Syllabus

Danc 2331 O6A-Beginning Modern Dance

Monday/Wednesday 1:00 – 5:00pm
M. Saba

Office Hours: Wednesday 11:30 – 12:30pm or by appointment

Office: JO4.906 Phone: 972-883-2083 email: msaba@utdallas.edu

Grade Value

50% Class participation and attendance

20% Performance attendance and written critiques
20% Project assignments and choreography
10% Final Paper

Course Requirements

Attendance and Participation:

Attendance is mandatory. You will be given 1 absence that will not count against your grade,
any thereafter will be 8 points off starting at 100 for each class missed. Please be on time, you will be
considered late if you arrive after the warm up has begun and points will be deducted from your daily
grade. Classes may be made up, please speak to the instructor for various options. All classes must be
made up before the last week classes.
Participation is graded on being on time, learning material given, effort, preparedness for class (including
proper attire), proper dance etiquette, and your own personal growth. Each class has a value of 8 points
awarded daily by attending class and fulfilling the preceding requirements. Points may be deducted if any
of these requirements are unfulfilled.
The class will be divided into 3 sections:
1. Technique class (4 points)
2. Movement development and choreography (2 points)
3. Video (2 points)
Critiques:
You are required to see two live dance productions and write a critique for each. All performances must
be dance concerts approved by the instructor. Critiques will be due on June 6 and 20. The critiques must
include detailed descriptions of no more than 2 dance pieces from the program you saw. Either a full
critique or a brief summary of the first and last piece must be included in all papers. 3 points will be
deducted for the omission of each.
When writing the critique include these points:
1. Did it tell a story, have a theme, show a particular emotion, or make you feel a certain way? After
each one of these questions then ask yourself why and explain.
2. What was the music? Did the choreography go with the music? How?
3. Did you like it? What made you like or dislike it?
4. What was the movement like? What did the dancers do through movement to help you come to
conclusions from the previous questions?
5. How did the sets, costuming, and lighting affect the piece?
Write the critique assuming I did not see the dance and would understand what is was about from your
description. 3 points may be deducted for the omission of each point mentioned above.
Approved critiques for this class are as follows:

5/19-22 Grease – Theater League

5/27-28 Spring Celebration Series – Dallas Black Dance Theatre
5/27-28 Ten & One – Beckles Dancing Company
527-28 Collage 2005 Dance Festival – Denton City Contemporary Ballet
6/9-10 and 6/16-18 Current: an interplay of forces– elledanceworks dance company
6/11 Fourth Mixed Repertory Program – Metropolitan Classical Ballet
Details for each performance can be found in The Dance Council’s publication of Dance or on their
website at thedancecouncil.org.

Project Assignments and Choreography

After technique class each day a portion of the class will be dedicated to either learning how movement is
developed through group projects or learning and creating choreography.

Paper:
Your final paper will be an overview of the entire class. How did technique vary from learning
movement dynamics, variations of movement, choreography? What impact did the videos and dance
performances have on your understanding of modern dance and other dance forms? What have you
learned and discovered from the class?

Grading for Papers and Critiques

A check mark for both papers and critiques averages as 95%. Exceptional papers will be awarded a
higher percentage. Papers on average will be no more than two pages typewritten or three pages
handwritten. Handwritten papers must be printed and double spaced. There will be 5 points counted off
if not written as such. Late papers may be accepted, but point deductions will be taken according to how
late the paper is turned in.

Skill and Vocabulary:

You will be expected to learn set warm up exercises and have acquired an understanding of the dance
vocabulary often used in class. Quizzes on these skills could be given randomly throughout the semester.

Extra Credit
Extra credit may be received by attending other dance performances. You may receive 5 points by just
turning in a ticket and program or 10 if accompanied by a critique. The credit will be added to the final
total of points accrued for the course at the end of the semester, not a specific category.

General Class Etiquette and Attire

Minimum jewelry
Hair away from face
No chewing gum
Closed liquid containers (water only)
No sitting down during class
No talking while dancing or during demonstrations of exercise
You are required to wear dance or work out clothes. Loose fitting street clothes are not appropriate.
Acceptable attire would be tights, leotards, bike shorts, crop tops, sweat pants, sweat shorts, T-shirts,
leggings, and sweat shirts. Jazz shoes are required for this class.
Points may be deducted from your daily grade for inappropriate attire or etiquette.

***All dates and assignments are subject to change at the instructor’s discretion*********
Topics for Individual Class Meetings
5/16 Review syllabus, explore locomotive/nonlocomotive movement, watch video
5/18` Technique class, work on movement dynamics, watch video
5/23 Technique class, show how movement communicates, watch video
5/25 Technique class, crafting movement, watch video
5/30 Technique class, music and props
6/1 Technique class, choreography, watch video
6/6 Technique class, choreography, watch video, first critique due
6/8 Technique class, choreography, watch video,

6/13 Technique class, choreography, watch video

6/15 Technique class, choreography, watch video
6/20 Technique class, perform choreography, final paper and critique due

The following are excerpts of policies and procedures from the University Catalog. For a complete list of
campus policies and procedures go the University Catalog on the UTD website.

Incomplete Grade (X)

A grade of Incomplete may be given, at the discretion of the instructor of record for a course, when a
student has completed at least 70% of the required course material but cannot complete all requirements
by the end of the semester. The incomplete course grade (grade of X) must be completed within the time
period specified by the instructor, not to exceed eight weeks from the first day of the subsequent long
semester. Upon completion of the required work, the symbol X may be converted into a letter grade (A
through F) by the instructor. If the grade of Incomplete is not removed by the end of the specified period,
it will automatically be changed to F. Extension beyond the specified limit can be made only with the
permission of the instructor and the student’s ADU (or the Undergraduate Dean in the case of students
without declared majors). A student may not re-enroll in a course in which a grade of X remains.

Students may obtain a petition/documentation form for an Incomplete in the office of the student’s ADU.
The form is to be submitted to the instructor from whom the Incomplete is sought. Students should be
aware that an Incomplete is only appropriate for work unavoidably missed at semester’s end. Students
should contact their school office for school policies on Incompletes. If a significant fraction of a
semester is missed with cause, see the section on “Withdrawing from and Adding Courses”.

An instructor assigning an Incomplete must submit the petition/documentation form containing a

description of the work required to complete the course to the ADU of the school offering the course.
Upon approval, a copy of the petition will be forwarded to the student’s ADU to be retained with the
student’s academic record. The instructor alone will be responsible for determining whether the
requirements for completion are met and for assigning the grade in the course. However, if the instructor
who has signed the Incomplete is no longer associated with U.T. Dallas and the work is completed within
the time allowed before the Incomplete lapses to an F, the Associate Dean of the instructor’s college may
assign a committee of appropriate faculty to evaluate the material and/or obtain any other information
which may be required to assign the grade in the course.

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.

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.

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, (972) 883-2070.