module specification

This is a 15-week module for Level 6 students, which aims to provide practical, theoretical and contextual understanding of choreographed theatre and performance work. In studio-based seminar workshops students will engage with a range of theatre and dance movement basedapproaches and applications for choreographing performance related to professional environments and their own ideas.

Students will work towards the creating their own choreography that will be directed into a public presentation by the module leader.  Critical appraisal and analysis of this performance experiment will follow and lead to an evaluative essaythat will inform the summative performance of the students’ work as a collaborative performance exercise for final presentation.

• To introduce students to a range of physical and choreographicapproaches and methodologies to creating performance work.
• To gain knowledge of some of the significant choreographic strategies used by contemporary companies/artists who successfully choreograph movement-based performance work.
• To gain understanding and experience in effectively planning, leading, staging and performing a piece of choreographed performance work.
• To collaborate with tutor, peers and a performance space in the creation and presentation of a choreographed performance event.

This module will consider the development of choreographed physical theatre performance through selection, editing and rehearsal of movementmaterial through to polished performance. Through practice and research students will approach choreography from a number of perspectives and contextual styles relating to professional arenas such as: social and/or historical dances; working from a musical or narrative score; movement direction; movement choirs; body as text etc. This work will draw on techniques, documentations and theories of key artists, theorists and companies and through practical tutor-directed explorations.

In this module students will apply strategic practice based choreographic physical performance skills.  Assessment strategies will take into account the student’s ability to work independently and as part of a team and will include practical and written assessment.

By the end of the module, students will have gained:

• Understanding of methods and strategies used in developing choreographedphysical theatre and performance from concepts, research and practical experiment.
• Knowledge and understanding of some contemporary practitioners and their working methods in the context of creating physical based theatre performance.
• Experience of working independently and collaboratively in planning, creating, staging and performing as part of a staged choreographed event.
• Increased ability to work with motivation to develop performance, communication and critical skills, building on past knowledge and experience to further reflective practice.

There will be two assessment requirements.

1. Practical performance presentation of choreography for theatre performance (10-15 minutes) 70%
   Students will create a piece of choreographed theatre performance in collaboration with peers drawing on the ideas and strategies explored during the module. Both the performance outcome and the preparatory processes will be taken into account as part of this assessment.
2. Evaluative essay (2,000 words) 30%
   Evaluate your performance work, analysing the concepts and compositional strategies employed and the efficacy of these in relation to the performance outcome. Your essay must make reference to relevant research (independent and through the suggested readings), as well as related examples from established practitioners.

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www.londondance.com
https://www.danceuk.org/uk-choreographer-directory/