Dance Composition Basics

Pamela Anderson Sofras, MEd, is a professor of dance and dance education at the University of North Carolina. She has 30 years of experience teaching dance at the university level and has taught and developed courses in modern dance technique, composition, dance education methods, and student teaching. From 1978 to 1990, she was affiliated with the American Dance Festival as a faculty member. She served as assistant, associate dean, and founding director of the Young Dancer's School of the American Dance Festival. Sofras was part of a team of educators who wrote dance education guidelines for training K-12 dance teachers for the public schools of North Carolina. She has also developed curriculum materials, supported by state and national grants, for professional arts organizations located in New Jersey, North Carolina, Tennessee, and New York. Sofras has been the recipient of six North Carolina Arts Council grant awards to study the choreographic processes of five separate choreographers as they created work for North Carolina Dance Theatre, a professional dance company. The processes were documented and translated into curriculum materials for teachers and for university classes. A charter member of the National Dance Education Organization (NDEO), Sofras is also a member of the education committee of the North Carolina Dance Theater and a site evaluator for the North Carolina Arts Council grant activities. She has received numerous awards for her contributions to the field of dance education, including the NDEO's Vision Award, the American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance (AAHPERD) College/University Educator of the Year, and the North Carolina Dance Alliance Award. In addition, she received the UNC Service Award in 2002 for her sustained service to public schools. Sofras regularly presents professional development workshops in dance pedagogy for teaching artists and teachers working in public and private school settings.

Preface
Alonzo King: Featured Artist and Work
Dwight Rhoden: Featured Artist and Work
How to Use the DVD
Dance Composition Basics DVD Menu
Acknowledgments

Chapter 1. The Body: Exploring the Ways We Move
Lesson 1 Impulse: Origins of Movement
Lesson 2 Phrase: Linking Movements
Lesson 3 Gesture: Personal Vocabulary of Movement
Lesson 4 Shape: Body Design
Lesson 5 Problem Solving: Creating a Solo

Chapter 2. Space: Exploring the Expanse We Move In
Lesson 1 Air and Floor Pathways: Mapping the Route
Lesson 2 Diagonals: From Corner to Corner
Lesson 3 Symmetry: Balancing Shapes
Lesson 4 Positive and Negative Space: Sharing a Shape
Lesson 5 Balance: Supporting Each Other
Lesson 6 Imitation: Reflecting Each Other
Lesson 7 Problem Solving: Creating a Duet

Chapter 3. Time: Exploring Tempo
Lesson 1 Slow Motion: Dancing in Reverie
Lesson 2 Speed: Learning to Dance Quickly
Lesson 3 Pacing: Combining Different Pulses
Lesson 4 Accelerating: How Fast Can It Go?
Lesson 5 Problem Solving: Creating a Trio

Chapter 4. Energy: Force Generating Movement
Lesson 1 Inertia: Readiness to Move
Lesson 2 Opposites: Contrasting Energies
Lesson 3 Dynamics: Qualities of Movement
Lesson 4 Intensity: Increasing and Decreasing Force
Lesson 5 Problem Solving: Creating a Small-Group Composition

Chapter 5. Choreographic Devices: Creating Finished Compositions
Lesson 1 Call and Response: Antiphonal Movement
Lesson 2 Canon: Dancing in Unison a Few Counts Apart
Lesson 3 Directional Mirroring: Parallel Reflecting and Reverse Reflecting
Lesson 4 Variation: Interweaving and Varying Patterns
Lesson 5 Problem Solving: Creating a Movement Suite

Glossary
Bibliography
Index
About the Author
Dance Composition Basics DVD