UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT DALLAS

Understanding Dance
Spring 2006

COURSE SYLLABUS
Spring 2006

COURSE NUMBER: DANC 1310 SECTION: 001

COURSE TITLE: Understanding Dance

COURSE DELIVERY METHOD:

Lectures
Films
Demonstrations
Field Trips/Theater Tour
Individual and group participation
Inter-disciplinary art-making projects
Classroom discussions
Guest Artists/Speakers

INSTRUCTOR’S INFORMATION:
Instructor’s Name: Michele Hanlon
Office Number: Jo 4.906
Office Hours: Thursday 11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
Contact Information: Office: 972.883.2083, email: mhanlon@utdallas.edu

CLASS INFORMATION:
Class meeting times: Tuesday & Thursday, 9:30 – 10:45 a.m.
Class meeting location: AS1.105

TEXTBOOK: Learning About Dance: An Introduction to Dance as an Art Form and

Entertainment, Kendall/Hunt Publishing Company, most recent edition.

SUPPLIES: Some class periods require dance clothes.

METHOD OF EVALUATION:
Participation in class and class discussions
Reflection paper
Inter-disciplinary art-making projects
Movement activities
Written examinations and evaluations
Dance concert critique
90-100% A
89-80% B
79-70% C
69-60% D
Below 60% F
DAILY EVALUATION:
Attendance 5 points
Participation in Class Discussions 5 points
Tardy 2 points subtracted (Tardy = 5 minutes late)
Absent 0 points
Movement Sessions 25 points
Extra Credit (optional) 15 points (1 page minimum, typed critique, 1
maximum)

COURSE EVALUATION:
Participation in class, class discussions 30%
Quizzes, Class assignments & projects & Movement Activities 40%
Mid-term exam 10%
Final exam or presentation 10%
Reflection paper 5%
Dance concert critique 5%

ATTENDANCE POLICY:
Attendance is critical. This course has both lecture and participatory components which require
that you be present in order to be evaluated on your work. Students are evaluated daily on the
basis of attendance and the quality of involvement in the class. Students are expected to attend
all classes and participate in all discussions and movement sessions. Please see your instructor
for absences or class conflicts. Absence from class is not an excuse for late work or failure to be
prepared for the next lesson.

You will be allowed to miss one class meeting without the absence affecting your grade. All other
absences will affect your grade. After five minutes students will be considered tardy. 2 points will
be subtracted from the daily grade.

Please see the schedule of classes for the last day to withdraw.

UNDERSTANDING DANCE
This course will offer the student an opportunity to develop an awareness and appreciation of
dance in its cultural, social and artistic contexts through explorations in dance aesthetics, history,
and the creative process. Students will study dance through lecture, viewing and critiquing of
both live and video dance performances, readings, participatory study of selected dance genres,
exposure to the art of theatrical production, guest speaker(s) on the topic of dance as a profession,
and exploration of the creative process.

This class will view dance, read about dance, talk about dance and explore dance as a living
embodiment of our culture and ourselves.

COURSE EXPECTATIONS:
Class begins at 9:30a.m. 5 minutes late will be considered tardy and 30 minutes late will be
considered absent. Cell phones and pagers must be turned off - notify instructor of any special
needs.

Movement sessions will occur throughout the semester. Appropriate dance attire is required on
those days. Later, as a class, we will discuss the movement sessions and requirements. Evaluation
of the movement sessions are based NOT on the student’s dance skills, but rather on his or her
commitment to the activity as demonstrated by energy investment, degree of exploration,
participation in the group creative process and application of suggestions from the instructor
designed to enhance the creative/art making process. These experiences are designed for the
student without any prior dance training and are intended to give the student an opportunity to
enter into experiences of moving, creating and performing different dance styles.

Dance appreciation will be enriched by viewing and discussing selected historical dance works.

Each student may do one extra-credit assignment worth 15 points. The extra credit points earned
will be applied to the student’s daily evaluation grade at the end of the semester. In order to
receive extra-credit, you must attend an additional dance concert and write an additional critique.
Completing the extra-credit assignment is optional. The last day to turn in an extra-credit critique
is Thursday, April 20 by 10:45 a.m. Please remember: ONE dance concert critique is
REQUIRED for the course.

TENTATIVE COURSE CALENDAR*: (dates subject to change)

1/25 Last day to withdraw without a “W”
2/28 lecture by Guest Artist Matt Kent – Pilobolus Too
3/2 Class in University Theater
3/2 – 3/14 Mid-term Exam (subject to change)
3/3 – 3/4 UTD Dance Concert event - mandatory
4/27 Final exam 8:00 a.m.
*Dates subject to change

e-mail
I will send all electronic correspondence only to a student’s UTD email address and require
that all official electronic correspondence between a student and me be transmitted from the
students’ UTD email account. UT Dallas furnishes each student a FREE Network ID (netid)
linked to an email account. To activate or maintain a UTD computer account and/or to set email
forwarding options, go to http://netid.utdallas.edu. NOTE: The UTD Department of
Information Resources provides a method for students to forward their UTD email to other
personal or business email accounts.

Academic Dishonesty of any kind will be handled according to university policies. The
following information regarding university policies is from the 2004 online undergraduate
catalog. Please refer directly to the catalog for more information.

Appendix I
Rules, Regulations, and Statutory Requirements

A. Student Conduct and Discipline

The University of Texas System and The University of Texas at Dallas have rules and regulations
for the orderly and efficient conduct of their business. It is the responsibility of each student and
each student organization to be knowledgeable about the rules and regulations which govern
student conduct and activities. General information on student conduct and discipline is contained
in the U.T. Dallas publication, A to Z Guide, which is provided to all registered students each
academic year.
The University of Texas at Dallas administers student discipline within the procedures of
Regulations, Board of Regents, The University of Texas System, Part 1, Chapter VI, Section 3
and in Title V, Rules on Student Services and Activities of the university’s Handbook of
Operating Procedures. Copies of these rules and regulations are available to students in the Office
of the Dean of Students where staff are available to assist students in interpreting the rules and
regulations (SU 1.602, 972/883-6391).
A student at the university neither loses the rights nor escapes the responsibilities of citizenship.
He or she is expected to obey federal, state, and local laws as well as the Regents’ Rules,
university regulations, and administrative rules. Students are subject to discipline for violating its
standards of conduct whether such conduct takes place on or off campus or whether civil or
criminal penalties are also imposed for such conduct.

1.Academic Dishonesty. The faculty expects from its students a high level of responsibility and
academic honesty. Because the value of an academic degree depends upon the absolute integrity
of the work done by the student for that degree, it is imperative that a student demonstrate a high
standard of individual honor in his or her scholastic work.
Scholastic dishonesty includes, but is not limited to, statements, acts or omissions related to
applications for enrollment or the award of a degree, and/or the submission as one’s own work of
material that is not one’s own. As a general rule, scholastic dishonesty involves one of the
following acts: cheating, plagiarism, collusion and/or falsifying academic records. Students
suspected of academic dishonesty are subject to disciplinary proceedings

B. Academic Appeals

1.Procedures for student grievances are found in Title V, Rules on Student Services and
Activities, of the university’s Handbook of Operating Procedures. In attempting to resolve any
student grievance regarding grades, evaluations, or other fulfillments of academic responsibility,
it is the obligation of the student first to make a serious effort to resolve the matter with the
instructor, supervisor, administrator, or committee with whom the grievance originated (hereafter
called “the respondent.”) Individual faculty members retain primary responsibility for assigning
grades and evaluations. If the matter cannot be resolved at that level, the grievance must be
submitted in writing to the respondent with a copy to the respondent’s school dean. If the matter
is not resolved by the written response provided by the respondent, the student may submit a
written appeal to the school dean. If the grievance is not resolved by the school dean’s decision,
the student may make a written appeal to the dean of graduate or undergraduate studies, who will
appoint and convene an Academic Appeals Panel. The decision of the Academic Appeals Panel is
final. The results of the academic appeals process will be distributed to all involved parties.

2.Copies of these rules and regulations are available to students in the Office of the Dean of
Students where staff is available to assist students in interpreting the rules and regulations.

Religious Holidays:
The University of Texas at Dallas will excuse a student from class or other required activities for
the travel to and observance of a religious holy day for a religion whose places of worship are
exempt from property tax under Section 11.20, Tax Code, Texas Code Annotated.
The student is encouraged to notify the instructor or activity sponsor as soon as possible
regarding the absence, preferably in advance of the assignment.
The student, so excused, will be allowed to take the exam or complete the assignment within a
reasonable time after the absence: a period equal to the length of the absence, up to a maximum
of one week. A student who notifies the instructor and completes any missed exam or assignment
may not be penalized for the absence. A student who fails to complete the exam or assignment
If a student or an instructor disagrees about the nature of the absence [i.e., for the purpose of
observing a religious holy day] or if there is similar disagreement about whether the student has
been given a reasonable time to complete any missed assignments or examinations, either the
student or the instructor may request a ruling from the chief executive officer of the institution, or
his or her designee. The chief executive officer or designee must take into account the legislative
intent of TEC 51.911(b), and the student and instructor will abide by the decision of the chief
executive officer or designee.

Disability Services:
Disability Services provides accommodations for students with documented disabilities. Students
are urged to make their needs known to Disability Services as soon as they are admitted to the
university. The Office of Disability Services is located in the Student Union (SU 1.610), (972)
883 2070.

COURSE CONTENT:
1. What is Dance?
1. Attributes and characteristics of dance
2. Dance as indicator of world-view
3. Significance of dance as a religious and social activity

2. Origins of Dance
1. Dance as religious expression
2. Dance in early civilizations

3. Dance as an Expressive Art-Form

1. Dance as entertainment vs. dance as art-form
2. Movement as a medium to mediate ideas
3. Movement as metaphor
4. Dance as a vehicle for artistic expression
5. Dance as meaning-making expression and communication

4. The Dance Medium

1. Movement
2. Body action
3. Space-weight-time-flow
4. Dynamic phrasing
5. Spatial orientation
6. Accompaniment
7. Technical and spatial properties
8. Conceptual schemes

5. Dancer’s Lifestyle
1. Healthy diet/eating habits
2. Injury prevention
3. Dance class protocol
4. Career opportunities for the dance artist, educator and scholar

6. The Choreographic Process

1. The choreographer as meaning maker
2. The performer as interpreter
7. The Choreographic Process: The Meaning-Making Process
1. Idea-finding
2. Idea-forming and shaping
3. Problem-finding
4. Idea-transforming
5. Improvisation to motif
6. Chance and design in the choreographic process

8. Theater Production
1. Theater tour
2. Theater instruments: cyclorama, marley floor, light trees
3. Theater procedures and etiquette

9. Dance Criticism: How We Look at Dance

1. The perceptual process
2. Contextualizing the dance
3. Feldman Model of Criticism
a. Description
b. Analysis
c. Interpretation
d. Evaluation

10. Historical Heritage of Dance as Art

1. Evolution of the ballet
2. Genealogy of modern dance
3. Dance in popular culture
4. Evolution of modern dance
5. Genealogy of modern dance
6. Dance in popular culture