Graduate Seminar I. Rose Anne Thom. This seminar encourages students to learn about the world of dance by conducting research and by analyzing and writing about aspects of dance that interest them.

Graduate Seminar II. Sara Rudner. This seminar is designed to encourage students to make connections between dance, theatre, music, writing, and the visual arts, and to make them aware of and conversant with the creative process always at work in the world. Choreographic projects from the “Dance Making” class will be presented and discussed.

Graduate Seminar III. Peggy Gould, Sara Rudner This seminar emphasizes the dynamic relationship between technical and creative practices. How do we do what we do and what do we know about it? This class provides opportunities to identify and explore potentials as well as limitations inherent in our various training experiences as we seek to generate movement. From formal exercises to a range of improvisations, this course aims to illuminate foundational assumptions and preferences with the goal of broadening each student's choreographic and performative palette. Analytical skills are honed along these lines by means of group activities and discussion. Relevant aspects of functional anatomy are presented and considered throughout the class.

Modern and Post-Modern Practice. Emily Devine, Merceditas Mañago-Alexander, Gwen Welliver – Yearlong. In these classes, emphasis will be on the continued development of basic skills, energy use, strength, and control. Intermediate and advanced students will study more complex movement patterns, investigate somatic use, and concentrate on the demands of performance. At all levels, attention will be given to sharpening each student’s awareness of time and energy and to disciplining the body to move rhythmically, precisely, and in accordance with sound anatomical principles.

Dance Meeting. Dance faculty and guests – Yearlong. A monthly gathering of all Dance Thirds, in which we share ongoing student interests and invite guests to teach, perform, and inform. Topics have included dance injuries, dance therapy, kinesthetic awareness, nutrition, world dance forms, and presentations by New York City choreographers.

Ballet. Barbara Forbes – Yearlong. At all levels, ballet studies will guide students in creative and expressive freedom by enhancing the qualities of ease, grace, musicality, and symmetry that define the form. To this end, we will explore alignment with an emphasis in anatomical principles and enlist the appropriate neuromuscular effort needed to dance with optimal integration of every aspect of the individual body, mind, and spirit.

Composition. Emily Devine, Dan Hurlin, Sara Rudner. Movement is the birthright of every human being. These components explore its expressive and communicative possibilities by introducing different strategies for making dances. Problems posed run the gamut from conceptually driven dance/theatre to structured movement improvisations. These approaches vary depending on faculty. Learn to mold kinetic vocabularies of your own choice and incorporate sound, objects, visual elements, and text to contextualize and identify your vision. Students will be asked to create and perform studies, direct one another, and share and discuss ideas and solutions with peers. Students are not required to make finished products but to involve themselves in the joy of creation. Beginning Improvisation is either a prerequisite or should be taken at the same time.

Dance Training Conference. Liz Rodgers -- Yearlong. Students taking a Dance Third will confer at least once per semester with the instructor to address individual dance training issues. Overall progress, specific challenges, short-term and long-term goals may be addressed here. In addition, we will develop practical strategies to achieve those goals by means of If applicable, students will learn supplemental exercises to be done independently, addressing factors such as strength, flexibility, kinesthetic awareness, and movement coordination. This course is required for all students taking a Dance Third. It is offered to support the work being done in movement practice classes, rehearsals, and performance projects.

Dance Making. Sara Rudner, Dan Hurlin, John Yannelli, William Catanzaro – Yearlong. Individual choreographic projects will be designed and directed by students with special interest and experience in dance composition. Students and faculty will meet weekly to view works-in-progress and to discuss relevant artistic and practical problems. Whenever possible, the music for these projects, whether new or extant, will be performed live in concert. Dance Making students are encouraged to enroll in Lighting Design and Stagecraft for Dance. Prerequisites: Dance Composition, Music for Dancers, and permission of the instructor.

Improvisation. Emily Devine, Peggy Gould, Kathy Westwater.. Merge your mind and body in the moment through dance improvisation. This invaluable creative mode will help you recognize, embody, and develop sensations and ideas in motion. Internal and external perceptions will be honed while looking at movement from many points of view as an individual or in partnership with others. Beginning Improvisation is required for all students new to the Dance program. This class is an entry into the creative trajectory that later leads to composition and dance making. Improvisation A, B, C, and D are recommended for students who have already taken beginning improvisation and want to explore this form further.

Contact Improvisation. Kathy Westwater – Yearlong. This course will examine the underlying principles of an improvisatory form predicated on two or more bodies coming into physical contact. Contact Improvisation, which emerged in the 1960s out of the Judson Experimental Dance Theater, combines aspects of social and theatrical dance, bodywork, gymnastics, and martial arts. We will explore movement practices that enhance our sensory awareness, with an emphasis on action and physical risk-taking. Contemporary partnering skills such as taking and giving weight and finding a common “center” will provide a basis for further exploration.

Belly Dance. Sarah Hassan – Fall Semester. This course will examine the basic movements of Raqs Sharqi, otherwise known as Middle Eastern belly dance. We will blend traditional steps with elements of tribal fusion that take inspiration from flamenco and from African and North Indian classical dance. Emphasis will be on proper alignment, coiling, muscle isolation, and gaining strength in the core and arms. Particular attention will be paid to combining “cabaret”-style belly dance technique with slow, sinuous movements set to a variety of musical traditions from Balkan Beat Box to Egyptian folk. Yoga postures will be used for ease of transition between movements and to demonstrate the use of the carriage in belly dance. Cultural context will be addressed in class, and short readings will be suggested but not required.

Music for Dancers. William Catanzaro – Yearlong. The objective of this course is to provide dance students with the tools to better understand relationships between music and dance. Students will expand their knowledge of musical elements, terminology, and procedures and learn the basics of rhythmic notation. Students will also learn how to scan musical scores with various degrees of complexity and explore the diverse rhythmic styles that have developed in response to different geographical, social, and philosophical conditions. This course will provide students with the opportunity to play percussion instruments.

Labanotation/Repertory. Rose Anne Thom – Yearlong. This course will cover elementary and intermediate levels of Laban’s system of movement notation. Students will concentrate on correct observation and analysis of movement, writing facility, and the ability to read and perform authentic historical dance forms. Reconstruction and performance of a notated work from the modern dance or ballet repertoire will be the culmination of the second semester’s work.

Dance History. Rose Anne Thom – Yearlong. This is a course in the history of performance in the United States from the early 20th century to the present, as exemplified by the dancers, choreographers, and teachers who brought about notable changes in the art. The relationship of dance to the larger cultural environment will be discussed, with emphasis placed on the dance of our time. This course is designed to help the student relate his or her own work to the development of the art and to encourage creative critical perception.

Lighting Design and Stagecraft for Dance. Nicole Pearce, Beverly Emmons – Yearlong. The art of illuminating dance is the subject of this component. We will examine the theoretical and practical aspects of designing lights for dance. Students will create original lighting designs for Dance program concerts.

African Dance. Rujeko Dumbutshena --Spring semester. In this class, students will explore the fundamental aesthetic of African dance. There will be an emphasis on work to internalize the intricacies of African polyrhythm. Students will spend time exploring the cultural meaning and importance of grounding, strength, and stability, which are essential to the form. Learning African dance exposes students to the meaning of dance in African culture. This class also builds personal awareness as it transcends cultural boundaries. Class will be accompanied by live drumming.

Anatomy Seminar. Peggy Gould – Yearlong. This is an opportunity for advanced students who have completed Anatomy/Kinesiology to pursue their study of anatomy in greater depth. Each student will develop a specific project that will allow for further exploration of functional anatomy. We will meet as a group on alternate weeks to discuss questions and share experiences.

Anatomy in Action. Peggy Gould- Yearlong. How is it possible for humans to move in the multitude of ways that we do? Come and learn to develop your X-ray vision of the human body in motion in a course that combines movement practice, drawing, lecture, and problem solving. In this course, movement is the basis for exploration of our profoundly adaptable anatomy. In addition to making drawings as we study the entire musculoskeletal system, we will learn Irene Dowd’s “Spirals™,” a comprehensive warm-up/cool-down designed to mobilize all joints and muscles to their fullest range of motion. Insights gained in this course can provide tremendous inspiration in the creative process.

Yoga. Patti Bradshaw – Yearlong. This course offers students the opportunity to study the ancient art of Yoga. Classes emphasize the union of spirit, mind, and body through practices that include breathing techniques, vocalizations, and postures (asanas). By offering clear principles of biomechanical alignment and balance, the practice develops integrated strength and flexibility and helps dancers interweave technique and artistry.

Feldenkrais: Awareness through Movement®. Barbara Forbes – Yearlong. Moshe Feldenkrais believed that “rigidity, mental or physical, is contrary to the laws of life.” His system of somatic education develops awareness, flexibility, and coordination as students are verbally guided through precisely structured movement explorations. The lessons are done lying on the floor, sitting, or standing, and they gradually increase in range and complexity. Students are required to bring their full attention to their experience in order to develop their capacity for spontaneous, effortless action. Self-generated learning will release habitual patterns, offer new options, and enhance the integrated activity of the entire nervous system.

Improvisation: Embodied Awareness. Barbara Forbes -- Yearlong. In Awareness Through Movement® (ATM) lessons we can learn how to sense subtle differences and let go of habits of inhibition and expectation. We will translate the particular quality of ATM into the possibility of a more flexible self-image, exploring our ability to practice mindful spontaneity. The process of examining our patterns of moving, thinking, sensing, and feeling will allow the creation of innovative movement designs, spatial configurations, and dynamics, ultimately facilitating more creative and effective action in life.

Performance Project: Barbara Bray Ketchum Residency. Patti Bradshaw -- Fall semester. Ms. Bradshaw will create a dance and visual art event that is an ode to the mysterious and compelling nature of the natural world. It will be an imaging of the constant change that occurs in Nature as everything under the sun comes into focus, evolves, and dissolves away. The working title of the project is “songs of despair, songs of bliss.” Students will work with and build puppets, objects and costumes as well as movement. The creative process will include structured improvisatory explorations flanked by intervals of meditative practices that explore the movement in stillness and the stillness in movement. Attention will be paid to bringing out the unique abilities of each participant and creating a multi-layerd experience for the performers and for the audience.

Performance Project: Yvonne Rainer's Trio A. Spring 2012.A classic of post-modern American dance, Trio A is an uninterrupted series of complex, challenging movements consisting of task-oriented actions. The dance emphasizes neutral performance and features no interaction with the audience. The dancer never makes eye contact with his/her observers.