Beginning Ballet I

Catalog description

An introduction to the techniques of ballet. DANCE 231 Beginning Ballet I (1)In DANCE 231 , the student will learn the basics of ballet. These include the structure of a ballet class and the required focus and behavior of the successful student, as well as the fundamental positions and vocabulary of movement characteristic of ballet. The course is designed for any beginning student of ballet and, in particular, to instruct the first-year BFA Music Theatre candidate with a foundation of technique to support their success in the prescribed sequence of dance courses in that major. The student will be introduced to alignment exercises from the Zena Rommett floor barre technique and the Pilates technique to develop strength and flexibility in their execution of dance. The course also is designed to help the student develop greater physical self-awareness and discipline. The student's grade is determined by their attendance, attitude, and progress. More than three absences or lateness will affect the grade. Their attitude should be positive, receptive to correction, and exhibit an eagerness to work, and their progress should reflect growth in their abilities to perform the choreography and to know the terms used. The student will be required to identify and explain the meaning of the terms used in class, as well as perform choreography with confidence and a sense of character. This course serves as a prerequisite for DANCE 232 . Together, these two semesters satisfy requirements for the BFA Music Theatre option and can also fulfill optional requirements for the Dance Minor. For the BFA Music Theatre candidates: part of the final exam for this course will be a performance juried by members of the School of Theatre Performance Faculty. Their evaluation will help to determine whether the candidate may be allowed to enroll into the next level of the performance course sequence. Required dress for this course for women is black leotard, pink or tan tights, pink ballet shoes and for men is black tights, white t-shirt, black ballet shoes, and dance belt. Belts, suspenders, leg warmers are optional. Sweat clothes are not to be worn. All hair must be secured so that it cannot fly into the face.