Simon Fraser University
Engaging the World

Course Outlines

Spring 2024 - CA 321 D100

Dance Training and Movement Systems VI (4)

Class Number: 6343

Delivery Method: In Person

Overview

  • Course Times + Location:

    Jan 8 – Apr 12, 2024: Mon, Wed, Fri, 12:30–2:20 p.m.
    GOLDCORP

    Jan 8 – Apr 12, 2024: Tue, Thu, 12:30–2:20 p.m.
    GOLDCORP

  • Prerequisites:

    CA (or FPA) 320.

Description

CALENDAR DESCRIPTION:

Continues and expands upon the work undertaken in CA (or FPA) 320. Students with credit for FPA 321 may not take this course for further credit.

COURSE DETAILS:

In this class participants work with both scored improvisational tasks and set movement sequences privileging both the individual and the collective movements of the room. The improvisatory scores propose systems of support from inside and outside of the body, invite the articulation of both joints and flesh, and activate the mind as a catalyst for shifts in sensation and perception. The scores incrementally layer movement strategies while attending to how bodies are made and shaped through practice and culture. This class privileges how our way of thinking about our bodies, creates a felt sense in the body that is malleable in thought and in practice.

The class progresses with set exercises that incrementally move from the horizontal (floor work) to the vertical plane (standing work and air bound action) and encourages another application of the opening score’s propositions. With an openness to the possibility of functional anatomical change, the structured material invites students to explore the precise moments when their bodies are activated into movement.

In this class, guided improvisation and set movement become containers for attention. They are strategies for remaining present, feeling the senses work in concert, and becoming attuned to the perpetual and dynamic negotiations within our body.

Grading

  • Work Habits 40%
  • Mechanics 30%
  • Presence and Performance 30%

NOTES:

STUDENT OBJECTIVES:

Each student is encouraged to:
-work with curiosity and care for themselves and their cohort
-nurture an interest in the unknown and the unformed
-cultivate rigour and attention to the specificity of movement and qualitative shifts in sensation -arrive with a willingness to maintain a consistent presence in the space
-engage in deep listening, while also developing a practice of verbally articulating the work at hand -question, receive and integrate feedback into your practice
-work simultaneously to make space and take space

ASSESSMENT:

Grades will be based on the following:

Work Habits 40%: Daily commitment to the working process and an engaged and progressive approach to practice.
Mechanics 30%: Physical understanding of functional alignment and movement principles covered in class.
Presence and Performance 30%: Your commitment, focus and awareness while in practice. The practical integration of performance concepts proposed in the class.

Materials

REQUIRED READING NOTES:

Your personalized Course Material list, including digital and physical textbooks, are available through the SFU Bookstore website by simply entering your Computing ID at: shop.sfu.ca/course-materials/my-personalized-course-materials.

Registrar Notes:

ACADEMIC INTEGRITY: YOUR WORK, YOUR SUCCESS

SFU’s Academic Integrity website http://www.sfu.ca/students/academicintegrity.html is filled with information on what is meant by academic dishonesty, where you can find resources to help with your studies and the consequences of cheating. Check out the site for more information and videos that help explain the issues in plain English.

Each student is responsible for his or her conduct as it affects the university community. Academic dishonesty, in whatever form, is ultimately destructive of the values of the university. Furthermore, it is unfair and discouraging to the majority of students who pursue their studies honestly. Scholarly integrity is required of all members of the university. http://www.sfu.ca/policies/gazette/student/s10-01.html