Dance Division

Dance Division has been hard at work devising creative options to highlight and share student work in the 2020-21 school year. Keep abreast of emerging concert and performance streaming dates by checking this webpage regularly. As dates solidify they will be announced here as well as on the larger school calendar, easily accessed on the NT homepage.

We thank you for your support this year as school attendance and learning formats continue to adjust. The entire Performing Arts Division is committed to offering students robust learning and performing experiences that emphasize creativity, critical thinking, collaboration, and connection to community. We look forward to sharing their work with you soon.

Congratulations to our 2020-21 Kinesis

This is a modern dance-based curriculum integrated with ballet, jazz, world dance forms, and somatics. Four levels of dance as well as Menz Dance  are offered to accommodate the developmental needs of female and male students, and encompass technical training, improvisation, composition, performance and critical analysis. Courses in dance share the essential understandings of the Kinetic Wellness department and contribute to personal wellness.

All courses in the Dance Division, with the exception of Freshman Dance 2 , satisfy the Kinetic Wellness graduation requirement. Sophomores may elect dance in place of Kinetic Wellness 2 , but they must fulfill one semester of health education. Only Kinetic Wellness 1 /  Dance I,   and Dance I  do not require a placement class.

Students have a variety of opportunities to participate in co-curricular and extracurricular performances and dance events throughout the year.

PHILOSOPHY

Technical training, creating, performing and evaluating are the essential elements in the study of dance as an art form. The Dance Division regards the creative process to be of equal importance  to technical training or finished products. Problem-solving, cooperative learning, critical thinking and self expression are the cornerstones of the Dance Division's educational philosophy. Dance naturally occurs as an interdisciplinary art form that incorporates all the arts and makes connections between all disciplines. In the end, we hope to give our students another means to interpret the world around them and develop an appreciation for all of the visual and performing arts.

CURRICULUM

This is a modern dance-based curriculum integrated with ballet, jazz and world dance forms along with elements of Yoga and Pilates. Students experience dance through technique, improvisation, composition and performance. Four levels of dance are offered on the Winnetka campus to accommodate the developmental needs of male and female students from novice to the highly skilled dancer. The Northfield campus presently offers two levels: Kinetic Wellness 1/Dance 1  (no placement class necessary) and Freshman Dance 2 (placement class required).
Dance technique courses may be used to fulfill seven semesters of the Kinetic Wellness requirement for graduation. Any dance course taken in addition to a Kinetic Wellness class receives Fine Arts credit. This option allows students to include dance in their schedule as a Fine Arts elective.
Sophomore dancers in Dance 2,3,4 * and Menz Dance  must fulfill the KW Health requirement for graduation either of two ways:

• Dance 1st semester and Health 2nd semester
• Dance two semesters and Health one semester during another period (This is the only option for sophomores recommended for Dance 4 ; Dance 4  must be taken the entire year)

All classes meet daily for approximately 30 minutes of activity. Dance Lab is a daily 75-minute class for serious minded advanced dancers to study in depth the art, craft and science of modern dance.

COURSE OFFERINGS

Except for Kinetic Wellness 1/Dance 1  and Dance 1 , level placement classes are required for registration. Students currently enrolled in dance are assessed in class. Placement classes are held for students new to NT dance. Courses may be repeated with permission of the instructor. All classes are sequentially arranged by ability level as follows:

• Kinetic Wellness 1/Dance 1   - Full year on the Northfield Campus (Fulfills freshman KW requirement
• Freshman Dance  2  - Full year on the Northfield Campus (elective)
• Menz Dance  - Full year or one semester (Sophomores must fulfill one semester of KW Health)
• Dance 2  - Full year or one semester (Sophomores must fulfill one semester of KW Health)
• Dance 3  - Full year or one semester (Sophomores must fulfill one semester of KW Health)
• Dance 4  - Full year
• Dance at Dawn   - Full year, early bird class
• Dance Lab 1   - Full year, Jr./ Sr. only (4-level course) 
No athletic waiver. 
Senior Project participants must complete entire year. 
Recommendation from current dance teacher is required for Dance Lab courses.  Seniors wishing to go on "Senior Project" must choose abbreviated project in order to attend class.
• Dance Lab 2     - Full year, Sr. only (4-level course) No athletic from current dance teacher is required for Dance Lab courses.  Seniors wishing waiver. 
Senior Project participants must complete entire year.  Recommendation to go on "Senior Project" must choose abbreviated project in order to attend class.

PERFORMANCE OPPORTUNITIES & DANCE EVENTS 2020-2021

• First NDE rehearsal   Northfield Dance Studio, Monday, Sept. 21.    Northfield Dance Ensemble is in rehearsal - both live and virtual - from September 21 until the Showcase on December 17
• Kinesis Car Wash   POSTPONED!  See entry below.
• Northfield Dance Ensemble Virtual Showcase  , Thursday, Dec. 17, 7pm  A showcase of original student and faculty choreography that is available online, free of charge.
• Level Placement Class    January 22 & 29, 2021.  A class provided virtually for rising freshmen interested in being placed into Freshman Dance 2 at the Northfield  campus.  Upperclassmen interested in being considered for higher level dance classes may also attend.  
• Kinesis Dance Company LIVE   End of February, 2021 ( special link available on this Dance Division webpage ).  Comprised of junior and senior dancers, the Kinesis Dance Company presents original choreography created by its members.  This year, the concert will be filmed on the Gaffney Stage using a 3-camera shoot and providing unique vantage points. A special Dance for Camera work with the entire company, created by guest artist and NT alum Stephen Blood, will be included in this movie event. 
• Dance Theater New Trier Choreographer Audition, Winnetka Dance Studio G14 Tuesday, February 16, 4-6 pm All  Dance 3  , Dance 4, Dance Lab and Menz Dance   students are encouraged to present original material to be considered for choreography in the April, Dance Theater New Trier Concert.
• DTNT Dancer Audition, Winnetka Dance Studios or Zoom. Thursday, February 18, 4:15 pm  An audition for dancers at the Winnetka Campus Dance Studios open to students enrolled in  Dance Lab  ,  Dance 4  ,  Dance 3  , and  Menz Dance .
• DTNT First Rehearsal, Winnetka Dance Studios Wednesday, February 24, 3:45-5:30 pm 
• Dance Day "United We Dance" Video  
  A beloved annual celebration of student work, including a culmination of in-class choreographic projects created by the freshman through senior students, this event will be filmed this year and made available for the entire community.  Look for updates mid-April, 2021
• Dance Theater New Trier Concert, Filmed performance, Thursday and Friday, April 29 & 30, 7pm.  A formal concert by this student performance group.  Choreography is created by the students, faculty and guest artists. Look for link to recording on this page.
• Menz Concert, TBD early May, 2021
• Kinesis Audition, Winnetka Dance Studios or via Zoom Tuesday, May 18 3:30-6 pm. An audition at the Winnetka Campus open to rising juniors and seniors.  All students who are chosen for this ensemble are required to sign up for Dance Lab.  However, all students are invited and encouraged to attend this audition simply for the experience and practice of auditioning.
• Dance Lab 2 Showcase, date, time, and location (a professional theater in Chicago) TBD.  A showcase of solos, duets, trios and small groups choreographed by the seniors of Dance Lab 2 under the direction of Johannah Wininsky.