Peggy Gould

When we encounter dancing, what are we seeing, experiencing, and understanding?  How do current representations of dance perpetuate and/or disrupt assumptions about personal and social realities? Embedded historical notions and enforcements based on race, economic class, gender, social/sexual orientation, nationality/regional affiliation, and more are threaded through our daily lives. Performing arts, inside and outside of popular culture, often reinforce dominant cultural ideas. Can they also propose or inspire alternatives? In this class, we will view examples of dancing on film, digital/Internet media, television programs and commercials, as well as live performance. These viewings, along with readings of selected texts from the fields of dance and performance, literary criticism, feminist theory, queer theory, and cultural studies will form the basis of class discussions and exercises. Each student will develop an independent research project arising from one or more class activities.  Independent research will include reading, writing, and presentation. The central aim of this course is to cultivate generously informed conversation, using academic research and experiential knowledge to advance our recognition of dance as an elemental art form.

The Alexander Technique is a system of neuromuscular re-education that enables the student to identify and change poor and inefficient habits that may be causing stress and fatigue. With gentle, hands-on guidance and verbal instruction, the student learns to replace faulty habits with improved coordination by locating and releasing undue muscular tensions. This includes easing of the breath, introducing greater freedom and optimizing performance in all activities. It is a technique that has proven to be profoundly useful for dancers, musicians, and actors and has been widely acclaimed by leading figures in the performing arts, education, and medicine.

How is it possible for us to move in the countless ways that we do? Learn to develop your X-ray vision of human beings in motion through functional anatomical study that combines movement practice, drawing, lecture, and problem solving. In this course, movement is a powerful vehicle for experiencing in detail our profoundly adaptable musculoskeletal anatomy. We will learn Irene Dowd’s Spirals©, a comprehensive warm-up/cool-down for dancing that coordinates all joints and muscles through their fullest range of motion, facilitating study of the entire musculoskeletal system. In addition to movement practice, drawings are made as part of each week’s lecture (drawing materials provided), and three short assignments are submitted each semester. Insights and skills developed in this course can provide tremendous inspiration in the process of movement invention and composition.

This is an opportunity for students who have completed a full year of anatomy study in the SLC dance program to pursue functional anatomy studies in greater depth. In open consultation with the instructor during class meetings, each student engages in independent research, developing one or more lines of inquiry that utilize functional anatomy perspectives and texts as an organizing framework. Research topics in recent years have included aging and longevity in dance, discussion of functional anatomy in relation to linguistics, pedagogy, choreography and performance, investigation of micropolitics in established dance training techniques, examining connections between movement and emotion, development of a unique warm-up sequence to address specific individual technical issues, and study of kinematics and rehabilitation in knee injury. The class meets biweekly to discuss progress, questions, and methods for reporting, writing, and presenting research, alternating with weekly studio/practice sessions for individual and/or group research consultations.

Students in this course will develop skills to bring their artistry into a teaching setting, combining practical and theoretical studies. We will work systematically and imaginatively to develop teaching practices in dance and movement forms that move us most deeply, addressing individual and collective concerns throughout the process. We will explore strategies for teaching a variety of techniques, from codified dance forms to generative forms, including improvisation and composition. Over the course of the semester, with all members of the class serving as both teacher and student, each participant will develop a cohesive plan for teaching in professional settings. Studio practices including movement, observation, discussion; class exercises will support in-depth exploration of teaching and learning as intrinsically related aspects of education at its best. In addition to work in the studio, independent research will entail surveying literature in the field of dance education and training, as well as potential sources beyond the field, according to individual interests. Practical and theoretical research will form the basis of a final presentation (teaching one or more sections of the curricular plan) and a final written report with annotated bibliography, summarizing and documenting the development process as well as providing a basis for future promotional material. 

Improvisation is a potentially limitless resource. Arising from our perceptions of movement itself, responding to environmental elements including sound and music, taking direction from conceptual/imaginary sources, improvisation can yield raw materials for making dances and performance works in multiple disciplines. Improvisation can form the basis for community-building activities. Improvisation reliably supports refinement of our technical skills in dance, from conceptual and choreographic to performative, by giving us greater access to our unique and infinite connections to movement. In this course, we will engage in a variety of approaches to improvisation. We will investigate properties of movement (including speed, force, time, space/range, quality, momentum), using activities that range from highly structured to virtually unstructured. We will work in a variety of environmental settings, from the dance studio to outdoor sites around the campus. Throughout the year, our goals will include building capabilities for sustained exploration of movement instincts and appetites, honing perceptive and communicative skills, and learning to use improvisation to advance movement technique. All of these will support the development of a durable foundation from which to work creatively in any discipline.

When we encounter dancing, what are we seeing, experiencing, and understanding? How do current representations of dance perpetuate and/or disrupt assumptions about personal and social realities? Embedded historical notions and enforcements based on race, economic class, gender, social/sexual orientation, nationality/regional affiliation, and more are threaded through our daily lives. Performing arts inside and outside of popular culture often reinforce dominant cultural ideas. Can they also propose or inspire alternatives? In this class, we will view examples of dancing on film, digital/Internet media, television programs and commercials, as well as live performance. These viewings, along with readings of selected texts from the fields of dance and performance, literary criticism, feminist theory, queer theory, and cultural studies will form the basis of class discussions and exercises. Each student will develop an independent research project arising from one or more class activities.  Independent research will include reading, writing, and presentation. The central aim of this course is to cultivate generously informed conversation, using academic research and experiential knowledge to advance our recognition of dance as an elemental art form.

When we encounter dancing, what are we seeing, experiencing, and understanding?  How do current representations of dance perpetuate and/or disrupt assumptions about personal and social realities? Embedded historical notions and enforcements based on race, economic class, gender, social/sexual orientation, nationality/regional affiliation, and more are threaded through our daily lives. Performing arts, inside and outside of popular culture, often reinforce dominant cultural ideas. Can they also propose or inspire alternatives? In this class, we will view examples of dancing on film, digital/Internet media, television programs and commercials, as well as live performance. These viewings, along with readings of selected texts from the fields of dance and performance, literary criticism, feminist theory, queer theory, and cultural studies will form the basis of class discussions and exercises. Each student will develop an independent research project arising from one or more class activities.  Independent research will include reading, writing, and presentation. The central aim of this course is to cultivate generously informed conversation, using academic research and experiential knowledge to advance our recognition of dance as an elemental art form.

The Alexander Technique is a system of neuromuscular re-education that enables the student to identify and change poor and inefficient habits that may be causing stress and fatigue. With gentle, hands-on guidance and verbal instruction, the student learns to replace faulty habits with improved coordination by locating and releasing undue muscular tensions. This includes easing of the breath, introducing greater freedom and optimizing performance in all activities. It is a technique that has proven to be profoundly useful for dancers, musicians, and actors and has been widely acclaimed by leading figures in the performing arts, education, and medicine.

How is it possible for us to move in the countless ways that we do? Learn to develop your X-ray vision of human beings in motion through functional anatomical study that combines movement practice, drawing, lecture, and problem solving. In this course, movement is a powerful vehicle for experiencing in detail our profoundly adaptable musculoskeletal anatomy. We will learn Irene Dowd’s Spirals©, a comprehensive warm-up/cool-down for dancing that coordinates all joints and muscles through their fullest range of motion, facilitating study of the entire musculoskeletal system. In addition to movement practice, drawings are made as part of each week’s lecture (drawing materials provided), and three short assignments are submitted each semester. Insights and skills developed in this course can provide tremendous inspiration in the process of movement invention and composition.

This is an opportunity for students who have completed a full year of anatomy study in the SLC dance program to pursue functional anatomy studies in greater depth. In open consultation with the instructor during class meetings, each student engages in independent research, developing one or more lines of inquiry that utilize functional anatomy perspectives and texts as an organizing framework. Research topics in recent years have included aging and longevity in dance, discussion of functional anatomy in relation to linguistics, pedagogy, choreography and performance, investigation of micropolitics in established dance training techniques, examining connections between movement and emotion, development of a unique warm-up sequence to address specific individual technical issues, and study of kinematics and rehabilitation in knee injury. The class meets biweekly to discuss progress, questions, and methods for reporting, writing, and presenting research, alternating with weekly studio/practice sessions for individual and/or group research consultations.

This is course provides an opportunity to explore foundational texts in dance and performance, in the context of the Master of Fine Arts in Dance program.  With our programmatic focus on performance and choreography, there are significant writings and discussions in this field that will be important for students to engage as they prepare for careers in dance and performance.  Emphasis is on developing a line or lines of inquiry, devising strategies with which to effectively and meaningfully follow learning pathways to produce well-crafted writing.  Projects will evolve throughout the year, culminating in a final revision of writing and in-class presentation.  Students will also have the opportunity serve as readers for colleagues.

This is a tutorial course for students in the second year of the program, to generate the written portion of the MFA in Dance thesis. Class meetings will be combined and coordinated with Graduate Seminar: Independent Research in Dance, allowing for expanded discussion of research with all students in the MFA in Dance program. In the fall semester, participants will conceptualize and submit a thesis proposal, literature review, annotated bibliography, outline of thesis, and introduction. This may draw inspiration and/ or build upon work completed in the first year of the program. In the spring semester, first and subsequent revised/final drafts will be completed and submitted. With instructor’s approval, theses may be submitted for publication on the Sarah Lawrence Digital Commons platform. At the end of the semester, all participants will make a presentation with discussion of each aspect of the thesis (choreography, performance and written material). Preparation of the presentation will be supported through class discussion.

Improvisation is a potentially limitless resource. Arising from our perceptions of movement itself, responding to environmental elements including sound and music, taking direction from conceptual/imaginary sources, improvisation can yield raw materials for making dances and performance works in multiple disciplines. Improvisation can form the basis for community-building activities. Improvisation reliably supports refinement of our technical skills in dance, from conceptual and choreographic to performative, by giving us greater access to our unique and infinite connections to movement. In this course, we will engage in a variety of approaches to improvisation. We will investigate properties of movement (including speed, force, time, space/range, quality, momentum), using activities that range from highly structured to virtually unstructured. We will work in a variety of environmental settings, from the dance studio to outdoor sites around the campus. Throughout the year, our goals will include building capabilities for sustained exploration of movement instincts and appetites, honing perceptive and communicative skills, and learning to use improvisation to advance movement technique. All of these will support the development of a durable foundation from which to work creatively in any discipline.

This course is an introduction to the study of human movement/kinesiology and human anatomy. Students will gain a beginning understanding of key systems in the human body and their integral effect on functional and expressive behavior. Key anatomical landmarks and features will be highlighted in the context of both common and individual choices and characteristics. Students will explore how understanding the different body systems aids in movement observation and intervention.

How is it possible for us to move in the countless ways that we do? Learn to develop your X-ray vision of human beings in motion through functional anatomical study that combines movement practice, drawing, lecture, and problem solving. In this course, movement is a powerful vehicle for experiencing in detail our profoundly adaptable musculoskeletal anatomy. We will learn Irene Dowd’s SpiralsTM, a comprehensive warm-up/cool-down for dancing that coordinates all joints and muscles through their fullest range of motion, facilitating study of the entire musculoskeletal system. In addition to movement practice, drawings are made as part of each week’s lecture (drawing materials provided), and three short assignments are submitted each semester. Insights and skills developed in this course can provide tremendous inspiration in the process of movement invention and composition.

This is an opportunity for students who have completed a full year of anatomy study in the SLC dance program to pursue functional anatomy studies in greater depth. In open consultation with the instructor during class meetings, each student engages in independent research, developing one or more lines of inquiry that utilize functional anatomy perspectives and texts as an organizing framework. Research topics in recent years have included investigation of motor and experiential learning, development of a unique warm-up sequence to address specific individual technical issues, inquiry into kinetic experience and its linguistic expression, detailed study of knee-joint anatomy, and study of the kinematics and rehabilitation in knee injury. The class meets biweekly to discuss progress, questions, and methods for reporting, writing, and presenting research, alternating with weekly studio/practice sessions for individual and/or group research consultations.

Improvisation and composition are innate resources that we are constantly employing—consciously or not! Every day, we respond improvisationally to countless unexpected momentary shifts in our internal and external environments and make (compose) arrangements to address needs and desires. Building on those abilities by using movement as a central focus, improvisation can yield rich materials for instant performance, as well as dynamic elements for composing in multiple performance media. Improvisation and composition each support the advancement of our technical skills as performers and provide opportunities for us to build reliable connections as members of a creative community. In this course, we will engage in a variety of approaches to generating and arranging movement, using activities that range from highly structured to virtually unstructured. The unique experiences and background of each participant will serve to inform explorations throughout the semester. Goals will include building capabilities for sustained exploration and development of ideas, honing perceptive and communicative skills to cultivate a durable terrain from which to work creatively. We will explore expressive potentials inherent in movement; learn to master kinetic vocabularies; and incorporate music, sound, gesture, text, and objects in pursuit of individual, collaborative, and collective visions. Students will create and perform a series of studies over the course of the semester, directing one another and sharing ideas and solutions in class discussions.

Students in this course will develop skills to bring their artistry into a teaching setting, combining practical and theoretical studies. We will work systematically and imaginatively to develop teaching practices in dance and movement forms that move us most deeply, addressing individual and collective concerns throughout the process. We will explore strategies for teaching a variety of techniques, from codified dance forms to generative forms, including improvisation and composition. Over the course of the semester, with all members of the class serving as both teachers and students, each participant will develop a cohesive plan for teaching in professional settings.  Studio practices—including movement, observation, discussion, and class exercises—will support in-depth exploration of teaching and learning as intrinsically related aspects of education at its best. In addition to work in the studio, independent research will entail surveying literature in the field of dance education and training, as well as potential sources beyond the field, according to individual interests. Practical and theoretical research will form the basis of a final presentation (teaching one or more sections of the curricular plan) and a final written report with annotated bibliography, summarizing and documenting the development process, as well as providing a basis for future promotional material.

Where can dancing and dance-making flourish? How can we cultivate deep and enduring practices as dance artists, scholars, and active community members? What can we learn about dance in the process of gardening, which has been described by landscape architects as the slowest of the performing arts? In this interdisciplinary FYS course, we will begin to make connections between the fundamental aspects of the Sarah Lawrence College dance program and the practical experience of related disciplines that foster similar values. The discipline of dance cultivates and stimulates the acquisition of technique, creativity, and theoretical inquiry and thrives with consistent practice. The multiple phases of growing and harvesting in the garden, from conceptual to practical, provide a unique mirror to dance as an art form, while emphasizing attentive care of our planet and care for ourselves through the cultivation of food- and community-based work. We will have two weekly First-Year Studies in Dance class sessions (one in the dance studio and one in the garden, see below), along with component classes in improvisation, dance history, and movement practices that include African Diasporic Dance, Contemporary Practice, Ballet, Hip Hop, Contact Improvisation, and Bharatanatyam. Students of all experience levels, from beginning to advanced, are welcome! During registration, each student will be guided in arranging an individualized schedule of component classes tailored to his/her level and designed to support the ongoing development of skills in various aspects of dance as an art form. Students should expect to be dancing on a daily basis. All students in the dance program may elect to perform in our departmental productions. These include Open Performance each semester, where any SLC student may present his/her own choreography, and Winter Performance, MFA Thesis Performance, and Spring Performance, with works choreographed by graduate and upperclass undergraduate students in the Dance Making class. Our weekly FYS class session in the studio will be devoted to creating a collective performance piece informed and inspired by our experiences over the course of the year, as well as to discussing class readings, presenting individual research and writing, and reflecting on experiences in the garden with community partners. Class readings will draw on texts from several fields of study, including dance and performance, gardening and farming, cultural studies, and service learning. Weekly donning conferences support all phases of students’ academic endeavors. Weekly FYS garden sessions, in partnership with Douglass DeCandia, Food Growing Project Coordinator for the Food Bank for Westchester, will provide opportunities to engage in service learning and social justice practice literally from the ground up. In these sessions, we will work alongside local community members (site staff, residents, and volunteers), building connections through planting, harvesting, and processing produce for distribution to local hunger relief programs.

This is a research tutorial course that provides an opportunity to explore foundational texts in dance and performance in the context of the Master of Fine Arts in Dance program. With our programmatic focus on performance and choreography, there are, nevertheless, important writings and discussions in our field that will be essential for students to engage as they prepare for careers in dance and performance. In concert with our reading and discussion, each student will undertake substantive independent research and writing. The emphasis is on developing a line or lines of inquiry, devising strategies with which to effectively and meaningfully follow learning pathways to produce well-crafted writing. This will entail identifying specific research topics, sources, and methods; engaging with those resources and practices; and reporting on the process in successive stages. Projects will evolve throughout the year, culminating in a final revision of writing and in-class presentation. Students will produce periodic reports and multiple drafts of writing during each semester and will serve as readers for colleagues, as well.

This course begins with a close reading of Alice Walker’s 2010 collection of poems, Hard Times Require Furious Dancing, as an entry into the multiple layers of meaning and complexity that movement can convey and to the ways in which those layers of meaning serve to mobilize us as individuals and as collectives. Acknowledging the apparently limitless possibilities for defining dancing, dance, and movement, we will consider a range of specific references as archetypes: staged performances, public/political demonstrations, and quotidian choreographies that occur as a matter of course in natural and human-made settings. In additional to Alice Walker’s writing, texts from fields including dance, performance, literary criticism, feminism, science fiction, cultural studies, ethno-ecology, and activism, as well as examples of live and recorded performance events (formal and informal), will serve as inspiration for reading, seeing, thinking, conversing, and writing throughout the year. Histories and perspectives of all participants will be called upon to illuminate those materials and translate them into our own words. Class activities will include reading, writing, discussion, and accessible movement practices. Each student will pursue independent research arising from one or more class activities, which will include reading, writing, and presentation. For students taking the course as a regular seminar, conference work may build upon independent research for class or may be configured as a separate project. The aim of this course is to extend our recognition of movement and dancing as essential aspects of existence; to explore theoretical potentials inherent in that study; and to incorporate new insights into our reading, thinking, conversation, and writing practices.

Improvisation is a potentially limitless resource. Whether arising from movement itself or from conceptual/imaginative sources, improvisation can yield raw materials for making dances and other performance works. Improvisation can form the basis for community-building activities. It can also support the advancement of our technical skills in all dance forms, from conceptual and choreographic to performative, by giving us greater access to our personal connections to movement. In this course, we will engage in a variety of approaches to improvisation. We will investigate the properties of movement in the context of experience and performance, using activities that range from highly structured to virtually unstructured. The aim of our work is to delve deeply into the creative process in a variety of environmental settings, from the dance studio to outdoor sites around the campus. Throughout the year, goals will include building capabilities for sustained exploration of movement instincts and appetites, honing perceptive and communicative skills, and learning to use improvisation to advance movement technique. All of these goals will support the development of a durable foundation from which to work creatively.

When we encounter dancing, what are we seeing, experiencing, and understanding? How do current representations of dance perpetuate and/or disrupt assumptions about personal and social realities? Embedded historical notions and enforcements based on race, economic class, gender, social/sexual orientation, nationality/regional affiliation, and more are threaded through our daily lives. Performing arts, both inside and outside of popular culture, often reinforce dominant cultural ideas. Can they also propose or inspire alternatives? In this class, we will view examples of dancing on film, digital/internet media, television programs and commercials, as well as live performance. These viewings—along with readings of selected texts from the fields of dance and performance, literary criticism, feminist theory, queer theory, and cultural studies—will form the basis of class discussions and exercises. Each student will develop an independent research project arising from one or more class activities.  Independent research will include reading, writing, and presentation. The central aim of this course is to cultivate generously informed conversation, using academic research and experiential knowledge to advance our appreciation of dance as an elemental art form.

In this practice-based course, students develop skills to bring their artistry into a teaching setting. Readings, discussion, and short written pieces will support an exploration of perspectives on teaching and development of individual areas of interest. Following current practices in the field for bringing together arts and education, we will study methods for artists to partner with educators and implement those methods in a weekly class for children enrolled in Sarah Lawrence College’s acclaimed Early Childhood Center (ECC). In addition to our work with ECC, there are several options for students interested in an expanded practical curriculum. The College’s Campbell Sports Center offers opportunities for students to initiate and lead physical education classes; and the College’s Office of Community Partnerships can assist students in pursuing teaching initiatives in surrounding communities, including Yonkers, Greater Westchester, and other New York City Metropolitan areas.

How is it possible for us to move in the countless ways that we do? Learn to develop your X-ray vision of human beings in motion through functional anatomical study that combines movement practice, drawing, lecture, and problem-solving. In this course, movement is a powerful vehicle for experiencing, in detail, our profoundly adaptable musculoskeletal anatomy. We will learn Irene Dowd’s Spirals^©—a comprehensive warm-up/cool-down for dancing that coordinates all joints and muscles through their fullest range of motion, facilitating study of the entire musculoskeletal system. In addition to movement practice, drawings are made as part of each week’s lecture (drawing materials provided), and three short assignments are submitted each semester. Insights and skills developed in this course can provide tremendous inspiration in the process of movement invention and composition.

This is an opportunity for advanced students who have completed Anatomy I to pursue their studies in greater depth. In open consultation with the instructor during class meetings, each student engages in independent research, developing one or more lines of inquiry that utilize functional anatomy perspectives and texts as an organizing framework. Research topics in recent years have included breathing, anatomy study in dance education, spine function, scoliosis, the use of verbal language in dance training, and anatomy of the human reproductive and digestive systems. The class meets biweekly to discuss progress and questions, with additional meetings on alternate weeks as an option for individuals or the group.

This is an opportunity for advanced students who have completed Anatomy I to pursue their study of anatomy in greater depth. Each student will research a topic or topics in which functional anatomy plays a significant part. We will meet weekly to discuss questions and share experiences.

Improvisation is a potentially limitless resource. Whether arising from movement itself or from conceptual/imaginative sources, improvisation can yield raw materials for making dances and other performance works. It can form the basis for community-building activities. It can also support the advancement of our technical skills in all dance forms, from conceptual and choreographic to performative, by giving us greater access to our personal connections to movement. In this course, we will engage in a variety of approaches to improvisation. We will investigate the properties of movement in the context of experience and performance, using activities that range from highly structured to virtually unstructured. The aim of our work is to delve deeply into the creative process in a variety of environmental settings, from the dance studio to outdoor sites around the campus. Throughout the year, goals will include building capabilities for sustained exploration of movement instincts and appetites, honing perceptive and communicative skills, and learning to use improvisation to advance movement technique. All of these goals will support the development of a durable foundation from which to work creatively.

This course provides students with a weekly opportunity to explore and practice supplemental training strategies to support development of specialized skills required in dancing. Building on work done once or twice per semester in the dance practice conferences, training issues such as strength, endurance, flexibility, kinesthetic awareness, and coordination will be addressed from a neuromuscular training approach based on the teachings and selected choreographies of Irene Dowd. In addition, students will be introduced to the Alexander Technique, which aims to refine and optimize function by eliminating excessive tension. This is accomplished through specific exercises and practices designed to increase awareness, implement conscious direction, and achieve gentle re-patterning of postural and movement habits.

Movement and dancing are definitive signs of life! In every environment and at every level of existence, from single-cell organisms to entire populations, dancing is innate to living beings. The objective here is to awaken/reawaken students’ connection to movement as an elemental mode of human experience and learning. Students are introduced to some basic principles of dancing, as well as to strategies for preparing for dancing. Building fundamental skills for a wide range of movement studies, the focus is centered on learning movement and refining individual, partnered, and group performance in a variety of patterns and styles. Basic anatomical information is used to facilitate an understanding of dynamic alignment and movement potentials. Challenges in coordination, rhythm, range, and dynamic quality are systematically engaged, allowing students to gain strength, flexibility, endurance, balance, musicality, and awareness in the dance setting. While the primary emphasis is placed on learning structured material, improvisation and composition are incorporated to support students’ growing engagement with dance as an art form.

Students will meet with the instructor for this course at least once per semester to address individual dance training issues and questions and to identify short- and long-term goals. Guided by discussion, we will develop practical strategies to address issues and questions in the context of achieving goals by means of specific supplemental exercises that address strength, flexibility, kinesthetic awareness, coordination, and effective approaches to learning. This course is designed to support and enhance students’ work in dance classes, rehearsals, and performances.

Students taking Contemporary Practice I, II, and III will meet with the instructor for this component course at least once per semester to address individual dance training issues and questions and to identify short- and long-term goals. Guided by discussion, we will develop practical strategies to address issues and questions in the context of achieving goals by means of specific supplemental exercises that address strength, flexibility, kinesthetic awareness, coordination, and effective approaches to learning. This course is designed to support and enhance students’ work in dance classes, rehearsals, and performances.

Movement and dancing are definitive signs of life! In every environment and at every level of existence, from single-cell organisms to entire populations, dancing is innate to living beings. The objective here is to awaken/reawaken students’ connection to movement as an elemental mode of human experience and learning. Students are introduced to some basic principles of dancing, as well as to strategies for preparing for dancing. Building fundamental skills for a wide range of movement studies, the focus is centered on learning movement and refining individual, partnered, and group performance in a variety of patterns and styles. Basic anatomical information is used to facilitate an understanding of dynamic alignment and movement potentials. Challenges in coordination, rhythm, range, and dynamic quality are systematically engaged, allowing students to gain strength, flexibility, endurance, balance, musicality, and awareness in the dance setting. While primary emphasis is placed on learning structured material, improvisation and composition are incorporated to support students’ growing engagement with dance as an art form.

What we do in our training is what we are training ourselves to do. The meaning and implications of this seemingly simple statement are simultaneously obvious and elusive. In developing our dance artistry, the ability to understand how we do what we do can be instrumental to expanding our potentials as performers, makers and spectators. Structured and improvisational exercises are utilized in this seminar to explore individuals’ extant technical strategies, identifying key aspects of technical lineage, and increasing awareness of individual preferences and aesthetic interests. This deconstructive process allows participants to systematically broaden their range of performative and choreographic possibilities. Additionally, we examine training strategies for preparing ourselves and our dancers to perform the choreographic material being developed for Dance Making projects, and work collectively to develop and lead pre-performance warm up sessions for department concerts each semester.

This is course provides an opportunity to explore foundational texts in dance and performance, in the context of the Master of Fine Arts in Dance program.  With our programmatic focus on performance and choreography, there are significant writings and discussions in this field that will be important for students to engage as they prepare for careers in dance and performance.  Emphasis is on developing a line or lines of inquiry, devising strategies with which to effectively and meaningfully follow learning pathways to produce well-crafted writing.  Projects will evolve throughout the year, culminating in a final revision of writing and in-class presentation.  Students will also have the opportunity serve as readers for colleagues.

This is a tutorial course for students in the second year of the program, to generate the written portion of the MFA in Dance thesis. Class meetings will be combined and coordinated with Graduate Seminar: Independent Research in Dance, allowing for expanded discussion of research with all students in the MFA in Dance program. In the fall semester, participants will conceptualize and submit a thesis proposal, literature review, annotated bibliography, outline of thesis, and introduction. This may draw inspiration and/ or build upon work completed in the first year of the program. In the spring semester, first and subsequent revised/final drafts will be completed and submitted. With instructor’s approval, theses may be submitted for publication on the Sarah Lawrence Digital Commons platform. At the end of the semester, all participants will make a presentation with discussion of each aspect of the thesis (choreography, performance and written material). Preparation of the presentation will be supported through class discussion.

In these classes, emphasis will be on the steady development of movement skills, energy use, strength, and articulation relevant to the technical and aesthetic orientations of each teacher. At all levels, attention will be given to sharpening each student’s awareness of time and energy and to training rhythmically, precisely, and in accordance with sound anatomical principles. Degrees of complexity in movement patterns will vary within the leveled class structure. All students will investigate sensory experience and the various demands of performance.

This course is an introduction to the study of human movement/kinesiology and human anatomy. Students will gain a beginning understanding of key systems in the human body and their integral effect on functional and expressive behavior. Key anatomical landmarks and features will be highlighted in the context of both common and individual choices and characteristics. Students will explore how understanding the different body systems aids in movement observation and intervention.

Historically, pandemics have forced humans to break with the past and imagine their world anew. This one is no different. It is a portal, a gateway between one world and the next. —Arundhati Roy, The Pandemic is a Portal (April 2020)

Acclaimed feminist author, educator, and revolutionary thinker, bell hooks wrote, “Art constitutes one of the rare locations where acts of transcendence can take place and have a wide-ranging transformative impact” (from Art on My Mind: Visual Politics, 1999). Historian Howard Zinn echoes this, saying, “…the artist transcends the immediate. Transcends the here and now. Transcends the madness of the world. Transcends terrorism and war. The artist thinks, acts, performs music, and writes outside the framework that society has created…” (from Artists in Times of War, 2003). The tumultuous period that we are currently experiencing, with unprecedented challenges in social, political, and environmental realms, sets the stage for us as artists to contribute the vital elements of human civilization that are our domain. Collective effort is at the heart of performing arts; thus, our contributions rely upon our abilities to connect and coordinate. Ultimately, the power of any collective relies upon the vibrance of each member. From Broadway, opera, and concert stages to experimental performance venues and political demonstrations, collective actions by artists have played a part in moving society forward. We will study works by visionary artists who have been inspired to venture across disciplines to grapple with the challenges of their times (including Anna Deveare Smith, Tony Kushner, Janelle Monet, Bill T. Jones, Meredith Monk) and will join forces, drawing upon the unique history of each participant to construct an expansive portal for individual and collaborative inquiry. This is a course for students with an established practice and experience in theatre, music, and/or dance who wish to continue advancing skills in their established disciplines. Students will take additional multiple components in dance, music, or theatre to comprise a Third program in one of these performing arts. Students will be guided through a selection of components in their discipline during registration and will attend discipline-specific information sessions as part of the registration process.

• Theatre students will take two or three additional theatre components, along with biweekly Theatre Meetings and periodic Think Tank meetings, and will fulfill Tech Credit requirements. Students are welcome to audition for theatre projects each semester.
• Music students will take three or four additional components, including individual lessons, Music Theory, Music History, Music Technology (optional), and Performance Ensemble (by audition), along with concert attendance and periodic Music Tuesday meetings. Students are welcome to join more than one performance ensemble (recommended for students who have had previous training in music, such as instrumental lessons, beginning theory, etc.).
• Dance students will take three or four additional components, including movement practice classes and creative practice, along with periodic Dance Meetings, and will fulfill the Dance Tech Production requirements. Students are welcome to audition for dance program performances each semester.

FYS in Performing Arts is a yearlong course comprised of a weekly component class and weekly individual donning conferences. Serving as a home base for students, it will be a core class from which explorations into various disciplines arise. Class meetings will incorporate both practice-based and theoretically-based activities, experimenting with interdisciplinary possibilities through collaborative exercises, reflection, discussion, reading, and writing. Class readings will be selected texts from within theatre, music, and dance, as well as fields beyond the arts. Conferences in the spring semester may be weekly or biweekly, according to students’ needs and progress. Over the course of the year, we will conceptualize and create a collective multidisciplinary performance work to be shown informally at the end of the spring semester, with elements contributed by each member of the class/collective. Independent research inquiries will be pursued throughout the year, supported by individual conferences and periodic working groups in class, culminating in the writing, revising, and presentation of a research paper in the spring semester. The aim of this course is to support the development of skills necessary for expansive artistic collaboration and sustained academic research. Supported by the immersive opportunities of SLC’s theatre, music, and dance programs, with emphasis on live performance, students in this course will acquire new abilities and critical insights through experiential and theoretical studies. FYS in Performing Arts is intended for students who have both a strong interest in theatre, music, and/or dance and a desire to discover more about the interconnectedness of the disciplines.