Statement on Equity

The Dance Program at Bard values
the experience of individual body sovereignty
and is committed to providing equal access to students
who are exploring life’s questions through an artistic physical practice.

The Dance Program will contribute to changing the narratives of white supremacy, patriarchy, and racial inequity that have characterized the persistent undercurrent flowing beneath the ground on which we dance in this country.

We will endeavor to be a refuge for any persons who are vulnerable to ideologies defined by racism, homophobia, transphobia, and anti-feminism. We will use the tools of our discipline to challenge the structures that maintain a hierarchy of human value. We will consistently offer a rigorous learning environment that celebrates that people are “equal in all of our apparent differences.” (Ibram X. Kendi)

 

Course:

DAN 361  Dancing Migrations: Tracing Mexico's Points of Access and Departure

Professor:

Yebel Gallegos  

CRN:

15561

Schedule/Location:

 Tue  Thurs    11:50 AM - 1:10 PM Fisher PAC Conference/Nureyev Studio

Distributional Area:

AA Analysis of Art  

Credits: 4

 

Class cap: 15

Crosslists: Human Rights; Latin American/Iberian Studies

Human migration has been a constant force shaping history. In many ways, human movement has created opportunities for culture to evolve and thrive. Together, we will examine the ways in which dance as a resilient art form has adapted and transformed on account of migration and cross-cultural exchanges. This course moves away from a traditional Euro-U.S.-centric approach to dance history and explores ritual and concert dance from a Mexican perspective. Offered as a seminar-style course, readings by Diana Taylor, Gloria Anzaldúa, Elizabeth Schwall, and David Delgado Shorter among others, combined with discussions, movement explorations, and visits by guest speakers will deepen our knowledge and understanding of dance as a global art form. There will be weekly writing, a mid-term project proposal, and a final project.  This is an Engaged Liberal Arts & Sciences (ELAS) course. In this course you will be given the opportunity to bridge theory to practice while engaging a community of interest throughout the semester. A significant portion of ELAS learning takes place outside of the classroom: students learn through engagement with different geographies, organizations, and programs in the surrounding communities or in collaboration with partners from Bard's national and international networks. To learn more please click here.

 

Course:

DAN 141A  Alexander Technique

Professor:

Lindsay Clark  

CRN:

15553

Schedule/Location:

 Tue  Thurs    1:30 PM - 2:50 PM Fisher PAC NUREYEV ST

Distributional Area:

PA Practicing Arts  

Credits: 1

 

Class cap: 16

Crosslists: Theater and Performance

This course will introduce students to the principles and application of the Alexander Technique, a method of psychophysical education developed by F. M. Alexander in the early 20th century. The Alexander Technique is a system of learning that gives close attention to functional anatomical organization. It is a study of how thought, on the sensory and neuromuscular levels, plays a crucial role in how we use ourselves. Practiced by performing artists and others who seek to move with clarity and efficiency, the Alexander Technique aims to identify habitual misuses, promoting ease in any physical practice. Students will be asked to identify habits of personal use and alignment through observation, study of the skeleton, drawing, movement, and touch. Extending this study, the class will include written assignments, applications to performance, and a critical appraisal of writings from Alexander and his contemporaries. This class fulfills the Somatic Practice requirement for Dance Program majors and is designed for any performers. Please contact Lindsay Clark (lclark@bard.edu) if you are not in a performing major but are interested in taking this class.

Dance Technique Courses:

Intensive technique studies are essential to a serious dance student’s training. Intending and current dance majors must register for two credits of dance technique each semester of their four years at Bard.

 

Introductory Dance Courses:

Classes in different movement genres intended for the beginner; no previous dance experience necessary. Open to all students. New students with previous dance experience should speak with the dance professors before registration.

 

Course:

DAN 104A SB Intro to Contemporary West African Dance

Professor:

Souleymane Badolo  

CRN:

15549

Schedule/Location:

Mon  Wed     8:30 AM - 9:50 AM Fisher PAC THORNE STU

Distributional Area:

PA Practicing Arts  

Credits: 1

 

Class cap: 25

Rooted in contemporary African Dance, using Badolo's own movement style, this course explores movement over/under/inside and outside the tradition. The class begins with a warm-up that involves both physical and mental preparation. By listening to internal rhythms of the body and the beat of the music, dancers can discover their own musicality and their own movement language. Students will be exposed to the skills of improvisation starting with simple forms.

 

Course:

DAN 104 GG Introduction to Modern Dance

Professor:

Amy Miller

CRN:

15550

Schedule/Location:

 Tue  Thurs    1:30 PM - 2:50 PM Fisher PAC THORNE STU

Distributional Area:

PA Practicing Arts  

Credits: 1

 

Class cap: 25

This course is for students who want learn about experimental dance. More than one hundred years old, “Modern dance” is comprised of many traditions that have evolved since its first performances. While learning about some of the traditions, and important figures in the history of experimental dance (including Bill T. Jones, Pearl Primus, Michio Ito, and Mary Wigman) students will develop skills in composition alongside their technical and physical capacities. Attendance at Bard performances (whether digital or in person) are essential aspects of the course. No previous movement experience required. Please email tlorenzen@bard.edu with interest.

 

Course:

DAN 106B  Beginning Ballet II

Professor:

Maria Simpson  

CRN:

15551

Schedule/Location:

 Tue  Thurs    11:50 AM - 1:10 PM Fisher PAC THORNE STU

Distributional Area:

PA Practicing Arts  

Credits: 1

 

Class cap: 25

This class is for students who have had at least one semester of Intro to Ballet at Bard, a year of dance training in that technique elsewhere, or by permission of the instructor. In this class students will continue to learn the foundational movement vocabulary of ballet, guided by the anatomical underpinnings of the form.

Intermediate and Advanced Dance Technique:

Intensive technique studies are essential to a serious dance student’s training. Intending and current dance majors must register for two credits of dance technique each semester.   Also open to non-majors with experience, inclination, and permission of the instructor. 

 

Course:

DAN 212B MS Intermediate Ballet

Professor:

Maria Simpson  

CRN:

15555

Schedule/Location:

Mon  Wed     10:10 AM - 11:30 AM Fisher PAC THORNE STU

Distributional Area:

PA Practicing Arts  

Credits: 1

 

Class cap: 20

This class is designed for students who have mastered the fundamental vocabulary of ballet technique and who are interested in cultivating their potential for meaning making with greater movement complexity. The stylistically neutral approach emphasizes the form as a scientifically supported system, enabling the dancer to pursue greater expressivity without pre-conceived artifice, and allowing her/him/them to move easily into other dance forms or physical systems with ease.  Students are expected to engage with (new) concepts around their bodies’ structure that are brought to bear in the movement practice. Live music adds a dimension to the classroom requiring students to take responsibility for developing keen listening skills demonstrated through performance of accurate time keeping and qualitative range. Substantive experience in ballet required. Contact Professor Simpson prior to registration if new to the course.

 

Course:

DAN 212M TL Intermediate Modern Dance

Professor:

Tara Lorenzen  

CRN:

15556

Schedule/Location:

  Wed  Fri   11:50 AM - 1:10 PM Fisher PAC THORNE STU

Distributional Area:

PA Practicing Arts  

Credits: 1

 

Class cap: 20

This course will draw inspiration from two 20th Century masters of modern dance- Merce Cunningham and Trisha Brown. We will begin by studying and questioning the value of a technical foundation through a codified technique. The second half of the semester we will explore the wild terrain of improvisation using gravity, anatomy, and text while developing a unique system to prepare for rigorous movement. By studying performance footage, sound, and visual art relevant to these two dance figures, we will deepen our experience of their legacy.  Must have previous dance experience.

 

Course:

DAN 216B LC Intermediate/Advanced Ballet

Professor:

Lindsay Clark  

CRN:

15557

Schedule/Location:

 Tue  Thurs    10:10 AM - 11:30 AM Fisher PAC THORNE STU

Distributional Area:

PA Practicing Arts  

Credits: 1

 

Class cap: 20

This class is intended for students who have a strong foundation in ballet, seeking to expand their technical knowledge, as well as more seasoned dancers who are interested in refining their craft. We prioritize movement efficiency, supported by the understanding that our bodies have an innate capacity for balance. Learning to not interfere with our natural organization is a large part of the work we do. We will study the implications of taking up space and giving voice to the dancer through in-studio practice and supplemental readings. Barre focuses on weight shifting, kinesthetic awareness, and developing a dynamic relationship with music so that we can easily transition to big, luscious waltzes and momentum-based jumps in the center.

 

Course:

DAN 224  Jazz

Professor:

Yebel Gallegos  

CRN:

15554

Schedule/Location:

Mon  Wed     3:30 PM - 4:50 PM Fisher PAC THORNE STU

Distributional Area:

PA Practicing Arts  

Credits: 1

 

Class cap: 20

This course will introduce a contemporary approach to jazz dance. This course primarily focuses on the practice of dance; however, we will interrogate and contextualize our movements through the study of historical figures and cultural movements that shaped the jazz dance styles we embody. Additionally, we will explore movement in the musical theatre idiom with an emphasis on Fosse style. Prerequisite: Two semesters of dance technique or equivalent experience needed.

Dance Repertory

 

3 credits. Dance Repertory is designed to expose students to the real life demands of a professional dancer, class time will be spent in the development and rehearsal of a dance in preparation for a public performance at semester’s end.

 

Course:

DAN 316 GG Dance Repertory

Professor:

Amy Miller

CRN:

15558

Schedule/Location:

 Tue  Thurs    3:30 PM - 4:50 PM Fisher PAC THORNE STU

Distributional Area:

PA Practicing Arts  

Credits: 3

 

 

Designed to expose students to the real life demands of a professional dancer, class time will be spent in the development and rehearsal of a dance in preparation for the 2022 Faculty concert – a public performance in the LUMA theater at the end of April. By invitation. Please email tlorenzen@bard.edu with interest.

 

Course:

DAN 316 MS Dance Repertory

Professor:

Maria Simpson  

CRN:

15560

Schedule/Location:

Mon       11:50 AM - 1:10 PM Fisher PAC THORNE STU

Distributional Area:

PA Practicing Arts  

Credits: 3

 

 

Designed to expose students to the real life demands of a professional dancer, class time will be spent in the development and rehearsal of a dance in preparation for the 2022 Faculty concert – a public performance in the LUMA theater at the end of April. By invitation

Dance Composition

 

3 credits. Dance Composition aims to introduce principles and theories about choreography in a studio setting. Three levels of Dance Composition are required of all dance majors, and all students enrolled in Dance Composition must attend Dance Workshop but should not register for it.

Dance Composition is open to non-majors with permission of the instructor.

 

Course:

DAN 118  Beginning Dance Composition

Professor:

Souleymane Badolo  

CRN:

15552

Schedule/Location:

 Tue  Thurs    10:10 AM - 11:30 AM Campus Center MPR

Distributional Area:

PA Practicing Arts  

Credits: 3

 

Class cap: 15

Students will be guided, through improvisation exercises, to explore movement vocabulary outside of their normal sphere of experience in order to cultivate a personal “voice.”  This will lead to each student increasing the repertory of choices for movement meaning-making. Fundamental questions of how to consider space and rhythm as choreographic tools will represent a large portion of the class content. There will be multiple creative projects and writing assignments in the course.

 

Course:

DAN WKSHP  Dance Workshop

Professor:

Tara Lorenzen  

CRN:

15562

Schedule/Location:

 Tue      6:00 PM - 8:00 PM Fisher PAC THORNE STU

Distributional Area:

PA Practicing Arts  

Credits: 1

 

 

Dance Workshop is a once-weekly evening workshop during which undergraduates are invited to present work in progress for critical feedback from faculty and peers. This is not a movement class taught by a single instructor but a non-hierarchical community gathering at which everyone participates in discussions and constructive conversation about dance and dance-making. All students enrolled in dance composition are required to attend. There may be assigned readings and short writing assignments.