IS a requirement that the major category of assessment is passed in order to achieve an overall pass for the module.
Franklin, E (1997) Dynamic alignment through imagery. Champaign, Ill: Human Kinetics.
Shon,D (1991) The reflective practitioner: how professionals think in action. Aldershot: Ashgate.
Bales, M and Nett-Fiol N (2008) The body eclectic. Chesham,Urbana: University of Illinois Press.
Grieg, V (1994). Inside ballet technique : separating anatomical fact from fiction in the ballet.Pennington, NJ : Princeton Book Co.
Johnson, D H (ed) (2005) Bone, Breath and Gesture: practices of embodiment, Berkeley CA: North Atlantic Books US
Pakevska (2005) Ballet Beyond Tradition.New York ; London : Routledge.