NEW ~ OPDI-M33: Tap Dance, an American Dance Form: Teaching Tradition & Technique (June 24 to August 18, 2024)

Professor: Ashley Sanchez Jones; Member Tuition $365; Non-Member Tuition $440; 2 NDEO-Endorsed PDCs; 8 weeks; As one of the few dance styles born in the United States, Tap Dance has a rich, complicated, and exciting history. Consistently weaving in and out of popular culture, Tap Dance is known for having several renaissance periods that have generated new movement as well as new musical ideas while still holding on to its foundation as the only dance form where movers are dancers AND musicians. Tap Dance is American history and throughout this course, participants will learn: 1) the generation and evolution of tap dance, 2) succinct and efficient explanations of technique, and 3) how to create and teach their own exercises. Lessons will focus on common movements and offer ways to advance these steps through rhythmic challenges and different rudiments. Sample traditional choreographies such as the Shim Sham and Coles & Atkins Soft Shoe will be made available for one’s use. In addition to tap dance history and technique, we will also briefly explore music theory, exercises for deepening improvisation skills, pedagogical methods, and ideas for teaching tap dance where students do not have tap shoes. By the end of this course, you will be equipped with new resources, ideas, and tools to integrate into dance appreciation, dance history, or tap dance courses.

Book required: None

How do OPDI Online Courses for dance teachers work?

Our “online” courses are guided by a professor and include a co-hort of students (other dance teachers) with whom you will collaborate. They also include graded assignments, feedback, final grades, and Professional Development Credits (PDCs). Our OPDI online courses require on average between 6 to 8 hours of work each week, but it all depends on your learning style. It could be less or could be more. You can also register as an Audit student and do as much or as little work as you want and will not receive a grade.

We utilize the Sakai online learning platform to deliver the course materials and instruction. Our courses are asynchronous, so there are no required meeting dates or times but we do have a Course Start and Course End date; however, our courses offer at least 2 optional live Q&A-Feedback zoom sessions during the course to enhance opportunities for connection with other students and the professor. Every week of the course there are assignments that you will need to complete with due dates listed in the course outline / syllabus.

Assignments can be done at any time during the week prior to the due date and may include reading, watching videos, posting answers to prompts on a discussion board, writing an essay, reading and responding to other students' posts on the discussion board, taking a cell phone video of yourself completing a particular movement, taking a quiz, or completing a final project. The professor provides written feedback and grades and you get to connect with other students (who are actually dance teachers) via our discussion board and the optional live Q&A feedback sessions.