Re: Computer Pedagogy in Dance Depts (nik)

nik (nik@websciences.org)
Wed, 21 May 1997 08:56:50 -0800

>
>Nik, it is interesting that UCLA's Dance Dept is so under-supported
>technology wise (though of course I have this feeling that you are
>undertaking to change this fact...) But I wondered if you were aware of
>your dept's involvement in the following:
>
>---- FROM THE LA TIMES ----
>Funded with $3.9 million from the Pew Charitable Trusts, a new, bicoastal,
>four-year multidisciplinary project is addressing the ways media
>technologies can safeguard dance's past achievements and expand its
>potential audience.
>
>Named after one of the most basic computer commands, Save As: Dance is a
>project shared by the 4-year-old National Initiative to Preserve American
>Dance, based at the Kennedy Center in Washington, and the newly formed UCLA
>Dance/Media Project, part of that campus' Department of World Arts and
>Cultures.
>
>Judy Mitoma, chair and professor of the UCLA department, says that "the
>challenge of this project involves turning technology to our benefit,
>introducing dance to new audiences, educating new students, making the next
>generation of dancers more intelligent and capitalizing on this moment in
>history.
>
>article continues...
>

= )

i'm very well aware of this - this dept's focus is entirely on video.

this is a dept. that gets a $3.9 million dollar grant for "educating new
students, making the next generation of dancers more intelligent" and is
graduating computer illiterate dancers."

there is not even a computer lab anymore in the dance building.

but don't take my word for it (for those dance writers out there)

ask

some grad students in the dept

(i need to ask them permission to give out their e-mail. but if anyone
wants to e-mail dance/wac grad/undergrad students here at UCLA - mail me
and i'll forward your message)

or ask the faculty (btw more have e-mail than last tiem i checked ~ a year ago)
whose e-mail and office addresses are publically availible

name: Alter, Judith
phone: 310-825-1821,310-825-3951
address: 124 Dance Bldg
mail code: 160806
adm code: 0430
department: World Arts & Cultures
email: jalter@arts.ucla.edu
title: Asst Prof

name: Bennett, Stephen
phone: 310-825-7472
address: 224 Dance Bldg
mail code: 160806
adm code: 0430
department: World Arts & Cultures/Dance
email: sbennett@arts.ucla.edu
title: Visit Asst Prof

name: Bishop, John
phone: 310-206-8011
address: 124 Dance Bldg
mail code: 160806
adm code: 0430
department: World Arts & Cultures
email: jbishop@ucla.edu
title: Visit Asst Prof

name: Boskin, Nancy
phone: 310-206-3291
address: 124 Dance Bldg
mail code: 160806
adm code: 0430
department: World Arts & Cultures
email: nboskin@arts.ucla.edu
title: Lec

name: Bowen, Carol
phone: 310-206-4274
address: 124 Dance Bldg
mail code: 160806
adm code: 0430
department: World Arts & Cultures
email: cbowen@arts.ucla.edu
title: MSO

name: Brown, Ron
phone: 310-825-0166,310-825-3951
address: 204 Dance Bldg
mail code: 160806
adm code: 0430
department: World Arts & Cultures
title: Adjt Asst Prof

name: Camara, Nzingha
phone: 310-825-0166
address: 124 Dance Bldg
mail code: 160806
adm code: 0430
department: World Arts & Cultures
title: Lec

name: Clippinger, Karen
phone: 310-825-7567
address: 124 Dance Bldg
mail code: 160806
adm code: 0430
department: World Arts & Cultures
title: Visit Asst Prof

name: Dosamantes-Beaudry, Irma
phone: 310-206-1333,310-825-3951
address: 144F Dance Bldg
mail code: 160806
adm code: 0430
department: Dance
email: irmad@arts.ucla.edu
title: Prof

name: Fairweather, Pamela
phone: 310-825-7567
address: 124 Dance Bldg
mail code: 160806
adm code: 0430
department: World Arts & Cultures
title: Lec

name: Gantz, Judithe I.
phone: 310-825-7567,310-825-3591
address: 206 Dance Bldg
mail code: 160806
adm code: 0430
department: Dance
title: Visit Asst Prof

name: Gere, David H.
phone: 310-206-1334
address: 144E Dance Bldg
mail code: 160806
adm code: 0430
department: World Arts & Cultures/Dance
email: dgere@ucla.edu
title: Visit Asst Prof

name: Leung, Angelia
phone: 310-206-1336,310-825-3951
address: 144J Dance Bldg
mail code: 160806
adm code: 0430
department: World Arts & Cultures
email: aleung@arts.ucla.edu
title: Assoc Prof

name: Marks, Victoria
phone: 310-206-9227
address: 124 Dance Bldg
mail code: 160806
adm code: 0430
department: World Arts & Cultures
email: vmarks@arts.ucla.edu
title: Visit Asst Prof

name: Mezur, Katherine
phone: 310-206-1335
address: 124 Dance Bldg
mail code: 160806
adm code: 0430
department: World Arts & Cult-APPEX
email: kmezur@arts.ucla.edu
title: Proj Mgr

name: Mitoma, Judy
phone: 310-825-3951,310-206-1331
address: 124 Dance Bldg
mail code: 160806
adm code: 0430
department: World Arts & Cultures/Dance
email: jmitoma@arts.ucla.edu
title: Chairperson/Prof

name: Moorhead, Muriel
phone: 310-825-5638
address: 128 Dance Bldg
mail code: 160806
adm code: 0430
department: World Arts & Cultures
email: mimim@arts.ucla.edu
title: Admin Ana

name: Nabokov, Peter
phone: 310-267-2037
address: 124 Dance Bldg
mail code: 160806
adm code: 0430
department: World Arts & Cultures
email: pnabokov@arts.ucla.edu
title: Visit Assoc Prof

name: Ng, Ming
phone: 310-206-1867
address: 124 Dance Bldg
mail code: 160806
adm code: 0430
department: World Arts & Cult-Cntr for Intercultural Performance
email: ming@arts.ucla.edu
title: Admin Asst

name: Quigley, Colin
phone: 310-206-1341
address: 144E Dance Bldg
mail code: 160806
adm code: 0430
department: World Arts & Cultures
email: cquigley@arts.ucla.edu
title: Vice Chair

name: Rousseve, David
phone: 310-206-0403
address: 124 Dance Bldg
mail code: 160806
adm code: 0430
department: World Arts & Cultures
title: Visit Assoc Prof

name: Scott, Marion
phone: 310-825-3951,310-825-6640
address: 148 Dance Bldg
mail code: 160806
adm code: 0430
department: Dance
title: Prof Emrt

name: Waterman, Christopher
phone: 310-206-0534
address: 124 Dance Bldg
mail code: 160806
adm code: 0430
department: World Arts & Cultures
email: cwater@arts.ucla.edu
title: Visit Prof

name: Wright, Rebecca
phone: 310-825-0166
address: 124 Dance Bldg
mail code: 160806
adm code: 0430
department: Dance
title: Visit Prof

name: de Leon, Liliana
phone: 310-206-3291
address: 124 Dance Bldg
mail code: 160806
adm code: 0430
department: World Arts & Cultures
title: Lec

>It is funny to me that, based on Nik's reports and the report above, it
>seems UCLA's interest in technology is in using it to preserve old dances,
>but not to make new ones.
>
>Some dance depts are looking to include computers, however. Dawn and my
>alma mater, California Institute of the Arts (just up the street from Nik)
>is doing a lot to make their dancers computer literate. Part of the dance
>school's basic curriculam now includes
>
>- video editing software (Premiere), which they use to edit a video of
>their work.
>- audio editing software (Sound Designer), which they use to create a score
>for their own work
>
>Our friend DK who lurks here might be able to tell us more. The thing I
>like about this approach is that they aren't just learning some word
>processor, they use the computer in the creation of their work. This is
>essential.
>
>>in the next five - ten years the economic and political landscape of
>>computing will be shaped. if the dance dept. here at UCLA is any indication
>>it could take five years for them to get a decent computer lab and their
>>faculty using e-mail.
>
>Dance is not part of the capiltalism "scene" which is where computing
>landscape is built. This is not just UCLA, but is universal. Of course, in
>our humble way, all of the people that frequent this list will have their
>own effect on the way that dance is part of the world of computers.
>

>But I am curious Nik, is UCLA's difficulty becuase of lack or interest or
>because of underfunding?

lack of interest. those undergraduate's that learn computing here do so
thru personal initiative and taking course work outside the department.

there is no 'breadth' requirement in computing 'cuz all of the faculty with
the possible exception of victoria marks, either don't know how to use a
computer or are still struggling with e-mail.

an antedoctal story, UCLA as a school marks-up the old gopher text for its
catalog. i put links to various UCLA dept's web sites - since the dance/wac
dept. doesn't have a web site i put a link to the course catalog.

when some UCLA people saw that thru my site, they asked me to make some
changes 'cuz 'the info was a year old' thinking that i had created this
course catalog for them. this is very typical of the level of computing
here.

u can graduate (and many do) from this dept. without ever using a computer
- though many use word processors, almost none of the undergraduates here
use netscape. this is in my view inexcusable in this day and age.

> I mean, as it is, they had to stop calling a dance
>dept. and start calling it World Arts and Cultures, a move that, in my
>pessimisstic inference, has a lot to do with getting funding for the
>program.
>

sort of, it has mostly to do with Ms. Mitoma's vision for the program which
is more cultural anthropology than 'hard core' dance

peace,

nik

again, please those inquiring reporters out there don't take my word for it.

interview the students and faculty.

Ms. Mitoma claims that this dept. is on the 'cutting edge' of technology
with regards to dance. the tragic part is she is probably right.

~ the dnc project - dance, networks, computing

http://www.websciences.org/dnc/

"The wages of sin are death, but after taxes are taken out, it's
just a tired feeling."
-- Paula Poundstone

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