What is Notes in Motion?
Notes in Motion/Amanda Selwyn Dance Theatre engages communities in dynamic dance theatre performances and inclusive arts education programs.
BEING AN AGENT OF CHANGE
Notes in Motion/Amanda Selwyn Dance Theatre is rooted in our mission of offering access, nurturing community, and promoting individual expression and freedom. Our dance education programs in the NYC schools offer students tools to express themselves, engage with their peers, and gain a more well rounded school experience. Through sharing and providing access to this inclusive learning model, we are engaged in the critical work of breaking down barriers of systematic racism and oppression. We actively recruit diverse teaching artists, dancers, staff, and board to reflect, empower, and celebrate the diverse populations we serve. We are steadfast in our commitment to equity and change and driven to show up with vulnerability in an open dialogue with our schools, audiences, patrons, volunteers, and supporters. It is a privilege to share the joy of dance, offering students and audiences in-roads to discover inspiration, meaning, and joy. We continue into our third decade of dance making, sharing, and educating with a dedication to foster equality, access, and opportunity to all. — Amanda Selwyn, Artistic/Executive Director
Mission
Amanda Selwyn Dance Theatre/Notes in Motion engages communities in dynamic dance theatre and inclusive arts education programs. Amanda Selwyn Dance Theatre presents dance theatre productions that activate emotional expression. Through an interplay of athletic and articulate motion, we present theatrical and immediate works that engage audiences from start to finish and beckon a response of thought, feeling, and soul. Notes in Motion brings dance education programs to the NYC Public Schools in styles including modern, ballet, tap, jazz, hip hop, Latin, African, and more. Programs are united by our singular approach to dance education, The Movement Exchange Method, which combines technical instruction with creative skill-building and collaborative learning. Programs foster self-discovery, risk-taking, and making connections. We aim to provide access to the art form of dance to inspire the next generation of dance appreciators.
History
Program Goals
Learning Objectives
Investigating fundamental dance concepts
K-2: levels, pathways, body shapes, rhythm
3-5: weight shifts, dynamics, body control, basic partnering
6-8: alignment, strength, flexibility, balance, dyamics, spatial orientations
9-12: musical phrasing, dynamic control, sequencing, understanding complex rhythms
Inventing original movements
K-2: expressing feelings/abstract concepts, working alone, collaborating with peers
3-5: finding solutions to movement problems; improvising as a group
6-8: initiating ideas, turning gestures into movement, varying dynamics and speed
9-12: developing original improv structures, exploring group dynamics, partnering
Creating their own choreography
K-2: choosing a beginning, middle, end; recalling, repeating, practicing sequences
3-5: employing structures (AB, ABA); creating as a group
6-8: articulating a theme, showing leaderships skills, experimenting with space and time
9-12: rehearsing and evaluating independently, developing material from improvisation
Performing for peers, family, and the school community at the end of each semester
K-2: show expressiveness and joy; understand appropriate performer & audience behavior
3-5: dance with focus and intent; dance with self-awareness and awareness of the group
6-8: dance with rhythmic accuracy and musical feeling, perform improvisations
9-12: dance with unique personal style, exhibit a high level of awareness and achievement
Employing dance vocabulary through writing, discussion, and video
K-2: name activities, parts of the body, choreographic ideas, and personal observations
3-5: use contrasting action & descriptive words, connect dance learning to academic areas
6-8: identify various choreographic devises (canon, retrograde), name muscles and bones
9-12: teach a dance to younger students, utilize refined observation and evaluation skills
