Dance Company of Middlebury Dancers work with the artistic director and guest choreographer as a member of a dance company, learning, interpreting, rehearsing, and performing dances created for performance and tour. Those receiving credit can expect four to six rehearsals weekly. Appropriate written work, concert and film viewing, and attendance in departmental technique classes are required. One credit will be given for each term of participation. Performances and tour(s) are scheduled in January. (Limited to sophomores through seniors, by audition.)

Introduction to Dance This entry-level dance course introduces movement techniques, improvisation/composition, performance, experiential anatomy, and the history of dance. Students develop flexibility, strength, coordination, rhythm, and vocabulary in the modern idiom. Concepts of time, space, energy, and choreographic form are presented through improvisation and become the basis for a final choreographic project. Readings, research, and reflective and critical writing about dance performance round out the experience.

Technique Workshop This advanced physical and theoretical study of a variety of movement techniques will further prepare dance majors and minors for the rigors of performance, technical craft, and physical research.  Exercises and discussions will revolve around increased subtlety, strength, flexibility, musicality, and dynamics with the goal of heightening the communicative range of the moving body.  Rotating movement aesthetics taught by dance faculty. (Major/Minor Only)

Introduction to Butoh Dance This course is an introduction to the fundamental principles of butoh dance. Butoh is a contemporary dance form that originated in Japan in the 1950s and has since spread worldwide. This form values explorations of presence, transformation, and the development of curiosity to create full-bodied performance. Students experience butoh techniques through a series of movement exercises, choreography, and improvisational activities. This course explores butoh’s themes, history, and evolution, investigating how it differs from western contemporary dance by subverting dance norms and embracing refusal. Through embodiment, supporting course materials, creative writing practices, and artistic generation, students understand butoh’s physical and emotional components while strengthening creative expression and confidence in the body.   Meshi Chavez is a teacher, butoh dancer, and choreographer and was recently Artist in Residence at Middlebury College from the Fall of 2021 to the Spring of 2023. He received his MFA at the University of the Arts.

Anatomy and Kinesiology This course offers an in-depth experiential study of skeletal structure, and includes aspects of the muscular, organ, endocrine, nervous, and fluid systems of the human body. The goal is to enhance efficiency of movement and alignment through laboratory sessions, supported by assigned readings, exams, and written projects.

Choreography & Performance This course involves concentrated intermediate-advanced level work in contemporary dance technique and choreography culminating in production. Theoretical issues of importance to the dancer/choreographer are addressed through readings, writings and practice.

Dance Company of Middlebury Dance company of Middlebury (0381) is a continuation of Dance Company Lab (0380) taken in the fall. Both 0380 & 0381 are required to participate in the Dance Company of Middlebury. Dancers work with the artistic director and guest choreographer as part of a dance company, learning, interpreting, rehearsing, and performing repertory dances. Participants can expect daily rehearsals plus technique classes, campus performance, and a tour. Appropriate written work is required. Auditions are held in the spring semester for the next fall (DCM 0380). Approval Required; limited to sophomores through seniors by audition.

Performance & Production In this course we will investigate three aspects of place in relation to dance: where we source movement, the relevance of dance in culture, and the effects of place on the moving dancing body. Material covered will include body systems dance technique at the intermediate/advanced level, improvisation and composition toward choreography and site specific work, readings and reflective writing, and performance viewing.  The course culminates in formal and informal showings of performance work. The emergence of a personal philosophy and dance aesthetic will be engaged and formally articulated in writing. (DANC 0260, DANC 0360) 4.

Meshi Chavez

Reviews and ratings for Meshi Chavez at Middlebury College.Meshi Chavez teaches Dance Company Dance Company Lab, Introduction to Dance, Technique Workshop Technique Workshop Lab and more.  Explore top rated instructors and find the best for you.Is Meshi Chavez good ? Find out on MiddCourses.

I enjoyed the class a lot. I really honed into my skills and prepared me as a artist. The readings and guest lectures help me through this class and finding how to create a solo work. It was challenging but the professor really helped me through it and gave honest feed back.

This course was great. A combination of dancing, creative expression, as well as REAL anatomical lecetures. I learned a lot. Only big project was a self-project on one topic of your choice. Super chill!

Meshi is an amazing professor. Even though the class might seem difficult at first, it focuses much more on learning than on high-pressure testing. There are weekly Canvas quizzes that you can retake as many times as you want, which makes it low-stress. The class itself is very chill, with a mix of presentations and bodywork. You only have two papers and a final project, making the workload very manageable.