Dancers Talking Dance: Critical Evaluation in the Choreography Class (book)

He explains each step in the ORDER approach and provides writing and discussion ideas designed to stimulate teacher and student thinking about the critical process and how it works. The book also offers numerous hints to help teachers communicate the approach in their classes.

Part III presents practical suggestions for implementing the ORDER approach in beginning- and advanced-level choreography classes. The author interweaves practical activities with theoretical considerations to help students better understand the critical process. Teachers will also learn how to handle anticritical beliefs and disagreements that arise among students in critical discussions.

With Dancers Talking Dance, teachers can help students hone their critical skills and become more articulate, creative, and confident dancers.

CONTENTS

Foreword
Preface
Acknowledgments
Introduction
The ORDER Approach to Critical Evaluation
Critical Evaluation Is a Language Art
The ORDER Approach Facilitates Critical Thinking Skills
How This Book Is Organized
Part I: Perspectives on Critical Evaluation in Dance Education
Chapter 1. Criticism Within the Choreography Class
Casual Conversation and Critical Discourse
Choreography Is a Revision Process
The Choreography Classroom as an Art World
Summary: Important Points to Remember
Chapter 2. The Subjective Response
Subjectivity and the Viewer's Role as an Audience Member
The Nature of the Subjectivist Approach
Confusion About Feelings in Art
The Pitfalls of Subjectivist Reasoning
Overcoming Subjectivism: The Essential Question to Ask
The Role of Subjectivity in the Critical Process
Summary: Important Points to Remember
Chapter 3. The Problem of Using Predetermined Criteria
The Risks of Predetermined Criteria
The Risks of Theory-Based Criteria
Compounding the Risks: Predetermined Discussion Questions
Summary: Important Points to Remember
Chapter 4. The Problem of Relying on Artists' Intentions
The Concept of Intention
Communication and Dance
The Use of Intentions in Critical Evaluation
Summary: Important Points to Remember
Chapter 5. Teacher Myths About Critical Evaluation
Myth #1: "It's the Teacher's Job to Tell Students What's Good."
Myth #2: "Hearing Criticism Hurts Students' Feelings."
Myth #3: "Dancers Should Do Dancing, Not Discuss It."
Myth #4: "Students Learn to Critique Dances by Making Dances."
Summary: Important Points to Remember
Part II: The ORDER Approach to Critical Evaluation
Chapter 6. Observation
Perceptual Openness
Noticing Versus Recognizing
Sample Observation Exercise
Summary: Important Points to Remember
Chapter 7. Reflection
The Goals of Reflective Writing
Initiating Focused Freewriting
Describing the Dance
The Danger of Critical Assumptions
Analyzing Relationships
The Importance of Reflection
The Choreographer's Role During Reflection
Summary: Important Points to Remember
Chapter 8. Discussion
The Importance of Sharing Reflective Notes
Discussion Stage 1: Description and Analysis
Discussion Stage 2: Interpretation
Artists' Contributions to Interpretive Discussion
General Explanations and Artistic Justifications
Summary: Important Points to Remember
Chapter 9. Evaluation
The Concept of Judgment
Evaluative Pluralism
The Ladder of Aesthetic Inquiry
Summary: Important Points to Remember
Chapter 10. Recommendations for Revisions
Critical Projection
Recommending Revisions Versus "Fixing" the Dance
Post-Revision Review
The Importance of Deferring Revision Recommendations
Summary: Important Points to Remember
Part III: Implementation of the ORDER Approach
Chapter 11. Skill Level Distinctions in Choreography Courses
Typical Choreography Assignments for Beginners
Presented and Discovered Problems
Critical Projection With Beginners
Typical Choreography Assignments for Advanced Students
Discovered-Problem Situations
Summary: Important Points to Remember
Chapter 12. Potential Obstacles to Critical Evaluation
Handling Anticritical Beliefs and Attitudes
Handling Critical Disagreements
Linguistic and Rhetorical Causes of Disagreement
The Remedy for Linguistic and Rhetorical Disagreements
Summary: Important Points to Remember
Afterword
Bibliography
Index
About the Author

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Larry Lavender is Head of Dance at the University of New Mexico. He has taught dance at New York University, the University of Missouri at Kansas City, and the University of California at Irvine. He also has choreographed more than 30 dances and composed music for many of them. In 1984 he received the Distinguished Student Scholar Award from UC-Irvine for his original choreography and music of "The Sleep of Reason."

Lavender has taught criticism to dance students across the United States and around the world, including England, Mexico, and New Zealand. He has published numerous articles on dance criticism for journals such as Impulse, Dance Research Journal, and Focus on Dance. Lavender earned a BA in humanities and a BA in dance from UC-Riverside, and an MFA in fine arts and dance from UC-Irvine. In 1993 he completed his PhD in dance and dance education at New York University.

He is on the board of directors of the Congress on Research in Dance, and a member of the National Dance Association and the National Arts Education Association.

Lavender lives in Albuquerque, New Mexico, with his wife, Elisabeth, and their daughter, Bridget. He enjoys hiking, music, and reading.

WORDS OF PRAISE

"I applaud his efforts. We in the dance field need this material articulated. Particularly interesting is the setting up of a framework for the critique of dance studies, compositions and full choreographies from both objective and reflective perspectives."

Coordinator,Program in Dance and Dance Education, Teachers College, Columbia University

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