THEATER COURSES: High School 2009-10

Scene Study

Scenes from traditional dramatic texts will be examined.  The course will focus on subtext and interpreting characters.  There also will be work on developing and refining techniques to perform in these scenes.

Performance and World Theater

This course is an exploration of traditional theater and performance techniques from different cultures.  Japanese noh plays and Ancient Greek plays, among others, will be read, and scenes will be performed from them.

Performance and Shakespeare

Each year a different play is chosen as the focus of the course.  Emphasis is placed on gaining familiarity with Shakespearean language and understanding the characters and the situations provided by the text. Scenes are examined and performed.   

Scene and Composition

The creation of original pieces is the emphasis of this course.  Modern theatrical history and theory will be examined.  Playwriting and improvisation will be utilized.  Students also will be given the opportunity to direct and perform in their own original compositions.

DANCE COURSES: High School 2009-10

African Dance/Koteba

This course is an exciting investigation of the traditional music, rhythms, costumes, and dances of West Africa. The students will specifically focus on Dance Koteba, which serves to maintain and reinforce cohesion among the community. Dance Koteba regroups and organizes all its inhabitants by establishing organizational, artistic, spiritual, physical, and moral values.

African Dance/Bobo

This is high energy class that concentrates on the authentic dances and songs from West Africa, as well as their historical and cultural contexts. The students will investigate Dance Bobo, a Malian ballet that captures the extraordinary equestrian skills of the Bobo people as well as dances from Dogon tribes. Members of the Awa cult dance with ornate carved and painted masks during both funeral and death anniversary ceremonies. There are 78 different types of ritual masks among the Dogon, and their iconographic messages go beyond the aesthetic into the realm of religion and philosophy. The primary purpose of Awa dance ceremonies is to lead the souls of the deceased to their final resting place in the family altars and to consecrate their passage to the ranks of the ancestors.

African Dance/Modern Technique

This class focuses on developing students’ individual choreographic voices through improvisation and the creation of short movement studies. Class begins with a warm-up that integrates different techniques from ballet to African dance to yoga. Students are exposed to different choreographic approaches. In addition, they have the opportunity to work with professional choreographers, learning pieces and taking direction. Dances developed both individually and collaboratively with the class are performed during the year.

Choreography

In this course we continue our study of dance technique, improvisation and composition. Emphasis is on the development of the individual artistic voice through complex, expressive dances incorporating solo and group aspects, examination of multimedia techniques, and the use of juxtaposition and collage to expand dramatic possibilities. Each student will undertake research to support the creation of his or her own dances. Students have the opportunity to work with professional choreographers, learning pieces and taking direction. Dances developed in the class in association with the instructor will be performed in the student dance concert, for which original costumes may be designed or assembled by students.