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DAN252: Contact Improvisation

Course Information

Course, prefix, number, & title: DAN252 Contact Improvisation

Hours (Class, recitation, Laboratory, studio): 2 class hours; Offered as needed

Credits: 1

Pre-requisites (if any): DAN-250, or permission of the instructor

Course Description in college catalog:

This course is an introduction to contact improvisation. Contact improvisation was developed in the 1970s by a group of dancers coming out of the Judson Church Era. Students will gain an understanding of structural support, following through with a point of contact, weight sharing, and energy flow.

Academic programs for which this course serves as a requirement or an elective:

A.S. Dance

General Education Outcomes: Below is a listing of General Education Outcome(s) that this course supports.

  1. Communicate effectively in various forms

Course-specific student learning outcomes:

Students will be verbally guided through improvisations with their eyes closed so that they can focus on the point of contact with their partner without judging themselves or each other. B. Through class discussions evaluating their experiences in the guided improvisations, they will learn how to use non-judgmental language.

Students will practice creating a "base" for their partner to "play" on. Correlations to architectural support and skeletal support for safety in supporting someone's weight will be explored.

Students will participate in various improvisations where they will be required to respond to and follow through with a point of contact without arbitrarily abandoning one point of contact for another.

Students will participate in group improvisations with the focus on safely sharing and giving weight with a partner through sensing and responding to a partner.

Students will practice contact improvisation in pairs continually changing partners to practice spontaneous responses that connect with and communicate with their partner.

Program-specific outcomes

  1. Identify and apply the following concepts of dance: space, weight, time, dynamics/energy through writing, movement, performance, or choreography.

  2. Apply fundamental movement skills and knowledge of the body and of kinesiology.

  3. Demonstrate the development of an individual movement voice and application of creative process tools.

  4. Demonstrate the following rehearsal/performance skills: proactive preparedness, punctuality, self rehearsal, self reflection, awareness of your role and role of others in production, effective communication, and perform dance roles with accuracy and expressivity.

  5. Develop and support critical response through writing and/or speech.

Methods by which student learning will be assessed and evaluated; describe the types of methods to be employed; note whether certain methods are required for all sections:

x

Academic Integrity policy (department or College):
Academic honesty is expected of all students. Any violation of academic integrity is taken extremely seriously. All assignments and projects must be the original work of the student or teammates. Plagiarism will not be tolerated. Any questions regarding academic integrity should be brought to the attention of the instructor. The following is the Queensborough Community College Policy on Academic Integrity: "It is the official policy of the College that all acts or attempted acts that are violations of Academic Integrity be reported to the Office of Student Affairs. At the faculty member's discretion and with the concurrence of the student or students involved, some cases though reported to the Office of Student Affairs may be resolved within the confines of the course and department. The instructor has the authority to adjust the offender's grade as deemed appropriate, including assigning an F to the assignment or exercise or, in more serious cases, an F to the student for the entire course." Read the University's policy on Academic Integrity opens in a new window.

Disabilities
Any student who feels that he or she may need an accommodation based upon the impact of a disability should contact the Office of Accessibility Services in Science Building, Room S-132, 718-631-6257, to coordinate reasonable accommodations for students with documented disabilities. You can visit the Office of Accessibility Services website.

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