| In YPDS, New York City Center works in collaboration with world-renowned dance companies to give New York City 4th – 12th grade students the opportunity to discover the world of dance – the artistry of movement, the exploration of culture, the joy of self-expression, and the rewards of disciplined study. |
| |
Young People's Dance Series: First Steps
Program Goals
Through engagement in, observation of, and reflective conversations about dance, students and their teachers will know, understand and be able to:
• construct an understanding and appreciation of the art and artists on City Center’s stage
• develop an interest in and understanding of dance, both as an art form and as a mode of personal expression
• recognize links between dance and their own culture, and celebrate it as part of their artistic heritage
Dance companies that participated in the 2006-2007 YPDS season include:
• Ailey II
• Compania Rafaela Carrasco
• Taylor II
• Eifman Ballet of St. Petersburg
YPDS: First Steps includes professional development, in-school workshops, performances at New York City Center, and follow-up lessons focused on extending the work across the curriculum.
Professional Development
Prior to each performance, classroom teachers, administrators, dance educators, and professional dancers come together for professional development workshops. Participants are introduced to the program, experience a sample YPDS lesson plan, review the YPDS Study Guide “It's all in the Details: Dance and Movement,” and participate in a movement experience led by a professional dancer. These workshops provide teachers with the tools and inspiration to introduce the dance work to the students.
In-School Workshops
YPDS: First Steps provides students with a pre-performance and post-performance workshop for each performance they attend. The pre-performance workshops allow students to explore what makes the dance company or choreographer unique, and to experience learning a portion of the piece they will witness on stage. Post-performance workshops enable students to deepen their understanding through thoughtful discussion with the performers, and a further movement experience.
Performances
Students who participate in YPDS: First Steps see two matinee performances by the world-renowned companies that perform on City Center’s Mainstage. These one-hour matinees are held during school hours, and bussing is provided free of charge.
Review and Reflection
Suggestions for curriculum applications are included in the YPDS Study Guide to further students’ ability to explore and deepen their understanding of dance. Their writings and reflections are published in Conversations, City Center’s student publication.
Fees: $25 per student and $50 per participating teacher. These fees include two performances, four in-school workshops, four professional development workshops for teachers, bussing, the YPDS Study Guide, and Conversations, the City Center student publication.
|
| |
YPDS: Choreography Residency
Schools interested in a more in-depth experience can participate in YPDS: Choreography Residency. Students receive 10 choreography-based, in-school workshops, where they collaborate with peers to develop their own movement phrases inspired by the YPDS performance. In addition, they receive a pre- and post-performance workshop for the second performance. Students in this residency model create original choreography, perform their work for each other, and engage in reflective discussion using dance vocabulary and student-generated criteria.
Professional Development
Prior to the beginning of the residency, teachers attend the YPDS professional development workshop. Participants are introduced to the program, experience a sample YPDS lesson plan, review the YPDS Study Guide, and participate in a movement experience led by a professional dancer. These workshops provide teachers with the tools and inspiration to introduce the dance work to the students.
In-School Workshops
Over the course of 10 sessions, students develop a theme, learn fundamental choreographic devices and structures, and work collaboratively, making personal artistic choices, while creating their own short pieces. Guided discussions encourage students to respond to their peers’ work, and reflective writing assignments document the revision process.
Lessons One and Two of the Residency introduce the basic elements of dance which students should understand to effectively observe the dance performance and experiment with choreography. Students then visit City Center to see a professional performance on the main stage. Lesson Three reviews the performance, and students begin their collaborative compositions. Lessons Four through Nine alternate between students creating and performing their choreographic compositions. Lesson Ten is a final opportunity to perform for peers.
Performances
Students who participate in YPDS: Choreography Residency see two matinee performances by the world-renowned companies that perform on City Center’s Mainstage. These one-hour matinees are held during school hours and bussing is provided free of charge.
Review and Reflection
Reflective revision and student assessment (student and classroom teacher rubrics, peer critique protocols, journal writing, videotaping) are embedded throughout the process. In schools with accessible equipment student choreography is recorded, allowing students to observe and critique themselves and their peers, and write reflections of what they have experienced as performers, choreographers and audience members based on the YPDS Study Guide, “It’s All in the Details: Dance & Movement”.
Fees: The YPDS Choreography Residency Model is $8,000 for 4 participating classes. |
| |
City Center Connections
City Center Connections gives high school and college students who are studying dance a glimpse into the professional dance world by engaging them with the work of small and mid-sized companies. Through open rehearsals and master classes, students receive an integrated learning experience and broaden their perspective of the professional world. Recent participating companies include: Battleworks, Keigwin + Company, Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Company, and Pascal Rioult Dance Theatre. Students receive a two-hour workshop in City Center’s studios combining performance, discussion, dance technique, and composition.
Fees: $10 per student. Depending on the workshop, a required minimum number of students may apply. Please contact the Education Department for more information. |
| |
Fall for Dance Seminar
Celebrating the vitality and breadth of dance in New York City and around the world, New York City Center’s Fall for Dance Festival features 30 different dance companies over ten performances – all on one stage. City Center’s Fall for Dance Seminar is a day-long professional development session for dance educators rooted in the Fall for Dance Festival and the New York City Department of Education’s Blueprint for Teaching in the Learning in the Arts. Teaching artists from dance organizations throughout the city join Department of Education dance teachers in this unique experience.
Fall for Dance Seminar participants take two master classes from Festival performers. During these classes, they learn about each company’s unique aesthetic by studying pieces of repertoire performed in the Fall for Dance Festival.
Following the master classes, participants take a workshop that investigates approaches to teaching dance, critical and creative responses to different dance styles and genres, and applications to classroom practice. The workshop is taught collaboratively by a Department of Education dance instructor and a dance teaching artist. The workshop will use an inquiry-based approach and include small group work and reflective practice.
All participants will receive one complimentary ticket to the Fall for Dance Festival. Please contact the Education Department for more information. |
| |
Early Childhood Dance Residences
To prepare for the Young People’s Dance Series, Early Childhood Dance Residencies provide dance teaching artists for students grade Pre-K-3. These artists collaborate with teachers to actively engage children in experiencing the power of dance as a form of communication and self-expression. Students learn basic movement and choreographic skills in musical/rhythmic contexts and begin to work independently and in small groups to express their thoughts and feelings using the language of dance. They learn basic dance vocabulary, invent movements to create their own short dances, and explore dances from different cultures. Lessons include performing for peers and a reflective period, during which students speak about or respond through movement or drawings to what they experienced as dancers and observers. This active, disciplined process of dance making, dance viewing and dance sharing gives young children a language through which to perceive themselves, communicate with others and begin to discover their changing and challenging world.
Fees: Please contact the Education Department for more information. |
