Reflections Q

1

More Natural and Freer

Yiyun Yang

I have studied Chinese traditional dance. After studying modern dance, I found that the two dance styles are somewhat similar, but they have their own different characteristics. Compared with Chinese traditional dance, modern dance is more natural and freer, and pays more attention to emotional expression and eye contact between people. Although the Chinese traditional dance has emotional expression, it pays more attention to the presentation of skills and Chinese national tradition. In this class, I also created my own dance through my own efforts and imagination, which is very memorable. When working on group dance, I realized the importance of teamwork. In addition, dance classes give me the opportunity to exercise and give me time to stretch body in my heavy schoolwork.

2

Little by Little

Jinhua Li

 

 

Thank you very much, professor, it is a great semester. I have improved little by little from someone who has never touched dance. Bravely show my dance in front of people, know how to choreograph, how to improvise, how to express my emotions through dance.

3

Focusing, Breathing, Moving

Camryn Spector

I really enjoyed taking Modern Dance level two this semester. I feel as though I learned something new every single class and as a whole I have a lot of takeaways. Going into this class I thought it was just going to be dance, but it was so much more than that. I definitely struggled at times and faced multiple challenges, but overall I think these challenges revealed things that I never would've if it wasn't for this class. I learned about focusing, breathing, moving in a space, expressing my emotions through movements, and also how to put different phrases of movements together into a solo. In addition to the dance, I really appreciated starting every class off with stretching. In the past I never would have stretched but this class showed me how much better my body can feel just by stretching. Thank you so much for a great semester!

4

My Own Dancing Movements

Jiaming Cao

Only dancing class can make me enjoy studying without overwhelmed stress and burden. Everyone brings their smile to the class. This class creates lots of happiness and fun for us. I would like to take this course one more time if I am allowed. I really appreciate our professor who is always nice to us. I can never do all of this without the help from professor. Thank you so much. Our classmates are fantastic in dancing. Your creativity and passion make me so impressed. I learn a lot from all of you. Best wishes for all of you to be much more excellent. It is an amazing class. The video and class materials are nice guidance to lead me to think and analyze. It is interesting to create my own dancing movements based on what I learnt from the class. I know that I am not the best, I am not a professional, I am not an excellent dancer... But thank you for your patience and encouragement. I really appreciate you offer these opportunities for us to relax and learn dancing.

5

Proud of All of Us

Victoria Amplo

I am so grateful for have choosing this class for my first semester at UMiami. This class granted my peers and I with the presence of Professor Jorje, such a fun-loving, compassionate person. He is passionate about what he teaches and it 100% shines through to us students. I have made not only classmates this semester, but friends. I am proud of all of us for facing our fears and obtaining the confidence to choreograph and perform our individual routines.

6

I will Keep On Practicing

Niandi Liu

I had a lot of fun in this class. This is my first dance course in a group in my life. The experience is meaningful. I made new friends from the ensemble. In the videos and articles, we watched together, I learned so many new things about modern dance and deep background of the professional dancers. I also learned many techniques, such as different structures, transitions from free to bound movement and breathing techniques. 

After this course, I can express myself more freely. The solo piece gives me space to be creative. My moves were compressed at the beginning. But, after the many practices, they are connected with a particular theme. I am much more confident on my moves. Indeed, the mood and atmosphere for this class has been easy and relax. I really enjoyed this class. Dance is a great way to express feelings and emotions that can also release stress. Everyday topics can be an inspiration for dance. So, I will keep on practicing to be more confident.

7

More Brave to Stand

Jingjing Pan

        

During the whole semester, I learned a lot and I enjoyed this dance course very much. Each class was very meaningful. By learning theoretical knowledge first, and, then, combining it with practice, it allowed me to better understand and apply them in my solo and ensemble dance. What’s more, through learning many dancers’ backgrounds and watching their dance performance, I knew how to express my emotions, how to incorporate and connect my body with different movements and directions, and how to breathe right during dance. 

These gains will help me better understand Modern Dance and apply them to my life in the future. The solo and ensemble performance let me challenge myself. I was very nervous, and these performances made me become more brave to stand on the stage and learn the important of team work. Finally, I really enjoyed each class which was relaxing and knowledgeable for me.

8

Motivated

Kayla Lindemann 

 

This course has taught me a lot of confidence. Coming into class everyday and knowing anything I do is correct as long as I apply myself is what I believe helped me excel in this class. As our professor you always reminded us that as long as we do our best we will succeed in this class and that kept me motivated. I loved how empowering this class was and this hour and 15 minutes was really therapeutic for me. I was able to just focus on my creative abilities and I believe sometimes we forget to just have fun and get creative with ourselves and our bodies. I really enjoyed this class and appreciate your teaching skills immensely. Wish you the best. Thank you.

9

Proud of Myself

Rachel Wojtowicz

I had a great time this semester.  Overall the class was a lot of fun. Getting to dance everyday allowed me to take mind off of my other classes that are stressful. This class was relaxing and allowed me a break from stress while still learning a lot! This class pushed me out of my comfort zone and it was interesting to go through the process of coming up with my own solo piece and a group dance.  I can now say I have fully memorized them and I don’t think I will ever forget them from the constant practice.  I learned a lot about the history of dance as well. I am so proud of myself for getting up and performing! 

10

Emotions Through Dance Movements

Viktoria Kartavenko

I really enjoyed Modern Dance level two this semster. I learned a lot about the history and development of the modern dance. It was interesting to see how different historical events influenced the development of modern dance movements. I was able to improve my creativity by coming up with different movement phrases that ultimately became a part of my solo and group piece. Overall, I believe that this class taught me a lot on how to be creative and express my emotions through dance movements.

11

An Outlet to Explore

Lauren Twamugabo

I enjoyed this class a lot this semester. Through my major requirements I don’t take any arts classes but I wanted to take a dance class to diversify my academic experience and I strongly believe I met my goal. I liked having a class that isn’t about science and I was able to learn a lot about myself, my dancing, performance, and other life skills. Not only did I enjoy learning about the different components and the history of modern dance, but I had fun dancing and making new friends in the class. I felt like this class was an outlet to explore my creative side and it was empowering to gain confidence in my own personal expression.

12

Confidence

Sydney Glassman

I really enjoyed taking Modern Dance Level Two this semester. It opened my eyes to the idea of body movement being its own language. I enjoyed learning about the history of dance and people and putting those ideas into use through our own movements. Also, everyday that we had this class, my stress levels significantly decreased. I felt very free with my motions. In the beginning of the semester, I was very shy and kept to myself, but I increasingly became more outgoing and then at the end, when I performed my solo, I showed the confidence that I built up overtime throughout this class.

 

13

Different Expressions, Emotions and Stories

Olivia Tanchel

I had a great semester in dance. I gained patience and learned a lot about the history of dance and how different expressions, emotions and stories can be told through dance.  I really enjoyed preforming my final solo and group dance! My favorite class was the guest dance teacher- I like the structure of learning a dance as a class and building onto that as a class for a week or so and then with each lesson learn a new dance.

14

Unlike Any that I Have Done Before

Caroline Kevin

 

I enjoyed the time I spent in modern dance 2 this semester. I learned a lot more than I thought I would. I have been dancing for 7 years at this point, with my studies focusing on contemporary and modern styles, so I did not know what to expect coming into the class. I have never taken a dance class like this before, it challenged me in ways I was not expecting which forced me to grow as a dancer and student. I think the most difficult thing for me was pulling my solo together from the series of movements we created throughout the semester, I had never looked at choreography like that and the product was a solo unlike any that I have done before. I really appreciated this class as a way to destress and move my body in the middle of the day and a time to not think about the work I had to do. Thank you for a great semester!

15

Great Dance Experience

Hantao (Joey) Wu

 

This semester is the first time I have made more formal contact with dance. From the beginning, my clumsy and stiff entry-level movements were not smooth compared to the more smooth connection in my back, and yet, I still experienced lots of progress. 

 

From these actions, I felt a different sense of calm and relaxation from my ordinary college life. So it became more natural to balance my study and life. Thank you for providing me with such a great teaching experience in my last semester at UM！

16

Reflection: Unity & Friendship

 

Zilin (Bruce) Xu

 

            In this class, I really felt very happy in a group with Michael, Kayla and Melissa.  So that I look forward to the content of the next class before every session. Everyone's friendship went beyond the curriculum. It was everyone's company that made dance class interesting. This course is very interesting and I have learned a lot. I hope the teacher can maintain his teaching style of grouping students in ensembles.