January 9, 2005
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Dance Composition II
THE 225.00
Spring 2005
Instructor:  Laurie Merriman

JOURNAL/NOTEBOOK

Each student is again responsible for maintaining a course journal and/or notebook for this semester.  Your journal will be a daily account of your creative process for recording a number of things.  I would recommend each of you continue with your notebook from THE 125, Dance Composition I, so that after this semester all your composition notes have been maintained in one notebook or journal.  You may want to have both a 3-ring binder and a "blank book" for your journal this semester.  The 3-ring binder will enable you to divide each category in an organized fashion and allow you to insert additional handouts I give you in class. Your journal should be a place of honest reflection.   I will ask you to respond to specific questions and will ask that  you maintain a record of your thoughts throughout your creative process in each section as appropriate.

EVALUATION OF JOURNAL/NOTEBOOK

Journals will be collected and responded to periodically - try to maintain your journal in some consistent manner throughout the semester or you will find it very difficult to "catch up."   Final evaluation of your journal will be done towards the end of the semester.  If you have an entry you would rather not have read due to it's personal nature, just fold the page in half and it will remain private...

CATEGORIES

1.  Compositional Assignments:          
This is the section you will keep all handouts related to each of your assignments.   You will also likely keep additional notes based on our in-class discussion in this section.

2.  Assigned Discussion Forum Questions for WebCT:  
This section of your journal will be maintained "electronically" on WebCT which will allow the class to view your responses to a variety of questions I ask for you to "ponder" throughout the semester.  I will post critical thinking questions on WebCT's Discussion section when I assign each compositional assignment.   These questions will be related to your readings in all your textbooks yet especially tied to the Lavender text, "Dancers Talking Dance-Critical Evaluation in the Choreography Class."  These questions will begin the process of thinking about dance making outside of class while we simultaneously create, discuss, interpret, and evaluate the dance making process in class.  I would like to strongly encourage each of you to open one another's responses to these questions and when applicable reply to the original author...i.e. a DISCUSSION FORUM!  Yes?

2.  Creative Work:  
This section of your journal or notebook will contain all your notes which relate to your creative inspiration for your compositional work.  This section will serve as a "window" into your process and into your imagination as a creative artist.   You may choose to write in narrative form, in fragmented thoughts, in drawings or renderings, or in symbolic form. You will likely question yourself, probe for meaning, revise and reject your initial ideas and brainstorm like crazy!  And finally, this section will contain your notes and notation of your choreography for all your work within this class.  Because this portion of your notebook will accompany you inside the studio as you work, you may choose for this section to be contained in a "blank book" making it more portable. 

3.  Ideas for future work:   
This section is for you to keep track of fabulous ideas for choreography in the future.  These ideas may come from listening to inspiring music, attending a dance concert or theatrical production, dreams, and so forth.  I keep a file for these ideas myself and while it often takes me a year or two to return to these ideas, I often do!  

4.  Impressions:   
This section is really primarily for you to use as a place for creative "research."  It may contain your observations of people, places, things.   It may contain a passage from a book, poetry, or great bumper stickers that evoke some ideas in you for current or future choreography.  You may record any and all things which motivate you as a choreographer...gestures, images, music, designs, words, synonyms, emotions, experiences, and so forth.  And finally, this section will contain your 1-2 page written narrative on a minimum of three performance events (or equivalent) you attend throughout the semester.  You must select from a variety of art events either on or off campus such as a music concert, a dance concert, a theatrical production, an art gallery exhibit, a poetry reading, and so on. 

5.  Peer Review: 
Throughout the semester we will be sharing our creative work with one another and in that process we learn to embrace the constructive criticism of each other and learn to offer constructive criticism of the work we view.  Because of this process, we will bear witness to one another's breakthroughs, plateaus, and developments.  This section of your notebook will contain your written thoughts on the work of your peers which will prompt your verbal comments in class.         

6.  Handouts:
Throughout the semester I may provide you with various information pertaining to choreography and  the creative process.  This is the section you will want to place these handouts.  Each of you will be responsible for the reading of these handouts as well as various performing art related articles in the New York Times (current editions).  You may also find it useful to copy each applicable NY Times article and keep it in this section of your notebook for reference.

OPTIONAL SECTION:

7.  Notes from Readings/Text: 
Each student will be responsible for the assigned readings from required texts this semester.  We will have one FINAL COMPREHENSIVE TAKE HOME EXAM this semester based on the readings and coursework from throughout this semester (and perhaps some information covered in THE 125).  Recording notes or outlines on each chapter is generally an excellent way to prepare for this exam.  As this is a "Take Home" examination at the end of the semester, your record of chapter notes in your journal is certainly OPTIONAL.