With a rigorous program of training, supplemented by performance opportunities, the Dance Department seeks to serve the needs of the serious dance student and to entice the uninitiated into an adventure of discovery in motion art. We encourage students to explore many different styles of dance to enhance their understanding of this beautiful art form. Students will be placed in the appropriate level class after an initial trial period. The dance faculty represents a wide range of approaches to dance and to different dance forms. All movement classes grant both a physical education and an arts credit.

 

Technique classes develop essential skills and grow more rigorous as students become more proficient. Boys, as well as girls, are encouraged to try a beginning technique class; no experience in dance is necessary. In the first year of training, students develop the basic skills of technique: proficiency in picking up simple movement patterns; awareness of rhythms; strength in the legs, stomach, and back; and proper alignment of the spine so that it serves as a balanced center for the dynamic flow of movement. Intermediate students are expected to know the movement vocabulary taught at CSW. In modern it is largely Cunningham-influenced and in jazz it incorporates elements of Latin, hip-hop, funk and theatre dance. As students’ training progresses, they continue to develop speed, agility and quickness in picking up combinations, as well as sensitivity to rhythm and phrasing. Most modern technique classes are taught in conjunction with professional musicians who assist students in developing musicality.