Making choreography work online in Zoom

By Matt Howcroft (Learning Technologist – Curriculum Development)

As higher education courses were responding to remote teaching during the 2020-21 academic year, many practical courses such as BA (Hons) Dance had to develop new ways of running an applied and highly physical programme in a solely online environment. Senior Lecturer in Dance, Alice Marshall, started running dance choreography workshops through the online platform Zoom, where students would create movement and dance in a space in their own homes, linking virtually with each other to create routines whilst overcoming technical issues, like inadequate internet speed and limited floor space. The students responded well to this change with one third-year student said it helped them prepare for interviews and auditions they attended online for postgraduate courses and job vacancies.

You can join Alice Marshall and some of her BA Dance students for a little Digital Choreography in this recording from the Festival of Learning 2021. Observe as they create choreography via Zoom and reflect upon the way the art-form of dance has evolved during the past 18 months to embrace digital approaches. You will see elements of the process, the final piece and hear the student perspectives.

UoD staff, students, and staff at partner institutions can watch the recording here. (Click to open in a new tab).