Dance Courses of Study

From the Director | Dance Minor | Dance Course Offerings

From the Director 

Like all liberal arts, dance teaches life skills that will benefit the student later in life, regardless of the vocation selected. Dance teaches self-discipline, respect, dedication and determination. Plato once wrote, "to sing and dance well is to be well educated." He considered the uneducated man achoreutos or danceless; the educated one, kechoreukos, endowed with dance. It is our mission to endow our students with dance.

W. Robert Sherry

Director of Dance

DANCE MINOR

CURRICULUM The dance minor provides the liberal arts student opportunity for rigorous training and personal involvement in dance as an art form. The curriculum includes ballet, modern, jazz, tap, dance history, and choreography.

MINOR REQUIREMENTS

Six (6) courses are required, four (4) core courses and two (2) electives.

CORE COURSES

•  DAN 200 Dance in America OR DAN 203 Dance History
•  DAN 300 Dance Composition
•  DAN 394 Intermediate/Advanced Dance Technique (taken twice)

ELECTIVES

Two (2) of the following courses are required:

•  DAN 170 Ballet I
•  DAN 175 Tap Dance I
•  DAN 177 Jazz I
•  DAN 179 Modern Dance I
•  DAN 200 Dance in America
•  DAN 203 Dance History
•  DAN 270 Ballet II
•  DAN 275 Tap Dance II
•  DAN 277 Jazz II
•  DAN 279 Modern Dance II
•  DAN 300 Dance Composition
•  DAN 380 Studies in Dance
•  DAN 394 Intermediate/Advanced Dance Technique
•  DAN 420 Labanotation
•  DAN 422 Dance Production
•  THE 135 Dance for Actors

PERFORMANCE Students may perform in the department's annual musical theatre production, the spring concert dance, and a variety of student works.

Dance Course Offerings

DAN 170 Ballet I: Introduces fundamental concepts and historical background. Presents positions and barre exercises to build correct alignment, flexibility, strength, coordination, and ballet vocabulary.

DAN 175 Tap: Introduces fundamental concepts and historical background. Covers basic time steps, waltz clog, triplets, shim-sham, buffalo, cramp roll, and soft-shoe, along with tap vocabulary.

DAN 177 Jazz I: Introduces fundamental concepts and historical background. Works in studio on body placement and alignment through highly-structured classical jazz warm-up (LUIGI). Values clarity and quality of movement, rhythm, style, and use of dynamics.

DAN 179 Modern Dance I: Introduces fundamental concepts and historical background. Focuses on style, phrasing, mood projection, and changing dynamics.

DAN 200 Dance in America: Studies relationships of choreographers, critics, and performers to historical trends in the art form. Links dance to contemporary political and social issues.

DAN 203 Dance History: Follows evolution of Western concert dance from primitive times to late 20 th century: dance in ancient Egypt, Greece, and Rome; Ballet Comique; Opéra Ballet;Ballet d'Action; and romantic ballet.

DAN 270 Ballet II: Drills pirouettes and longer and more complex "adages" and "allegros." Completes ballet theory and essentials of technique. Prerequisite: DAN 170 or consent.

DAN 275 Tap Dance II: Explores technique on an intermediate level, including all time steps (buck, soft-shoe, traveling, wing), Irish-over, Cincinnati, draw-backs, pick-ups, wings, maxiford, and riffs. Stresses speed, accuracy, and performance ability. May be repeated for credit. Prerequisite: DAN 175 or consent.

DAN 277 Jazz II: Concentrates studio work on more complicated combinations, changes of direction, and initiation of pirouettes. Includes historical research, critical studies, and vocabulary building. Prerequisite: DAN 177 or consent.

DAN 279 Modern Dance II: Builds on technique and includes history, theory, and vocabulary. Prerequisite: DAN 179 or consent.

DAN 300 Dance Composition: Introduces dance composition. Highlights personal invention, solo and group focus, and evaluative process in basic choreography. Includes readings and writings on choreographers and choreography. May be repeated for credit. Intended for dance minors. Prerequisite: DAN 394 or consent.

DAN 380 Studies in Dance: Delves into particular period, choreographer's work, or special issue, depending on interest of students and faculty. May be repeated for credit.

DAN 394 Intermediate/Advanced Dance Technique: Offers heightened movement experience with greater emphasis on technical development and performance. Includes weekly classes in ballet, jazz, and modern dance. May be repeated for credit. Prerequisite: consent.

DAN 420 Labanotation: Teaches system of movement notation invented by Rudolph Van Laban and used in dance, sports, science, and other research areas. Does not require knowledge of dance. Consists of lecture, studio work, and movement-recording exercises.

DAN 422 Dance Production: Assigns students to performing or technical/design role in production. Prerequisite: consent.