I teach in the Department of Theatre and Dance at Grinnell College. The courses I teach are:
- Movement for the Performer
- Choreography: Developing Physical Ideas for the Stage
- Contemporary Dance in a Global Context
- Dance Studies (Variable Topics)
- Dance Ensemble/ACTivate
At Grinnell, dance is placed as an essential ingredient of a liberal arts eduction. The study of dance is an opportunity for technical and artistic training, and as a site for embodied research where we study dance as a performing art, a cultural practice and a political act.
It is an embodied research methodology that provides us tools to read, think and engage critically. The ideas and practice of dance help to shape creative excellence in our discipline and in other fields of inquiry.
We learn through the experiences of our own bodies, how to critically notice, participate, reflect and analyze the movement and choreographies around us – not only staged dances but, for example, the choreographies of political rallies; or the organizing of industrial practices.
Dance teaching and learning best practices reflect what has been identified as 21st century best practices in education: differentiation, interactive learning, student-generated content, and performance-based and project-based learning. The question is – what are the ways in which digital technologies can enhance studio-based practices, artistic growth and digital literacy both specific to the field and for broader application.
Following are uses of digital technologies for classroom projects. Though they are designed for dance-based courses, are their applications into other areas of study?
Exquisite Corpse – Courses: Choreography
Bodies in Public Spaces – Courses: Choreography, Movement for the Performer
Watching Dance on Video: Unpacking Liveness & Mediatized Presentations – Courses: Choreography, Movement for the Performer
Open Textbook – Courses: Contemporary Dance in a Global Context (In development)
Online Portfolio for student work – Courses: Choreography, Movement for the Performer
Digital Storytelling Project – Courses: Dance Studies: Embodied Experiences in the Environment
Classroom Tools:
Padlet to augment use of Critical Response Process feedback method.
Dancemaker App as a movement generator tool.
Smartphones as documentation devices.
