Welcome to Ballet at Mesa - DANC110A

Ballet - DANC110A

Welcome to Ballet - Level 1!

DANC110A - 2002 (CRN: 53546)

We are going digital this spring in an all-online format. We will learn and explore together/apart and learn some new ballet moves and dig into this dance technique that is a foundation for many styles of dance. We will learn to stretch and strengthen our bodies and the building blocks for ballet.

Let's go!

How will online ballet work?

Each week students will be responsible for two (2) movement sessions. This class will have a live zoom on Thursdays, during that time it is ideal to have a working mobile device or laptop/computer with a webcam, and a stable internet connection. Your other movement session will be self-directed and can be one of several options: dancing the recorded zoom or dancing a pre-recorded ballet class.

We will also learn about the history of ballet and the role that ballet plays in the current dance environment. Our class with have online discussions, as well as assignments that include ballet vocabulary, dance viewing analysis, and student movement demonstrations.

Module Design

Our ballet class will be divided into eight modules. Each module will cover a two-week period. Within each module, we will have the following: two live zoom movement sessions, two independent dance sessions from pre-recorded class material, recording and sharing of dance choreography, and one or two discussion posts that engage with classmates regarding online watching/reading conversation prompts. As we move along in the semester there will be a vocabulary quiz, as well benchmark progress activities like midterm and final movement reflections.

About me

I have been doing ballet for a long time! I love the deep level of training it provides for my body and the routine of a ballet class is like coming home.

I started dance training in middle school with ballet and from there expanded to modern dance in college. I received my BFA (Chapman University) and MFA (Florida State University) in dance and then moved here to San Diego to dance professionally. I performed with both San Diego Dance Theater (2010-2018) and Malashock Dance (2009-2017). During this time, I founded Blythe Barton Dance which is now in its 10th year and has performed throughout Southern California. I love choreography and putting movement together to share emotion and tell stories. To share my passion for dance I helped to create San Diego Dance Connect, the county’s dance service organization, and the 40 North Dance Film Festival with shares dance on video with all of San Diego.

I have been teaching at Mesa for only four years, but I already know this is my home for dance for many years to come. I love meeting new dancers of all forms, from those students who have trained for many years and are looking to be pushed to the next level to students that are brand new to dance class and are seeking a challenge to improve physicality, technique, strength, and endurance.

Come with me on a digital dance adventure this fall and discover the secrets of ballet.

Here is a mini-interview I did this past summer...

What inspired you to start dancing?

I have been dancing for as long as I can remember. I got started in after-school ballet in middle school and pretty much fell in love with the challenge of that technique. When I got into college, I was introduced to modern dance and knew I had found my true passion in the width and breadth of dance.

As an instructor, What values do you impress on your students?

Pretty much I want students to be inspired by my love of dance and dance knowledge. I hope that they learn to move bigger than themselves, to appreciate that hard work and diligence will pay off, to learn that breath is essential for movement and for life, to view moving bodies as beautiful expressions of our humanity, to become humble in their quest for improvement, to sense desire for action in one another and to mirror that strength in their own quest for achievement, to be informed by generations before, and to find a personal story in the performance of unique choreographies. (Whew - that is a long list!)

Favorite memory teaching at the college.

My favorite moments each semester, are in viewing our students in performance on stage. I teach ballet and modern and thus see my student through the lens of those modalities. So when I see our dancers in a totally new attitude and depth and personality as they jam in hip hop, jazz, tap, Latin, or other styles, I am always blown away. I love the versatility of our students and how they can shift like chameleons through different genres of dance.

Faculty Communication:

The easiest and most reliable way to contact me is via email: bbarton@sdccd.edu
- - Or via Canvas Conversations emails
Please write emails formally and contain detailed information
- - Subject: Your Full Name, Subject Details, Class Information
  - Greeting: Your full name and which class you are enrolled in
  - Use complete sentences with correct grammar and punctuation
  - Sign your name
If you contact me Monday-Thursday, I will make every effort to respond within 24 hours. I am available on the weekend, but it might take me a bit longer to respond.

Office Hours

Mondays, 9:30 AM - 12:00 PM
Tuesdays, 11:00 AM - 1:30 PM
ZOOM
- https://cccconfer.zoom.us/j/2809819678
Or email me to schedule a one-on-one conversation
- bbarton@sdccd.edu OR Canvas email

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