繳交日期：第三堂課

仔細觀察Barbara Morgan照片。選擇一張照片，發揮想像力勾劃照片中的舞蹈，並寫一頁短文，描述想像中照片當下的舞蹈。

記得描述背景、燈光、表演舞者人數、故事情節（可有可無），以及舞作整體呈現的感覺。

第四堂課隔天，請同學準備報告自己的作業並且說明照片所凝聚的那一刻是如何塑造而成。

繳交日期：第七堂課

觀賞1962年版的舞蹈

觀賞長度半小時的《啟示錄》，寫下八至十頁的書面報告，回答下面問題：

《啟示錄》(艾莉，1960)如何傳達宗教與社會秩序的概念？

這個舞作共有四個部分。同學可以針對一至兩個部分深入描寫，也可針對整個舞作加以探討。可寫關於基本創作技巧的運用（重量、舞者空間、重心、加重點），也可寫舞作的整體效果。同學可針對該舞作查詢相關資料，也可利用人文圖書館的「非裔美人文化與歷史大全」，查閱「艾文艾莉與艾文艾莉的美國舞蹈劇場（Alvin Ailey and the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater）」。錄影帶「艾文艾莉美國舞蹈劇場之夜（An evening with the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater）」放於館內閱覽室，編號為GV1786.A42.A48 1986。

作業格式須為打字、兩倍行高、經過拼音與文法檢查。作文技巧很重要，最好活潑生動、言之有物。每個段落要有中心主旨，每句話要有主詞、動詞。每位學生要在第五堂課前兩天於課堂上摘要自己的作業內容。

繳交日期：第十一堂課後兩天

觀賞半小時的舞作《秋水傳奇》(Fall River Legend)，寫下七至十頁的書面報告回答下面問題：

舞作《秋水傳奇》(Fall River Legend) (De mille, 1950)如何傳達文化傳統與文化認同的概念？

這個舞作本身有簡潔的敘述架構，同學不用重述劇情、也不用介紹編舞者生平。

同學應嘗試評論如何從單一動作定義劇中角色、以及這些角色如何定義該舞蹈、該文化傳統中的社會

同學可探討編舞者運用哪些劇場元素強化劇情，以及這齣舞蹈的創作（編舞技巧、設計和整體衝擊）如何呈現文化認同和文化架構。

記得提及舞作中的特定細節，以及你對這些細節的體會。

同學可在人文圖書館的「全球舞蹈大全」，編號GV1585.I586 1998裡查到編舞者的資料。

該舞蹈收錄於錄影帶《哈林之舞蹈劇場》（Dance Theatre of Harlem），編號為GV1786.H28.D36 1989，限於人文圖書館館內觀賞。

作業格式須為打字、兩倍行高、經過拼音與文法檢查。作文技巧很重要，最好活潑生動、言之有物。每個段落要有中心主旨，每句話要有主詞、動詞。

繳交日期：第十九堂課

觀賞長度一小時的舞作《凱薩琳之輪》（The Catherine Wheel），並寫下七至十頁的書面報告回答下面問題：

《凱薩琳之輪》（Tharp, 1981）的黃金段落（gold section）如何呈現性別與個體議題？

將論述重點放在長15分鐘黃金段落。（該段落約在影帶開始後一小時的位置，透過閃爍的黃金煙火劃過銀幕開始。）

編舞者如何描述性別？

她讓男性和女性做什麼樣的動作？

她如何描述社會秩序？

這齣舞作如何呈現劇中男女所處的文化背景？

同學將重點放在黃金段落即可，不用從頭開始詮釋。

哪些特定的姿勢（動作）支持你的論點？

千萬記得描述支持論點的特定動作。

同學必須用精確的術語描述動作，並依據自己的描述支持本身對這齣舞作的詮釋。

不必重述劇情。可以探討你從這支舞蹈與其他課堂上所觀賞知錄影帶中所學到的動作美學，但不必介紹編舞者生平。同學可查詢編舞者相關資料，其資料可在人文圖書館的「國際舞蹈大全」，編號GV1585.I586 1998中找到。

該錄影帶放於館內閱讀室：Twyla Tharp之《凱薩琳之輪》。

作業格式須為打字、兩倍行高、經過拼音與文法檢查。作文技巧很重要，最好活潑生動、言之有物。每個段落要有中心主旨，每句話要有主詞、動詞。

期末報告：

細心複習巴蘭欽(Balanchine)的芭蕾舞作或自選段落。準備一篇全面的概要評論，並在課堂上發表。報告必須包括下列內容：

歷史

• 創作年份
• 首演日期與地點
• 創作者在舞作原創中的角色
• 舞者名字，有關舞者的有趣資料與他們和巴蘭欽的關係
• 創作背景
• 合作者－有關服裝、作曲家、佈景與燈光設計師及合作流程的有趣資料

歷史分析

• 專業舞評對該舞作的反應
• 對該舞作的評論是否隨時間推移而改變？
  

詮釋

• 綜述舞作架構－多少段落、多少舞者、哪種音樂模式？
• 敘述性分析－舞作中發生什麼事、哪種重複動作使該舞作與眾不同？
• 詮釋分析－舞作的主旨為何、如何表現？
• 總和－為什麼該舞作成功、你認為它對美國芭蕾傳承有何重要性？
• 上述項目只是基本要求，報告內容可以更豐富。

關於背景資料，同學可查詢人文圖書館中各項舞蹈與芭蕾百科全書；紐約時代雜誌可找到舞評；Arlene Croce有許多著作評論巴蘭欽的舞作；人文圖書館中有多本巴蘭欽的傳記；網路可找到許多巴蘭欽的資料。上述資料皆不限館內閱覽，因此請同學們彼此體貼，在圖書館內完成報告。作業不得遲交，因此請同學規劃必須的作業時間。若有疑問，歡迎電郵聯絡。各位必須篩選舞作中的重要段落，並評論之。

時間限制－每人最多十分鐘！

祝好運！

口頭報告之芭蕾舞作：

吉普賽人
行板
翡翠
四種氣質 第一部
四種氣質 第二部
英國國旗
夏康舞曲
主題與變奏
阿波羅
俄羅斯戲謔曲
方塊舞
五朔節之夜
Davidsbundlertanz 第一部
Davidsbundlertanz 第二部
舞樂
星條旗 第一部
星條旗 第二部
誰在乎？
維也納華爾茲

Due session #3

Examine carefully the exquisite Barbara Morgan photographs on display.

Choose one photograph. Imagine the dance that this photograph represents.

Write a one-page text in which you describe the imaginary dance that surrounds this single moment.

Be sure to describe the setting, the lighting, the number of dancers involved in the performance, the story or narrative of the dance (if it has one), and the overall feeling of the work.

Be prepared to read your paper and illustrate how the moment of the photograph is reached in class one day after Session #4.

Due Session #7

View 1962 Version of Dance.

View the half-hour dance Revelations, and write a paper of 8-10 pages length which addresses this question:

How does the dance Revelations (Ailey, 1960) convey concepts of religion and social order?

The dance has four distinct sections. You may write in depth about one or two sections, or attempt to treat the entire dance as a whole. You might write about the use of basic compositional techniques (weight, spacing of dancers, focus, effort) or you might write about the overall effect of viewing the dance. You may wish to check some source material for information about the dance; you may consult my entry in the Encyclopedia of African American Culture and History available in the Humanities Library, under "Alvin Ailey and the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater." The videotape is on reserve in the reserve book room: "An evening with the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater" GV1786.A42.A48 1986.

Your paper must be typewritten, double-spaced, and thoroughly edited for spelling and grammar. Composition counts! Try to make your writing lively and informative. Be sure each paragraph has a central idea, and that each sentence has a subject and verb. Each student will present a brief summary of ideas from the paper in class two days before Session #5.

Due 2 days after Session #11

View the half-hour dance Fall River Legend and write a paper of 7-10 pages length that addresses this question:

How does the dance Fall River Legend (De Mille, 1950) convey concepts of cultural mores and cultural identity?

The dance has terse narrative structure. You should not retell the dramatic plot of the dance; you should not provide a biography of the choreographer.

You should attempt to create a critique of how specific gestures in the dance define characters,
and how those characters define the society depicted in the dance and its mores.

You should write about the theatrical elements the choreographer uses to strengthen her depiction of the story.

You should also write about how the dance suggests cultural identity and cultural structure in its inventions: its choreographic techniques, its design, its overall impact.

Be sure to write about specific details in the dance, and the meaning that those details suggest to you.

You may wish to check some source material for information about the choreographer. You may consult her entry in the International Encyclopedia of Dance at GV1585.I586 1998 in the Humanities Library.

The videotape containing this dance is on reserve in the Humanities Library: "Dance Theatre of Harlem" GV1786.H28.D36 1989.

Your paper must be typewritten, double-spaced, and thoroughly edited for spelling and grammar.
Composition counts! Try to make your writing lively and informative. Be sure each paragraph has a central idea, and that each sentence has a subject and verb.

Due session #19.

View the hour-long dance The Catherine Wheel and write a paper of 7-10 pages length which addresses this question:

How does the "gold section" of The Catherine Wheel (Tharp, 1981) describe issues of gender and individuality?

Focus your essay on the gold section, which is the last 15 minutes of the work.
(It begins about an hour into the video. The gold section begins with a flashing golden sparkler effect which flashes across the screen.)

How does the choreographer depict gender?

What kinds of movements does she allow men and women?

How does she describe social order?

What does the dance suggest about the culture in which these men and women exist?

You may base your observations and interpretations on the gold section only; you needn't try to extrapolate from the first hour of the work.

What particular dance gestures (movements) support your thesis?

Be sure to write about particular dance gestures to support your thesis.

You must try to describe movement in exact terms, and then build upon your description to support your interpretation of the dance.

You should not retell the dramatic plot of the dance. You should not provide a
biography of the choreographer, although you may wish to discuss her movement aesthetic as you understand it from this work and others viewed in class. You may wish to check some source material for information about the choreographer; you may consult her entry in the International Encyclopedia of Dance at GV1585.I586 1998 in the Humanities Library.

The videotape containing this dance is on reserve in the reserve book room:
The Catherine Wheel by Twyla Tharp.

Your paper must be typewritten, double-spaced, and thoroughly edited for spelling and grammar. Composition counts! Try to make your writing lively and informative. Be sure each paragraph has a central idea, and that each sentence has a subject and verb.

For your final presentation:

View repeatedly, and with great care, the Balanchine ballet or excerpt you have chosen. Prepare a curatorial overview of the dance to share with us in class. Your presentation must include the following information:

HISTORY

• Year of creation for the work
• Date and place of its premiere
• Creators of roles in the original production of the work
• Names, interesting information about these dancers and their relationship to Balanchine
• Background to the creation of the work
• Collaborators - costume, composer, set and lighting designers interesting information about the collaborative process

HISTORICAL ANALYSIS

• How did professional critics respond to this work?
• Did opinions of the dance change over time?
  

INTERPRETATION

• Overview of the work's construction - how many sections, how many dancers, what musical format?
• Descriptive analysis - what happens in the dance; what sorts of recurring movement gestures define the work distinctively?
• Interpretive analysis - what is this dance 'about?' How does it achieve meaning?
• Summation - how is this dance successful? What do you think is its importance to the legacy of American ballet?
• Your presentation can have more information than this, but it must have at least these elements.

For background information, you may consult the various Encylopedias of Dance and Ballet in the Humanities Library. For critical reviews, try The New York Times; Arlene Croce's many books of reviews of Balanchine's work; and the several Balanchine biographies in the Humanities library.* A lot of information about Balanchine is available on the web. *None of these sources are on closed reserve, so please be considerate of your classmates, and do your work in the library. There will be no extensions for this assignment, so allow yourself enough time to do the research necessary. If you have questions or concerns about this assignment, do not hesitate to contact me by e-mail. Your presentation should include a screening of the most important sections of the work, as you see fit to curate it.

TIME CONSTRAINT - Your presentation must last no more than 10 minutes total!

Good luck!

Ballets for Presentations:

Tzigane
Andante
Emeralds
Four Temperments Part One
Four Temperments Part Two
Union Jack
Chaconne
Theme and Variations
Apollo
Scherzo a la Russe
Square Dance
Walpurgisnacht
Davidsbundlertanz Part One
Davidsbundlertanz Part Two
Bugaku
Stars and Stripes Part One
Stars and Stripes Part Two
Who Cares?
Vienna Waltzes