DANCE 720 : Choreography and Performance Research

Creative Arts and Industries

2024 Semester One (1243) (30 POINTS)

Course Prescription

Investigates choreographic practice and dance creation as a location for artistic production and academic research. Students will reflect on their own choreographic and performance practice through studio-based activities, while examining choreographic and performance theory.

Course Overview

Choreography in this context is understood as a contemporary art form, an inter-disciplinary practice and a continuous process of research and creation. It is embodied, experiential and involves hands-on modes of making, thinking and doing. Research creation through choreographic thinking is a hybrid practice that involves writing, reading and moving. Examples of practice from late 20th-21st century choreography and contemporary art, together with relevant theories and writings that underpin and provide further insight into this work, provide a contextual framework for embodied enquiry that extends and builds upon the students interests, curiosities and prior experience.
This course is orientated towards current and future cultural and social conditions. It addresses the complexities of creating and performing within an urban Pacific environment that is culturally diverse. Contemporary Māori and Pasifika approaches to performance are addressed alongside Western theatre dance, live art and choreographic installation. Productive synergies emerge through dialogues, practices of encounter and embodied listening. Applied in a range of contexts and situations choreographic thinking is foregrounded as adding something to the world.

Course Requirements

Prerequisite: Departmental approval Restriction: DANCE 733, 735, 760

Capabilities Developed in this Course

Capability 1: People and Place
Capability 2: Sustainability
Capability 3: Knowledge and Practice
Capability 4: Critical Thinking
Capability 5: Solution Seeking
Capability 6: Communication
Capability 8: Ethics and Professionalism

Learning Outcomes

By the end of this course, students will be able to:
  1. Articulate knowledge through a choreographic process that is addressing a question, concept or provocation. (Capability 1.2, 3.1, 4.1, 4.3, 5.3 and 8.1)
  2. Develop and demonstrate and present a choreography as research project within a public performance context. (Capability 3.1, 3.2, 4.1, 4.2, 6.1, 6.2, 6.3 and 8.1)
  3. Engage a reflective practice contextualised within wider territories of politics, art, environment and history through a portfolio of creative documentation. (Capability 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 2.2, 3.1, 4.1, 4.3 and 6.1)

Assessments

Assessment Type Percentage Classification
Assignments 20% Individual Coursework
Assignments 50% Individual Coursework
Assignments 30% Individual Coursework
Assessment Type Learning Outcome Addressed
1 2 3
Assignments
Assignments
Assignments

Teaching & Learning Methods

• Action-based workshops
• Tasks, problem-solving and research-led embodied enquiry
• Self-directed choreographic assignments and tasks
• Reading and online research
• Field trips and events (Auckland Art Gallery; Auckland Art Festival)
• Creative writing and documentation
• Collaborative group devising
• Use of online media, websites and blogs
• The use of video and digital tools for documentation and as tools for composition

Workload Expectations

This course is a standard 30 point course and students are expected to spend 20 hours per week involved in each 30 point course that they are enrolled in.

For this course, you can expect 60 hours of lectures, and 240 hours of work on assignments and/or test preparation.

Delivery Mode

Campus Experience

Attendance is required at scheduled activities including studio practice to complete components of the course.

Some lectures will be available as recordings. 

The course will include live online events including group discussions.

Attendance on campus is required for the assessment.

The activities for the course are scheduled as a standard weekly timetable.

Learning Resources

Course materials are made available in a learning and collaboration tool called Canvas which also includes reading lists and lecture recordings (where available).

Please remember that the recording of any class on a personal device requires the permission of the instructor.

Student Feedback

At the end of every semester students will be invited to give feedback on the course and teaching through a tool called SET or Qualtrics. The lecturers and course co-ordinators will consider all feedback and respond with summaries and actions.

Your feedback helps teachers to improve the course and its delivery for future students.

Class Representatives in each class can take feedback to the department and faculty staff-student consultative committees.

Lighting design workshops will be provided earlier in the semester so that students are able to more readily involve lighting design elements in the choreographic structure of their assessment work. 

Other Information

Extension of time requests will be on a case by case basis. Grades are added together over the duration of the course to determine pass or fail. Students need their overall grade to be 50/100 or over to pass the course. 

Academic Integrity

The University of Auckland will not tolerate cheating, or assisting others to cheat, and views cheating in coursework as a serious academic offence. The work that a student submits for grading must be the student's own work, reflecting their learning. Where work from other sources is used, it must be properly acknowledged and referenced. This requirement also applies to sources on the internet. A student's assessed work may be reviewed for potential plagiarism or other forms of academic misconduct, using computerised detection mechanisms.

Class Representatives

Class representatives are students tasked with representing student issues to departments, faculties, and the wider university. If you have a complaint about this course, please contact your class rep who will know how to raise it in the right channels. See your departmental noticeboard for contact details for your class reps.

Inclusive Learning

All students are asked to discuss any impairment related requirements privately, face to face and/or in written form with the course coordinator, lecturer or tutor.

Student Disability Services also provides support for students with a wide range of impairments, both visible and invisible, to succeed and excel at the University. For more information and contact details, please visit the Student Disability Services’ website http://disability.auckland.ac.nz

Special Circumstances

If your ability to complete assessed coursework is affected by illness or other personal circumstances outside of your control, contact a member of teaching staff as soon as possible before the assessment is due.

If your personal circumstances significantly affect your performance, or preparation, for an exam or eligible written test, refer to the University’s aegrotat or compassionate consideration page https://www.auckland.ac.nz/en/students/academic-information/exams-and-final-results/during-exams/aegrotat-and-compassionate-consideration.html.

This should be done as soon as possible and no later than seven days after the affected test or exam date.

Learning Continuity

In the event of an unexpected disruption we undertake to maintain the continuity and standard of teaching and learning in all your courses throughout the year. If there are unexpected disruptions the University has contingency plans to ensure that access to your course continues and your assessment is fair, and not compromised. Some adjustments may need to be made in emergencies. You will be kept fully informed by your course co-ordinator, and if disruption occurs you should refer to the University Website for information about how to proceed.

Student Charter and Responsibilities

The Student Charter assumes and acknowledges that students are active participants in the learning process and that they have responsibilities to the institution and the international community of scholars. The University expects that students will act at all times in a way that demonstrates respect for the rights of other students and staff so that the learning environment is both safe and productive. For further information visit Student Charter https://www.auckland.ac.nz/en/students/forms-policies-and-guidelines/student-policies-and-guidelines/student-charter.html.

Disclaimer

Elements of this outline may be subject to change. The latest information about the course will be available for enrolled students in Canvas.

In this course students may be asked to submit coursework assessments digitally. The University reserves the right to conduct scheduled tests and examinations for this course online or through the use of computers or other electronic devices. Where tests or examinations are conducted online remote invigilation arrangements may be used. In exceptional circumstances changes to elements of this course may be necessary at short notice. Students enrolled in this course will be informed of any such changes and the reasons for them, as soon as possible, through Canvas.

Published on 02/11/2023 04:16 p.m.