High School -- Grades 9-12The High school dance program is designed for all students—those with no prior dance experience and those with previous training. Students work to understand and evaluate dance performances, pursue dance as an avocation, or study dance at the college and/or professional levels. The Dance program focuses on:
Performing techniques in ballet, modern, tap, and ethnic dance
Understanding the history of dance and the influences that shape diverse dance traditions
Describing the position of feet, legs, hands, arms, and torso and basic step sequences with dance vocabulary
Understanding the concepts of time, space, dynamics, rhythm, motivation, and gesture in relation to dance performance
Developing and utilizing personal criteria to evaluate and discuss performance in dance.
Dance I establishes the foundation of knowledge and skills that will be developed further in Dance II-IV. Each course level is a series of discrete instructional units and is an integral building block for more advanced work. In Dance II, III, and IV, students may focus on specific genres, such as ballet or modern, to gain in-depth knowledge and proficiency. Dance requires consistent, structured practice to refine techniques. It is a rigorous art form that fosters the exploration and appreciation of diverse traditions and develops skills of observation, analysis, expression, and reflection.