Dance Program

Prerequisite:   All students must pass an audition to be admitted to the program. Eligibility:  Grades 9,10,11,12

The Marin School of the Arts Dance Program is designed to nurture and develop highly trained, multi-dimensional, educated dancers. Students will study a variety of dance styles including modern, jazz, social, tap, contemporary and world dance in order to develop new skills and gain perspective on the vast scope of the world of dance. Ongoing ballet classes will offer training in alignment and classical technique.  The creative personality and individual style of each dancer will be developed through improvisation and choreography workshops.  Student knowledge of historical context, individual contributions, cultural dimensions, critical assessment, notation and other theoretical aspects of dance will be broadened using teacher presentation, video, field trips and student research.  Performance and choreographic opportunities will include one major and many smaller shows per year.

Course Objectives (in accordance with the California Content Standards for Dance):

Artistic Perception: Students will learn correct body alignment and develop increasing physical coordination, flexibility and control. They will acquire and use these technical skills by daily repetition of dance exercises and by memorizing, interpreting and performing dance sequences in a variety of genres. They will show clarity of intent in expressing themselves through dance movement. Students will also learn the language of dance and gain an understanding of kinesthetics, musical phrasing, and the elements of time, space and force.

Creative Expression: Students will demonstrate comfort with improvisation and will use improv and the study of choreographic principals in creating increasingly more sophisticated dances. Students will analyze and articulate their choices of movement and communicate the intent of their peers when learning each other's dances. Students will learn about different notation systems and find or devise a system that works for them. Students will have the opportunity to show their compositions at formal and informal performances.

Historical and Cultural Context: Students will study the history of dance and the cultural diversity of dance, while learning various folk dances and ethnic dance styles. Students will analyze the impact these forms have on their native cultures and on contemporary dance in America.

Aesthetic Valuing: Students will analyze films, videos and live performances and through written analysis articulate the artistic and technical elements they find. Students will apply this understanding in analyzing and critiquing their own and each others’ works.

Connection, Relations, and Application: Students will use audiovisual equipment to help record and analyze their progress. Students will learn anatomy and kinesthesiology to aid in understanding of human movement potential. Students will learn from various professionals in the field about life as a professional dancer. Students will choose to work on an aspect of either the music, lights or artistic set design as part of a dance presentation. Students will research admissions procedures for dance programs at universities and also investigate what it takes to go directly into the world of professional dance.

State Visual and Performing Arts Content Standards for California Public Schools

Specialty 2: Modern Dance Second Quarter
Specialty 3: Choreography for Spring Performance Third Quarter
Specialty 4: World Dance Fourth Quarter -Including Irish, Kathak, Folk, African, etc.

Analysis 2: Modern Dance History and Contributors Second Quarter
Analysis 3: Choreographic Principles and Critique Third Quarter
Analysis 4: World Dance Cultures Fourth Quarter

Performance Opportunities:
Spring Dance Extravaganza
MSA exhibitions and Monthly Soirees
Big Band Dance
Community Events
Large group dance compositions; smaller specialty numbers, student choreography

Auxiliary Activities:
Field Trips
Anatomy,  Physiology,  Dance Kinesiology
Nutrition, Consumer Information
Collaboration with other MSA focus areas

One full year of PE credit is awarded with one year of MSA DANCE