Dance Course

Lesson 1 • Space, Time, and Energy

Introduces Laban Movement Analysis concepts of space, time, and effort. Students apply these qualities to simple movement exercises.

Lesson 2 • Rhythm and Musicality Basics

Covers beat, tempo, meter, and phrasing in music. Students connect auditory cues to physical movement timing.

Lesson 3 • Warm-Up and Cool-Down Protocols

Teaches structured warm-up and cool-down routines to prepare and recover the body. Directly supports injury prevention throughout the course.

Lesson 1 • Non-Locomotor Movement Vocabulary

Explores bending, stretching, twisting, swinging, and swaying in place. Builds expressive range without traveling through space.

Lesson 2 • Spatial Awareness in Motion

Applies spatial concepts from Chapter 1 to locomotor and non-locomotor sequences. Students navigate shared space safely and intentionally.

Lesson 3 • Locomotor Movement Patterns

Covers walking, running, leaping, hopping, skipping, and galloping. Students practice transitioning smoothly between patterns.

Lesson 1 • Hip-Hop and Street Dance Styles

Introduces breaking, popping, locking, and house footwork fundamentals. Students explore groove, bounce, and rhythmic grounding.

Lesson 2 • World and Folk Dance Traditions

Explores cultural context and movement vocabulary of selected folk and world dance forms. Students recognize how culture shapes movement aesthetics.

Lesson 3 • Social and Ballroom Dance Overview

Surveys partner dance formats including salsa, swing, and waltz basics. Students practice lead-follow communication and partner connection.

Lesson 4 • Ballet Fundamentals

Introduces the five positions, basic barre work, and classical terminology. Establishes turnout, plié, and tendu as foundational ballet vocabulary.

Lesson 1 • Floorwork and Level Changes

Develops fluid transitions between standing, kneeling, and floor-level movement. Students integrate level changes into phrase work.

Lesson 2 • Strength and Stability for Dancers

Builds core, leg, and upper-body strength using dance-specific conditioning. Stability training reduces injury risk and supports balance.

Lesson 3 • Flexibility and Mobility Training

Addresses active and passive flexibility for hips, hamstrings, spine, and shoulders. Directly supports range of motion needed for genre-specific technique.

Lesson 4 • Turns and Pirouette Technique

Breaks down spotting, preparation, and execution of single and multiple turns. Students apply turning mechanics across ballet, jazz, and contemporary contexts.

Lesson 1 • Dynamics and Expressive Intent

Explores how varying effort qualities and dynamics communicate meaning. Students revise a phrase to express a specific emotional or conceptual intent.

Lesson 2 • Collaborative Choreography

Guides students through group composition processes including negotiation and shared authorship. Builds communication skills alongside creative output.

Lesson 3 • Motif and Phrase Development

Defines motif as a repeatable movement idea and explores phrase-building strategies. Students generate and vary a personal movement motif.

Lesson 4 • Choreographic Structures and Forms

Covers ABA, rondo, canon, and accumulation as organizational frameworks. Students apply at least two structures to original material.

Lesson 1 • Projection and Performance Energy

Teaches how to extend energy beyond the body to fill a performance space. Students practice projection exercises with and without an audience.

Lesson 2 • Performing Under Pressure

Builds mental resilience for auditions, rehearsals, and live performance situations. Students practice recovery strategies for mistakes and nerves.

Lesson 3 • Characterization and Embodiment

Explores how physical choices communicate character, emotion, and narrative. Students embody contrasting characters within the same movement phrase.

Lesson 1 • Technical Rehearsal and Spacing

Introduces tech rehearsal protocols including spacing, lighting cues, and sound checks. Students adapt choreography to the performance environment.

Lesson 2 • Learning and Retaining Choreography

Covers kinesthetic, visual, and auditory strategies for memorizing movement. Students apply multiple learning modalities to retain complex sequences.

Lesson 3 • Dress Rehearsal to Opening Night

Guides students through the final rehearsal sequence and performance-day routine. Emphasis on consistency, focus, and readiness under real conditions.

Lesson 1 • Capstone Performance Preparation

Consolidates all course skills into a final performance project. Students rehearse, refine, and present a complete work for evaluation.

Lesson 2 • Stylistic Fusion and Cross-Genre Work

Challenges students to blend movement vocabularies from multiple genres intentionally. Students analyze and create fusion phrases with stylistic coherence.

Lesson 3 • Artistic Voice and Personal Style

Guides students to identify and articulate their unique movement perspective. Students develop a signature phrase that reflects personal aesthetic choices.