SENIOR DANCE PROJECT GUIDELINES
&
FACULTY/STUDENT
COMMITTEE MEMBER INFORMATION
(updated 9/2009)
St. Olaf College Dance Department
Mission
The Department
of Dance aspires to present and teach dance as a vital form of human
communication, expression, and interaction central to both liberal arts and
fine arts educational traditions.
The dance experience at St. Olaf engages students in the study of dance
as a personal art, a cultural art, and a fine art, often weaving the three into
a satisfying whole. The B.A. in
Dance prepares dance majors for a range of vocational and avocational options
including performing, creating, teaching, and integrating dance into other
fields. It also provides majors
with a solid background for continuing dance and movement education. The dance program intends to inspire
students towards a life of possibilities with strong physical intelligence at
its foundation.
About:
Each student dance major will design an individualized Area of Specialty. Simply stated, the purpose of the Area
of Specialty is to challenge students to make connections between and
synthesize relevant aspects of their education in the dance major and the
CollegeŐs liberal arts curriculum. Through the creation of the Area
of Specialty, the student will also discover and begin to think about the
content area (thesis, hypothesis, or theme) that will be explored in their
senior dance project. Each
studentŐs Area of Specialty should evolve from the studentŐs individual
curiosity, deepening interests and developing abilities as a dance major and a
student in the CollegeŐs liberal arts setting.
Requirements:
The Area of Specialty requires the completion of at least two courses in
addition to the required dance major core courses. These two courses may be selected from within and/or outside
the dance department. The student
must establish and justify an intentional and coherent relationship between the
additional courses making up the Area of Specialty and at least one core dance
ÔtheoryŐ course. In other words,
what aspect/s of these courses (and why) inspired the student enough to want to
explore the ideas further through the senior dance project?
Beginning with the
graduating class of 2011: Junior dance majors must submit their individual
Area of Specialty and tentative senior project option to Anthony Roberts (awr@stolaf.edu) by May 1 of their junior year.
The dance
majorŐs Area of Specialty leads to the creation and implementation of a Senior
Dance Project, which comprises a large percentage of each studentŐs coursework
for Senior Dance Seminar (dance-399).
The purpose of the project is to encourage senior dance majors to
synthesize relevant aspects of their learning experiences at St. Olaf College,
using dance as a vehicle for critical inquiry, exploration, and problem
solving. It is expected that
studentŐs senior project will build upon their Area of Specialty. It is also expected that each student
will continue to pursue artistic risks and undergo significant challenge,
experimentation, and transformation during the senior project process.
In selecting or
proposing a senior dance project option, the student is choosing the method or
form in which they will explore, develop, and disseminate the content (Area of
Specialty) of their senior dance project.
Each senior dance
seminar student will select from the four existing project options:
1) choreography,
2) performance, 3) written thesis, 4) combination, or they may (and are
encouraged to) envision and propose a new project option. Faculty committee members will be available
to offer guidance and support.
The studentŐs
Senior Dance Project Option should be a logical extension of the studentŐs
previous curricular and co-curricular experiences within the dance department.
For example, if a student has not completed Advanced Choreography, they may not
select the choreography project option.
Also, if a student has had limited performance experiences within the
dance department, selecting a performance project option would be inappropriate.
Senior Dance
Project Financial Responsibility
The dance
department agrees to provide a venue (Kelsey Theatre or Dittmann Center Studio
One) and technical support for the presentation of the studentŐs senior dance
project. The dance department will also pay for the costs of printing black and
white posters and presentation programs.
If the student production committees choose to print color posters
and/or programs, the students are responsible for the entire cost of the
color printing. The senior student
is responsible for all other costs incurred in relation to the implementation
of the studentŐs senior project, including but not limited to: performance
reception, costume purchase/rental, videotaping services, and lobby decoration
material.
Each senior dance major will complete a Senior Dance Project
Contract, obtain signatures from
and submit copies to each of their faculty committee members and a copy
to the instructor of dance-399 (Senior Dance Seminar). The contract includes a narrative of
the studentŐs proposed senior project.
Each senior
dance seminar student is responsible for assembling and convening a committee
consisting of two dance faculty (one of whom will be selected to serve as lead
faculty for the committee), one faculty member from outside the dance
department, and the senior dance student.
Each committee will meet periodically throughout the entire senior
project process (more info on committee meetings and schedule below).
Beginning with the
graduating class of 2011: Junior dance majors must submit the names,
departments, and contact information of all their Senior Dance Project Faculty
Committee members (including Lead Dance Faculty) to Anthony Roberts (awr@stolaf.edu) by May 1 of their junior year.
o
Senior
Dance Student:
o
The senior
dance student will serve as chair of their committee and will select one dance
faculty to serve as lead faculty for the committee.
o
The senior
dance student is responsible for convening, organizing the agenda for, and
running a minimum of 4 meetings for their senior dance project committee during
the fall term.
o
The student
will complete a senior project contract outlining the scope of their project
and submit it to their faculty committee members for their signatures. The student will then submit signed
copies of their senior project contract to all committee members and an
additional copy to Anthony Roberts, instructor of dance-399. This contract serves as the formal
agreement of terms between the student, the faculty committee members, and the
dance department for the duration of the project. The faculty committee members, and/or the dance department
faculty as a whole, may ask the student to revise and resubmit the contract if
they believe clarification or change to any details of the project is needed.
o
Very early
in the fall term, senior students are responsible for devising a semester-long
meeting schedule with their committee members.
o
The senior
student is responsible for sending reminders of upcoming meetings and notices
of changes in the senior project committee calendar to all committee members as
soon as possible.
o
Several times
during the creative process and depending upon the studentŐs project option,
the student will:
o
Choreography/Performance
options: participate in and invite faculty committee members to all scheduled
public movement showings and submit drafts of their accompanying Artist
Statement.
o
Written
Thesis option: submit drafts of their written thesis project for discussion and
feedback from their faculty committee.
o
Combination
option: participate in and invite faculty committee members to all scheduled
public movement showings and submit drafts of their written thesis portion for
discussion and feedback from their faculty committee.
o
All written
work must be submitted to your committee members at least three days prior to a
committee meeting planned to discuss your work.
o
Beginning
with the graduating class of 2011: Junior dance majors must submit the
names, departments, and contact information of all their Senior Dance Project
Faculty Committee members (including Lead Dance Faculty) to Anthony Roberts (awr@stolaf.edu) by May 1 of their junior year.
o
All
Faculty Committee Members:
o
All faculty
committee members are responsible for mentoring the student in the development
of the ideas and themes of the studentŐs senior project (from conception to the
finished paper, final presentation or performance).
o
All faculty
committee members will contribute to the ongoing and final assessment of the
senior dance student, including process and final project.
o
All faculty
committee members are responsible for attending approximately four senior
project committee meetings during the fall term.
o
Depending
upon the project option selected by the student (more information calendar of
events later in this document), faculty committee members are responsible for
o
attending
works-in-process showings
o
attending
final project presentations
o
reading,
assessing and offering suggestions for consideration and improvement of student
project written work.
o
Outside
Faculty Committee Member:
o
The faculty
committee member who is outside the dance department serves as an important,
impartial eye, bringing a fresh perspective with which to view dance and mentor
the studentŐs project and process.
No previous dance experience is necessary in order to serve and be a
valuable contributor to the process.
o
Dance
Faculty Committee Members:
o
The two
dance faculty committee members will focus on the craft of the studentŐs
choreography, performance and/or written work, in addition to mentoring the
studentŐs overall project and process.
o
Lead
Dance Faculty Committee Member:
o
One of the
dance faculty committee members will be selected by the student to serve as the
lead faculty for the committee. The lead faculty memberŐs primary
responsibility will be to send a summary of the studentŐs senior dance project
assessment and the final project grade to both the senior dance student and the
instructor of Senior Dance Seminar (dance-399), Anthony Roberts.
o
Very early
in the semester the student is responsible for devising a semester-long meeting
schedule with all their project committee members.
o
The student
is responsible for convening their senior project committee a minimum of 4
times during the fall term.
o
In order to
support the work of the student, all committee members should be present at
every meeting. It has proven to be
particularly fruitful for the studentŐs process to have the entire committee
engage in face-to-face discussion about the ideas, successes and challenges of
the project. If it is not possible
to convene the entire committee for a meeting, however, the student may meet
with committee members individually.
o
Introduction
of committee members
o
Introduction
of the senior project contract
o
Discussion
of the grading criteria in the senior project guidelines
o
Clarifying
committee member responsibilities and dates they need to be present for senior
project events
o
Share and
receive thoughts, ideas and suggestions specific to your senior project
o
Set up
semester-long meeting schedule
o 2nd & 3rd
Committee Meetings
o
The 2nd
and 3rd committee meetings are typically held a short time after a
scheduled Ôin processŐ showing of the movement portion of a senior project or
after the due date of a draft of a research-centered project.
o Final Committee Meeting (generally
scheduled to meet during final exams week)
o
During the
final committee meeting, the faculty committee members and the student engage
in a conversation about the senior project and process (successes, challenges,
questions, future considerations).
o
Prior to
the final meeting, the student should thoughtfully consider and prepare
thorough responses to the following questions, as these will be discussed
during the final committee meeting.
o
A
Reflective Question: How have
you Ňdiscovered and created yourselfÓ over the past 3 and 1/2 years thru
classes, outside activities, personal relationships, etc., and how have your
experiences influenced your Senior Project? Please be specific and detailed in your response.
o
A
Process-Related Question: What
did you learn about the way you work through your Senior Project Process? What choices did you make that worked
in your Senior Project, and what choices did not? Please be specific and detailed
in your response.
o
A
Theme-Based Question:
¤ As a group, faculty members from each
committee will construct a question designed to promote discussion of their
individual senior dance studentŐs specific theme and/or process for their
senior project.
¤ The theme-based question will be
submitted to the student no later than one week prior to the final meeting.
o
After
concluding the discussion of the studentŐs senior project, the student leaves
and the faculty committee members decide a final grade for the project based
upon the senior project criteria for assessment (detailed later in this
document).
o
The lead
faculty reports the grade to Anthony Roberts by 12/21/09.
Senior Dance Project
Options (in Detail)
Each senior
dance major will select a senior project ÔoptionŐ or method for realizing and
disseminating the senior dance project.
Below are several project options typically pursued by students. Students are welcome and encouraged to
present alternative options to their committee and the dance faculty for
consideration. The precise format
and nature of the studentŐs project option, including presentation venue, must
be planned by the senior dance student, in consultation with the
studentŐs faculty committee.
Authors of Written Projects have the option of not presenting
publicly.
1. Choreography Project Option Guidelines
o
Students
who choose the choreography project option must have completed Advanced
Choreography before starting the Senior Project.
o
Taking into
account the individual studentŐs Area of Specialty, the student will devise a
thesis, hypothesis, or theme to explore through the process of creating
(composing, rehearsing and developing) a movement work for public presentation.
o
Students
are encouraged to re-examine the range of curricular, co-curricular, and
personal experiences they have had during their time at St. Olaf, to assist
them in determining the theme for their project. Since the theme will evolve from each studentŐs own
educational and personal journey, the range of themes for senior projects will
and should vary from one student to the next.
o
Students
will research the theme for their project using a variety of resources
(material and faculty from previous courses, library resources, faculty
committee, other faculty and/or relationships relevant to the project theme,
their dancers and any project collaborators, etc). Project research should deepen the studentŐs knowledge base
and connection with the project theme.
o
The
studentŐs project theme will be approved by the faculty committee and formally
written into the senior project contract.
The student must take responsibility for regular interaction with
his/her committee during the preparation of the project.
o
The student
will also write a corresponding Artist Statement (in essence, a brief statement
providing insight into the studentŐs creative process in general, including
previous projects, and the studentŐs creative process for their senior project)
to be displayed in conjunction with the public presentation of the senior
project. The creative process for
the Senior Project and the Artist Statement is iterative. The student will publicly show their
senior project in process and submit drafts of their Artist Statement for
discussion and feedback from their faculty committees several times during the
creative process. More information
about the Artist Statement will be presented in dance-399.
o
Students
are strongly encouraged to use the summer months prior to the studentŐs senior
year to solidify their project theme or thesis.
-
Assessment Criteria for the Choreography Project Option-
Students will be
assessed on the quality and integrity of the completed choreographic project
and the myriad facets that comprise the overall process for developing the
project, as well as the Artist Statement. There are no minimum or maximum time
restrictions concerning the length of the finished work. The studentŐs faculty committee will
use the following questions and the Grade Marking Definitions (later in this
document) as guides to determine the final grade for the studentŐs senior
project:
To what degree:
¬
was the
studentŐs Area of Specialty relevant and synthesized into the studentŐs
project?
¬
was the
student able to articulate the theme or thesis of their project throughout the
project process?
¬
was the
theme realized (reflected or apparent) when viewing the choreography?
¬
has the
choreographic work developed and grown throughout the entire senior project
process?
¬
was the
student successful in recognizing and utilizing choreographic concepts
effectively?
¬
was the
student's individual, artistic voice apparent in the work?
¬
has the
student taken artistic risks?
¬
did the
student use their dancers effectively?
¬
did the
studentŐs Artist Statement provide insight into the studentŐs creative process
for their senior project, including: project inspiration(s), methodology,
developmental process challenges and successes, and contextualization of the
current work within the studentŐs previous body of work?
¬
did the
student effectively respond to and utilize, when appropriate, feedback on the
choreographic work and the Artist Statement?
¬
did the
student consult and effectively utilize the range of resources at their
disposal (material and faculty from previous courses, library resources,
faculty committee and other faculty relevant to the project theme, their
dancers, technical director, costume designer, composer, other collaborators or
relationships relevant to the project)?
¬
was the
student successful in adhering to project schedule, including: committee
meetings, project showings, submission of written work, production
responsibilities, technical rehearsals, etc?
¬
was the
student prepared for the discussion of their senior project process during the
final committee meeting?
¬
was the
student committed to the process?
2. Performance Project Option Guidelines
**If a student plans
to pursue the performance project option, he or she must submit the name of the
guest choreographer/artist and a summary of the performance project idea and
schedule to Anthony Roberts (awr@stolaf.edu)
by July 1 of the summer just preceding the studentŐs senior year.**
o
The
performance project option requires a student who is highly motivated and will
flourish while primarily working independently in a solo setting.
o
Taking into
account the individual studentŐs Area of Specialty, the student will devise a
thesis, hypothesis, or theme to explore through the process of commissioning,
learning, rehearsing and publicly performing a movement work
choreographed/directed by a guest artist.
Commissioning a movement work generally involves the payment of a fee to
the guest artist. The amount of
the commission fee will vary depending upon the guest artist, the specific type
of work commissioned, and the amount of time the guest artist commits to the
project. The commissioning fee is
the sole responsibility of the senior student.
o
The guest
artist must not be a member of the St. Olaf dance community. The student is strongly encouraged to
commission an artist with whom the student has not had extensive
previous experience. Exceptions
are to this are rare, but may be granted on a case-by-case basis. Considering the studentŐs Area of
Specialty, the student is responsible for conducting preliminary research to
identify a range of guest artists who appear to satisfy the studentŐs goals for
their project. The student is
responsible for initiating contact with the guest artists in order to discuss
the project, negotiate a fee, arrange a tentative schedule, and when the
student has decided upon a specific guest artist, secure the commission.
o
Students
will research the theme for their project using a variety of resources
(material and faculty from previous courses, library resources, faculty
committee, other faculty and/or relationships relevant to the project theme,
any project collaborators, etc).
Project research should deepen the studentŐs knowledge base and
connection with the project theme.
o
The student
will keep a Performance Project Journal throughout the life of the project that
holistically (physical, emotional, and intellectual) addresses the learning
process with the guest artist and the studentŐs individual rehearsal and
performance processes. The journal
should serve as a tool to deepen the studentŐs engagement with the project
content through the iterative process of written reflection and inquiry. The student will also maintain a video
journal, regularly documenting the movement work in various stages of
development. The video journal
should be used for the purpose of self-assessment and improvement.
o
The
studentŐs project theme will be approved by the faculty committee and formally
written into the senior project contract.
The student must take responsibility for regular interaction with
his/her committee during the preparation of the project.
o
The student
will also write a corresponding Artist Statement (in essence, a brief statement
providing insight into the studentŐs creative process in general, including
previous projects, and the studentŐs creative process for their senior project)
to be displayed in conjunction with the public presentation of the senior
project. The creative process for
the Senior Project, the Artist Statement and the Performance Project Journal is
iterative. The student will
publicly show their senior project in process and submit drafts of their Artist
Statement and Performance Project Journal for discussion and feedback from
their faculty committees several times during the creative process. More information about the Artist
Statement will be presented in dance-399.
o
Students
are strongly encouraged to use the summer months prior to the studentŐs senior
year to solidify their project theme or thesis.
-
Assessment Criteria for the Performance Project Option-
Students will be
assessed on the quality and integrity of the completed performance project and
the myriad facets that comprise the overall process for developing the project,
including the Performance Project Journal and the Artist Statement. There are no minimum or maximum time
restrictions concerning the length of the finished work. The studentŐs faculty committee will
use the following questions and the Grade Marking Definitions (later in this
document) as guides to determine the final grade for the studentŐs senior
project:
To what degree:
¬
was the
studentŐs Area of Specialty relevant and synthesized into the studentŐs
project?
¬
was the student
able to articulate the theme or thesis of their project throughout the project
process?
¬
has the
performance work developed and grown throughout the entire senior project
process?
¬
was the
student successful in recognizing and utilizing performance concepts
effectively?
¬
was the
student's individual, artistic voice apparent in the work?
¬
has the
student taken artistic risks?
¬
did the
studentŐs Performance Project Journal provide insight into the studentŐs
creative process for their senior project, including: project inspiration(s),
methodology, developmental process challenges and successes, and
contextualization of the current work within the studentŐs previous body of
work?
¬
did the
studentŐs Artist Statement provide insight into the studentŐs creative process
for their senior project, including: project inspiration(s), methodology,
developmental process challenges and successes, and contextualization of the
current work within the studentŐs previous body of work?
¬
did the
student effectively respond to and utilize, when appropriate, feedback on the
performance work, the Performance Project Journal and the Artist Statement?
¬
did the
student effectively maintain and utilize a video journal of their project
throughout the process?
¬
did the
student consult and effectively utilize the range of resources at their
disposal (the guest artist, material and faculty from previous courses, library
resources, faculty committee and other faculty relevant to the project theme,
technical director, costume designer, composer, other collaborators or
relationships relevant to the project)?
¬
was the
student successful in adhering to project schedule, including: committee
meetings, project showings, submission of written work, production
responsibilities, technical rehearsals, etc?
¬
was the
student prepared for the discussion of their senior project process during the
final committee meeting?
¬
was the
student committed to the process?
3. Written Thesis Project Option
Guidelines
o
Taking into
account the individual studentŐs Area of Specialty, the student will devise a
movement-centric thesis, hypothesis, or theme to explore through the process of
writing either an original research paper (analytical, argumentative, etc.) or
a piece of creative writing (autobiography/memoir, journal, poetry, short
story, etc.). The written thesis
project, regardless of the genre of writing selected, is expected to be the
climax of the studentŐs thoughtful and rigorous process of research, source
evaluation, critical thinking, synthesis, organization, and composition.
o
Students
are encouraged to re-examine the range of curricular, co-curricular, and
personal experiences they have had during their time at St. Olaf, to assist
them in determining the theme for their project. Since the theme will evolve from each studentŐs own
educational and personal journey, the range of themes for senior projects will
and should vary from one student to the next.
o
Students
will research the theme for their project using a variety of resources
(material and faculty from previous courses, library resources, faculty
committee, other faculty and/or relationships relevant to the project theme,
etc). Project research should
deepen the studentŐs knowledge base and connection with the project theme and
advance the research in the topic area.
o
The
completed written thesis project must be a minimum of 25 pages, including notes
and bibliography. The studentŐs
project theme, type of research paper, citation style and other project
logistics will be discussed with and approved by the faculty committee and
formally written into the senior project contract. The student must take responsibility for regular interaction
with his/her committee during the preparation of the project.
o
Students
are strongly encouraged to use the summer months prior to the studentŐs senior
year to solidify their project theme or thesis.
-Assessment
Criteria for the Written Thesis Project Option-
Students will be
assessed on the quality and integrity of the completed written thesis project
and the myriad facets that comprise the overall process for developing the
project. The studentŐs faculty
committee will use the following questions and the Grade Marking Definitions
(later in this document) as guides to determine the final grade for the
studentŐs senior project:
To what degree:
¬
was the
studentŐs Area of Specialty relevant and synthesized into the studentŐs
project?
¬
was the
student able to articulate the theme or thesis of their project throughout the
project process?
¬
was the
thesis statement for the written project clear, effective and relevant?
¬
has the
written work developed and grown throughout the entire senior project process?
¬
was the
supporting research effective and integral to the project?
¬
was the
student successful in recognizing and utilizing concepts of effective writing?
¬
was the
student's individual, artistic voice apparent in the work?
¬
has the
student taken artistic risks?
¬
did the
student effectively respond to and utilize, when appropriate, feedback on the
written thesis project?
¬
did the
student consult and effectively utilize the range of resources at their
disposal (material and faculty from previous courses, library resources,
faculty committee, other faculty relevant to the project theme, other
collaborators or relationships relevant to the project)?
¬
was the
student successful in adhering to project schedule, including: committee
meetings, submission of drafts, etc?
¬
was the
student prepared for the discussion of their senior project process during the
final committee meeting?
¬
was the
student committed to the process?
4. Combination Project Option Guidelines
-Assessment
Criteria for the Combination Project Option-
Please refer to
the assessment criteria for the choreography, performance, and written thesis
project options. Specific
assessment criteria for the combination project will be decided upon in
collaboration with and approved by the studentŐs senior project committee.
GRADE MARKING DEFINITIONS: (to
be applied to all project options)
¬
Superior
(A) = Superior is reserved for projects that have met all areas of the
assessment criteria for the specific project option to an outstanding degree.
¬
Good (B)
= Good is for projects that have met all areas of the assessment criteria for
the specific project option to a degree that is deemed above average.
¬
Adequate
(C) = Adequate is for projects that have met all areas of the assessment
criteria for the specific project option to a satisfactory degree, but is
inconsistent in quality.
¬
Limited
(D) = Limited is for projects that have not met all the assessment criteria
for the specific project option, and those that have been met are poor in
quality.
¬
Inadequate
(F) = Inadequate is for projects that failed to meet at least half the
assessment criteria for the specific project option, and those that have been
met are poor in quality.