Dance

A teacher’s guide for the Modern Dance experience

Modern

Mondavi Center Arts Education Program for Teachers

Introduction The Heart of the Art
Dear Educator, • Modern dance developed out of a
desire to express individual ideas
As you make plans for your students to attend an upcoming presentation of the Wells and emotions instead of perform-
Fargo School Matinee Series at the Robert and Margrit Mondavi Center for the ing established dance forms, such
Performing Arts at UC Davis, we invite you to prepare your students by using this
as ballet.
curriculum guide to assure that from beginning to end, the experience is an educationally
enriching and memorable one.
• Modern dance continues to evolve
The material in this guide is for you. We believe that an understanding of some basic from the personal expression of
vocabulary and background information on the performance art form will help to prepare its founders to include many new
your students to better understand and enjoy what they are about to see. We also encour- ideas and movements.
age you to discuss important aspects of the artistic experience, including audience eti-
quette. • Modern dance employs manipula-
tion of shape, time, space, and
We hope that your students find their imagination comes alive as lights shine, curtains energy to build a foundation for
open, and applause rings through Mondavi Center. As importantly, we hope that this
creative exploration and develop-
curriculum guide helps you to bring the arts alive in your classroom.
ment of movement vocabulary.
Thank you for helping us to make a difference in the lives of our children.
• Choreographers often turn to con-
Mondavi Center Arts Education Program temporary social themes for cho-
Sierra North Arts Project, UC Davis reographic inspiration.

What’s Inside:

2 Introduction RESOURCES
The Heart of the Art
BOOKS & VIDEOS
Resources The Vision of Modern Dance: In the Words of Its Creators, edited by
Jean Morrison Brown, Naomi Mindlin and Charles H. Woodford
3 What’s Important to Know? ISBN 0-87127-205-9

Choreography A Basic Approach Using Improvisation, Sandra Cerny
4 Modern Dance Styles
Minton, ISBN # 0-88011-529-7
Key Movers in Modern Dance
Building Dances, a Guide to Putting Movements Together, Susan
5 Words to Know McGreevy-Nichols and Helen Scheff, ISBN 0-87322-573-2
Key Movers in Modern Dance, con’t. The Dance Workshop, Robert Cohan, ISBN 1-85273-051-X

6 Standards-based Classroom Learning Experiences Dancing. Vol. 7, The Individual and Tradition, 1993, produced by
Key Movers in Modern Dance, con’t. WNET. Examines the work of individual 20th-century dancers
and choreographers: Isadora Duncan, Martha Graham, Katherine
Dunham, George Balanchine, Twyla Tharp, Eiko and Koma,
7 What’s Important to Know?: Before & During the Performance Sardono Kusumo, and Garth Fagan.

8 What’s Important to Know?: During the Master Class DanceVideo Shop: www.dancevideoshop.com

Dance Horizons Books & Princeton Book Company:

9 What’s Important to Know?: After the Performance & Master Class www.dancehorizons.com
Documenting the Experience
Biographies and autobiographies of many of the founders and
10 The California State Visual and Performing Arts Content Standards Addressed masters of modern dance are readily available.
by this Guide
WEBSITES
11 Arts Education at UC Davis Modern Dance History, including biographies on Isadora Duncan,
Mary Wigman, Ruth St. Denis, Ted Shawn, Martha Graham,
and Doris Humphrey
12 Credits www.filebox.vt.edu/org/cde/mdrnhist.htm

California Department of Education Visual and Performing Arts

Mondavi Center curriculum guides are produced in partnership with: Standards: www.cde.ca.gov/re/pn/fd/visperfmarts-stnd-pdf.asp
ArtSmarts is the title for K–12 educational programs at Mondavi Center.

2 Modern Dance
“Dance is a song of the body.
Either of joy or pain.”—Martha Graham

What’s Important to Know?

Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater

I n the early twentieth century, a new movement in dance arose. This

movement was guided by a few pioneering dancers who began to use
dance as a form of personal expression. Their movement often stressed
However not all choreographers were interested in
rejecting the past. One in particular, Twyla Tharp,
embraced all that had come before. By combining ballet
emotion and addressed contemporary subjects. This was in contrast to with modern dance and adding in her own movement
ballet, a dance form with aristocratic European roots, which frequently ideas, she developed a style that was enthusiastically
told stories of princesses, fairies and enchanted forests. embraced by audiences.

These early pioneers of modern dance each developed their own per- Just as modern dance gave way to post-modern, ethnic
sonal movement vocabulary. There has never been a single specific style dance gave way to concert dance based on ethnic roots.
of modern dance. Though it often uses the body alignment and move- The work of Pearl Primus and Katherine Dunham
ment of ballet, modern dance has developed beyond the vocabulary of influenced that of Alvin Ailey and Donald McKayle,
ballet. among others. These choreographers created dances
informed by the African-American experience, but
The most prominent of the first generation of modern dance creators not exclusively about it. Ailey was also influenced by
were Isadora Duncan and Ruth St. Denis. In the 1920s, several danc- Lester Horton, who formed the first American multi-
ers who studied with St. Denis, (Martha Graham, Doris Humphries and racial dance company in 1934. Horton worked in Los
Charles Weidman) broke away and developed their own philosophies Angeles, where his work was not as well-known as that
of modern dance. Many of these early pioneers were women. Modern of New York based choreographers.
dance provided women the opportunity to become directors and cho-
reographers. In the ballet world, these roles had been and continue to Another choreographer who combines modern tech-
be dominated by men. Martha Graham, the most recognized of these nique with other dance forms is Mark Morris. The
women, has had an enormous impact on the field of modern dance. folk dance, flamenco and ballet he studied as a youth
Her notion of contraction and release (a torso based movement of a infuse his work with a unique flavor. Popular for its
sharp intake of breath followed by a strong exhalation), her ground- humor and musicality, his work harkens back to the
breaking dances based on mythology, and her theatrical personality early modern pioneers; it includes form, technique and
have made her the best known modern dancer of all time. storytelling.

Each new generation of modern dance has inspired another. Often the Today, it is possible to see and study nearly all the forms
inspiration comes in the form of rebellion against what came before. In of modern dance that have developed over the years.
the 1950s, Merce Cunningham, a member of Martha Graham’s compa- As new styles develop, the old remain. The future also
ny, formed his own dance company based on the idea of movement for looks rich, as new choreographers continue to search
movement’s sake and the use of chance methods of choreography. Paul for their unique voices and make contributions to the
Taylor, who danced for both Cunningham and Graham, further shaped field of modern dance.
modern dance by choreographing dances about real people and the
everyday activities of life. The next rebellion came in the 1960s, when
dancers such as Trisha Brown rejected the codified and strict technique
they felt modern dance had become. Experimental and minimal dance,
sometimes called post-modern, developed during this time, as did contact
improvisation. These dance makers were also influenced by the societal
changes that were taking place in the United States during the 1960s.

Modern Dance 3
Key Movers in
Modern Dance

Isadora Duncan
(1877-1927):
Modern Dance Styles
Duncan felt dance
should be an expres-
sion of the spirit.
She felt her philoso-
“Dance is the hidden language of the soul.”
phy was best exem- —Martha Graham
plified in ancient Greek civilization and
her basic costume was a Greek tunic.
Narrative
Ruth St. Denis
This style expresses a message or tells a
(1877-1968)
St. Denis focused story through movement. It shows the
on incorporating relationships between the performers’
elements of Far characters.
Eastern dance
into her choreography. St. Denis and Chance
her husband Ted Shawn (1891-1972) A method of choreographic develop-
founded the Denishawn company and ment based on random selection of
trained many great dancers who went
movement. The dancers learn many
on to form their own companies.
combinations of movements but do not
Martha Graham (1894-1991) know what order they will be perform-
Graham created a technique that ing them in until right before the per-
emphasized “contraction and release”. formance.
These words are
now synonymous Contact improvisation
with modern dance. Usually done as a duet or in a large
Graham was the group, the movement is improvised as
first modern dance
each dancer follows the other’s move-
choreographer to
ments and reacts to them. Dancers
reach out to other
genres of modern art for collaboration. move in and out of physical contact
She is considered the most influential while rolling, spiraling, supporting and
and famous modern choreographer of falling.
the 20th century.
Improvisation
Doris Humphrey A process producing spontaneous
(1895-1958) movements stemming from a specific
Humphrey developed
stimulus, such as sounds or colors, and
a fundamental
how they relate to certain feelings or
theory of movement
based on “fall and the environment. Improvisation is often
recovery” that a part of the choreographic process.
became the basis
of her technique. She worked with Post-modern
Charles Weidman after her career with A form of modern dance which evolved
Denishawn. in the 1960s and 70s, and departed
from narrative theme. Post-modern
experimented with new concepts and
forms and is sometimes referred to as
experimental or minimalist dance.

Twyla Tharp Dance Company

4 Modern Dance
Words to Know
Throughout this curriculum guide, you will see certain words in bold print.
Below are the definitions of these words. Key Movers in
Modern Dance (con’t)
Backdrop-The images, colors and designs that Space-The area occupied by a dancer or dancers,
might be projected on the cyclorama (a drop and how dancers move in and around this area.
used to create the illusion of infinite space) at The concept also includes how the choreogra- Lester Horton
the rear of the stage. pher chooses to mold and design the aspects (1906-1953)
of space. Space can be divided into aspects of Horton’s technique
was based on creat-
Choreography-The creation and composition direction, size, level, and focus.
ing a flat back at
of dances by arranging or inventing steps, the waist by tilting
movements, and patterns of movements. Style- A structure or form used to create the body horizon-
movement. tally to the side or bending forward.
Choreographic form- A method that a choreog- He chose to work in southern California
rapher uses to determine the structure of a Stage directions-Stage right, stage left (at the rather than New York. Horton formed
dance. Certain characteristics are common performer’s right and left, respectively, when the first American multi-racial dance
to a well-developed dance: unity, continuity, viewed from the audience). Downstage (moving company. Alvin Ailey danced in his
transition, variety and repetition. towards the audience), upstage (moving away company.
from the audience). These terms come from the
Katherine
Floor patterns-The use of space, including the Italian Renaissance theater of the late 1400s, Dunham (1909-)
“road map” of the dance.This includes lines, when stages were ‘raked’, or constructed on a Dunham was one
circles, diagonals, zig-zags, and spirals. downward slant towards the audience. Thus, of the first African-
a performer was literally traveling uphill when Americans to attend
Gesture-The movement of a body part or moving upstage. the University of
combination of parts, with emphasis on the Chicago, where she
expressive aspects of the move. Tableau-A static composition that does not move, earned her bachelor, master and doc-
a “freeze” or living sculpture which creates a toral degrees in anthropology. Dunham
blended African and Caribbean dance
Master class-A class offered by a professional frozen moment in time.
forms to create a technique of her own.
dancer and designed to share his or her back-
ground, experience, and characteristics of the Time- An element of dance involving rhythm, Merce
dance form with students. phrasing, tempo, accent, and duration. Time Cunningham
can be metered, as in music, or based on body (1919-)
Motif-A distinctive and recurring gesture used rhythms, such as breath and heartbeat. Cunningham
to provide a theme or unifying idea. created a style
Qualities of movement-Energy (or force) propels of choreography
Prop-An object separate from a dancer’s cos- movement. While it initiates movement, some- called “chance”.
His dancers learn many combinations
tume that is part of the action or design in a times energy is also needed to stop action.
of movement but do not know how
dance. Energy in dance can be channeled in six dif- the music sounds or in what order
ferent ways, or qualities: sustained (smooth), they will perform until right before the
percussive (sharp), suspended (hover), swinging performance.
(arc), vibratory (shaking), collapsing (release).
Paul Taylor
(1930-)
Taylor was a
soloist with
Martha Graham’s
company when
he formed his
own troupe, the Paul Taylor Dance
Company. Taylor studied ballet under
Anthony Tudor and also danced for
George Balanchine, a prominent chore-
ographer of American ballets.

A Mondavi Center Arts Education Master Class

Modern Dance 5
 Standards-Based Classroom
Learning Experiences

Key Movers in Proficient

Modern Dance (con’t) Names
Use the letters in each student’s name to provide the motivation for movement. Have the stu-
dents trace the shapes of the letters in their names in the air using different body parts. Keep
it simple: start with a finger, then move on to the arms; incorporate the legs, head and, finally,
Alvin Ailey full torso. (1.4 proficient) More: Create movement phrases by having the students break into
(1931-1989) groups of three or four and teach each other their letter-based movement sequences. Each
The Alvin Ailey group performs these movement sequences for the classroom audience.
American Dance
Theater is credited with opening doors Recipe
for many African-American and Asian Prior to this learning experience, have students bring in the recipe for their favorite food.
dancers. Ailey’s dances fused modern
(Encourage students to include a variety: i.e. baked goods, entrees, drinks.) Working in small
with elements of jazz, ballet, and
African dance, and drew heavily upon groups, students brainstorm movements that correspond to the action words (chop, blend,
African-American themes. whip, grate, simmer, boil) found in their recipe. Students then put the action words together in
a movement sequence that follows the order of the recipe. Each group performs their complet-
Trisha Brown ed dance for their classmates. Have the classroom audience guess the action words and type of
(1936-) recipe. (1.4 proficient)
Brown works with
mathematical and
geometrical struc-
tures. Her early Advanced
works were often Self-portrait
site-specific and performed in such Prior to this learning experience, each student seeks out five individuals to identify three words
settings as roof-tops, rafts on a lake, or that describe the student’s personality. Using the 15 words collected, each student creates a
on the sides of buildings. short movement sequence interpreting the adjectives that describe them. Choreography should
include use of qualities, elements, space and form. Each student performs their movement
Twyla Tharp sequence for his or her classmates, and the classroom audience tries to identify the descriptive
(1941-) words. (1.4 proficient, 2.1 advanced, 5.2 advanced)
Tharp danced with
Paul Taylor before
forming her own Opposites
company. She has Prior to this learning experience, create a series of 3x5 cards, each with two words identifying
developed a dis- opposites (light/heavy, passive/aggressive, quiet/loud, staccato/legato, summer/winter). Divide
tinctive technique using a wide variety the students into partners. Give each partner group one card. Each partner then works individ-
of dance styles mixed with ballet and ually on a dance sequence which conveys one of the words on the card. After they view each
modern dance. Tharp has choreo- other’s sequence, they put the two together and create a study
graphed for her own company, ballet of duet relationships. Students make choices on how to
companies, Broadway shows and film. blend the two movement sequences together. For exam-
ple: students might perform the sequence side by side, or
Mark Morris (1956-)
Known early in his career as the “bad- at opposite ends of the performance space. At some point
boy of modern in the sequence, the partners may relate to each other,
dance” because combine movement sequences or make a physical connection.
of his flamboyant (1.4 proficient, 2.1 advanced, 2.6 advanced)
personality and
outspoken criticism These learning experiences can be done before or after attending a perfor-
of other choreog- mance, or just as an opportunity to use dance in the classroom.
raphers, Morris is
now thought of
as one of the world’s leading modern Standards addressed:
dance choreographers. Sometimes Artistic Perception: 1.4 Demonstrate clarity of intent while applying
irreverent, often humorous, Morris’ kinesthetic principles for all dance elements. (proficient)
work is known for its musicality and Creative Expression: 2.1 Create a diverse body of works of dance,
structure. each of which demonstrates originality, unity, clarity of intent, and
a dynamic range of movement. (advanced)
Creative Expression: 2.6 Collaborate with peers in the development
of choreography in groups. (proficient)

6 Modern Dance Paul Taylor Dance Company

 What’s Important to Know?

Before the performance

Questions for students:
• How many of you have ever been to a dance performance?
• What dance performances have you seen?
• How many of you have taken a dance class?
• What kind of dance classes have you taken?
• Can you describe the dance form(s) that you have seen or studied?

Teacher:
Have students share their preconceived notions of modern dance.
Create a list to be reviewed following the performance. Also have stu-
dents make predictions about what the types of costumes, music and
backdrop they will see or hear during the performance.
“My art is just an effort
In preparation for a master class:
to express the truth of Have students do research on-line or in the library about the master
my being in gesture teacher. Look for the following information:
• Style of modern dance.
and movement.” • Background.
—Isadora Duncan • Companies performed with.
• Noted dances performed in or created.

During the Performance

Theater Etiquette
There is a specific etiquette for watching a live dance performance.
• Be on time. There is no seating during a dance.
• Use the restroom before the performance. If you have to leave, you may not be allowed back into the hall until intermission.
• Refrain from wearing perfume.
• Leave food and drink at home.
• Leave cameras at home.
• Refrain from talking during the performance.
• Turn off cell phones and pagers.
• Stay seated during the performance.
• Show your appreciation for the performers by applauding at appropriate times.

The bus ride to the theater or the wait in line provides a good time to review
behavior expectations. It is also a good time to remind students of things to
look for.

Things to Have Students Look For

• How do the dancers use space? What floor patterns or levels do you see?
• What is the quality of the movement: soft, flowing, sharp, percussive, incorporated vibrations, swings or collapses?
• What kind of music is used? Is the music live or recorded? Does each dance use music, or sometimes words, sounds, or silence?
• How do the costumes make the dance more interesting or help define a character?
• Do the dancers utilize props or backdrops of any sort? What role do they serve?
• Which style of modern dance is being performed?
• Do you notice any variations in choreographic form? Did you notice a recurring motif?

Modern Dance 7
 What’s Important to Know?
During the Master Class

Classroom Etiquette
There is a specific etiquette for attending a class with a master teacher.
• Be properly dressed.
• Be respectful.
• Refrain from talking to fellow students.
• Stay focused.
• Stay with it, do not give up, and do not leave class early.
• No sitting, unless directed by the teacher.
• Applaud teacher when finished (accompanists as well, if any).

Advice for Students

• Be attentive to cues the master teacher gives to improve your execution of
the movement.

• How can you internalize information the teacher is giving you to become a better
dancer or enjoy the experience more?

• What did the master teacher tell you about his or her experience that tells you
why he or she became a dancer? Why have they chosen this style of modern dance?

Teacher: Listen for things the master teacher says about his or her dance background for
discussion following the master class. Watch for teaching strategies
utilized by the master teacher.

“I see dance being

used as communication
between body and soul,
to express what is too
deep to find for words.”
— Ruth St. Denis

Mondavi Center Arts Education Master

Classes with Dance Theatre of Harlem
(above and right.)

8 Modern Dance
What’s Important to Know?

After the Performance

Questions for Students

• What was your favorite part of the performance and why?
• What was your least favorite part of the performance and why?
• Describe the modern dance style you observed.
• What type of music was used, if any?
• What type of costumes were worn? Were they complimentary to the dance or did they distract from it?
• What role did the costumes play in the creation of the movement?
• Was your attention drawn to a specific dancer? Explain why.
• What proper audience etiquette did you observe? Can you give examples?

Teacher: Compare the items on your previous brainstorm list to the actual events that occurred.
What differences and similarities are there?

After the Master Class

Questions for Students
• What personal history did you learn about the master teacher,
i.e. where they studied or their professional experiences?
• Based on your prior knowledge about the master teacher,
were your expectations for the class met?
• What tips or information from the teacher affected
you personally?
• What modern dance style did the teacher present?
Do you see yourself continuing with classes in this particular
style? Why or why not?

Teacher: Return to one of the learning experiences you did previ-

ously and repeat. Compare how the performance or master class
has influenced the students’ decision-making with regard to move-
ment choices.
“…dancing is a spiritual
exercise in physical form,
and…what is seen is what
A Mondavi Center Arts Education Master Class with Mark Morris Dance Group
it is.” —Merce Cunningham

Documenting the Experience

It is often a good idea for students to document their experience following a dance
performance or master class.

• Upon returning to the classroom, engage in reflective writing about the perfor-
mance or master class.
• Using steps from the performance or class, combine them to create a new move-
ment sequence. Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater
• Share personal interpretations of modern dance with classmates.

Modern Dance 9
The California State VISUAL AND
PERFORMING ARTS CONTENT Standards
Addressed By This Guide

1.0 ARTISTIC PERCEPTION

Processing, Analyzing, and Responding to Sensory Information
Through the Language and Skills Unique to Dance. Students
perceive and respond, using the elements of dance. They dem-
onstrate movement skills, process sensory information, and
describe movement, using the vocabulary of dance.

Development of Motor Skills and Technical Expertise

1.1 (Advanced) Demonstrate highly developed physical coordina-
tion and control when performing complex locomotor and axial
movement phrases from a variety of genres (e.g., refined body
articulation, agility, balance, strength). Ronald K. Brown

Development of Dance Vocabulary

1.5 (Proficient) Apply knowledge of dance vocabulary to dis-
tinguish how movement looks physically in space, time, and
force/energy.

4.0 AESTHETIC VALUING

2.0 CREATIVE EXPRESSION Responding to, Analyzing, and Making Judgments About Works
Creating, Performing, and Participating in Dance. Students of Dance. Students critically assess and derive meaning from
apply choreographic principles, processes, and skills to create works of dance, performance of dancers, and original works
and communicate meaning through the improvisation, composi- according to the elements of dance and aesthetic qualities.
tion, and performance of dance.
Description, Analysis, and Criticism of Dance
Application of Choreographic Principles and Processes to Creating Dance 4.1 (Proficient) Describe how the qualities of a theatrical produc-
2.2 (Advanced) Use dance structures, musical forms, theatrical tion contribute to the success of a dance performance (e.g.,
elements, and technology to create original works. music, lighting, costuming, text, set design).
4.3 (Advanced) Analyze evolving personal preferences about
Communication of Meaning in Dance dance styles and choreographic forms to identify change and
2.4 (Proficient) Perform original works that employ personal development in personal choices.
artistic intent and communicate effectively.

5.0 CONNECTIONS, RELATIONSHIPS, APPLICATIONS

3.0 HISTORICAL AND CULTURAL CONTEXT Connecting and Applying What Is Learned in Dance to Learning
Understanding the Historical Contributions and Cultural in Other Art Forms and Subject Areas and to Careers. Students
Dimensions of Dance. Students analyze the function and devel- apply what they learn in dance to learning across subject areas.
opment of dance in past and present cultures throughout the They develop competencies and creative skills in problem solving,
world, noting human diversity as it relates to dance and danc- communication, and management of time and resources that con-
ers. tribute to lifelong learning and career skills. They also learn about
careers in and related to dance.
Development of Dance
3.2 (Advanced) Analyze the role dancers and choreographers play Connections and Applications Across Disciplines
in the interpretation of dances in various historical and cultural 5.2 (Advanced) Compare the study and practice of dance tech-
settings. niques to motion, time, and physical principles from scientific
disciplines (e.g., muscle and bone identification and usage;
History and Function of Dance awareness of matter, space, time, and energy/force).
3.3 (Proficient) Explain how the works of dance by major cho-
reographers communicate universal themes and sociopolitical Development of Life Skills and Career Competencies
issues in their historical/cultural context ( e.g., seventeenth-cen- 5.3 (Proficient) Explain how dancing presents opportunities and
tury Italy, eighteenth-century France, the women’s suffrage move- challenges to maintain physical and emotional health and how
ment, dance in the French courts, Chinese cultural revolution). to apply that information to current training and lifelong habits.

10 Modern Dance
Arts Education at UC Davis

Robert and Margrit Mondavi Department of Theatre UC Davis ArtsBridge

Center for the Performing Arts and Dance In response to educational funding cutbacks
The Robert and Margrit Mondavi Center The Department of Theatre and Dance at and the erosion of formal arts training in the
for the Performing Arts at UC Davis serves UC Davis offers undergraduate and graduate public schools, the University of California
as a resource for the campus and the region, degrees in conjunction with an aggressive and the state of California have joined
reinforcing the university’s status as a and artistically adventurous production forces to expand ArtsBridge, an innovative
comprehensive university of the first order season. Courses and productions provide arts outreach program that began at the
by raising the profile of its arts and students with consistent opportunities to Irvine campus in 1996. ArtsBridge pro-
humanities programs to that of its top-ranked creatively engage with professional direc- vides scholarships for undergraduate and
science programs. Opened in October 2002, tors, designers, and choreographers. The graduate arts students to work with K-12
Mondavi Center features the state-of-the-art, department, in collaboration with the teachers in developing arts activities that
1,800-seat Barbara K. and W. Turrentine Granada Television network, is host of supplement the core curriculum. The suc-
Jackson Hall, and the 250-seat Studio Theatre the Granada Artists-in-Residence program, cess of the program prompted lawmakers
for more intimate productions. Mondavi which brings distinguished theater artists to include a $1.5 million line item in the
Center is the largest presenter of the from the United Kingdom to UC Davis. 1999 state budget to facilitate the expan-
performing arts in the Sacramento region, A stellar faculty, state-of-the-art facilities, sion of ArtsBridge to all of the UC cam-
bringing more than 70 of the world’s and talented students make UC Davis a puses. Presently UC Davis students from
greatest artists and lecturers each season. leader in arts education. the departments of Art, Theatre and Dance,
Music, and Design are active in classrooms
In addition to the artists and speakers theatredance.ucdavis.edu
at several area schools, including school
presented as part of its annual Season of 530.752.0888
districts in Woodland, Winters, and Dixon.
Performing Arts, Mondavi Center also
hosts productions by the UC Davis Music artsbridge.ucdavis.edu
and Theatre and Dance departments and Sierra North Arts Project 530.754.8477
other campus academic programs, as well The Sierra North Arts Project (SNAP)
as those of regional arts organizations fosters the professional development of
such as the Sacramento Ballet and the kindergarten through post-secondary teachers Mondavi Center Arts Education
Sacramento Philharmonic Orchestra. by employing the model of teachers teaching Many of the artists appearing during
www.MondaviArts.org teachers. SNAP addresses the priorities of Mondavi Center’s season also participate
530.754.5000 The California Arts Project (TCAP) involv- in a range of educational outreach activities
ing direct engagement with the artistic pro- coordinated by the center’s Arts Education
cess, direct applications to classroom teach- Program. These activities include school
Department of Music ing, and the development of teacher lead- matinees, master classes, lecture demon-
The Department of Music at UC Davis ers in arts education. The Sierra North Arts strations, open rehearsals, curriculum
features a distinguished faculty and Project is one of six California Arts Project development, teacher training, and in-school
accomplished visiting artists, and provides regional sites throughout the state, and it artist residencies. These outreach activities,
outstanding instruction to students majoring serves a twelve-county area extending from which benefit more than 25,000 area school
in music as well as more than 1,200 non- the Central Valley to the Lake Tahoe basin. children, college students, educators, and
majors each academic year. The program The goals set forth by SNAP cover four key community residents every season, consti-
includes opportunities to study and perform objectives: (1) to deepen and strengthen tute a major commitment to arts education
music of all styles and periods, with students teachers’ subject matter knowledge; (2) to in the region and underscore UC Davis’
majoring in music focusing on a special provide opportunities for teachers to con- commitment to the artists and audiences
interest area such as composition, analysis, nect with their personal creativity and to of the future.
history, performance, or secondary school develop connections within the arts learn-
teaching. All students may participate in ing community; (3) to enhance and expand www.MondaviArts.org/education
a wide array of performance activities, SNAP within the region and create a wide 530.754.5431
including the University Symphony, the variety of leadership opportunities for SNAP
University Chorus and Chamber Choir, members; and (4) to develop strategies and
University Concert Band, the Early Music techniques for translating research experi-
Ensemble, and chamber music ensembles. ences into classroom practice.

music.ucdavis.edu education.ucdavis.edu/SNAP/
530.752.5537 530.752.9683

Modern Dance 11
 Mondavi Center expresses gratitude to
­ obert and Margrit Mondavi Center
R its partners at the California Arts Council
for the Performing Arts and Sierra North Arts Project, Region III
University of California, Davis of the California Arts Project at UC Davis,
One Shields Avenue for bringing together a team of educators
Davis, CA 95616-8543 to design and develop curriculum guides
for Mondavi Center’s Wells Fargo School
MondaviArts.org Matinee Series. The following individuals
530.754.5000 participated in the development of materials
for the guides:

UC Davis Coordinators
Sarah Anderberg
Director, Sierra North Arts Project
CRESS Center, School of Education
UC Davis

Linda Buettner
Coordinator, Sierra North Arts Project
CRESS Center, School of Education
UC Davis

Assessment
Joanne Bookmyer, Ph.D.
Research Analyst
CRESS Center, School of Education
UC Davis

Teachers
Ruth Rosenberg
Dance Educator/Arts Consultant
Founder, Ruth Rosenberg Dance Ensemble
Sacramento

Debi Roberts
Dance Educator
Sheldon High School
Elk Grove Unified School District