Dance Curriculum
Welcome to the Harrison Dance Department!
The Dance department at Harrison is dedicated to providing students a thorough and broad based pre-professional training program to develop the competence and maturity required in order to pursue the art of dance in a professional or collegiate environment, or to become an avid and informed future arts advocate. The program fosters individual student growth in a family environment and promotes artistic and academic excellence.
Students receive training in Classical Ballet and Contemporary Dance. The program, demanding physically and mentally, challenges students through daily classes, guest artists, and performances. The department offers two mainstage concerts, dance informances and a senior dance concert.
The Dance Department of the Harrison School for the Arts contains a curriculum designed to meet the various needs of students interested in dance. Courses within the dance program include ballet, modern and jazz technique; ballet, modern and jazz repertoire; choreography; functional anatomy; pedagogy; history; improvisation; production and independent study.
Dance audition requirements can be found here.
Internationally renowned dance teachers instruct master classes for the Harrison dancers. Recent guest artists include Peter Pucci ( Artistic Director of Pucci Plus and former Principal of Pilobolus), Roel Seeber and Katie Diamond (Jose Limon Dance Company), Davis Sutherland ( assistant to Jiri Kylian and Stuttgart Ballet), Peter Stark (Formerly NYC Ballet and Principal of the Orlando Ballet School), Gyula Pandi (Formerly of the National Hungarian Ballet and Instructor at the North Carolina School of the Arts), Darleen O'Callaghan (formerly of American Ballet Theatre), Donald Byrd Dance Company, Alvin Ailey Dance Company, Ann Reinking, and Savion Glover.
The 4-year Dance Department Plan of Study can be accessed here.
The four year dance curriculum includes:
Ballet I - IV
Dance Repertory I - IV
Dance Techniques III & IV
Year I
Ballet I
The purpose of this course is to teach the theory and practice of anatomically-sound classical ballet technique, which includes barre, center work, and traveling combinations. The student should be able to apply ballet terminology and identify different styles of technique that are currently in the mainstream in American dance.
Dance Repertory I - Modern
The purpose of this course is to teach the theory and practice of anatomically-sound modern dance techniques. This includes floor, center work, and traveling combinations. The student should be able apply modern dance terminology and identify different styles of technique that are currently found in the mainstream in American dance
Year II
Ballet II
The purpose of this course is to teach the theory and practice of anatomically-sound classical ballet technique, which includes barre, center work, and traveling combinations. The student should be able to apply ballet terminology and identify different styles of technique that are currently in the mainstream in American dance.
Dance Repertory II - Modern
The purpose of this course is to teach the theory and practice of anatomically-sound modern dance techniques. This includes floor, center work, and traveling combinations. The student should be able apply modern dance terminology and identify different styles of technique that are currently found in the mainstream in American dance.
Year III
Ballet III
The purpose of this course is to teach the theory and practice of anatomically-sound classical ballet technique, which includes barre, center work, and traveling combinations. The student should be able to apply ballet terminology and identify different styles of technique that are currently in the mainstream in American dance.
Dance Repertory III - Modern
The purpose of this course is to teach the theory and practice of anatomically-sound modern dance techniques. This includes floor, center work, and traveling combinations. The student should be able apply modern dance terminology and identify different styles of technique that are currently found in the mainstream in American dance.
Dance Techniques III - Anatomy for The Dancer
The purpose of this course is to teach the students the major bones and musculature systems of the human body. Most importantly, the student will learn how dance technique works through these two systems. The student should be able to identify muscles and bones and explain their function in body mechanics. Based on course studies, the students should be able to identify incorrect anatomical technique and explain why it is anatomically incorrect and how to correct it.
Year IV
Ballet IV - Honors
The purpose of this course is to teach the theory and practice of anatomically-sound classical ballet technique, which includes barre, center work, and traveling combinations. The student should be able to apply ballet terminology and identify different styles of technique that are currently in the mainstream in American dance.
Dance Repertory IV - Modern - Honors
The purpose of this course is to teach the theory and practice of anatomically-sound modern dance techniques. This includes floor, center work, and traveling combinations. The student should be able apply modern dance terminology and identify different styles of technique that are currently found in the mainstream in American dance.
Dance Techniques IV - Choreography/Senior Project
This course will instruct students in the principles of choreography and culminate in their own choreographic project.
Dance Department Required Student Supplies
All Dance Students
• Roll on deodorant (no aerosol of any kind) • Black Pens • 3 ring Binder with paper • Journal • Toe/ foot tape • Moleskin • 24 count Crayola colored pencils • Safety pens • Band-Aids • Needle & thread
Girls
• Black Leotard (no strapless or 1-shoulder styles) • Nude Leotard and shorts • Pink convertible tights • Pink Ballet slippers • White elastic waist band • Black tights (convertible or footless) • Black dance shorts (mid thigh only) • Incoming students do not buy pointe shoes until approval is given by instructor • Upperclassmen should have pointe shoes • Bobby pins/ hair pins • Hair nets • Pump hairspray (no aerosol of any kind)
Boys
• Black or white dance tops • Black tights (convertible) • Black dance shorts • Dance belt • Regular Belt to hold up tights • Black ballet slippers or whites socks and white ballet slippers
Faculty
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BFA Dance Education K-12, The University of Southern Mississippi; MFA Performance and Choreography, Florida State University
Upon graduation, Mrs. Bourgeois joined Moving Current Dance Collective in Tampa, FL, performing as a dancer, choreographer, and assistant director of the company. In addition to teaching and performing, she has been involved in different areas of dance technology such as documentation, projection design, telematic ars, and video dance at Florida State. Her choreographic work has been presented at New Ground Emerging Artists Festival, American College Dance Festival Gala Concert, and Moving Current Dance Collective.
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North Carolina School of the Arts
Ms. Olson danced principal roles for Agnes de Mille in the Agnes de Mille Heritage Dance Theatre and the CBS Kennedy Center Honors. Ms. Olson appeared in Brigadoon on Broadway at the Majestic Theatre. She was also a guest Artist for Lee Theodore's American Dance Machine. She is a member of Equity and was the Artistic Director of the San Angelo Ballet. She has choreographed for Equity houses including Theatre Under the Stars in Houston, Texas and the Alliance Theatre in Atlanta, Georgia.
Ms. Olson is an ABT® Affiliate Teacher, who has successfully completed the ABT® Teacher
Training Intensive in Primary through Level 7 of the ABT® National Training Curriculum and has
successfully presented students for examinations.
Alumni
Harrison dancers have been accepted by the following college and summer programs: School of American Ballet, American Ballet Theatre, North Carolina School of the Arts, North Carolina Dance Theatre, Butler University, Southern Methodist University, Lines, Fordham, Orlando Ballet Summer Intensive, Alvin Ailey School, American Dance Festival, Cal Arts, Jacob's Pillow, Julliard, New World School of the Arts, Paul Taylor Summer Intensive, SUNY Purchase, TISCH School of the Arts at NYU, University of Illinois, and Virginia School of the Arts. Harrison dance graduates have gone on to perform in such companies as the Trisha Brown Dance Company in NYC, Ballet Met, National Tour of Movin' Out, the Adam Miller Project, Broadway Revival of West Side Story, Ballet Memphis, Hartford Ballet and the House Theatre of Chicago.
Harrison dancers have been awarded the First Lady Scholarship by Columba Bush in both Ballet and Modern as well as merit scholarships for the Young Arts Presidential Scholar Award.
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