Requirements

Moderation

Prior to Moderation, students must take a minimum of:

• 4 credits in technique
• 6 credits in composition

All moderating students must submit choreography for consideration in one of the year’s two Moderation dance concerts. Each moderating student must present performance work for acceptance into the major. Each moderating student will submit three essays: two as requested by the College describing your background and current relationship to the discipline and your goals moving forward in the discipline as a member of the upper college, and a third essay discussing a choreographer that has influenced your artistic life.

Once accepted, students may choose to concentrate in creative work, performance, or both.

Upper College Course Work

Once a student moderates, requirements for the major include;

• two courses in movement practices per semester, including; three ballet courses; a minimum of two courses in a non-western dance form or practice (e.g. African diaspora, Palestinian dabkeh)
• participation in a dance work/piece for performance – student and/or faculty;
• Dance 317, Dance Composition III (if concentrating in performance, first two levels);
• Dance 355, Materials of Movement;
• Dance 360, Dance History;
• one course in a somatic practice (e.g. Alexander technique)
• one course in practicing arts disciplines outside of dance;
• Jr/Sr Seminar – a course whose central topic will explore issues relevant to contemporary dance practice (see page 2)
• a writing and/or criticism course (e.g., Philosophy and the Arts);
• MC 401/402 – Senior Project – which includes a required weekly writing LAB that allows seniors to share their research and writing with peers, under the guidance of a member of the dance faculty.

Additionally, attendance at Dance Workshop is required of all majors. Held each semester, the workshops help students prepare for any one of four annual productions. For the Senior Project, students prepare choreography, performance, or other material of appropri­ate scope for public presentation. All Senior Projects include a 20- to 30-page paper that syn­thesizes interests in areas outside of dance where appropriate and relates these processes to the development of the specific work presented.

Jr/Sr Seminar:
Led by various Dance Program faculty, Junior/Senior Seminar will allow students to learn about, discuss, and form their own perspectives on issues central to contemporary dance practice.  Depending on the lead faculty member’s expertise, students will explore topics such as the relationship between dance and music; contemporary issues in dance studies; social justice and contemporary performance practices; dance writing and criticism; dance and politics; and issues in dance education.  This course is geared towards junior and senior dance majors as well as those interested in entering an in-depth exploration of contemporary issues in dance.