2019- 2020 Dance Handbook for Students and Parents
Welcome to DANCE at Frank Hurt Secondary. My goal is to help students
become happy and healthy dancers. This is a fun class but it is a lot of work.
Dance is an art form that when performed can look easy, but much work and
effort goes into even the smallest movement. With hard work, determination, and
a positive attitude, students will do really well in this class, gain a sense
of accomplishment, have fun, and make some new dance friends.
Units of Study
We will review concepts that we learned in previous grades and move
towards increasing our cardiovascular endurance, strength, and flexibility.
Here are some of the activities that we will be working on for each
curricular competency:
Explore and Create (8-12)
·
Combinations
in different dance genres (Hip Hop, Jazz, Contemporary, BBoy/BGirl, Tap,
Bhangra)
·
Freestyles,
battles, ciphers, improvisations
·
Across
the floor
·
Choreography
challenges
Reason and Reflect (8-12)
·
Verbal /
written critiques to watching performances
·
Feedback
Activities
·
Scoresheet
Activities
Communicate and Document
(8-12)
·
Class
choreography – the process
·
Dance
quizzes in small groups
·
Performances:
Breakout / Outbreak, Dance Festival, and Frank Hurt Dance Shows
·
Ms. J’s
warm-up quiz
Connect and Expand (9-12)
·
Student
warm up and music edit
·
Student
choreography and music edit with a social, cultural, environmental, or
historical context connection
·
Finale
choreography challenge
·
Choose your
own adventure
How are you Marking Me?
As you can see
above there are not a lot of written assignments in Dance. Most of our
assignments are physical. If you attend regularly, try your best, and have a
positive attitude towards learning dance while helping and encouraging others,
you will be very successful in Dance.
You will be asked
to complete an online Questionnaire before each report card. You can use your
own device, a classroom IPad or computer. You will also have an interview with
your teacher to talk about your personal dance goals and how to accomplish
them.
Work Habit Marks
I have changed the names of each level to match the
district’s proficiency scale, just to keep consistency. Instead of: beginning,
developing, achieving, and excelling, we will be using: emerging, developing,
proficient, and extending. It is a small change, but one that I think will help
us all become more familiar with the language that is being used across all
courses.
Days of the Week
‘Tech’ Tuesdays:
longer warm-ups to work on different areas of conditioning: cardiovascular,
strengthening, and flexibility.
Freestyle
Fridays: Some time on
Fridays is set aside to explore and expand our freestyling capabilities.
*Please refer to
the Frank Hurt Dance calendar on the blog, or read the week plan on the white
board, to keep up to date with which days you will have to work on your own student
choreographies, and other important dates, like when you will lead your warm-up
or have a choreography showcase.
Performances
Dance is a
performance art. Performances and competitions are mandatory. If you know that
your child is going to be absent, please have him/her inform the teacher as
soon as possible. This will give the class time to learn new formations and
choreography as well as, become comfortable in their new positions. We are a
team and are learning to work together. You let your team down if you do not
show up to a performance.
Semester One Performances and Field Trips
Please mark in your
calendar and check the blog for updates.
What
|
Where
|
When
|
Who
|
Transportation
|
Ticket Info
|
Throwdown
Vol. 4
|
Panorama
Ridge
|
Thursday,
Nov. 14: 3-8
|
Anyone
can enter this freestyle / break competition
|
Parents
/ public transportation
|
Tickets
$5 at the door.
|
Dance
Dress Rehearsal & Show
|
Frank
Hurt Theatre
|
Wednesday,
Dec. 18: Dress Rehearsal 3 – 4/ go eat / Return at 5:30/ Doors open at
6:15 for audience/ Show starts at 6:30 – 7:30/ Clean up and home by 8pm
|
All
dance 9-12 semester one dancers and all dance team members.
|
Parents
/ public transportation
|
Tickets
are $5 in advance and at the door.
|
Surrey
Dance Festival
|
Bell
Centre
|
Thursday,
Ja. 16 9- 12:30
|
All
semester one 9-12 dance classes.
|
School
bus – paid for by district
|
Free
– come and watch!
|
Breakout
Dance Competition
|
Ecole
Salish Secondary
|
Saturday,
Jan. 18: 10 – 5pm
|
All
dance 9-12 semester one dancers and all dance team members.
|
Parents
/ public transportation
|
Tickets
$10 in advance from Ms. J (Always best to buy in advance for competition –
they tend to sell out.)
|
Semester Two Performances and Field Trips
Please mark in your
calendar and check the blog for updates.
What
|
Where
|
When
|
Who
|
Transportation
|
Ticket Info
|
Pulse Small Teams Competition
|
Fleetwood Park
|
Monday, Feb. 24: 3:30 - 7pm
|
Anyone
can make their own duo, trio, quad, or small team (5-8 dancers)
Music
2 minutes maximum
|
Parents
/ public transportation
|
Tickets $10 in advance from Ms. J
|
Surrey
Dance Festival
|
Bell
Centre
|
TBA:
April 6-17
|
All
semester two 9-12 dance classes.
|
School
bus – paid for by the district
|
Free
– come and watch!
|
Outbreak Dance Competition
|
Chandos
|
Saturday, April 25: 11 - 5pm
|
All
dance 9-12 semester two dancers and all dance team members.
|
Parents
/ public transportation
|
Tickets
$10 in advance from Ms. J (Always best to buy in advance for competition –
they tend to sell out.)
Frank
Hurt Volunteers needed.
|
Bhangra604 & Step into the Arena
|
Frank Hurt Secondary gyms
|
Monday, May 25: 9:30 – 1:30
|
Anyone
can enter
|
Parents
/ public transportation
|
Tickets
are $5 in advance and at the door.
|
Big Ideas
|
North Surrey
|
TBA
|
Anyone
can enter
|
Parents
/ public transportation
|
TBA
|
Dance
Dress Rehearsal & Show
|
Frank
Hurt Theatre
|
Thursday, June 11: Dress Rehearsal 3 – 4/ go
eat / Return at 5:30/ Doors open at 6:15 for audience/ Show starts at 6:30 –
7:30/ Clean up and home by 8pm
|
All
dance 9-12 semester two dancers and all dance team members.
|
Parents
/ public transportation
|
Tickets
are $5 in advance and at the door.
|
T
Costumes and Make-up
Frank Hurt Dance has a costume room that has some costume
items in it. (If you have not returned costume items from previous years please
give them to Ms. J in the dance office. You will be rewarded with great thanks.
I know how easy it is to forget you have something at home and I will
appreciate that you have washed it and returned it.)
Students will often be asked to bring in their own clothing
to use as costumes. We are going to order a t-shirt (or similarly priced item)
for the classes. All classes will pay $15
and get to keep their class t-shirt. Teams will discuss costuming as a team and
will let Ms. J know if they need help with acquiring items.
Students are responsible for keeping their costumes fresh
and must bring them to each performance and competition themselves. If students
are using a Frank Hurt item, they are responsible for cleaning, folding and
returning to Ms. J. Please let Ms. J know if an item is damaged so it can be
repaired or replaced.
In professional theatre, male and female dancers wear
make-up. It allows the audience to see facial expressions with all the stage
lights. We are aiming to be professional but I also do not want to make anyone
uncomfortable or deter them from taking Dance. For this reason, make-up should
be worn for shows and performances (unless of course there is an allergy or
parents do not allow make-up). If any human is uncomfortable wearing make-up,
they do not have to wear it. Please do not share make-up. Basic required
make-up for dancers (this may change slightly, depending on the artistic
requirements for each dance):
Foundation
Brown/black
eyeliner and mascara
Brownish-red blush
Natural red
lipstick
(This is a very detailed video. Students do not require fake
eye-lashes. Mascara is sufficient.)
Ms. J will talk about costumes and make-up for each dance
with the students before performances and competitions. I will also post this
information on the blog and send reminders through social media.
Field Trips
Field trips to
performances are strongly encouraged. If you know that your child is going to
be absent, please inform Ms. J so we can make changes in the formations and
choreography with ample time for the other students to learn new places
confidently.
Semester one we
will have a field trip in October. More information will be sent home with a
permission form soon.
Frank Hurt Dance Policies and Classroom Expectations
1. Arrive on time and be prepared to work.
You must be at the change room or in the
studio when the bell goes. Make sure Ms. J sees you and marks you present. You
will then have five minutes to get changed. Start warming up your muscles, reviewing
choreography, or have a seat in the circle. This year we will start all classes
in a circle. If you are late, please enter quickly and quietly. Make sure Ms. J
sees you so she can adjust the attendance. If you missed the warm-up, please
warm yourself up on the side to prevent injury and join us as quickly as you
can. If you are late (or have unexcused absences) to class more than three
times, Ms. J will call contact your parents. If lateness persists the
administration will be informed.
2. Please respect the studio space, audio
equipment, washrooms, and Fine Arts building.
This is your dance space and the
only one we have. Please work to take care of it by wiping up any spills,
throwing out garbage, and treating the sound system with care. Please do not
bring food or drink (other than water) into the dance room. If you do not know
how to work the soundboard, please ask before touching. Ms. J or one of the
senior dancers will be happy to show you.
3. Participate fully and positively.
The course content is best
learned through active participation. Maintain an open mind and have a positive
attitude. Be ready to listen, learn and share your ideas.
4. Show courtesy and respect at all times.
a)
Be respectful of others’ opinions, space and
personal property, as well as that of the studio space.
b)
Listen to whoever is speaking. Everyone has a
right to participate as well as to be heard. Therefore, do not call out or
speak over others.
c)
Rudeness, intolerance, discrimination, ridicule
and other unacceptable behaviors will not be tolerated. This includes comments
that are sexist, racist or homophobic in nature.
d)
Everyone is learning. Help each other and
demonstrate your capacity to teach as well as learn.
5. Catch up on missed choreography.
If you miss class and new
choreography, make your best effort to get a friend in class to catch you up at
lunch. This is a great way to make a new friend too. J
6. Take responsibility for your own learning.
Each day you will be faced with
dozens of choices, some of them more difficult than others. Part of Ms. J’s
responsibility is to help you make sound decisions about what goes on both
inside and sometimes outside the classroom. Ultimately, however, YOU are the
one who is responsible. Your success in this class depends on the choices YOU
choose to make. Remember that learning and growth in dance is an ongoing
process that is a culmination of effort, a positive attitude and focused
practice.
Injuries
Injuries happen. In class, we will talk about warming up
properly and using proper technique to help prevent injuries. But sometimes,
injuries still occur. So, what happens when you have an injury and you cannot
participate fully in Dance class? First of all, communicate with Ms. J, your
parents, and your physician. We want all injuries to heal properly so that they
do not get worse. During class, injured students can participate by watching,
playing the music, taking choreography notes, or coming up with costume ideas.
Everyone is different and has different interests, so Ms. J will talk with the
injured student to come up with an individual plan. The key is, an injured
student should still be participating in class to some degree. The student
should not be somewhere else – like on their phone.
If a physician has sent a note saying that the student
cannot dance for a certain period of time, they should be cleared by their
physician before they re-join the class.
Above all, listen to your body. There are two different
kinds of pain. One is good pain that tells the dancer that they worked a new
muscle group and the other is the bad, sharp pain that tells the dancer that
they have gone too far. We want only good pain in Dance class. It is better to
work slow and steady than to try and do too much too soon.
Supplies needed for Dance
Comfortable
clothing to dance in that is appropriate for school
Bare
feet, socks, toe undies, jazz shoes, or ballet slippers for contemporary, jazz
and ballet.
Sneakers
for street styles: hip-hop and bboy – bgirl styles.
Water
bottle
Sweat
towel
Internet device *There are two
computers and three Ipads we can share (Frank Hurt is not responsible for lost
or stolen items, so if you are not good at taking care of expensive items leave
them at home and use ours.)
Stage Make-Up for shows
Dance Team
Dance team is a
class that you get credit for and runs during an X block after school. This
year we have four dance teams: Junior Hip Hop, Senior Hip Hop, Break Team, and
Contemporary Team. Sign up for Dance Team Auditions HERE.
Get prepared for
dance team auditions by coming to our pre-audition
classes:
Mon. Sept. 9 3-4 BREAK
Pre-Audition class
Tues. Sept. 10 3-4 JUNIOR
Pre-Audition class
Wed. Sept. 11 3-4 SENIOR
Pre-Audition class
Thurs. Sept. 12 3-4 ELITE
BHANGRA Pre-Audition class
Mon. Sept. 16 3-4 BREAK
Audition
Tues. Sept. 17 3-4 JUNIOR
Audition
Wed. Sept. 18 3-4 SENIOR
Audition
Thurs. Sept. 19 3-4 ELITE
BHANGRA Audition
Mon. Sept. 23 3-4 ALL TEAMS -
After school Dance Team practices Start - X block
What if you do not
get accepted on a dance team this year? Take Dance with Ms. J, dance at lunch,
take classes outside of school, or even just practise at home with some
YouTubes or Steezy. Join us when we “swarm” a studio once a month. Do not give up. If you really want to
dance you should continue to practise and learn wherever and whenever you can.
Then, try again next year. If you practise all year you will have an amazing
chance of getting on the team next year and you will have shown that you are
dedicated and can persevere which are two amazing life skills that all dancers
need to have. We learn more from our failures than we do when we succeed.
Dance Teams will
run after school on Tuesday and Wednesday from 2:55 -4:55 and Mondays 2:55 – 3:55.
Tuesdays and Wednesdays are for reviewing and adding new choreography. Mondays
we will have use of the theatre and we will rotate between two teams and all
teams’ showcase practices.
Dance Team members
are strongly encouraged to attend all field trips and “swarms” to broaden their
perspectives on all dance genres and become more familiar with new dance
opportunities outside of Frank Hurt.
Dance Team members
are strongly encouraged to take Dance class with Ms. J. Dance team is designed
as an add-on to supplement Ms. J’s Dance class during the school day.
Communication is Key
We are so lucky to
have so many ways to communicate with one another. Let’s use them!
Spotify: Frank Hurt
Dance – music playlists
To Do:
Read through the 2019 – 2020 Dance Handbook for
Students and Parents.
I will be posting all future notices on the
blog. If you would like to get blog updates you can enter your email on the
home page. Feed Burner will send
you a confirmation e-mail. You must open the e-mail and click to complete the
subscription.
Be aware the field trip forms will be handed out
in the next few weeks. Please have your parents/guardians sign them and bring
them back ASAP.
Sign-up for Dance Team Auditions
HERE.
I
will be sending home more information about our class t-shirt ($15) and field
trip ($20-$25). An online payment link, exact change, or cheque made out to
Frank Hurt Secondary with student number on it will be accepted.
NEW!
Killa Beez on a Swarm
All dance team members must take one dance or fitness class each
semester. Each month, we will choose one dance studio and one class to “swarm.”
“Swarm” with us every month or as often as you can. Challenge yourself to take
classes of different styles, from different teachers, at all the studios. Let’s
get out in the community and have some fun expanding our dance family and
repertoire.
ALSO, all dance team members must participate in ONE battle
a year. It can be The Throwdown, Step into the Arena, a youth battle, or other
studio battle. There will also be opportunities to battle at dance team
practices for those that are not feeling quite ready. Let’s challenge ourselves
to do scary things this year. Let’s overcome our fears and expand our freestyling
abilities.
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