Introduction to Iyengar Yoga
The study of Iyengar Yoga offers students the unique opportunity to learn the traditions of this ancient physical art form through their bodies. Although our study of Yoga will focus on the physical postures (asanas), we will also introduce accompanying aesthetic, historical and philosophical ideas. Special classes will focus on restorative practices and breathing (pranayama). Initially in yoga we direct our attention to the experience of the body in an asana. The body and mind work in harmony to complete the action of the pose. In this way the practice of Yoga acts as a form of dynamic meditation. The benefits of this body/mind focus translate to classroom work, daily life, sports performance, as well as on-stage performance.

Introduction to The Art of Dance
Introduces the student to the many roles that dance plays in different world cultures.

Beginning Ballet I/II
Beginning Ballet I and II introduce ballet principles with an emphasis on alignment and movement.

Beginning Modern I/II
This course assists the beginner contemporary modern dance student in developing and refining basic dance skills. Class begins with a structured warm-up designed to prepare the entire body for full-out moving. Center combinations, turning, small jumps and leaps, as well as traveling across the floor develop a strong foundation for future study. Through rigorous training of the body, a deeper understanding of dance movement, phrasing, and musicality emerges.

Beginning Jazz Dance I/II
Beginning Jazz uses elementary and intermediate jazz dance movements to build a strong technical base and explore the jazz idiom. The focus of the class is on style, coordination, phrasing, timing and presentation.

Tap Dance
Students develop an understanding of rhythm and style while learning the basics of tap dancing.

Intro to Dance for Men
Creating an environment that is less intimidating than a traditional dance class has proven to be beneficial for male students making their initial forays into dance. This class introduces the beginner male dance student to basic dance movement, phrasing and musicality. The class is designed to give students the freedom to experience dance at a slower pace, and to isolate and concentrate on areas of difficulty.

Beginning and Intermediate African Dance I
An introduction to the various stylistic forms of dance and drumming accompaniment of the continent of Africa and the Diaspora. The course provides the student with an understanding of the diverse danced forms of Africa as seen not only on the continent itself but wherever Africans have settled. Using the appropriate rhythmic “drum language” as our guide, the course emphasizes body tuning, movement sequences and combinations and an introduction to terminology relevant to the course. Special attention will be given to the relationship between the dance, history and cultural norms. Links between African forms and the development of “black dance” in the United States will also be covered.

Creative Movement
Creative Movement is the introductory course in the dance-making sequence in which students explore a wide variety of movement ideas from which they invent movement phrases and build simple dance studies.

Intro to Dancemaking Skills
A Broad introducion to contemporary dancemaking choreographic and improvisational skills.

Dance Production and Dance Production Practicum
The course illuminates the collaborative production process with a clear understanding of the nature of the theatrical space and the process used to shape it for performance. It covers the performance space, terminology, roles and responsibilities of the production team, and the range of technology that will be encountered. A basic understanding of design issues and some facility in working with these elements will also be included. A key element of the learning wll be experiential, with all students taking on a production role under supervision.

Intermediate Ballet
As a second ballet class in the UWM dance curriculum, Intermediate Ballet I and II focuses on the continued development of students' technical skills while fostering self-awareness regarding the body and the potential of the body for personal expression.

Intermediate Modern I/II
The process of learning dance technique is one of experimentation and investigation. As dancers we walk into the studio with the intent to discover. In Intermediate Modern dancers continue to explore and refine their technical and expressive contemporary modern dance skills. Classes may also include an introduction to partnering and injury prevention and recovery.

Arts in Community Service
Students acquire means to assess personal learning and techniques to assess impact of their service-learning work with community partner organizations. Body Sense Dance
Body Sense incorporates the feelings and sense of spatial depth in and around the body.

Music for Dancers
Music for Dancers explores the many relationships between movement and sound: rhythmic connections, studies of stillness/motion connected to sound/silence, movement response to the timbre of instruments. Students also use musical forms, such as binary and canon, in structuring dance studies.

Improvisation for Dance Making
Improvisation is a guided and highly structured exploration of movement qualities and structural possibilities. In this course students will concentrate on experimenting with specific elements of movement and structure and recognizing how these elements influence choreographic craft.

Fundamentals for Dancers
Fundamentals for Dancers is an experiential study of the anatomy and kinesiology of the body in motion.

Advanced Ballet
This course is organized to deepen the students’ understanding of ballet technique with a high level of expectation towards the students’ artistic research. Students are encouraged to feel not only the technicality of the movement but are also motivated to develop their uniqueness as interpreters and performers. Through elaborated classes the students learn to fulfill the artistic demands of each dance combination in parallel with their growth as skilled dancers. The concept of a 3D space, occupied by a body moving and feeling as a whole, leads the dancers to achieve not only the complexity of the technique but also the subtlety of the art of dance.

Dance of the African Diaspora
The art of dance is the study of human behavior demonstrated through history, belief systems, and cultural values as well as social, religious, and political thought. This course is a journey originating on the African continent. Using the art of dance as a cultural body language, the course studies characteristics of African dance on the continent and follows these elements through the migration of African slaves and their descendants throughout the Diaspora. The course then travels to the Caribbean and the Americas, exploring the expressions and mind-body experiences of African people.

Contemporary Dance History
Contemporary dance history is the study of how this unique and primarily American dance form came to be and continues to evolve. Over the course of the semester we will be viewing videos, discussing assigned readings and performances, as well as getting up on our feet and dancing our way into understanding our history.

Advanced Modern I/II
This is the level of dancing that will be the most challenging. Intense and consistent extremes of virtuoso phrase material will be the daily objective.

Dance Service-Learning
Service-Learning as field work in community partnership settings under the supervision of a Dance faculty member.

Rituals and Cultures
Sources, dimensions and elements of ritual; values being ritualized. Creation of ritual components through story telling, singing/chanting, movement/gestures, wearing/carrying special clothing/objects.

Body Conditioning: Pilates Method
Body Conditioning/Pilates will focus on lengthening, toning, and stretching the entire body. Pilates method is a natural progression and adjunct to intensive dance training. This system of exercise is a key element in helping dancers to strengthen and realign their bodies. Pilates method develops the body uniformly, restores physical vitality, and invigorates the mind; it helps develop and maintain strong, healthy dancers. Body Conditioning/Pilates helps students meet the rigorous demands of a career in dance.

Partnering
The inclusion of Partnering in the Dance Curriculum is unique. Partnering work is often considered to be auxiliary; something the student studies in a special workshop or learns on the spot in rehearsal. In the Dance Department we believe the understanding of how to partner and how to use partnering in choreography is mandatory training for today's dancer. The course is an investigation of partnering skills and partnering as an element in choreography. It begins with a thorough understanding of the physical skills and strengths (weight sharing, counter balance, mutual support and trust) necessary for partnering work. Students go on to investigate partnering as a compositional device.

Movement and Learning
Effect of movement on learning. Learned movement patterns as learning preparation. Centering, focusing, mind-clearing activities. Creative movement activities for creative problem solving.

Dance in Elementary Education
A study of the relationship of dance experiences to the growth and development of the elementary school child. Discussion, lectures, experimentation and analysis of dance materials. Suitability of materials for various age groups and situations.

Dance in Secondary Education
Methods and philosophy of teaching dance in secondary schools and colleges. Theory and practice in solving problems arising in practical teaching situations.

World Movement Traditions
Dance and movement traditions of world cultures.

Intermediate Yoga
This class is a continuation of Introduction to Iyengar Yoga, with an added emphasis on intermediate yoga asanas, pranayama and yoga pedagogy.

Dance Composition I/II/III
Dance Composition is a guided laboratory for the study of the advanced choreographic and musical forms, as well as the creation of site-specific work. Over the course of the term, students undertake advanced choreographic assignments and work with composition techniques that are used in visual arts, music and poetry, to create dances.

Creating Community Rituals
Students will gain an understanding of how rituals evolve, common elements or ingredients found in them, means of repeating/recording/transmitting them, and some of the community values and the significance they celebrate.

Alexander Technique and Alexander Technique Practicum
The class is a basic introduction coupled with a "hands-on" exploration of the Alexander technique as it applies to performing artists. Principally concerned with education or re-education of the psycho-physical self, the technique is a method for understanding habitual reactions and their influence on our daily activities.


Student Teaching in Dance in Elementary Schools
Teaching experience in cooperating school systems in or near Milwaukee; supervision by critic teacher and members of Dance faculty.

Student Teaching in Dance in Secondary Schools
Teaching experience in cooperating school systems in or near Milwaukee; supervision by critic teacher and members of Dance faculty.

Repertoire and Ensemble
A work of original choreography passes through many phases of development before it reaches its final form. In this course the student experiences the role a dancer has in the process of making a new choreographic work for the stage. This process involves exploration, group collaboration, and finally—interpretation. In addition, the dancers learn to understand the level of commitment and consciousness required of them throughout the rehearsal period.

Repertory/Student Choreography
The education of a performer is a multi-faceted process: a mature and intelligent performer is an asset to any choreographer. Such a performer is not defined by age or talent, but an attention to the craft of performing. The objective in this course is to amplify and train the skills of attention and commitment that are the qualities of a skilled performer in student choreography.

Senior Project Dance
Intended as the capstone experience of academic training, this course gives each undergraduate the opportunity to create a project that assimilates the sum total of his or her training.