Class Schedules

Reading Plays guides students in close readings of dramatic literature, in particular of plays that are typically left out of the traditional theatrical canon. Students will learn about the socio-historical context of each play, and in-class exercises will introduce them to the foundation of script analysis: they will examine the play's given circumstances, dialogue, dramatic action, characters, and style. Students will read a new play every week; assignments include weekly in-class writing exercises and short critical papers. Some playwrights we may explore are: Ayad Akhtar, Jaclyn Backhaus, Christopher Chen, Mashuq Mushtaq Deen, Prince Gomolvilas, David Henry Hwang, Naomi Iizuka, Rajiv Joseph, Hansol Jung, Haruna Lee, Kimber Lee, Young Jean Lee, Qui Nguyen, Jiehae Park, Lloyd Suh, Kristina Wong, Lauren Yee, and Chay Yew.

General Education Requirements:
Writing WA
Internationalism OR U.S. Identities and Differences

Distribution Requirements:
Fine arts

Course Materials

This course focuses on key 20th century contemporary choreographers across four continents, including LIN Hwai-min, Pina Bausch, Akram Khan, and Ohad Naharin, among others. We examine the international impact of their work as well the cultural contexts in which they thrived, or are thriving, as artists. We compare their creative processes, aesthetics and philosophies. We examine the political, social, and spiritual power of their artistic lives and bodies of work, with special attention to issues of race and gender.

General Education Requirements:
Writing WA
Internationalism

Distribution Requirements:
Fine arts

Course Materials

This course introduces students to the art of acting. They will acquire fundamental acting skills and engage in  artistic experimentation. Students will learn how to create a repeatable score of psychophysical actions, script analysis, use the body/voice as the actor's performing instrument; explore internal (memory, impulses, and so forth) and external (the other actors, the environment, objects, and so forth) stimuli as creative sources; rediscover of play and imagination; and develop work ethics and discipline. Students in this course will engage in physical activity and be required to spend 3-5 hours in rehearsals outside of scheduled class time.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Fine arts

Course Materials

This course introduces students to debates, methods, and conceptual frameworks in race and gender, as represented in performance. It engages students in an interdisciplinary exploration of key terms--such as corporeality, embodiment, intersectionality, and performativity--that remain central to the fields of gender and sexuality, critical race theory, and performance. Through drafts and revisions of written work, critical dialogues and oral presentations in small groups, peer feedback, and analytical reading, students will engage in questions around identity formation, structural inequality, and the politics of citizenship.

General Education Requirements:
Writing WA
U.S. Identities and Differences

Distribution Requirements:
Fine arts

Course Materials

Speaking aloud allowed! An introduction to the fundamentals of fully embodied spoken voice. Using techniques from Lessac, Linklater, Rodenburg, and Somatics basics, students will learn how to use their voices in performance by exploring elements of elocution such as healthy voice production and projection, posture, diction, American English pronunciations, and effective vocal delivery to an audience. Essential for actors and useful for those whose career paths require public speaking. This is a dynamic and highly experiential, performance-based lab course, requiring frequent, cumulative, physical practice outside of the classroom. The semester culminates with a solo public performance of oratory and poetry. No previous acting or performance experience necessary.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Fine arts

Course Materials

Making theatre is a messy business; in this studio course, we will explore physical comedy, the haphazard world of the clown, masks, improvisation, games, and object manipulation. The goal of the course is to encourage curiosity, and to engage the student as creator, designer, and performer-we will invent everything ourselves by learning how to play with skill. In short: there are no scripts, no lines and no stage directions. Our training will include basic acrobatics, balancing, and juggling. The instructor draws inspiration from the work of French stage actor and movement coach Jacques Lecoq. Prerequisite(s): Performance training in dance or theater is strongly encouraged. Openness to experimentation and play a must.

General Education Requirements:
Writing WP

Distribution Requirements:
Fine arts

Course Materials

Scenography is the creation of imagined spaces for performance. In this course we will study the fundamentals of scenography holistically, including scenic, lighting, costume, sound, and projection design. Students will develop the ability to analyze and critique elements of performance design, articulate design ideas through written and verbal means, and complete a design project from textual analysis to tangible objects. This course is a prerequisite for intermediate and advanced design courses in Theater and Dance. Department provides course materials.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Fine arts

Course Materials

This course is an introduction to performance lighting design. While emphasis is on performance, the principles can be applied to film, television, and environmental settings. The course focus will be on the design process, but there will be some attention to lighting hardware and technologies as well. A primary goal of the course is to make the student more aware of color and light around them every day. Department provides course materials. Students in this class will work with those in THDA 241 (Dance Composition) in a collaborative dance project that will culminate in public performances in the Theater and Dance Department Huber-Seikaly Theater. Students are required to participate in labs on Saturday, January 28th (1-5pm) and February 25th (1-5pm). Please contact the instructor at the time of enrollment if you have a conflict and cannot do this. Prerequisite(s): THDA 125 or THDA 235 or permission of instructor.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Fine arts

Course Materials

Students in this class will engage with costume design as both generative and collaborative artists. They will learn to conceptualize costumes for theater and dance productions drawing from a multitude of inspirations including the fine arts, costume/fashion history, music, literature, film, opera, and textiles. Class meetings will include discussions about readings and visual literacy, as well as hands-on exploration of a real-world design process including research, drawing and painting renderings, budgeting, fittings, and oral presentations of designs. Students will engage with both traditional and devised methods of developing characters and silhouettes to develop their unique vision for theatrical and dance productions. There will be 1-2 field trips to visit key resource locations for costume designers. THDA235, Fundamentals of Scenography or a course in Studio Art recommended.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Fine arts

Course Materials

In this course, students will explore site-specific performance and engage with local Indigenous communities through collaboration with the Twin Cities-based New Native Theatre and other local Indigenous artists. Students will both learn about and engage in design for performance that is based on traditional storytelling and that directly addresses social and cultural justice in relation to Native land. Together, we will work to understand the site and its history, and, in particular, its history as Native land and the history of its seizure from Native communities. We will spend time listening to Elders and working to earn their support for the project, and we will participate in community building workshops and other forms of outreach. Our work will focus on design processes that build connections to the space, its history, and its people, and students will develop a deeper understanding of the effects of design and performance on the site in question.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Fine arts

Course Materials

This course is the study and discipline of dance-making. Students learn the tools of the choreographer - time, space, energy - and how they can be shaped to give the body expressive power. The course focuses on the relationships between form, content, and technique. Students choreograph short studies, improvise, discuss, and view dance on film and in live performance. The course values risk-taking and collaboration in a supportive, shared space. Students in this class will work with those in THDA 255, Lighting Design in a collaborative dance project that will culminate in public performances in the Theater and Dance Department Huber-Seikaly Theater. May be repeated for credit. Prerequisite(s): THDA 31 or coursework in a dance technique; or permission of instructor. Students with dance experience prior to Macalester are encouraged to contact the instructor for permission to enroll.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Fine arts

Course Materials

The course explores scenic design in traditional theatrical buildings and alternative sites. Students will learn how to bridge script analysis and visual research, deepen their knowledge of spatial composition, acquire drafting skills, and practice design conceptualization with reference to historical and contemporary practices. The course outcome is a design portfolio, the collection of the various course projects each student will create during the semester. Department provides course materials. Prerequisite(s): THDA 125 or THDA 235 or permission of the instructor.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Fine arts

Course Materials

This course-a mixture of lecture, discussion, study of dramatic texts, writing exercises and in-class analysis of student writing-is intended to reinforce and build upon the skills developed in Playwriting. Topics will include dramatic structure, conflict, characterization, language/dialogue, as well as how to analyze your own work, give and receive feedback and techniques for rewriting. Students will engage in a rigorous development process which will culminate in the writing of a full-length play. Prerequisite(s): THDA 242 or ENGL 150, or permission of instructor.

General Education Requirements:
Writing WC

Distribution Requirements:
Fine arts

Course Materials

This course deepens student engagement with fundamental characteristics, techniques, and principles of African diasporic dance forms, especially from West Africa, other African regions, and that emerged in the Caribbean, and Americas. Students will continue strengthening the interconnected relationship between dance and music, while growing into movement that is more complex, and polyrhythmic. The course is physically rigorous, and rooted in a communal environment. Prerequisite: THDA 21-01 Dances of the African Diaspora I, or with permission from the instructor. May be repeated for credit. Letter grading.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:

Course Materials

Dance Improvisation introduces students to the process of spontaneously creating movement, and the art of composing in the moment. Creative exploration is facilitated using a variety of movement scores and structures, working with the elements of time, space, quality, sensory experiences and perception. This course emphasizes collaboration and community, as well as individual agency within that framework. Through a kinesthetic lens, using curiosity and awareness, we will delve into who we are and how we move through the world. The class includes an introduction to Contact Improvisation, the “art-sport” developed by Steve Paxton and Nancy Stark Smith in 1972. Come with a desire to move, an open mind and a willingness to explore in a non-competitive environment. Open to all levels of ability. May be repeated for credit.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:

Course Materials

This course builds on skills introduced in Modern Dance I. Students engage fully with their bodies and minds as they deepen their strength, flexibility, and felt sense of alignment and flow. Emphasis is placed on deepening precision, sense of rhythm, and anatomical awareness of the body in motion. Class consists of in-place warm-ups, traveling across the floor, and final combinations. May be repeated for credit. Letter grading, effective spring 2022. Prerequisite(s): THDA41 or permission of instructor

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:

Course Materials

The purpose of this technique class is to allow the intermediate to advanced modern dance student to explore and discover themselves as an articulate and expressive mover. Classwork places specific emphasis on alignment, power, momentum, articulation, clarity of intent, musicality and stamina. Class consists of in-place warm-ups, center exercises and a range of dance phrases. May be repeated for credit. Prerequisite(s): THDA 42 or THDA 43 or permission of instructor.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:

Course Materials

This is a beginning ballet class designed for students who have never had ballet before. The goal is to demonstrate fundamental understanding and execution of basic ballet technique and to develop a foundation in movement that will carry over and support any other style of dance or physical practice. It will include barre and center work, across-the-floor combinations, and stretching and strengthening practices. Correct alignment, coordination, and body mechanics will be emphasized. May be repeated for credit. Letter grading, effective spring 2022.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:

Course Materials

This ballet class is for students with some experience in ballet. This class will continue to build on ballet barre and center work and increase skill and vocabulary. Flexibility, strength, placement, alignment, fluidity and connection of movement will be emphasized. May be repeated for credit. Prerequisite(s): THDA 51 or permission of instructor

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:

Course Materials

This ballet class is for students with some experience in ballet. This class will continue to build on ballet barre and center work and increase skill and vocabulary. Flexibility, strength, placement, alignment, fluidity and connection of movement will be emphasized. May be repeated for credit. Prerequisite(s): THDA 51 or permission of instructor

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:

Course Materials

Macalester's Brown Spirits Dance Ensemble engages techniques and histories of selected dance forms from the African diaspora, especially from West Africa, other African regions, and that emerged in the Caribbean, and Americas. It is intended for students who have completed Dances of the African Diaspora I and II, and who want to deepen their training and understanding of these forms. This course includes the creation of researched choreography culminating in the Ensemble performing in a Theater and Dance Department dance concert. Additionally, Brown Spirits Dance Ensemble has been invited to perform at Macalester events such as, Afrika Week, Black History Month Showcases, Family Fest, Rites of Passage Graduation Ceremonies, and for the Inauguration of President Rivera in 2021. 2 credits awarded upon successful completion of the class. Prerequisite(s): Dances of the African Diaspora I and II is recommended. Audition and permission of the instructor is required. Letter grading only.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:

Course Materials

Students are involved in Theater and Dance Department productions as actors or dancers in student-led pieces. Performance Practice in Student Projects is the appropriate course when students will not work under direct supervision of a faculty member, but are part of a student director's or student choreographer's work in an Honors production or Dance Concert. Two credits awarded at the end of the semester. May be repeated for credit.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:

Course Materials

Students are involved in production as actors or dancers, assistant choreographers or choreographers, assistant directors or directors, assistant designers or designers, dramaturgs and playwrights. Two credits awarded at the end of the semester. May be repeated for credit. Prerequisite(s): Permission of instructor required; please contact the Theater and Dance Department directly for audition and registration information

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:

Course Materials

Students are involved in set, costume, lighting and sound engineering and construction, and running crew. Two credits awarded at the end of the semester. May be repeated for credit. Prerequisite(s): Permission of instructor required; please see instructor to be added to registration roster

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:

Course Materials

In this course, first-year students critically attend live dance and theater performances in the exciting arts scene of the Twin Cities, and articulate their individual reactions by writing reviews, responses, and essays. In this process of studied spectatorship, students acquire the vocabularies of the field. Readings include seminal texts in dance and theatre criticism, as well as manifestos and scholarly articles. We will attend dance and theater performances at professional venues such as the Walker Arts Center, the Guthrie, Penumbra Theatre, Mixed Blood, Northrop Auditorium, and Cowles Center. This course is typically reserved for incoming first-years and not open to returning students. Only offered as a First-Year Course.

General Education Requirements:
Writing WA
U.S. Identities and Differences

Distribution Requirements:
Fine arts

Course Materials

In this course, first-year students critically attend live dance and theater performances in the exciting arts scene of the Twin Cities, and articulate their individual reactions by writing reviews, responses, and essays. In this process of studied spectatorship, students acquire the vocabularies of the field. Readings include seminal texts in dance and theatre criticism, as well as manifestos and scholarly articles. We will attend dance and theater performances at professional venues such as the Walker Arts Center, the Guthrie, Penumbra Theatre, Mixed Blood, Northrop Auditorium, and Cowles Center. This course is typically reserved for incoming first-years and not open to returning students. Only offered as a First-Year Course.

General Education Requirements:
Writing WA
U.S. Identities and Differences

Distribution Requirements:
Fine arts

Course Materials

Reading Plays guides students in close readings of dramatic literature, in particular of plays that are typically left out of the traditional theatrical canon. Students will learn about the socio-historical context of each play, and in-class exercises will introduce them to the foundation of script analysis: they will examine the play's given circumstances, dialogue, dramatic action, characters, and style. Students will read a new play every week; assignments include weekly in-class writing exercises and short critical papers. Some of the plays that students will read for the course are In Spirit by Tara Beagan; Path With No Moccasins by Shirley Cheechoo; The Indian Medicine Shows by Daniel David Moses; More Than Feathers and Beads by Murielle Borst; Annie Mae's Movement by Yvette Nolan; Trail of the Otter by Muriel Miguel; Governor of the Dew: A Memorial to Nostalgia and Desire by Floyd Favel; Confessions of an Indian Cowboy by Margo Kane; Burning Vision by Marie Clements; Please Do Not Touch the Indians by Joseph A. Dandurand; and The Scrubbing Project by Turtle Gals Performance Ensemble.

General Education Requirements:
Writing WA
U.S. Identities and Differences

Distribution Requirements:
Fine arts

Course Materials

This course introduces students to the art of acting. They will acquire fundamental acting skills and engage in  artistic experimentation. Students will learn how to create a repeatable score of psychophysical actions, script analysis, use the body/voice as the actor's performing instrument; explore internal (memory, impulses, and so forth) and external (the other actors, the environment, objects, and so forth) stimuli as creative sources; rediscover of play and imagination; and develop work ethics and discipline. Students in this course will engage in physical activity and be required to spend 3-5 hours in rehearsals outside of scheduled class time.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Fine arts

Course Materials

This course introduces students to the art of acting. They will acquire fundamental acting skills and engage in  artistic experimentation. Students will learn how to create a repeatable score of psychophysical actions, script analysis, use the body/voice as the actor's performing instrument; explore internal (memory, impulses, and so forth) and external (the other actors, the environment, objects, and so forth) stimuli as creative sources; rediscover of play and imagination; and develop work ethics and discipline. Students in this course will engage in physical activity and be required to spend 3-5 hours in rehearsals outside of scheduled class time.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Fine arts

Course Materials

This course grounds students in the technical and construction practices of performance-making: materials and their sources and histories; conventional and contemporary technologies and techniques; quantitative methods for calculating and assessing drawings for execution. A balance of lecture and hands-on studio time allow students to learn and apply knowledge through working with materials. Students in this course also may provide support to mainstage performance projects, further extending their learning in the course. Department provides course materials.

General Education Requirements:
Quantitative Thinking Q1

Distribution Requirements:
Fine arts

Course Materials

This course grounds students in the technical and construction practices of performance-making: materials and their sources and histories; conventional and contemporary technologies and techniques; quantitative methods for calculating and assessing drawings for execution. A balance of lecture and hands-on studio time allow students to learn and apply knowledge through working with materials. Students in this course also may provide support to mainstage performance projects, further extending their learning in the course. Department provides course materials.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Fine arts

Course Materials

This course is an introduction to the fundamentals of drawing and media, with a focus on techniques used to create renderings for theatrical, dance and performance design. Students will learn the basic principles of drawing, and its application in effectively communicating ideas and concepts, in particular as regards design work within the rubric of theatrical storytelling.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Fine arts

Course Materials

Scenography is the creation of imagined spaces for performance. In this course we will study the fundamentals of scenography holistically, including scenic, lighting, costume, sound, and projection design. Students will develop the ability to analyze and critique elements of performance design, articulate design ideas through written and verbal means, and complete a design project from textual analysis to tangible objects. This course is a prerequisite for intermediate and advanced design courses in Theater and Dance. Department provides course materials.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Fine arts

Course Materials

The quote, “plays are meant to be seen, not read” means that playwrights must write to create an experience for their audience. This class is focused on the fundamentals of developing a play, while also learning how to take full advantage of theatrical elements that can help enhance their story on stage. Students will read a variety of new and contemporary plays with different storytelling techniques that embrace the unlimited possibilities of theatricality, and exemplify why we write for the stage. In this course students will develop a “playwriting toolkit” while exploring their artistic interests through a series of time- bound conventions: the 1-minute, 5-minute, 10-minute, and ultimately one-act form. In class exercises and prompts, and small-group workshopping and reading will challenge writers' development. A mid-term and final playreading series will allow students to hear their work read in a supportive public setting.

General Education Requirements:
Writing WC

Distribution Requirements:
Fine arts

Course Materials

In this course, students engage in a series of playwriting exercises and read a wide variety of plays. They will read new and contemporary plays that employ different storytelling techniques (i.e., structure, character arcs, staging elements, etc.), embrace the unlimited possibilities of theatricality, and exemplify why we write for the stage. Students will develop a "playwriting toolkit" as they explore their artistic interests following the conventions of time-bound pieces: the 1-minute, 5-minute, 10-minute, and ultimately one-act form. In-class exercises and prompts, and small-group workshopping and reading will challenge each writer's individual development. A midterm and final play reading series of one-acts will allow students to hear their work in a supportive public setting.

General Education Requirements:
Writing WC

Distribution Requirements:
Fine arts

Course Materials

By examining key movements in dance and theater history from the late 19th century to the present, this seminar explores the active relationship between theoretical thought and aesthetic innovation on stage. Through close readings of primary, secondary, and critical texts, the course highlights the ways in which dance and theater advanced movement by movement, each "ism" a reaction to what came before, and how the transformation from historical avant-garde to experimental contemporary performance represents dynamic and cumulative ruptures with the mainstream. Ultimately, they shape how we imagine, see, and create dance and theater today. Students' work in this seminar will culminate in an individual critical writing project. Required for Theatre and Dance majors. Prerequisite(s): Preference given to Theatre and Dance major and/or minors.

General Education Requirements:
Writing WA

Distribution Requirements:
Fine arts

Course Materials

This course will expose students to the multi-faceted job of the stage manager in theatrical productions with an emphasis on their role in the collaborative process. Students will learn responsibilities and procedures of stage managers from pre- to post-production, as well as industry-standard vocabulary, and core proficiencies in note-taking, giving written and verbal feedback, collaboration, leadership, communication and organizing a small team. Students are expected to participate in, and will be evaluated on, classroom discussions, activities and sample exercises.

General Education Requirements:

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Course Materials

Students will explore the development of clothing from ancient civilizations to the present. It will consider global influences that shaped changing styles and engage critical thinking with regards to the functions of dress in socio-political contexts, cross-cultural influences, identity expression, and as an art form. As we study the history of dress, we will consider who tells these stories, who is represented and who is absent in them, and how do we know this information. Readings from-- “Survey of Historic Costume”, “Worldwide History of Dress”, and “Fashion History, A Global View”, among others. Assignments will include visualpresentation, written reflections, and short exams.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Fine arts

Course Materials

This course will provide the student with an introduction to the creative and technical process of sound design in contemporary theatre. Through lecture, demonstration, and projects, students will learn the aesthetic of sound design, the basic science of sound, audio software, and the process of collaboration. Students will acquire the skills to analyze and research a script; to edit, manipulate, and program sound files; and to present and defend design projects.

General Education Requirements:
Quantitative Thinking Q1

Distribution Requirements:
Fine arts

Course Materials

This course prepares advanced theater students to direct public performances, and thus focuses on the acquisition of skills such as text analysis, dynamic storytelling, stage composition, and communication (with designers, actors, stage managers, and production team). Students will choose a scene from a play proposed by the instructor, research style and aesthetic, run auditions, cast the scene, facilitate a rehearsal process, and stage a live performance. They will also learn best collaborative practices, since the class unfolds in conversation with the Acting Approaches course (THDA360) and culminates in public performances at the Huber-Seikaly Theater. Prerequisite(s): THDA 120 and THDA 235, or permission of the instructor.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Fine arts

Course Materials

This course is a deep dive into lighting design for live performance. Students will improve their skills at communicating visual ideas, working collaboratively on a project and translating their own ideas onto the stage. Collaborating with THDA350-01, Directing for the Stage, students will get a chance to realize a design as part of a collaborative project culminating in a public performance. This will act as a platform for students to deepen their own abilities in storytelling and making the conceptual tangible. This course has a required lab on Thursdays 8am - 11am. Prerequisite: THDA 255 (Lighting Design I) or permission of instructor.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Fine arts

Course Materials

This is a reading and writing intensive course that engages theories from the fields of aesthetics and cultural studies to support each student's in-depth research into a topic of their choice. Discussions examine how particular uses of the body, space, and narrative intersect to inform our experience of "performance," broadly defined, and engage the interplay between real and fictional in both artistic productions and performative social contexts. Students may pursue archival and library research, analysis of live performance, and analysis of documents of various kinds, including visual materials. Required for Theater and Dance majors, open to Dance, Theater, and Performance Design and Technologies minors.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Fine arts

Course Materials

This course introduces students to fundamental characteristics, techniques, and principles of African diasporic dance forms, especially from West Africa, other African regions, and that emerged in the Caribbean, and Americas. Students will have an embodied experience, develop foundational skills, and strengthen the connection between dance and music. The course is physically rigorous, and emphasizes community building. No experience required. All are welcome. May be repeated for credit. Letter grading.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:

Course Materials

This introductory level course explores the theory, technique, and terminology of modern dance as a performing art. Students engage fully with their bodies and minds as they deepen their strength, sense of rhythm, flexibility, and coordination. The course develops skills in inversions, floorwork, and balance based in a deepening awareness of alignment. May be repeated for credit. Letter grading, effective spring 2022.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:

Course Materials

This intermediate to advanced level technique course values expression, precision, and stamina. Students develop an understanding of how to use tiny muscles hidden within large muscles as they practice complex movement phrases on the ground, in the center, and across the floor. They learn a range of turns, jumps and movement sequences that build strength and agility. May be repeated for credit. Prerequisite(s): THDA41 or THDA42 or permission of instructor

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:

Course Materials

This is a beginning ballet class designed for students who have never had ballet before. The goal is to demonstrate fundamental understanding and execution of basic ballet technique and to develop a foundation in movement that will carry over and support any other style of dance or physical practice. It will include barre and center work, across-the-floor combinations, and stretching and strengthening practices. Correct alignment, coordination, and body mechanics will be emphasized. May be repeated for credit. Letter grading, effective spring 2022.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:

Course Materials

This ballet class is for students with some experience in ballet. This class will continue to build on ballet barre and center work and increase skill and vocabulary. Flexibility, strength, placement, alignment, fluidity and connection of movement will be emphasized. May be repeated for credit. Prerequisite(s): THDA 51 or permission of instructor

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:

Course Materials

This is an advanced level ballet class for students who have achieved an advanced level of skill and artistry in classical ballet. Students will be expected to expand and develop their ballet technique while continuing to grow as dance artists. It will include barre work, pirouettes ending in all positions, and petit allegro with beats. Combinations will increase in complexity and students will be expected to pick up material quickly. May be repeated for credit. Prerequisite: THDA 53.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:

Course Materials

Macalester's Brown Spirit Dance Ensemble engages techniques and histories of selected dance forms from the African diaspora, especially from West Africa, other African regions, and that emerged in the Caribbean, and Americas. It is intended for students who have completed Dances of the African Diaspora I and II, and who want to deepen their training and understanding of these forms. This course includes the creation of researched choreography culminating in the Ensemble performing in the Theater and Dance Department dance concert. Additionally, Brown Spirits Dance Ensemble has performed at Macalester events such as, Afrika Week, Black History Month Showcases, Family Fest, Rites of Passage Graduation Ceremonies, and for the Inauguration of President Rivera in 2021. Prerequisite(s): Dances of the African Diaspora I and II is recommended. Audition and permission of the instructor is required. Four credits of fine arts general distribution may be earned after two consecutive semesters of this ensemble. May be repeated for credit. A/F grading only.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:

Course Materials

Students are involved in Theater and Dance Department productions as actors or dancers in student-led pieces. Performance Practice in Student Projects is the appropriate course when students will not work under direct supervision of a faculty member, but are part of a student director's or student choreographer's work in an Honors production or Dance Concert. Two credits awarded at the end of the semester. May be repeated for credit. S/N grading only.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:

Course Materials

Students are involved in production as actors or dancers, assistant choreographers or choreographers, assistant directors or directors, assistant designers or designers, dramaturgs and playwrights. Two credits awarded at the end of the semester. May be repeated for credit. Prerequisite(s): Permission of instructor required; please contact the Theater and Dance Department directly for audition and registration information

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:

Course Materials

Students are involved in set, costume, lighting and sound engineering and construction, and running crew. Two credits awarded at the end of the semester. May be repeated for credit. Prerequisite(s): Permission of instructor required; please see instructor to be added to registration roster

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:

Course Materials