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Theatre and Dance Current Courses

Fall 2024

Course Code Title/Instructor Meets
THDA 102-01 Introduction to Global Dance Studies
Instructor: Erin Crawley-Woods
Course Description:
This is an introductory course that explores dance forms from six different regions: Africa, India, North America, Europe, South America and Asia. Focus will be on how dance functions within various social structures and how these functions operate to re-inscribe, contest or legitimate race, class, and gender identity formations. Issues such as authenticity, hybridity, cultural tourism and globalization will be examined. Through an interactive classroom, guest artists and studio work, we will gain a deeper kinesthetic understanding of how dance can operate as a powerful cultural tool, glue or agent for social change. Offered every two years.
01:30 PM-02:45 PM, MR
DENNY 317
THDA 111-01 Classical Ballet Beginning Level
Instructor: Brigette Plummer
Course Description:
Classes taught under the direction of the CPYB faculty. Instruction is based on the nationally recognized ballet syllabus originally developed by Marcia Dale Weary, founder and artistic director of the Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet. Careful consideration to alignment, placement and proper execution of steps will be covered in depth. Studio/classroom location is TBA. This .5 class counts towards the Arts Requirement when taken with a .5 Movement Studio class. Credit/no credit
11:45 AM-01:00 PM, TR
CUBICU STUDIO
THDA 121-01 Movement Studio
Instructor: Amanda Chesnut
Course Description:
Movement Studio courses are offered at two levels: I. the foundational level assumes no previous dance experience; II. the intermediate level is open to students who demonstrate basic accomplishment in dance technique. All courses explore the principles of modern and contemporary dance techniques, emphasizing physical and embodied awareness, connection and expression. Materials will be selected from a variety of contemporary dance and movement training practices such as Pilates, Yoga, Somatics, Ballet, Hip Hop, and Jazz to promote performance of a range of movement dynamics, as well as musicality, strength, flexibility, and improved body alignment. Each course is designed to develop students movement skills in an active and supportive environment that promotes creative investigation and fosters a deeper understanding of dance as an art form and social practice. Each course may be repeated for credit with permission of the instructor. Each carries .5 academic credit. Two .5 academic credits of dance one in Movement Studio and one in the genre of their choosing will satisfy the requirement. Prerequisite: None for THDA 121/122; for THDA 221/222 permission of instructor
03:00 PM-04:15 PM, TF
2527WH DANCE STU
THDA 130-01 Introduction to Stage Technology
Instructor: Juli Bounds
Course Description:
An introduction to the backstage technology of the world of theatre and dance including the areas of costuming, lighting technology, and scenic construction. Students will learn basic construction techniques in hands on production work in the departments scenic and costume studios and will learn lighting technology while working on performances in Mathers Theatre and the Cubiculo. Two hours classroom and three hours lab per week.
01:30 PM-03:30 PM, W
MONTGM 200
THDA 201-01 Theatre History
Instructor: Keola Simpson
Course Description:
The impulse to perform (and to be an audience) can be traced back to the very roots of human society. This course will explore the origins and evolution of theatre as a formal art within the context of western cultures. Beginning with the Theatre of Greece in the 5th Century BCE and proceeding up to the 20th Century, the broad relationship of art and culture will be illustrated through examination of both written plays and historical artifacts regarding play production in classical, medieval, early modern and modern eras. Students will learn through traditional classroom lectures and readings, and also through more performance-oriented exercises and explorations.
10:30 AM-11:20 AM, MWF
MONTGM 100
THDA 203-01 Acting I
Instructor: Keola Simpson
Course Description:
An introduction to the principles and theories of acting combined with practical exercises and scene performance. This course fulfills the Arts distribution requirement.
03:00 PM-05:00 PM, MR
CUBICU STUDIO
THDA 204-01 Fundamentals of Choreography and Dance Composition
Instructor: Amanda Chesnut
Course Description:
A studio-based course designed to introduce the student to various tools to generate and create original dance compositions. Basic elements such as time, space, energy, dynamics, movement generation, and quality are explored in addition to multiple structuring devices. Using an interdisciplinary lens, this course offers a different approach to art making from related fields such as visual art, literature, and media in order to treat dance composition as a relevant response to the contemporary moment. Prerequisite: 102, or permission of the instructor. One studio course in dance is recommended.
01:30 PM-02:45 PM, TF
2527WH DANCE STU
THDA 211-01 Classical Ballet Intermediate Level
Instructor: Sarah Skaggs, Brigette Plummer
Course Description:
Permission of Instructor Required Studio classes in classical ballet taught at the intermediate/advance level by teachers from the Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet (CPYB) at the Dickinson Dance studio (The Site). The class is geared towards students who have had at least ten years of consecutive ballet training. Taught by CPYB instructors, students have the opportunity to maintain and hone their ballet technique. Students will focus on maintaining proper alignment in the body while exploring a greater range of motion and momentum. All classes will be taught at the Dickinson Dance Studio 25-27 High Street The Site. This course satisfies the Arts distribution credit when taken with a .5 Movement Studio class. Credit/no credit
11:30 AM-12:45 PM, MWF
2527WH DANCE STU
THDA 302-02 Sustainably Sculpting with Sound and Space - Design for Live Performance & Film
Instructor: Kent Barrett
Course Description:
In this course we will learn, experiment, and develop skills in spatial designs and sound designs; how the intentional manipulation of sound and space sculpts worlds on stages and through the lens of the camera. Spatial and sound designs have become key components in live performance, from theater and dance, to concerts, galleries, and events, while making up one of the core elements in creating contemporary media. Throughout the semester, the student will study contemporary practitioners, theory, sustainable approaches and techniques of the interrelated fields of scenography and sound before developing their own style and work in visual and sonic story telling through hands-on creations in both film and live work. Special attention will be paid toward where material comes from, where it goes, as well as our relationship to our landscape and community.
10:30 AM-11:45 AM, TR
MONTGM 200
THDA 305-01 Advanced Directing
Instructor: Keola Simpson
Course Description:
An inquiry into the process of translating a play from the printed text to the live stage. Detailed analytical techniques and major directorial theories are examined through readings, class discussion, and written assignments. Each student directs a one-act production under advisement of the instructor. Prerequisite: 205 and 230.
01:30 PM-02:45 PM, MR
CUBICU STUDIO
THDA 311-01 Classical Ballet Advanced Level
Instructor: Sarah Skaggs, Brigette Plummer
Course Description:
Permission of instructor required. Classes taught under the direction of the CPYB faculty. Entry into THDA 311/312 is by audition only. (CPYB Certificate) Instruction is based on the nationally recognized ballet syllabus originally developed by Marcia Dale Weary, founder and artistic director of the Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet. Careful consideration to alignment, placement and proper execution of steps will be covered in depth. All classes are taught at the CPYB Warehouse three days a week, Monday, Wednesday, Thursday 3:00-4:30. Each course may be repeated for credit with permission of the instructor. This satisfies the Arts distribution credit when taken for a full credit, or for.5 credit with a .5 Movement Studio class. Credit/No Credit.
11:45 AM-01:00 PM, TWR
CPYB STUDIOS
THDA 319-01 Dramaturgy
Instructor: Karen Kirkham
Course Description:
What is a dramaturg? This course will answer that question through theoretical and applied investigations of dramatic texts in historical, literary, and performative contexts. Always keeping in sight the idea of theater as a collaborative production-focused art, students will practice research, text analysis, genres of writing for/about the theater and dramaturgical roles on various kinds and aspects of production. A dramaturgical casebook for a proposed play or department production will be the culminating assignment. Prerequisite: 101 or 201 or permission of instructor.
10:30 AM-11:45 AM, TR
MONTGM 100
THDA 411-01 Classical Ballet Certificate/Pre-professional Program Audition Only
Instructor: Sarah Skaggs, Brigette Plummer
Course Description:
Classes taught under the direction of the CPYB faculty. Entry into THDA 411/412 is by audition only. (CPYB Certificate) Instruction is based on the nationally recognized ballet syllabus originally developed by Marcia Dale Weary, founder and artistic director of the Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet. Students admitted to the Certificate program are accepted into the CPYB school as full time students. As full time students, they are expected to follow and commit to the daily requirements of their instructors. All classes are taught at the CPYB Warehouse and Barn studio during studio hours on or after 4:30 Monday through Friday and at 9am Saturday with other possible classes until 4pm.Classes count for those students enrolled in the CPYB Certificate program. Credit/No Credit

THDA 495-01 Senior Project
Instructor: Erin Crawley-Woods, Karen Kirkham, Sarah Skaggs
Course Description:
A culminating experience for students completing the Theatre major with emphasis in Dramatic Literature, Acting/Directing, or Dance. The specific nature of projects will be determined on an individual basis, but all senior projects will consist of at least two of the following: a) scholarship, b) technical/production work, and c) performance. Students will register for .5 course credit in the fall semester, during which planning and research will be conducted, and .5 in the spring, during which presentation of the project will occur. Prerequisite: four .25 course credits in THDA 190.