KDB107 Foundations in Improvisation and Choreographic Practice

Unit Outline: Semester 2 2024, Kelvin Grove, Internal

Overview

This unit introduces the fundamentals of improvisation and choreographic practice. Throughout it you will participate in a series of creative laboratories that seek to enliven an experiential understanding of the body in dance and explore different practices and processes that cultivate tools for dance making. The unit focuses on exploring dance through different approaches to improvisation and task-based processes. This is an opportunity to develop your foundational skills as a choreographer in dance through developing critical skills in experimentation, physical thinking, responsivity, as well as the ability to mobilise your ideas and concepts.

Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this unit you will be able to:

1. Demonstrate an applied understanding of a broad range of improvisational and choreographic devices used in dance making practices.
2. Analyse and critically engage with stylistic and technical devices used by a range of choreographers and improvisers.
3. Develop reflective and documentation techniques relating to your emerging choreographic and improvisation practice.

Content

Learning Approaches

Classes will comprise a weekly practical laboratory and a weekly seminar.

Feedback on Learning and Assessment

You will receive formative feedback on your progress in this unit during tutorials, workshops and discussions throughout the semester.

Assessment

Overview

There are two assessment items for this unit to support your creative development in improvisation and choreographic practice. The first is the submission of a multi-faceted reflective journal arising from your learning in the unit and the second item is a demonstration of an independently developed practical task.

Unit Grading Scheme

7- point scale

Assessment Tasks

Assessment: Demonstration

Summative: A short presentation of an independently developed choreographic or improvisational task that has emerged from your experience in the practical laboratories, reflective practice, guided and independent research of others' practices and approaches to improvisation and choreography.

Assessment: Dance Toolbox

Formative and summative: A written, drawn, photographed, reflective journal arising from the series of practical laboratories. The Dance Toolbox is submitted for feedback throughout the semester and is assessed mid and end semester.

This is an assignment for the purposes of an extension.

Academic Integrity

Students are expected to engage in learning and assessment at QUT with honesty, transparency and fairness. Maintaining academic integrity means upholding these principles and demonstrating valuable professional capabilities based on ethical foundations.

Failure to maintain academic integrity can take many forms. It includes cheating in examinations, plagiarism, self-plagiarism, collusion, and submitting an assessment item completed by another person (e.g. contract cheating). It can also include providing your assessment to another entity, such as to a person or website.

You are encouraged to make use of QUT’s learning support services, resources and tools to assure the academic integrity of your assessment. This includes the use of text matching software that may be available to assist with self-assessing your academic integrity as part of the assessment submission process.

Further details of QUT’s approach to academic integrity are outlined in the Academic integrity policy and the Student Code of Conduct. Breaching QUT’s Academic integrity policy is regarded as student misconduct and can lead to the imposition of penalties ranging from a grade reduction to exclusion from QUT.

Resources

Risk Assessment Statement

All students and staff are required to complete the Tier 1 CIF General Health and Safety Induction for access to campus buildings and facilities. This must be completed online.

This unit involves physical work primarily at home, and/or in purpose-built dance studios and industry standard performance venues studios. Full physical participation in any class is subject to compliance with safe dance practice. Physical challenges are an inherent part of dance practice. The development of essential risk-management skills that minimise potential injury is a high priority with all lecturing staff and supervisors. All students are taught safe dance principles as life-long learning skills and it is expected that you apply them in this unit. Due to the athletic nature of dance training, the dance department and its external supervisors will provide the necessary duty of care in emergency situations (that arise at campus) through its first-aid and health and safety officers. 

Course Learning Outcomes

KK34 Bachelor of Fine Arts

1. Cite and discuss a broad and coherent knowledge of historical and contemporary cultural contexts for creative practice, including the contribution of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander knowledges.
   Relates to: ULO1
2. Demonstrate complex problem solving through iterative experimentation and the creative and critical development of ideas and outcomes.
   Relates to: ULO1
3. Demonstrate technical proficiency in at least one area of your field of creative practice.
   Relates to: ULO2
4. Discern, critically analyse and synthesise knowledge in complex creative practice settings.
   Relates to: ULO1, ULO3
5. Formulate and apply an independent perspective through reflection and by acting on the informed critique of others.
   Relates to: ULO2, ULO3