Dance Concert Critique Assignment

To successfully complete the assignment, attend one of the following:  A collegiate Dance concert on a proscenium stage or a Professional Dance concert in a theater. Your three (3) page critique should be typed, double-spaced, 12pt. Times New Roman font. You MUST write about the FIRST and the LAST piece and any three other dance pieces of your choice. This means students must be ON TIME and STAY UNTIL THE END of the concert! Your work will be graded on content, grammar, spelling and completion of the assignment. Seek help at the Writing and Reading Center for writing assistance.  A Dance concert critique is required for this course and must be written on either a College Dance concert or a Professional Dance concert in a theater in your area. No high school or studio performances are accepted for this assignment.

Permission must be granted at least one week prior to the performance that you plan to attend through Professor Powell via email. Include a link or details of the performance with your request.

Be sure to spell check your work for grammatical and sentence structure errors. If you need writing assistance, please seek help!

Points will be deducted for grammar, sentence structure, spelling and subject-verb agreement errors.

In essay form, choose five (5) of the pieces in the Dance concert that have affected you the most. The paper should be written as if the reader has not seen the concert. Your paper should include an introduction, strong dance analysis and a thorough conclusion. REMEMBER: You MUST write about the FIRST and the LAST piece and any three other Dance pieces  of your choice. So... BE ON TIME and STAY UNTIL THE END of the concert!

When writing about a piece of choreography, in "ESSAY FORM" include the following: Do not submit bullet points or write an outline. Your paper should be in an essay format with an Introduction, 5 piece critique and a solid conclusion.

• Title of the Piece in italics and discuss the choreographer’s intent or theme of the piece (narrative/abstract).
• Discuss the technique or movement style used in the piece (ballet, jazz, modern)
• Discuss the genre of music and the relationship it had to the choreography
• Explain how the costumes were appropriate to the piece (color, texture, design).
• Comment on the lighting, sets, or props if applicable
• Describe the use of movement vocabulary,  stage space, floor patterns, exits & entrances.  Use dance vocabulary and steps learned in the lecture notes, textbook and video materials.
• Discuss the high point (climax) of the piece. Did it work? How did resolve?
• Comment on the dancers’ performance and execution of the movement.

Your conclusion should tie all of your thoughts together and may include suggestions for improvement or give praise as appropriate.

Theaters to research for dance concerts:

Local community colleges/universities (Cypress, CSULB, UCI, Santa Monica City College, etc.)

Orange County Center of Performing Arts, Long Beach Performing Arts Center, LA Music Center, Cerritos Performing Arts Center, etc.  

Attention Choreographers and Performers: If you perform or choreograph in the Dance concert you may NOT critique that Dance concert to write your paper. You must critique another college or professional dance concert to complete the assignment. Students may submit this paper at any time during the semester on or before the due date.

STUDENTS WITH SPECIAL NEEDS SHOULD CONTACT THE LBCC DSPS DEPARTMENTOR COMMUNITY THEATER IMMEDIATELY TO MAKE ARRANGEMENTS FOR THIS COURSE.