The Department of Dance is an autonomous unit in the College of
Fine and Applied Arts, and, as such, is unique within the state. The
resident dance faculty of seven full-time and one part-time member is
augmented by visiting artists-in-residence. There are approximately
forty-five undergraduate and fifteen graduate students enrolled in the
major program. The teaching staff includes graduate teaching
assistants who teach classes in modern dance, ballet, jazz, and tap
for nondance majors.
Program focus at the graduate and undergraduate levels is on the
professional preparation of performers, choreographers, and studio
teachers. Two degree programs are offered, leading to the bachelor of
fine arts and master of fine arts degrees. This is primarily a
contemporary dance department in choreographic and performance
focus. Ballet and contemporary technique are integral components of
training; classes in jazz, tap, and theatre dance are also included in
the major curriculum. Admission is by audition.
The Department of Dance is located in the Krannert Center for the
Performing Arts and utilizes the exceptional performing and production
resources of the center. Four department concerts per year are
produced in the theatres of the Krannert Center, including two
concerts of student choreography. Numerous opportunities for
performance exist with the Illinois Dance Theatre, in faculty and
student concerts, and in new music concerts and opera productions at
the Krannert Center.
The B.F.A. curriculum in dance is an intensive program of study
for the dedicated student, offering concentration in the areas of
technique, composition, and performance. The curriculum also includes
requirements in production, improvisation, music theory and literature
for dance, teaching, history, movement sciences, Alexander technique,
theatre dance, and repertory. Electives may be taken in ballet,
modern, tap, and jazz; advanced improvisation; labanotation;
accompaniment; choreographer-composer workshop; and independent
study.
Program requirements include core daily technique classes
consisting of three modern and two ballet classes per week each
semester in residence, plus elective technique classes for a minimum
of 1 additional credit hour per semester. A minimum of two courses in
other dance forms (jazz, tap, ballroom, etc.) is required. Technique
placement is assigned by the faculty, and majors must achieve the
advanced technical level in modern and the intermediate level in
ballet for a minimum of two semesters prior to graduation. The
improvisation/composition sequence consists of a minimum of 11 hours
of studio courses culminating in the performance of a senior
choreographic project. A minimum of 6 hours of credit is required in
performance/repertory courses. The curriculum includes as much as 31
hours of credit in professional electives, which may be taken in
professional dance courses and/or related arts and sciences.
Evaluation of majors is an ongoing process. Continued enrollment
in the program is contingent upon satisfactory performance. A student
is expected to maintain a minimum 3.75 grade-point average in all
professional course work and a 4.0 cumulative average in studio
classes in order to remain in good standing in the department.
It is possible for transfer students to complete degree
requirements in a three-year period contingent upon prior completion
of general education requirements and the fulfillment of the advanced
technique requirement for two semesters prior to graduation.
A total of 130 hours is required for this degree.
| HOURS | GENERAL EDUCATION |
|---|---|
| 4-6 | RHET 105 or equivalent |
| 6 | Humanities and the arts see footnote 1 |
| 6 | Social and behavioral sciences see footnote 1 |
| 6 | Natural sciences and technology see footnote 1 4 |
| 3 | Quantitative reasoning |
| 25-27 | Total |
| HOURS | PROFESSIONAL COURSES IN DANCE |
| 34 | TECHNIQUE (minimum number of hours) |
| DANCE 160--Modern Technique, I | |
| DANCE 166--Ballet, I | |
| DANCE 260--Modern Technique, II | |
| DANCE 266--Ballet, II | |
| DANCE 360--Modern Technique, III | |
| DANCE 366--Ballet, III | |
| 4 credit hours per semester, to include core technique classes each semester in residence, consisting of three modern and two ballet classes per week (3 hours of credit), plus elective technique courses for a minimum of 1 additional credit hour per semester. | |
| A minimum of two courses (2 credit hours) in other dance forms (jazz, tap, ballroom, etc.) is also required. | |
| 2 | IMPROVISATION |
| DANCE 162--Improvisation, I | |
| DANCE 163--Improvisation, II | |
| 9 | COMPOSITION |
| DANCE 164--Beginning Composition | |
| DANCE 264--Intermediate Composition | |
| DANCE 365--Advanced Composition | |
| DANCE 298--Senior Project | |
| 4 | PRODUCTION |
| DANCE 131 and DANCE 331--Production Practicum (1 hour per laboratory for a total of 4 hours) | |
| 6 | MUSIC FOR DANCE |
| DANCE 168--Music Theory and Practice for Dance | |
| DANCE 269--Music Literature for Dance | |
| 3 | DANCE EDUCATION |
| DANCE 350--Teaching Workshop | |
| 3 | CURRENT ISSUES AND TOPICS |
| DANCE 150--Orientation to Dance | |
| DANCE 295--Career Seminar | |
| 6 | DANCE HISTORY |
| DANCE 340--History of the Dance, I (Composition II) | |
| DANCE 341--History of the Dance, II (Composition II) | |
| 6 | REPERTORY AND PERFORMACE |
| DANCE 130 and DANCE 330--Performance Practicum (1-2 hours per dance) | |
| DANCE 335--Dance Repertory Workshop (2-4 hours) | |
| 4 | DANCE SCIENCES |
| DANCE 345--Dance Kinesiology and Somatics (4 hours) | |
| 77 | Total |
| HOURS | ELECTIVES see footnote 2 |
| 26-28 | RECOMMENDED: |
| Additional courses in ballet and modern technique: DANCE 160, DANCE 166, DANCE 260, DANCE 266, DANCE 360, DANCE 366 (up to 16 additional hours may be counted toward degree requirements) (1-2 per course) | |
| 1 (per dance) | DANCE 130--Performance Practicum see footnote 3 |
| 1 | DANCE 210--Jazz Dance |
| 1 | DANCE 220--Tap Dance |
| 3 | DANCE 240--African-American Dance and American Culture |
| 3 | DANCE 243--Creative Dance for Children |
| 1 | DANCE 300--Viewing Dance |
| 1 | DANCE 301--The Alexander Technique for Dancers |
| 2 | DANCE 312--Theatre Dance |
| 2 | DANCE 328--Choreographer-Composer Workshop |
| 1-2 (per dance) | DANCE 330 and DANCE 335--(performance and repertory courses) see footnote 3 4 |
| 3 | DANCE 347--Labanotation, I |
| 3 | DANCE 348--Labanotation, II |
| 8 | DANCE 351--Independent Study and Special Topics (maximum number of hours) |
| 1 | DANCE 369--Accompaniment for Dance |
| 3 | ARTHI 115--Art Appreciation |
| 3 | ARTCI 180--Introduction to Cinematography |
| 3 | MUSIC 133--Introduction to World Music |
| 2 | MUSIC 158--Group Piano for Non-Music Majors |
| 2-3 | MUSIC 181--Voice |
| 3 | THEAT 170--Fundamentals of Acting |
| 4 | THEAT 175--Improvisation in Acting |
| 2 | THEAT 291--Costume Design for Dance |
| 4 | THEAT 332--Stage Management |
| 4 | THEAT 340--Lighting Design for Dance |
| 4 | THEAT 355--History of the American Musical Theatre, I |
| 4 | THEAT 356--History of the American Musical Theatre, II |
| 3 | THEAT 372--Introduction to Theatre Management |
footnote 1. See college-approved general education distribution lists.
footnote 2. A minimum of 7 hours of electives must be in the area of general electives (see college-approved list). A minimum of 8 hours must be in the area of professional electives. It is strongly recommended that dance majors consider professional electives outside the dance area itself.
footnote 3. A maximum of 16 hours may be accumulated toward degree requirements in DANCE 130, DANCE 330, and DANCE 335.