The goal of the Enloe High School Dance Department is to build on the basic concepts in the student’s movement repertoire while advancing to an intermediate/advanced level of training that will prepare he/she to be a skilled, equipped and well-rounded dance artist. Enloe High School Dance Department is a member of the National Honor Society for Dance Arts (see www.ndeo.org for more information).
Specific content areas addressed in each course will include:
• TECHNIQUE: SUPPORT PROCEEDS MOVEMENT
Students will participate in technique dance classes that emphasize strength, agility, aesthetics, flexibility, weight sharing, and attention to breath and phrasing within the movement with emphasis on musicality. A continuous process that addresses alignment, coordination, balance, control, and sequential movement will be addressed. A variety of guest teaching artists will supplement your technical study offering a chance to experience additional perspectives and styles.
• ANATOMY AND KINESIOLOGY: KNOW YOUR INSTRUMENT
We will focus on how the body and its different systems and components relate to dance, dance injuries/injury prevention, and healthy living. The lessons will emphasize the importance of experiential anatomy and somatic study and will engage the learner in an integrated physical practice.
• DANCE HISTORY: UNDERSTANDING OUR ROOTS AND CULTURE
We will study the lineage of dance and the history that influences our present. The subject matter addressed will be based on the events that are happening in our dance community. We hope this approach will encourage students to attend the amazing dance productions around the area. The Enloe Dance Department will teach using video/dvd recordings, compositional/improvisational tools and cover historical movement styles in technique class.
• COMPOSITION: REPLACE AMBITION WITH CURIOSITY
We will design dances in order to form ways of communication and expression through movement. We will observe the use of performance techniques, principles of design, dance for the camera elements, perspective, critical response/feedback, contrast, and texture. We will abstract thought into motion and develop methods and vocabulary in which to explore movement and the creative process.
• IMPROVISATION: REPLACE AMBITION WITH CURIOSITY
We will use intuitive possibilities as a means to generate movement. These approaches will act as a foundation for composition. We will study a form titled contact improvisation where students learn to use the initiation of weight sharing, core support, listening skills (physical and auditory) and touch to develop spontaneous responses in partnering.
• PERFORMANCE: TAKE IT TO THE STAGE!
Participation in all double period classes will allow students the privilege to perform in our annual Winter/Spring Dance Concerts. Participation in a single period class provides the student an opportunity to perform during the Spring Semester. Students in the Enloe Dance Program have the opportunity to submit work for the adjudicated Student Showcase presented during the Spring Semester.
