We've got our dancewear!

Our dancewear has come in, and we are already moving!  We've started our unit on ballet, and we'll focus on this classical style of dance for the rest of the first quarter.  The girls and guys look fantastic in their new gear!

A big thank you goes to Mr. Robert Moore, Assistant Superintendent of Secondary Curriculum and Instruction for Rogers Public Schools, for all of your support!  Another big thank you goes to Kat Barlow at the Dance and More Store for helping us with our dancewear!

Below is the 6th hour Theatre Dance class at Heritage, who wanted to show off their new outfits on the blog!  More pictures to come!

Directions for Class on Friday, September 13

Please review and follow all of the directions below.   Here is a video that you can follow along.  Then, complete the survey.

Open Google Chrome through Launchy.

1. After you log into your account, type in Chrome in Launchy.
2. It should pop up within a minute.

Go to the Blog for Class.

1. Make sure you are in Google Chrome prior to going to the blog.
1. Debate: http://mountiedebate.blogspot.com
2. Forensics: http://mountieforensics.blogspot.com
3. Theatre Dance: http://rpstheatredance.blogspot.com

Create a Gmail Account or Access your Gmail Account.

1. Type in gmail.com to the address bar.
2. In the top right, click the red button that says Create An Account.
3. Fill in the information, and click next step.
4. In needed, verify your account with a text message sent to your phone.

Create a YouTube Account.

1. Type in gmail.com to the address bar.
2. Once you are signed in, click on YouTube across the top under the address bar.
3. If you are not already signed in, click Sign In in the top right corner of the screen.
4. Follow the instructions to finish your YouTube account.

Create a Presentation in Google Docs.

1. Return to your gmail account (so type in gmail.com into the address bar).
2. At the top of the screen, click on Docs or Drive.
3. On the left side of the screen, click Create and then select presentation.
4. A new window should appear, and you can select your Presentation theme.
5. Change the name of the file to be your class period, your last name, and then Portfolio
1. For example, if my last name were Smith and I was in first hour, I would write 1.Smith.Portfolio
6. Share the document with me.
1. Click the blue Share button in the top right.
2. Under add people, type rhs.ocfd@gmail.com
3. Then, click done.
7. You can decorate the first slide however you want (as long as it’s school appropriate, of course).  There are 3 things to include on the title slide:
1. Name
2. Class
3. Hour

Tribal Dance Recap!

Wow!  What a fun and fast first couple of weeks!  I am so excited to have so many students in Theatre Dance.  You make my job super fun!

Dance apparel should be in next week, and the deadline for payment is quickly approaching (09/13/13).  I will not be in class on Wednesday or Friday, so please make arrangements to pay on Tuesday or Thursday. If not, please let me know on an individual basis.  Also, if you would rather pay through PayPal, email your email address to me at edavis@rps.k12.ar.us, and I will send that on to Kat!

So far this year we have talked about the history of dance; more specifically, we have discussed the prehistory of dance.  There have been discussions of different styles of ritual dance including dances for death and rebirth, for health and destruction, for entertainment, and more!  

To apply some of our new knowledge, I asked the students to choose a fairy tale with a group and bring it to life.  Students worked over a couple of class periods to create their stories with limited words, and they presented these to the class.  One group even requested to be videotaped and put on this blog!  I have their permission, so please enjoy Sage, Chris, Madi, and Emily's version of Goldilocks and the 3 Bears!

Materials for Theatre Dance

Just like in a Physical Education or Sports class, you will also dress out in Theatre Dance.  Dressing in appropriate dance gear will allow you to move freely and in unrestricted ways, and it will also allow me to correct the lines that your body will make.

Below are lists for both girls and boys.  We will discuss these suggestions during the first week of school.  Please do not go out and buy anything before we discuss these items during the first week of school.  If you are unable to afford the material, please come talk to me on an individual basis.

Please contact me with any questions or concerns about the apparel.  My RPS email address is edavis@rps.k12.ar.us.

Girls:
Black leotard (Camisole, Tank, or Short Sleeved)
Pink convertible tights (In ballet pink)
Ballet shoes (Canvas or Leather)
Black Ballet Skirt (Recommended but not required)

        

Boys:
Fitted White shirt (available at Wal-Mart)
Black jazz pants (Any stretchy black pant will be okay for this year, including sweat pants)
Black ballet or jazz shoes
Dance Belt: You should choose whichever one looks the most comfortable and supportive for you.

     

Can boys take Theatre Dance?

Of course!  There will probably be more females than males in each class; however, boys are welcome and encouraged to join the class!

No matter your gender, dance will bring great benefits to your life.  These include but aren't limited to social, cognitive, emotional, and physical growth. 

Check out these resources for male dancers:

• Boys Do Ballet Too
• Ballet for Men
• Pointe Magazine: Today's Male Ballet Dancer
• Boys and Ballet

   

Welcome to Theatre Dance!

Thanks for visiting the blog for Theatre Dance at Rogers High School!

Here are some of the styles of dance that we'll be focusing on: ballet, modern, jazz, musical theatre, hip hop, African, tango, salsa, and much more!  We'll also look at the historical, cultural and societal impacts of dance and vice versa!

      

I'm Liz Davis, and I am so excited to begin this course for Rogers Public Schools!  I was so fortunate to benefit from this program when I was a student at North Little Rock High School.

Here's a little more background about why I started the program:
Dance has always been a huge part of my life.  I was fortunate to be begin taking classes at 2 years old in North Little Rock.  For the next 13 years, I took classes from Ms. Karen's Dance Studio; I studied ballet, tap, jazz, pointe, lyrical, musical theatre, swing, clogging, hip hop, and other styles of dance.  When I begin high school, Christen Pitts already had a standing program called Theatre Dance; although I wasn't able to take the class, I was able to be a part of the Dance Troupe (an extracurricular activity focusing on dance performance). 

In Rogers, we have such a great population of students from a variety of backgrounds.  When I brought the idea of this class up to some of my other students, they seemed incredibly excited by the chance to dance during school!  This class seeks to expose students to the history and culture of dance through the ages while also bringing in our students' backgrounds to add variety and relevance to the course.

Here's a link to the article from the news from earlier this school year!  I'm so excited to begin this journey with the first group of Theatre Dance students!

I'll begin posting more information as the class gets closer. If you have any questions, you can contact the Theatre Dance director, Liz Davis, at edavis@rps.k12.ar.us.
 
Liz