Teaching & Learning @ UWI

Theatre Production II - Maria Antonia - Performance http://jorgeluismorejon.blogspot.com/2013/06/a-review-cuban-classic-sweeps-audience.html This class has a performance component linked to an annual departmental theater presentation. This particular year our Head of Department, Mr. Murray, emphasized the importance of showcasing our students' work to a regular audience in Port of Spain. The ultimate objective of the class is that the students get the opportunity to perform in a professional venue, for a larger audience at the same time that they get involved with all the aspects of a theatrical production, from advertisement, directing, and public relations to budgeting, box office and acting.

Modern Dance Technique II - COCO Festival - Performance http://jorgeluismorejon.blogspot.com/2012/03/fragments-coco-dance-festival.html This class has a performance component linked to a community event, a primary or secondary school program or an interdepartmental initiative. This particular event brought the Modern Dance Technique class to the COCO Festival. The students went through a process of auditioning for the directors of the festival in order to be included. They had to organize themselves around a common objective, collaborate in the choreography, select the music, rehearse outside of the class schedule to audition the piece and finally perform it. These are all important components of dance making and performance that they were able to accomplish and apply to an actual cultural event as a result of their participation in the class.

Dance Festival Ensemble I - Book Launch - Performance http://jorgeluismorejon.blogspot.com/2012/11/thanksgiving-book-launch.html This class has a performance component linked to a community event, a primary or secondary school program or an interdepartmental initiative. This particular event brought the Festival Ensemble students to interact with the theatre students by combining the theatre students' drama sketches with the dance students' chorography. This integration has been a successful approach in stimulating collaboration among different fields within the Department of Creative and Festival Arts, an initiative proposed by our Department Head, Mr. Jessel Murray in 2011. The integration takes place at a professional level, by the collaboration that emerges between staff members and at a student level by the interactions facilitated between dance and theatre students.

Dance Festival Ensemble I - Common Sense Convois - Performance http://jorgeluismorejon.blogspot.com/2012/03/re-awakening-caribbean-spirit-at.html This class has a peformance component linked to a community event, a primary or secondary school program or an interdepartamental initiative. This particular event brought the Festival Ensemble students to interact with other art fields within the Deaprtment of Creative and Festival Arts, other local theatre and performance groups,the Common Sense Convois and the Scherzando Panyard. The objectives of the class were crytalized in this opportunity the students had to participate in an artistic event that involved the community at large.

Dance Education: Lesson Plan 5 Semester II Course Code DANC 2014 Course Title Dance Education Lecturer: Dr. Jorge Luis Morejón No of Credits 3 Meeting Day: Wednesday Time: 5 – 8 PM Lesson Plan # 5 This lecture introduces the students to educational strategies that will allow them to have a better notion of what is their role in designing a mission and goal statement as well as goals and objectives using a business model. Objectives The students will learn: How to write a mission statement How to underline the importance of the subject matter How to develop teaching strategies How to write a vision statement How to write educational goals and objectives for dance Content: Mission Following a business model, the mission statement should be a concise statement of educational strategy developed from the student’s perspective and it should fit with the vision for the program. The mission should answer three questions: 1. What do we do? 2. How do we do ...

Dance Education: Lesson Plan 5 Semester II Course Code DANC 2014 Course Title Dance Education Lecturer: Dr. Jorge Luis Morejón No of Credits 3 Meeting Day: Wednesday Time: 5 – 8 PM Lesson Plan # 5 This lecture introduces the students to educational strategies that will allow them to have a better notion of what is their role in designing a mission and goal statement as well as goals and objectives using a business model. Objectives The students will learn: How to write a mission statement How to underline the importance of the subject matter How to develop teaching strategies How to write a vision statement How to write educational goals and objectives for dance Content: Mission Following a business model, the mission statement should be a concise statement of educational strategy developed from the student’s perspective and it should fit with the vision for the program. The mission should answer three questions: 1. What do we do? 2. How do we do ...

Production II Department of Creative and Festival Arts University of the West Indies Course Outline 2012 – 2013 COURSE TITLE: PRODUCTION II COURSE CODE: THEA 2299 LEVEL: III SEMESTER II NO OF CREDITS: 6 COURSE LECTURERS: DR. JORGE LUIS MOREJON, MR. MARVIN GEORGE Meeting Day and Time: Mondays (6:00 PM), Wednesdays (7:00 PM), Fridays (6:00 PM), Course Description: This course prepares the actor for the production of a play that will take place at the end of the semester. After a previous semester during which the actor explores a series of movement, vocal and creative exercises, the actors develop a sense of team work and individual craft that gets them ready for the actual production. During the production, they will design, stage and act in a play that allows for a large number of students to act, design, produce, etc. Objectives : On completion of this course, the student will be able to: • Recreate the world of the play. • Undergo the process of charac...

Performance II - Study Guide / 2012 CREATIVE AND FESTIVAL ARTS CENTRE PERFORMANCE II Study Guide Jorge Luis Morejón, Ph.D., Lecturer December 4, 2012 University of the West Indies, St. Augustine. Trinidad and Tobago Unit One: Physical Theatre 1. Which are the four dimensions of Physical Theatre? They are: • Playwright • Director • Actor • Audience 2. What do Physical Theatre groups have in common? • Collaboration between all the members in the creation of the product, whether working with a text as the base or devising? • The creativity of the actors is of paramount importance. • And this creativity comes from the actors' bodies. • From the start of rehearsal, the impetus is from the physical - the bodies' ways of telling a story, or expressing emotion. • Companies are experimental and playful in approach, seeking for the accidental discoveries that they make which will create a link with the audience's imagination. 3. What are some of the...

Dance Education / 2013 2012 /2013 Semester II Course Code DANC 2014 Course Title Dance Education Lecturer: Dr. Jorge Luis Morejón No of Credits 3 Meeting Day: Wednesday Time: 5 – 8 PM Course Description The Dance Education course teaches dance educators how to development basic philosophical principles and concepts as they are applied to Dance Pedagogy. The course also approaches strategies and systems for teaching and assessing dance in education. Among the objectives of the course there are the teaching and preparation of lesson plans and units in the integration of the art form with other subject areas. The course develops awareness about facilitating a safe space for students to explore, initially, limitless dance/movement as an educational experience. It also tackles the development of the reflective dance practitioner able to craft his/her own classes not based on a technique, but on a methodology born out of diverse environments, alternative and innovat...

Caribbean Dance Hirtory: Lesson Plan on African Influences on Caribbean Spanish Speaking Islands Caribbean Dance History – Fall 2011 Level: Undergraduate Unit: African Influences on Caribbean Dance from Spanish Speaking Islands Learning Background : Dance students, at the Dance BA level, know about the dances in the English Speaking Caribbean. This course emphasizes the history of dance in the Spanish Speaking Caribbean Islands. The students will be learning about Taino dance, Spanish dances, African dances and Chinese dances. The course gives students the opportunity to experience the essential elements of these dances in a creative way through the combination of academic lectures and practical dance demonstrations. It is a unique way in which the students can integrate and express what they know from before, learn the new ideas about dance presented and synthesize their acquired knowledge of the subject matter by integrating their learning through their own dance...

Caribbean Dance History: Course Outline Course Caribbean Dance History Course Code DANC No of Credits 3 Contact Hours 3 Pre-requisite None Lecturer: Dr. Jorge Luis Morejon Course Description: This course will introduce students to the history of Caribbean Dance forms and styles in the Spanish Caribbean, particularly in Cuba. The students will investigate selected historical periods influenced by four prominent dance cultures, the Taino, the European, the African and the Chinese. They will learn the development of these dances and how they became national expressions of artistry and power. They will be exposed, academically and in practice, to the areito, the zapateo, the contradanza, the rumba complex and the Lion Dance in the context of their influence in the development of an evolving Caribbean Dance aesthetic. Course Objectives: Students will be able to Describe and explore the various functions of native and imported dances in Cuban society. Ex...

Caribbean Dance History: Study Guide - Fall 2011 CREATIVE AND FESTIVAL ARTS CENTRE STUDY GUIDE FOR CARIBBEAN DANCE Fall Semester Jorge Luis Morejón, Ph.D., Lecturer October 20th, 2011 University of the West Indies, St. Augustine. Trinidad and Tobago Caribbean Dance: UNIT 4 African Influences on Caribbean Dance: Ethnic Dances, Afro-Cuban Haitian, Rumba and Carnival. Study Guide: Questions and Answers 1. Who was the person who proposed the importation of African slaves to our continent? Fryer Bartolome de las Casas 2. What was his rational? He was restless about the welfare of Cuba’s indigenous people, the Tainos and thought that by bringing African slaves the “Indians” would be treated better. 3. Which document was used by him to formalize his proposition? This document was “Memorial de los Remedios” (Memorial of Remedies), the document that started African slavery in the Americas. 4. What did he propose in that document? He proposed to the Spanis...

Caribbean Dance History: Final Examination - Fall 2011 THE UNIVERSITY OF THE WEST INDIES EXAMINATIONS OF SEMESTER 1 2011/2012 Code and Name of Course: DANC 1303 Caribbean Dance Date and Time: Duration: 2 hours INSTRUCTIONS TO CANDIDATES: This paper has 2 pages SECTION A Answer any one of the following questions (20 marks) 1. Dance in the Caribbean region reflects the many cultures that co-exist in the islands. Give a detailed account of the Dance contribution made by the Africans and Europeans. 2. Timelines of Caribbean History: Give the three most important dates in Caribbean history that was discussed in class and explain why these dates you have chosen are important for Caribbean People to know. 3. Explain when the slave trade began and what was the most significant phenomenon about the transport of Africans to the Americas SECTION B Answer any two of the following questions (10 marks each) 1. Some Folk Dance movemen...

Caribbean Dance History - Final Practice Examination THE UNIVERSITY OF THE WEST INDIES FINALS EXAMINATION OF SEMESTER 1 - PRACTICE 2011/2012 Code and Name of Course: DANC 1303 Caribbean Dance Date and Time: Duration: 3 hours (5 minutes per student) Group: Names: Caribbean Dance is both a visual and a physical activity. Students must learn to "see and do" in order to learn specific dance steps. They must observe how the body adapts to the demands of specific styles of Caribbean dance depending on the cultural influence: Taino, Spanish, African and Chinese. The demonstration of the steps should be coordinated with the music. Thus, in assessing what students learned, the practical exam evaluates the following: • How each student uses his/her creativity to adapt the steps to a choreographic piece of approximately 5 minutes duration? • To what extent the students are able to coordinate the steps to comply with the needs of the group members while keepin...

Modern Dance Technique II - Quiz 1 Modern Dance Technique II - Fall 2011 Quiz 1 Name We have had already five productive weeks of intense work. This includes watching videos, reading and moving. Based on the ideas explored and discussed in class, answer the following questions. 1) Define Modern Dance Technique. 2) What is the simplest form of pedestrian movement in dance? How can we enhance it? 3) New York Times critic John Martin (1893-1985), helped Modern Dance to be known. How did he define the art? 4) How can we influence the performance space in which we move? 5) Which ideas was Modern Dance contesting? Were they successful? Why? 6) There were several contrasting ways of moving in class. Can you mention them? How do they contribute to the quality of our dance? 7) Who are considered part of the first generation of modern dance choreographers in America? What did they believe about dance? 8) We were able to share three videos during class: Sulkary, a ...

Modern Dance Technique II. Quiz 1. Sample Student's Answers Modern Dance Technique II – Fall 2011 Quiz 1 Name Sample We have had already five productive weeks of intense work. This includes watching videos, reading and moving. Based on the ideas explored and discussed in class, answer the following questions. 1. Define Modern Dance Technique. 2. What is the simplest form of pedestrian movement in dance? How can we enhance it? 3. New York Times critic John Martin (1893-1985), helped Modern Dance to be known. How did he define the art? 4. How can we influence the performance space in which we move? 5. Which ideas was Modern Dance contesting? Were they successful? Why? 6. There were several contrasting ways of moving in class. Can you mention them? How do they contribute to the quality of our dance? 7. Who are considered part of the first generation of modern dance choreographers in America? What did they believe about dance? 8. We were able to share thr...

Modern Dance Technique II. Journal Sample Journal Entry 1 Modern Dance II Sample This class began with a warm-up that was quite new to me; I have never done such a relaxing yet effective warm-up to date. The thing that certainly stood out to me was the arm stretches behind the back, although I predict sore body pains in the morning. Another thing that proved to be remarkably helpful was spreading the toes on the floor to aid in elevation, even though personally I think it’s an unattractive feature for women its really useful in dance. Following the warm-up we began to explore space, use of levels, directions, unique movement and use of the eyes; something that I usually seldom pay particular attention to in dance. As I write this I just realized that music was not used throughout the entire class and normally whenever this occurs I miss it tremendously, however I only realized in my current reflections. Okay back to what we did; the use of the eyes was helpful i...