There are five major options for taking dance classes at Brown: departmental courses, Applied Dance Program classes, OMAC classes, student-run classes, and off-campus studio classes, and special workshops. The most common option is to take classes through the Theatre, Speech and Dance Department, which offers a great variety of courses. This option is free and gives you course credit, the other options are extra-curricular and generally cost money. The classes run by student groups often cost a small amount of money per session (though there are probably some groups that teach for free),e.g. $3-5. OMAC Classes generally cost from $70-120 for the semester, approximately, and are offered in a wide variety of styles. Different off-campus studios have different prices and styles, I've put a list of links below. Workshops are generally free and organized around festivals or major companies travelling through Providence.

THEATRE, SPEECH AND DANCE DEPARTMENT CLASSES

Fall 2007:

TSDA 0310 – Beginning Modern Dance

TSDA 0320 – Dance Composition

TSDA 1280O* - New Works/World Traditions

TSDA 1310 - Advanced Modern Dance

TSDA 1330 – Dance History: 20th Century

TSDA 1350* – Dance Performance and Repertory

Spring 2008:

TSDA 0330 – Mande Dance, Music and  Culture

TSDA 1000 – Intermediate Modern Dance

TSDA 1280O* - New Works/World Traditions

TSDA 1280R - Repertory of 20th and 21st   Century Dance Masters

TSDA 1310 - Advanced Modern Dance

TSDA 1320 – Choreography

TSDA 1340 – Dance Styles

TSDA 1360*- Dance Performance and  Repertory

* - by audition only.

DANCE FACULTY AT BROWN

Michelle Bach-Coulibaly – Senior Lecturer, Department of Theatre Speech and Dance. Director of the Mande Dance, Music and Culture Studies program, artistic director of New Works/World Traditions, a World Music and Dance Ensemble. She and her husband, Seydou Coulibaly host cultural exchange programs for artist, students and scholars in Mali at their school for traditional art, Yeredon. With her performance troupe, she has developed over 85 original movement theatre pieces for the concert stage, corporate world, and for film. At Brown, Michelle teaches classes in modern dance, choreography and Mande performance traditions, and directs New Works/World Traditions. For a full bio, see:  http://research.brown.edu/myresearch/Michelle_Bach-Coulibaly

Annamaura Silverblatt – Visiting Lecturer, Department of Theatre Speech and Dance. Trained at the Martha Graham School of Contemporary Dance in New York, she received her undergraduate and graduate degrees in Performance Choreography from UCLA. She has danced with Dance Theatre Seattle, Ballet South Memphis Tennessee, Inbal Company in Israel, and Balliamo, in Los Angeles. While residing in Los Angeles, she was one of the twelve choreographers chosen to do the opening of the 1985 Olympics. Since her relocation to Providence , she has choreographed and performed throughout the New England area. At Brown, she teaches introductory and advanced choreography.

Julie Adams Strandberg – Senior Lecturer, Department of Theatre, Speech and Dance. Founder of The American Dance Legacy Institute, and Founding Director of Dance at Brown University. She is Associate Artist Director of the New York State Summer School of the Arts School of Dance and was on the faculty of the Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival from 1992-1995. She has choreographed and directed extensively for college, community, and professional theater groups, including Brown, RISD, Trinity Repertory Theatre, and The Harlem Dance Foundation. At Brown she teaches classes in modern dance, choreography and dance history, and directs the company Dance Extension. Please contact at julie_strandberg@brown.edu. For a full bio, see: http://research.brown.edu/myresearch/Julie_Strandberg

American Dance Legacy Institute website: http://www.adli.us/

APPLIED DANCE PROGRAM

Still under development, this will mirror the Applied Music Program and offer classes in jazz and ballet for a small fee and course credit.

OMAC CLASSES

This semester's offerings in Dance:

200- Ballet (Beginner/Intermediate) with Allison - $95 /semester

201- Hip Hop (Beginner) with Selena - $70

202- Hip Hop (Inter./Advanced) with Selena - $70

203- Break Dance with Gerardo -$70

204- Bollywood and Classical with Lana - $60

for more details and the latest updates, check: http://www.brown.edu/Athletics/Recsports/physed.html

STUDENT GROUP CLASSES

Many of the student groups offer classes intended for beginners for a small fee (usually 5 dollars or less). These will usually meet weeknights in Leung Gallery or Sayles. Groups that offer these sorts of courses include:

Argentine Tango Club

Bulgarian Folk Dancing Society

Brown Ballroom Dance Club- They also have a competitive ballroom team, but they offer regular beginner courses in a variety of ballroom styles.

Contact Improvisation- Second and fourth Wednesdays from 7:30pm to 9:30pm in the Hillel Social Room. Contact Hoy Loper and Hannah Mellion for more info.

Contra and Folk Dance Society- Every other Friday night, Contra has an open contra dance with live folk music and a caller. They don't run like lessons, but every dance gets explained as you go, and there's always people willing to help newcomers.

Swing Club

Further details about where and when these classes meet can be found on the group pages, see Groups link.

OFF-CAMPUS CLASSES

Carol Abizaid's Dance Excercise class- a workout designed for dancers to improve areas critical to good technique at the Hillel house Monday-Thursday from 12-1. Classes are $10/class, and discounted if you buy in bulk.

Seydou Coulibaly's Mande Dance Class- Sundays 12:00-1:30pm at Hillel Social Hall.

Eyes of the World Yoga- http://www.innerhappiness.com/    - offers yoga in a variety of styles and levels, located near Brown/RISD.

Festival Ballet- http://www.festivalballet.com/main%20%20template/center.html   -Ballet classes for all ages at a variety of levels, located on 825 Hope Street.

Groundwerx Studio- http://www.perishable.org/calendar.htm

'Tucked away on the third floor of the same building that
houses the Perishable Theater, Groundwerx offers classes in the art of
movement and dance of different cultures. You'll feel like a
professional dancing in the large, open studio outfitted with mirrors,
barres and plenty of natural light. Get in tune with your body through
modern dance or Kundalini yoga. Learn to shimmy in a Middle Eastern
dance class or -- if your knees are strong and willing -- take Bharat
Natyam, a classical Indian dance. Payment varies depending on the
class: for some, you can drop in and pay per visit, others require
registration for a multi-week session. -- Joellen Secondo '

WORKSHOPS AND MASTER CLASSES

Workshops or master classes are often offered as part of festivals or residencies, such as this springs's Liz Lerman Dance Exchange Residency, or when touring companies come to Providence to perform, for example the Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Company who held a master class this fall at Brown when they were in town for a performance at the Providence Performing Arts Center. Workshops and master classes will listed on the Calendar webpage, and announced both on the Body&Sole Listserv and the bulletin board outside Ashamu dance studio. In addition, those wanting to bring artists in to teach master classes or workshops may refer to the Grants page which may help with getting funds. As Body&Sole grows as an organization we hope that we may be able to use some of our funds as a student group for this purpose.

Last Update: 2/17/08