Contemporary Dance Courses
Prerequisite/Corequisite:
Enrolment in the Major in Contemporary Dance is required. If prerequisites are not satisfied, permission of the Department is required and will be determined by previous experience and space availability.
Description:
This introductory course allows students to explore and contextualize their personal history of dance and begin to understand what it means to produce dance in a university setting. Students learn how to choreograph solos for each other, read and discuss texts about dance, examine issues of appropriation, and observe and critique different theories, including Indigenous, non-Western, decolonial approaches to choreographic work.
Component(s):
Seminar; StudioNotes:
- Students who have received credit for DANC 200 or DANC 201 may not take this course for credit.
Prerequisite/Corequisite:
The following course must be completed previously: DANC 202. Enrolment in the Major in Contemporary Dance is required. If prerequisites are not satisfied, permission of the Department is required and will be determined by previous experience and space availability.
Description:
In this studio-based course, students explore theoretical, conceptual, and embodied approaches to creating collaborative choreography. Students make connections between academic theory, their personal choreographic explorations, and collaborative practice-based work. Students critically examine culturally diverse theories of Indigenous and decolonial choreographic collaborative practices including Western choreographic models.
Component(s):
Seminar; StudioNotes:
- Students who have received credit for DANC 200 or DANC 201 may not take this course for credit.
Prerequisite/Corequisite:
Enrolment in the Major in Contemporary Dance is required. If prerequisites are not satisfied, written permission of the Department is required.
Description:
Emphasis is placed on the proper alignment and placement of the body in stillness and in motion. Integration and execution of movement fundamentals and sequences are taught as a preparation for dance.Component(s):
StudioNotes:
Students who have received credit for DANC 210 may not take this course for credit.
Description:
This course introduces major concepts, approaches, and issues in the study of dance as a cultural, historical, contemporary and artistic practice. Drawing on selected examples of historical and contemporary creations and uses of dance in culturally diverse contexts, the course critiques traditional Western dance historization and the focus on aesthetic representation as benchmarks of success in dance.
Component(s):
Lecture; SeminarPrerequisite/Corequisite:
Written permission of the Department of Contemporary Dance is required.
Description:
A survey of technical skills, improvisation, and dance composition.Component(s):
Studio 4 hours per week; Laboratory 2 hours per weekNotes:
Students enrolled in the Major in Contemporary Dance may not take this course for credit towards their degree program.
Prerequisite/Corequisite:
Enrolment in the Major in Contemporary Dance is required. If prerequisites are not satisfied, written permission of the Department of Contemporary Dance is required.
Description:
The basics of music theory through guided analytical text using singing, single line score reading and moving, including the study of rhythm, melody, harmony, tempi, dynamics, tone colour, and musical forms with emphasis on the fundamental understanding of rhythm, melody, and harmony physically and mentally.Component(s):
LectureNotes:
Students who have received credit for DANC 230 may not take this course for credit.
Prerequisite/Corequisite:
Written permission of the Department of Contemporary Dance is required.Description:
Sequences of studio sessions which may include body movement, improvisation, performance technique, and choreography.Component(s):
Studio 4 hours per week; Laboratory 2 hours per weekNotes:
Students enrolled in the Major in Contemporary Dance may not take this course for credit towards their program requirements.
Prerequisite/Corequisite:
Written permission of the Department of Contemporary Dance is required.
Description:
A continuation of DANC 261.Component(s):
Studio 4 hours per week; Laboratory 2 hours per weekNotes:
Students enrolled in the Major in Contemporary Dance may not take this course for credit towards their program requirements.
Prerequisite/Corequisite:
The following courses must be completed previously: DANC 202 and DANC 203, or DANC 200 or DANC 201; and DANC 211. Enrolment in the Major in Contemporary Dance is required. If prerequisites are not satisfied, permission of the Department is required and will be determined by previous experience and space availability.
Description:
In this practice-based course, students examine dance from culturally diverse viewpoints to investigate the question of who has the right to dance and choreograph. Students critique how dance has been used to exclude Indigenous and marginalized communities. Ethnographic choreographic alternatives are explored in order to move towards more culturally diverse, decolonized, sustainable, and inclusive practices.
Component(s):
Seminar; StudioNotes:
- Students who have received credit for DANC 300 or DANC 301 may not take this course for credit.
Prerequisite/Corequisite:
The following courses must be completed previously: DANC 202 and DANC 203, or DANC 200 or DANC 201; and DANC 211. Enrolment in the Major in Contemporary Dance is required. If prerequisites are not satisfied, permission of the Department is required and will be determined by previous experience and space availability.
Description:
The course focuses on space as context for the development of choreographic concepts. Students are exposed to and explore a variety of spaces, from the arrangement of the audience to physical dance sites, and examine how changes in these factors result in different choreographic outcomes. The course supports collective making, feminist and decolonial approaches as essential elements of contemporary art.
Component(s):
Seminar; StudioNotes:
Students who have received credit for DANC 300 or DANC 301 may not take this course for credit.
Prerequisite/Corequisite:
Enrolment in the Major in Contemporary Dance is required. If prerequisites are not satisfied, written permission of the Department is required.Description:
Emphasis is placed on the technical development of suppleness, strength, coordination, rhythm, and kinetic fundamentals. Loco‑motor patterns, spatial relations, and phrasing are formulated into movement sequences to prepare the students for dance.Component(s):
StudioNotes:
Students who have received credit for DANC 310 may not take this course for credit.
Prerequisite/Corequisite:
The following courses must be completed previously: DANC 202, DANC 203. Enrolment in the Major in Contemporary Dance is required. If prerequisites are not satisfied, permission of the Department is required and will be determined by previous experience and space availability.
Description:
This course introduces transdisciplinary research in the arts that explores how improvisation connects performers and art forms across and beyond disciplines. To create meaningful and shared experiences for themselves, each other, and audiences, students/performers of different backgrounds and disciplines examine diverse theories of choreographic collaborative practices, including Indigenous, decolonial, and Western choreographic models.
Component(s):
Seminar; StudioNotes:
- Students who have received credit for this topic under a DANC 398 number may not take this course for credit.
Prerequisite/Corequisite:
The following courses must be completed previously: DANC 202, DANC 203. Enrolment in the Major in Contemporary Dance is required. If prerequisites are not satisfied, permission of the Department is required and will be determined by previous experience and space availability.
Description:
This studio-based course questions major concepts of dramaturgy as a historical institutional structure that developed theatrical performances as communication and expression in exchange with an audience. The course facilitates contemporary choreography from culturally diverse perspectives by reframing dramaturgy as a collective and collaborative process of critical analysis. Students situate their choreographic work in a historical context to understand the impact of their artistry on current and future social and artistic structures.
Component(s):
Seminar; StudioNotes:
- Students who have received credit for DANC 320 or for this topic under a DANC 398 number may not take this course for credit.
Prerequisite/Corequisite:
The following courses must be completed previously: DANC 205 / DANC 210. Written permission of the Department of Contemporary Dance is required.Description:
A workshop of movement fundamentals based on the practical understanding of anatomy and dance technique.Component(s):
Studio 6 hours per weekDescription:
An introduction to human anatomy in relation to movement and dance. The study of skeletal structure and the function of muscles and joints for proper alignment.Component(s):
Lecture; StudioPrerequisite/Corequisite:
Written permission of the Department of Contemporary Dance is required.
Description:
Topics vary from year to year, taking into account the special aptitudes of instructors and students.Component(s):
Studio 6 hours per weekPrerequisite/Corequisite:
The following courses must be completed previously: DANC 211; and DANC 302 and DANC 303, or DANC 300 or DANC 301. Enrolment in the Major in Contemporary Dance is required. If prerequisites are not satisfied, permission of the Department is required and will be determined by previous experience and space availability.
Description:
This studio-based course provides an overview and choreographic application of key texts in critical dance studies. Students learn how dance is a form of political expression and how choreographic practices can impact society. As a result, students understand dance in relation to social structures, and how dance and culture, as decolonial practices, develop out of shared aesthetic and political principles.
Component(s):
Seminar; StudioNotes:
Students who have received credit for DANC 400 or DANC 401 may not take this course for credit.
Prerequisite/Corequisite:
The following courses must be completed previously: DANC 211; and DANC 302 and DANC 303, or DANC 300 or DANC 301. Enrolment in the Major in Contemporary Dance is required. If prerequisites are not satisfied, permission of the Department is required and will be determined by previous experience and space availability.
Description:
In this studio-based course, students examine environmental and sustainable practices in relation to dance. Attention is given to how dance can be used as a tool to communicate environmental issues to diverse audiences and to interrogate the impact of dance practices on the environment, dancers’ bodies, and communities. Students study the work of choreographers who practice social, decolonized, and environmental sustainability and examine ways to apply these approaches to their own creative practices.
Component(s):
Seminar; StudioNotes:
Students who have received credit for DANC 400 or DANC 401 may not take this course for credit.
Prerequisite/Corequisite:
The following courses must be completed previously: DANC 202 , DANC 203. The following course must be completed concurrently: DANC 411 . Enrolment in the Major in Contemporary Dance is required. If prerequisites are not satisfied, permission of the Department is required and will be determined by previous experience and space availability.Description:
This course provides students with an in-depth understanding of how different design disciplines connect to choreography and how to effectively communicate with lighting and sound designers. Students learn how to implement design elements in the rehearsal studio and evolve their choreography alongside the design. Students engage with multiple materials, including audiovisual equipment, to broaden the possibilities of their own work in diverse theatrical settings.Component(s):
StudioPrerequisite/Corequisite:
Enrolment in the Major in Contemporary Dance is required. If prerequisites are not satisfied, written permission of the Department is required.
Description:
Emphasis is placed on refining and consolidating the student’s practical understanding of kinetics in relation to placement, locomotion, movement patterns, dynamics, and phrasing. Students refine their perceptual and memory skills, and learn to integrate more complex movement notions to support interpretation in dance.Component(s):
StudioNotes:
Students who have received credit for DANC 410 may not take this course for credit.
Prerequisite/Corequisite:
The following courses must be completed previously: DANC 202, DANC 203, DANC 211, DANC 302, DANC 303, DANC 306, DANC 307. Enrolment in the Major in Contemporary Dance is required. If prerequisites are not satisfied, permission of the Department is required and will be determined by previous experience and space availability.Description:
In this studio-based course, students experiment with conceptual frameworks to produce inclusive and sustainable choreographic projects. They make connections between their personal ideas, exemplary choreographic works, and academic theories. They examine culturally diverse theories of Indigenous and decolonial collaborative practices including Western choreographic models to develop and practice new models of leadership in performance development. This course outcome will be realized in DANC 412 where students present their final choreographic work.Component(s):
StudioNotes:
- Students who have received credit for DANC 420 may not take this course for credit.
Prerequisite/Corequisite:
The following courses must be completed previously: DANC 202, DANC 203, DANC 211, DANC 302, DANC 303, DANC 306, DANC 307, DANC 411. Enrolment in the Major in Contemporary Dance is required. If prerequisites are not satisfied, permission of the Department is required and will be determined by previous experience and space availability.
Description:
Building upon the processes developed in DANC 411, this course realizes the development of a sustained choreographic work for public presentation and its documentation. Students delve more deeply into the meaning and intention behind their movements, drawing inspiration from culturally diverse sources and strategies to inform their artistic vision. With opportunities for informal studio presentations, students receive feedback and guidance, fostering a supportive community of creativity and growth.Component(s):
StudioNotes:
Students who have received credit for DANC 420 may not take this course for credit.
Prerequisite/Corequisite:
Written permission of the Department is required.
Description:
Students who have completed advanced choreography courses or the equivalent have the opportunity of carrying out a project of independent study. Subject matter must deal with specific aspects of contemporary dance. Tutorials with the project advisor are mandatory.Component(s):
StudioPrerequisite/Corequisite:
Written permission of the Department of Contemporary Dance is required.
Description:
A student repeating DANC 441 registers for credit under DANC 442.Component(s):
StudioPrerequisite/Corequisite:
Written permission of the Department of Contemporary Dance is required.