Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance - Concentration in Performance and Choreography
Program Overview
The BFA in Performance and Choreography equips students with advanced training in dance performance, choreography, and teaching. The program emphasizes technical proficiency, artistic expression, and critical thinking skills, preparing students for a wide range of dance careers in the entertainment industry and concert dance. Students benefit from performance and choreography opportunities, a well-rounded curriculum, and mentorship from experienced faculty. Graduates pursue diverse careers as dance company members, choreographers, teachers, and more.
Program Outline
Degree Overview:
The BFA (Performance and Choreography) is designed for students aspiring to be dance performers and choreographers in concert dance or the entertainment industry. The degree equips students with advanced training in performance, choreography, and teaching, alongside areas of wellness for dancers, cultural dance, and dance technology.
Objectives:
- Provide a comprehensive dance education and advanced training in performance, choreography, and teaching.
- Develop students' technical proficiency, artistic expression, and critical thinking skills.
- Prepare students for a wide range of dance careers in the dance profession.
Program Description:
The BFA program with a concentration in Performance and Choreography attracts students interested in a well-rounded program offering multiple performance and choreography opportunities, including live and virtual dance performances. In addition to performing and choreography opportunities, students complete advanced coursework in performance, choreography, teaching, and various dance techniques. Courses such as Wellness for Dancers, Dances of Selected Cultures, Dance Technology, Dance History, and two Senior Capstone courses ensure a well-rounded education relevant for dance professionals in the 21st century.
Outline:
Core Courses (60 Credits):
- Wellness for Dancers
- LMA/Performance Techniques
- Dance Composition I
- Principles of Dance Production
- Creative Dance for Children
- Improvisation
- Dance Composition II
- Dances of Selected Cultures
- Teaching of Dance
- Music for Dance
- Dance Kinesiology
- Field Experience in Dance Technique
- Dance in Contemporary Times
- Modern Dance Technique: Level IV
- Contemporary Partnering
- Senior Capstone I: Dance Research
- Modern Dance Technique: Level V
- Modern Dance Technique: Level VI
- BFA Capstone II: Performance, Choreography, and Entrepreneurship
Additional Advanced Technique Proficiency (4 Credits):
- Ballet IV
- Jazz Dance IV
Historical Perspectives and Experimental Approaches (6 Credits):
- Dance Technology
- Society and Social Dance
- Dance in the Political World
- Experimental
Performance and Choreography Concentration (18 Credits):
- Modern Dance Technique: Levels III-VI
- Ballet Technique: Levels III-IV
- Jazz Dance Technique: Levels III-IV
- Rehearsal and Performance, and Repertory (minimum of 2 credits)
- Dance Rehearsal and Production (repeatable up to 4 credits)
- Repertory (repeatable up to 6 credits)
Electives:
- Dance Technology
- Society and Social Dance
- Dance in the Political World
- Dance Internship
- Independent Study
- Workshop
Assessment:
The program emphasizes competency-based assessments to determine students' technical proficiency, advancement in technique and performance, and synthesis of knowledge. The systematic assessment procedures align with the National Association of Schools of Dance standards for professional degree programs. By the end of the final year, BFA Performance and Choreography students must demonstrate technical proficiency requirements in:
- Level VI in Modern Dance
- Level IV in Ballet and Jazz Dance
Teaching:
The program employs a highly qualified faculty with experience in dance performance, choreography, and teaching. Faculty members provide individualized instruction and mentorship, fostering students' artistic and technical development. The program emphasizes experiential learning through performance opportunities, guest artist residencies, and field experiences.
Careers:
Graduates of the BFA program in Performance and Choreography pursue diverse careers in dance, including:
- Dance company members
- Dance teachers and professors
- Independent dance artists
- Dance administrators
- Dance critics and journalists
- Choreographers
- Dance educators
- Dance therapists
