Course overview
Dance: This course extends skills and techniques learnt in the first three semesters. The dance stream continues incorporating techniques of various dance and physical theatre forms. The dance styles taught will include: jazz/contemporary dance, tap, classical ballet and pas de deux. Dance as a soloist, collaborative creation and variety in style and form will feature more distinctively. Skills covered will include stretching techniques, turning, isolation and complementary movement as well as the interpretation of various historic and contemporary dance pieces to an advanced level.
Voice/Movement: Students continue to integrate neutral awareness and physical release within space, time, body and text. An exploration of a variety of texts as a means to integrate an authentic body/voice connection to naturalistic and heightened language. A sound theoretical and practical grasp of voice and speech along with text analysis underpin this process and students continue to develop appropriate technical skills that support a spontaneous, flexible and muscular voice. The student actor will develop a rigorous daily voice practice regime that is designed to support work being undertaken in rehearsals and presentations. This course introduces a variety of naturalistic texts as a means to integrate an authentic body/voice connection to naturalistic language.
Acting: This Course builds on the foundational skills achieved throughout the first three semesters of study by focussing on the issue of performance 'style'. Students will be asked to explore text with a mind to formulating a range of work methods and personal rehearsal strategies pertaining to the specific style of naturalism. The course will begin with an examination of theatre forms developed in the late Nineteenth and early Twentieth Centuries, primarily in the mode of naturalism, before moving forward to a study of more contemporary material. The focus will be on both deepening an understanding of the possibilities of performance and further developing the range and repertoire of personal rehearsal strategies available to the musical theatre performer.
Course learning outcomes
- Demonstrate understanding of technical elements and physical characteristics of Jazz, Ballet and Tap dance styles
- Exhibit increased strength, flexibility, stamina and coordination in the body
- Combine technical accuracy with professional-level performance quality
- Choose and apply intuitive physical and vocal character choices
- Access a concise toolkit to meet the directorial prompts for key character &lsquo
- types'
- Apply character exploration, dramaturgical research and director's feedback to scenes in performance
- Identify idiosyncratic, habituated physical and vocal patterns and establish an understanding of vocal physiology and its application to performance
- Recognise and apply improvisational techniques to develop imagination, the principles of play, developing spontaneity and stimulating an awareness of others
- Define the proper care of a performer's physical instrument, and apply safe techniques to explore the alignment, posture, stamina, flexibility and strength of your body in dance, acting and vocalisation.