Please note! Course description is confirmed for two academic years, which means that in general, e.g. Learning outcomes, assessment methods and key content stays unchanged. However, via course syllabus, it is possible to specify or change the course execution in each realization of the course, such as how the contact sessions are organized, assessment methods weighted or materials used.
LEARNING OUTCOMES
Upon completion of the course, the students are able to:
- Recognise, discuss, describe, critically reflect upon, apply and deepen knowledge on a special area of costume design.
Credits: 1
Schedule: 15.09.2020 - 25.09.2020
Teacher in charge (valid 01.08.2020-31.07.2022): Sofia Pantouvaki, Merja Väisänen
Teacher in charge (applies in this implementation): Sofia Pantouvaki, Merja Väisänen
Contact information for the course (valid 26.08.2020-21.12.2112):
Course tutor: Tua Helve, doctoral candidate, Aalto
University (email: tua.helve@aalto.fi).
CEFR level (applies in this implementation):
Language of instruction and studies (valid 01.08.2020-31.07.2022):
Teaching language: English
Languages of study attainment: Finnish, Swedish, English
CONTENT, ASSESSMENT AND WORKLOAD
Content
Valid 01.08.2020-31.07.2022:
The students are introduced to a special area in costume design. The content of the course may vary in different years and addresses the theory and practice of costume in an advanced level.
Applies in this implementation:
Short description of the course
‘Costume in Contemporary Dance’ examines costume design in the 21st century
Euro-American contemporary dance productions with a special focus on Finland.
Within this frame, the course equips the student to understand dance as a
specific context for design. It discusses influential designers, choreographers,
and collaborations. Through various sources, it helps the student to
analyse design choices, aesthetic approaches, and modes of making (both costume
and dance).This is achieved through actively attending the lectures,
participating in discussions, analysing select texts (see bibliography), video
recordings, as well as discussing the examples and working in small groups.
Furthermore, the course encourages the students to adopt a dynamic and
communicative role in their future projects within dance.Learning Outcomes
Upon completion of the course, the students are able to
recognise, discuss, describe, critically reflect upon, apply and deepen
knowledge on a special area of costume design. Specifically, the students are
able to:- express a deeper understanding of the specificity of dance
as a field for costume design;- identify current strategies in devising and designing
dance productions in the 21st century Euro-American context;- analyse dance productions from the perspective of costume.
Pre-assignmentChoose one pre-assignment from the following options.
Please inform your pre-assignment choice by email to the
course tutor Tua Helve (email: tua.helve@aalto.fi) by Mon 7 September.
In this same email, briefly answer the question: “why did I choose this
course?”Upon the choice of assignment, prepare your contribution for
presenting in the first session (task 1 key points/mind map, task 2 collage
with key words. If possible, prepare this for optimal sharing on the screen).1)
Read the texts by Uusitalo (2006), McLaine and
McCabe (2013), Helve (2018). Analyse and collect main points: Based on
these materials, which aspects appear key to costume design within contemporary
dance? Please note the role of each author (designer, theorist, etc.) and their
possible impact on the testimony.2)
Read the article by Markstein (2016). Do background
research/collect data: In her text, the author names at least six
influential persons in the 20th and 21st century dance.
Choose three of them; find out who they are; with bullet points, describe their
contribution and approach to costume and dance. Is there anyone you would add?
Introduce these 3+1 one names in visual collages (four collages in total).Pre-assignment texts:
·
Uusitalo, Marja. 2006. “A dancer’s costume – visionary
and concrete.” In Theatre People –
People’s Theatre: Finnish Theatre and Dance 2006, edited by Kaisa Korhonen
and Katri Tanskanen, 96–102. Helsinki: Like.·
Helve, Tua. 2018. “Political
by Design: Costume Design Strategies within the Finnish Contemporary Dance
Productions AmazinGRace, Noir? and The Earth Song.” Nordic Journal of Dance 9(1): 14–31.·
McLaine, Gretchen and
McCabe, Janine. 2013. “Communication by Design: A Collaborative Project for
Student Choreographers and Costume Designers.” Journal of Dance Education 13(4): 139–42.·
Markstein, Helena Gee. 2016. “De-signing visual stimuli: A dance maker’s
toolkit.” In Embodied Performance:
Design, Process, and Narrative, edited by Sadia Zabour-Shaw, 143–76. Oxford:
Inter-Disciplinary Press.
Assessment Methods and Criteria
Valid 01.08.2020-31.07.2022:
Students' development during the course, motivation, attendance and active participation in discussions, independent work and completion of assignments.
Applies in this implementation:
Students’
work on this course will be evaluated with the following criteria:Attendance:
minimum of 80% attendance is required on online teaching sessions. Students are
expected to attend, participate actively in the group discussions, read/watch
and reflect, and contribute to the small-group assignments.
Workload
Valid 01.08.2020-31.07.2022:
The workload depends on the type of content offered in each version of this course, and will be specified in the syllabus.
Applies in this implementation:
Workload: 4 cr (108h study hours). Pre-assignment (18h); Contact sessions (46h study load, lectures and discussions); Independent work and small-group assignments (44h)
DETAILS
Study Material
Valid 01.08.2020-31.07.2022:
Depends on the type of content offered in each version of this course, and will be handed out separately.
Applies in this implementation:
Other bibliography
Additional bibliography (to be shared during the course)
·
Bugg, Jessica. 2020. “Dressing Dance –
Dancing Dress: Lived Experience of Dress and its Agency in the Collaborative
Process.” In The Routledge Companion to Dance Studies, edited by Helen
Thomas and Stacey Prickett, 353–64. Abingdon: Routledge.·
Colin, Noyale, and Stefanie Sachsenmaier.
2016. Collaboration in Performance
Practice. Premises, Workings and Failures. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.
(Select chapters)·
Hammond, Abigail. 2012. “Costume design in contemporary dance – a unique
approach to dressing the body.” In Endymatologika
4. Endyesthai (to Dress): Historical, Sociological and Methodological
Approaches. Conference Proceedings, Athens (2010), edited by Xenia Politou,
178–82. Nafplion: Peloponnesian Folklore Foundation.·
Helve, Tua, and Sofia Pantouvaki. 2016. “Sharing ’Untamed Ideas’: Process-based costume
design in Finnish contemporary dance through the work of Marja Uusitalo.” Scene 4(2):149–172.·
Lepecki, André. 2016. “Moving as some thing (or, some things want to run)” Chapter I in Singularities. Dance in the Age of
Performance, 26–54. Abingdon: Routledge.·
Dean, Sally E. 2016. “Where is the body in
the costume design process?” Studies in Costume & Performance 1 (1): 97–111.
doi: 10.1386/scp.1.1.97_1·
Shura Pollatsek, E.
2019. “Elevating the dance.” Theatre Design & Technology. Summer
2019, 55(3): 8–17.·
Trimingham, Melissa
2017. “Agency and Empathy: Artists touch the Body.” Chapter 5 in Costume in
Performance. Materiality, Culture and the Body, ed. Donatella Barbieri,
137–65. London: Bloomsbury.
Prerequisites
Valid 01.08.2020-31.07.2022:
-
SDG: Sustainable Development Goals
5 Gender Equality
FURTHER INFORMATION
Details on the schedule
Applies in this implementation:
Schedule
Weeks 38-39 (15.9. – 25.9.2020), Tues-Fri 9:00-17:00
The course will take place online via Teams. It runs daily from Tue to Fri: “contact” sessions approx. 3 hours/day between 9–15.30. Between the contact sessions, independent tasks. Please take into consideration the extent of the independent tasks and reserve full days for this course.
· Tue 15 Contact sessions 3h
9.30–10.15
10.15–11
12.45–14.30· Wed 16 Contact sessions 4h
9–11.15 (incl. one break)
12–14.15 (incl. one break)· Thu 17 Contact sessions 3,5h
9–9.45
12.15– 15.15 (incl. one break)· Fri 18 Contact sessions 3h
9–10.30
11–12.30- (Monday 21 at 13–16 Costume Lecture, related to the topic of this course)
· Tue 22 Contact sessions 3h
9.15–10.30
11–12.45 with artist/choreographer Tiia Kasurinen· Wed 23 Contact sessions 4,5h
9–11
12–13.30 with artist/choreographer Sonya Lindfors, TBC
14–15· Thu 24 Contact sessions 2h
9–11· Fri 25 Contact sessions 3h
9.30–10.30
10.45–11.45
12.30–13.30
- Teacher: Pantouvaki Sofia
- Teacher: Väisänen Merja