3.00 Credits
This course is designed for students with an emphasis and major in dance, and for students interested in dance science and human movement. This class presents the basic anatomy and kinesiology of the key body joints of the spine, shoulder, hip, knee, ankle, and foot. The fundamental bony structure, muscles, and ligaments of these joints are discussed as they relate to movement capacity, mechanics, and injury risk. This basic knowledge of these joints is combined with movement analysis to help students better understand alignment and selected dance vocabulary. This information will guide students in learning dance technique rationally and efficiently, and preventing injuries. ***COURSE LEARNING OUTCOMES (CLOs)*** At the successful conclusion of this course, students will be able to: 1. Identify the primary tissues of the body and their functions. 2. Identify joint movement terminology and body orientation terminology. 3. Identify and locate all bones in the skeletal system and describe bone composition, structure, development, and growth. 4. Identify and locate all muscles in the muscular system and describe skeletal muscle structure and function. 5. Analyze the bones, bony landmarks, joint structure, muscles, and movements of the spine, pelvic girdle, hip joint, knee, ankle, foot, and upper extremity. 6. Analyze the mechanics of the spine, pelvic girdle, hip joint, knee, ankle, foot, and upper extremity, specifically in regards to optimum efficiency. 7. Analyze common alignment deviations and injuries in dancers and investigate strategies to correct and prevent them. 8. Construct conditioning exercises for major areas of the body as well as individually identified areas of need. Prerequisite: Instructor permission, DANC 1001 (Grade C or higher), DANC 2255 (Grade C or higher). FA (odd)