Dorrance Dance: Developing Fundamentals of Music and Movement through Body Percussion

Our goal is to engage with audiences on a musical and emotional level, and to share the complex history and powerful legacy of this American art form throughout the country and the world. Rooted in protest and transcendence, improvisation and innovation were paramount to its survival and are innately embedded in its very foundation. We strive to honor this legacy.

…Michelle Dorrance, Dorrance Dance Artistic Director

Join DEL Founding Faculty, Ann Biddle and Nicholas Van Young, Associate Artistic Director, of the award winning Dorrance Dance tap company, in this interactive online course focused on sharing components of the newly created Dorrance Dance Body Percussion curriculum (4th & 5th grade) written by Nicholas Van Young in partnership with DEL. 

Within this online course, participants will have opportunities to engage in multi-modal learning, rhythmic exploration and improvisation, collaborative movement and music making, and critical inquiry related to gaining a deeper understanding of the diasporic roots of tap dance as a universal language combining rhythm and dance.

In this interactive and hands-on workshop, participants will gain a basic understanding of the fundamentals of music and movement through body percussion and learn a series of body percussion rudiments that will be used to build both linear and polyrhythmic patterns and phrases. Students will learn how to create grooves, explore improvisation within song forms, and explore a collection of passport patterns representing distinct rhythmic patterns from around the globe. In addition, participants will collaborate in small groups to create original compositions which include improvisation and accompaniment (scatting). 

REGISTRATION FOR THIS COURSE IS THROUGH THE 92nd STREET Y. You will be redirected to their site to enroll.