Grissom High School Dance Program Information
The study of dance technique and performance are the focus of the Grissom dance program. Dance at Grissom is a PERFORMANCE CLASS. All Students are required to perform in the Fall and Spring Concerts. Dance class can be used for a PE credit, fine art credit or an elective. Dance class includes studies in dance technique, physical fitness, nutrition, performance, choreography, and dance history. Students have the opportunity to perform throughout the year in a Fall and Spring Concert as well as Panoply. Performances count as a grade. There are four different levels of dance: Beginning through Advanced. Cardiovascular efficiency, muscular strength, flexibility and body composition are all a part of the dance curriculum. Goal setting, striving to improve, as well as working as a team are the basic principles for this class. These same principles can be applied to other academic areas and throughout the student’s life. Students are encouraged to be creative and to explore new ideas and concepts. Grissom has a Dance Program? Grissom High School Dance Program was founded in 1994 by Toni Leo, Gail Rodenhauser and Sandra Hayes. Only one dance class was offered the first year. More and more students became interested in taking dance and more classes were offered. When Toni decided to make a career change, Stephanie Braly-Beutjer became the Dance Director in 1996. Grissom now offers six dance classes daily and four levels of dance: One beginning class, two intermediate classes, Co. 2 and Images Dance Ensemble. All classes are performance based. What is Dance? Dance is a way of expressing oneself through movement. Each individual has his/her own definition of dance. They are all correct. Dance can be anything a person desires. Dance in education is vital. It is the most difficult of the arts. Mental and physical discipline is required of dancers on a daily basis. Students who study dance carry the discipline learned to other areas of their life. Dance can be a vehicle for understanding life experience and a unique way of communicating. It can only enhance a student’s school career and be an asset to them throughout life. Studies show that students who take dance and are involved in the arts score higher on the SAT and ACT. Dance is an inclusive activity where all involved learn from each other and share with one another. Dance crosses cultural boundaries and brings people closer together by learning to work together towards a common goal. The Grissom Dance Program offers studies in the dance disciplines, dance vocabulary choreography, dance performance and dance inquiry, and nutrition along with physical fitness and respect for the body. What does the Dance Program do? Do we get to perform? The Dance Program offers students a wide variety of dance styles and techniques. Ballet, modern, jazz, musical theatre and choreography are studied during the course of the school year. Along with the dance styles, exercise techniques, nutrition and basic body fitness and conditioning are also studied. Students are required to participate in the fall and spring concerts. Along with school performances they also perform at Panoply and other community events. Performances are a large part of your grade. Performing is exciting and gives the students a goal to work towards. What kind of previous dance experience do I have to have? NONE!! All that is required is that you want to dance and have fun. Grissom offers beginning levels as well as advanced levels. All interested students are able to participate. The Director will come to your school and audition you for placement and answer any questions you may have about Grissom’s dance program. Is my academic status important? Yes, it is very important we meet all the state guidelines for academic status for extracurricular activities. You need to have an overall average of a C in your core classes and have all credits up to date. Mrs. Braly requires all dancers to have a C in all classes and an A average in dance for performance eligibility.
Pre-Requisites and Information about the levels of dance.
ALL dance students must be auditioned for placement in the dance program before being enrolled into a dance class. The following criteria will be considered for placement of students.
Program support is requested for all members of dance. Program support includes: Costume Rental for two/three performances, Dance T-Shirt, Field Trip Transportation, Lunch at Panoply Performance, Head shots for Performance, Dance Awards, office supplies, copy machine usage, dance phone line, dance floor tape, production expenses, CD’s and videos for classroom use and performance, Fees for Lighting Designer for performances, Guest Artist Fees, tickets, poster and programs for concerts, security for concerts, website upkeep, professional choreography, music, postage for newsletters, uniforms for company members and technology upgrades. Program Support for beginning dance is $150.00 for the year. Intermediate dance is $200.00, Co. 2 is $325.00. Program Support for Images Dance Ensemble is $350.00. Beginning Dance Class - No experience required to take this class. This class is designed to introduce and review basic dance technique. Class content includes the study of body alignment, basic dance steps, dance vocabulary, nutrition and performance. One after school rehearsal is required per performance. Grade 9-12 Prerequisite: Audition by director Intermediate - Basic knowledge of dance vocabulary. Previous dance training of 2-3 years. This class builds on the basic skills the dancer already possesses. Mastery of turns, leaps, balance and performance are included. One after school rehearsal is required per performance. Grade 9-12 Prerequisite: Audition by director Co. 2/Intermediate-Advanced - Strong knowledge of dance vocabulary required. Ability to execute dance steps by name without a demonstration. Performance and choreography is the focus of this class. Students learn more advanced dance technique and begin to explore choreography. Previous dance training 5 years. After school rehearsals are required the week of performance. Auditions held in March. Grade 9-12 Prerequisite: Audition by director Advanced /Images Dance Ensemble - Strong knowledge of dance vocabulary is required as is the ability to execute steps by name. This class focuses on dance repertoire. Creating dance for performance and learning how to produce them for the stage is also a class goal. Previous dance training of 7 years is required. Must be available for after school rehearsals twice a week. Auditions held in March Grade 9-12 Prerequisite: Audition by director Stephanie L. Braly-Beutjer holds a Master of Fine Arts in Ballet, Bachelor of Fine Arts in Musical Theatre and a Bachelor of Science in Physical Education She has taught in several colleges, universities, dance workshops and high schools for over ten years. She has served on many committees concerning dance and arts in education. Helping young students to become stronger physically and mentally are her goals for her teaching career. Dance is the avenue in which she touches young people’s lives on a daily basis. Along with stressing physical fitness she teaches her students to have a strong sense of discipline, dedication, and self-esteem. Her motto for herself and her students and the program is Pride through Performance. This is the foundation she uses for teaching young people to strive towards reaching their maximum potential.
Please call Stephanie Braly at 428-8018 or email her at sbraly@hsv.k12.al.us if you have any questions.