Dance
Carla Mann
Contemporary technique, choreography, improvisation, cultural studies.
Patricia Wong
Choreography, twentieth century dance history, dance and technology.
Reed dance courses emphasize choreography, but do so from a variety
of perspectives—those of the historian, critic, theorist,
performer, and anthropologist, as well as that of the
choreographer. Our classes combine several activities that are
mutually reinforcing. Through technique, choreography, writing,
viewing, reading, and discussion, students accrue a variety of
tools for understanding how dances are made. Students are
encouraged to draw connections between choreography and analogous
processes in other disciplines such as writing, music composition,
and the creation of visual art and theater. Our goal is to give
students a broad base of knowledge to apply to whatever specific
area of interest they may eventually pursue.
All classes are open to majors and non-majors. The department
offers students at all levels of experience opportunities to
choreograph, perform, participate in residencies with visiting
artists, and interact closely with faculty members. Independent
study projects are frequently undertaken by students whose
particular area of interest is not covered in the regular
curriculum. The program allows students to combine pursuits by
tailoring interdisciplinary programs of study for each person.
Students pursuing the established interdisciplinary dance-theatre
major typically work on creative thesis projects. Students may also
develop ad hoc interdisciplinary majors; past graduates have
pursued majors in dance-Spanish, dance-Russian, dance-psychology,
and dance-history. Theses for these students have most often been
research oriented.
Course offerings in dance include studio and lecture-conference
courses. The studio courses include beginning through advanced
technique, composition, improvisation, and performance ensemble
(Dance 110, 211, 212, 221, 252, 311, and 312). These classes
emphasize active engagement with elements of technique,
choreography, and performance, with time spent viewing and
discussing dances. Students in these classes create movement
compositions and written critiques of live performances. The
history, cultural studies, and theory classes (Dance 321, 322, 330,
and 350) are lecture-conference courses that examine the
development of dance traditions as well as the critical theory that
has developed in the dance field since the nineteenth century. In
these classes, movement assignments may supplement more traditional
reading and writing assignments.
Special Projects in Choreography (Dance 335) and Dance and
Technology (Dance 340) often combine lab, lecture, and conference
activities in relatively equal proportions. The special projects
course focuses on a different topic each semester and allows
students to undertake an in-depth investigation of the
choreographic process by creating their own work based on a
specific, conceptual approach, through the study and reconstruction
of works from the classic modern repertory or through collaboration
with a visiting artist or regular faculty member. Dance and
Technology explores image and movement making using computer
animation, video, digital photography, and other technological
tools.
In addition to courses that are offered for academic credit, the
department regularly sponsors adjunct classes through the physical
education program. These presently include ballet, hip-hop,
Argentine tango, lindy hop, and African dance. The African dance
class is supervised by master drummer Obo Addy and taught by former
members of the National Ballet of Ghana. Students can receive PE
credit for successful completion of studio dance classes, if they
register for PE as well as dance.
Performance opportunities are available to all Reed students
through department-sponsored concerts, Reed Arts Week, and student
thesis productions. Whether or not they are enrolled in dance
classes, all students are invited to audition for these
performances. Both within the format of our regular courses and in
extracurricular activities, dance students frequently collaborate
with students in the visual arts, music, and theater.
The department believes a Reed liberal arts education fosters a
creative and contextual approach to dance. Although a dance major
is only available as an interdisciplinary major in combination with
other subjects, graduates in such diverse majors as classics,
biology, psychology, anthropology, and mathematics have entered
graduate programs in dance, many with fellowships and grants, and
continue to teach, choreograph or perform professionally. Recent
honors given to Reed dance students have included the Watson
Fellowship and grants from the National Endowment for the
Humanities.
Reed brings well-known performing artists to campus each year, and
Reed dance students frequently attend off-campus performances and
master classes in conjunction with their course work. In recent
years Eiko and Koma, Shelly Senter, Bill Shannon aka Crutchmaster,
Oslund + Co/Dance, Minh Tran, Teresa Mathern, and Kristen
Hollingsworth have come to campus, and Reed dancers have attended
recent performances by the Merce Cunningham Dance Company, Twyla
Tharp Dance, Stephen Petronio Company, Ronald K. Brown/Evidence,
Quasar, Akram Khan, and Oregon Ballet Theatre.
