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Contemporary Modern Placement Criteria

Criteria for Placement into Contemporary Modern I: Dance 104, Beginning Modern Technique 

  • Understanding of general etiquette in studio
  • Tendu
  • Relevé (in 1st and 2nd position)
  • Degagé
  • Plié (in 1st and 2nd position) 
  • Internal and external rotation
  • Walking on beat and awareness of music
    • duple meter
    • triple meter 
  • Triplets: (down up up)
  • Chassé
  • Over curves and under curves
  • Fundamentals of moving in and out of the floor:
    • simple rolls
    • beginnings of weight shifts onto the hands
  • Six articulations of the spine:
    1. curve
    2. arch
    3. twist left and right
    4. lateral flexion left and right 
  • Various jump combos:
    • hops
    • jumps
    • leaps
  • Syncopation “catch steps”
  • Head tail connection exemplified in rolling into and out of the floor, or in moving through simple sequences on the floor
  • Intro to basic partnering: 
    • Counterbalance
    • Touch
  • Basic understanding of Improvisation
  • Isolation and awareness of body parts (articulation) including:
    • shoulder rolls
    • head circles 
    • torso circles (etc.)
  • Swings; Basics of momentum, suspension and release:
    • roller coaster
    • top of a slide and sliding down 
  • Basics of movement initiation:
    • core 
    • distal 
    • sequential
    • successional (etc.) 
  • Change of direction and weight transfer

Criteria for Placement into Contemporary Modern II: Dance 204, Intermediate Modern Technique 

Everything from Dance 104 and: 

  • Demonstrated comfort with the floor (no knocks, softening of bones)
  • Six articulations o the spine with more complex connections between them:
    • curve
    • arch
    • twist
    • lateral flexion 
  • Delineation of the multiple parts of the spine: 
    • high curve
    • mid-back curve (etc.)
  •  Suspension
  • Falling: allowing momentum to drive the movement
  • Connection of breath and movement
  • Evidence of taking in feedback and trying to integrate it
  • Understanding of level changes
  •  Smooth transitions from one movement to the next (there is a thread)
  • More complex change of direction and weight transfer
  • Ability to learn and execute more extended combinations
  • Sustain balance for extended period of time
  • Awareness of being off balance and a sense of risk
  • Clear initiation and sequencing of movements in a given movement pattern
  • More confident and aggressive use of space
  • Self-correction beginning to happen more readily (watch, repeat and improve on your own without feedback)

Criteria for Placement into Contemporary Modern III: Dance 304, Advanced Modern Technique 

Everything from Dance 204 and: 

  • Efficient alignment and ability to work safely in more complex material
  • Comfort with increasingly complex floor work
  • Clear spatial orientation and awareness
  • Clear understanding of complex rhythmic patterns
  •  More complex sequencing and clarity of initiation
  • Consistency: exhibit potential for high level stamina, control, strength and coordination
  • Comfort with more complex group choreographic and improvisational challenges
  • Demonstrate an ability to perform within a group structure and relate to others while dancing
  • Demonstrate understanding of the artistic aspects of dance performance and style including: 
    • musicality
    • dynamics
    • phrasing
    • presence
    • focus
    • artistic interpretation 
  • Self-correction is happening consistently with and without verbal feedback
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