Minors

The Dance and Movement Program offers two minors, one in dance and one in movement studies.

Please note: Students enrolled in a dance course or courses are required to attend at least two of the program sponsored performances and two of the program sponsored workshops within the semester.

Dance Minor

Our dance minor develops skills in observation, analysis, and critical response to dance as an art form and as a component of life and culture. We do not merely dance for the sake of fitness or memorizing steps, as our studies are the result of theoretically based movement explorations and more.

Students in this minor will learn dance literacy and appreciation. They can also get hands-on experience in:

  • Performance
  • Teaching
  • Arts management
  • Choreography
  • Criticism
  • Production design

Regardless of an individual student’s career path, a minor in dance helps foster educated audiences and participants in the diverse field of dance in culture.

Requirements

Dance minors are required to take a total of 26 credits.

Embodied Practice Courses

We recommend consistent embodied practice course each year as ongoing practice is crucial to the development of the dancer and the integration of the body and mind.

Students are required to take at least 10 credits of embodied practice courses.

Choose one or more of the following courses:

  • DANC 204: Contact Improvisation and Culture (4 credits)
  • DANC 250: Contemporary Dance: Context and Practice (4 credits)
  • DANC 251: Jazz Dance: Context and Practice (4 credits)
  • DANC 252: Intermediate Ballet: Context and Practice (4 credits)
  • DANC 253: West African Dance: Context and Practice (4 credits)
  • DANC 254: Tap Dance in American History: Context and Practice (4 credits)
  • DANC 285: Experience Guinea (4 credits)

Additional embodied practice courses:

  • DANC 102: Fundamentals of Movement (2 credits)
  • DANC 110: Beginning Dance Techniques (2 credits)
  • DANC 116: Intro to Somatic Ballet (2 credits)
  • DANC 140: Tap Dance: Beginning (2 credits)
  • DANC 145: Beginning Jazz Dance (2 credits)
  • DANC 150: Beginning Contemporary Dance Technique (2 credits)
  • DANC 171: Capoeira: Brazilian Art Movement (2 credits)
  • DANC 181: West African Dance Forms (2 credits)
  • DANC 185: Krumping: Culture and Expression (2 credits)
  • DANC 187: Hip-Hop: Dance, Culture, and History (2 credits)
  • DANC 188: Hip Hop Culture and Breaking (2 credits)
  • DANC 189: Hip Hop Culture and Breaking IA (2 credits)
  • DANC 190: Dances of the Middle East: Folkloric Bedouin (2 credits)
  • DANC 197: Latin Dance
  • DANC 212/MUR 210: Ngoma: Drumming, Dance, and Ritual in Southern Africa (4 credits)
  • DANC 215: Beginning Ballet II/Advanced Beginning Ballet (2 credits)
  • DANC 240: Tap Dance: Intermediate (2 credits)
  • DANC 266: Intermediate Contemporary Dance (2 credits)
  • DANC 267: Advanced Contemporary Dance (2 credits)
  • DANC 268: Intermediate Somatic Ballet (2 credits)
  • DANC 269: Advanced Contemporary Ballet (2 credits)
  • DANC 271: Capoeira II: Music in Motion (2 credits)
  • DANC 273: Capoeira: Strategies and Improvisation (2 credits)
  • DANC 281: West African Dance Forms 2 (2 credits)
  • DANC 283: West African Dance and Dundun (2 credits)
  • DANC 290: Dances of the Middle East: Orientale (2 credits)
  • DANC 365: Sansifanyi: West African Dance and Drum Ensemble (3 credits)
Critical Thinking Courses

This category gives students an opportunity to develop skills for expressing their own artistic and aesthetic voices to improvise, create dances of their own, and think outside of the box. They also provide a performance experience, as well as develop their observation and analytical skills for dance, art in general, and composition. These courses also address aspects of citizenship and cultural competency, including listening, empathy, collaboration, community-building, civic engagement.

Students are required to take at least 12 credits of Critical Thinking courses.

Creative Expression

Choose at least four credits from the following:

  • DANC 104: Contact Improvisation (2 credits)
  • DANC 109: Costume Design for Dance (1 credit)
  • DANC 160: Dance Improvisation (2 credits)
  • DANC 237: Dance Ensemble (2 credits)
  • DANC 243/SART 243/FMST 223/DMST 281: Dance on Camera/Camera on Dance (4 credits)
  • DANC 245: Dance/Movement Therapy Foundations (4 credits)
  • DANC 247: Moving Memories (4 credits)
  • DANC 249: The Art of Dance, Change, and Community Practice (4 credits)
  • DANC 278: Choreography (4 credits)
  • DANC 279: Dancer as Collaborator (1 credit)
  • DANC 377: Choreographic Voice: Dance and Physics Frontiers (4 credits)
  • DANC 378: Choreographic Voice: Dance and Social Justice (4 credits)*
  • DANC 379: Choreographic Voice: Dance and Narrative (4 credits)
  • DANC 380: Repertory and Performance (3 credits)
  • DANC 385: Dance Performance Workshop (2 credits)
  • DANC 397/DANC 398: Dance Ensemble I/II (1 credit)
Context, Citizenship, and Cultural Competency

Choose at least four credits of the following:

  • DANC 155: Movement Revolutions: A Cultural History of Social Dance (4 credits)
  • DANC 195: World Dance (4 credits)
  • DANC 202: Dance and Peacebuilding (4 credits)
  • DANC 228: Dance History: Philosophy, Aesthetics and Culture (4 credits)
  • DANC 233: Climate Interventions: Performing Arts + New Media (4 credits)
  • DANC 235: Change: Welcomed, Denied, Inevitable: An Investigation Through Movement, Writing, and Dialogue (4 credits)
  • DANC 247: Moving Memories (4 credits)
  • DANC 248: Arts and Activism (4 credits)
  • DANC 249: The Art of Dance, Change, and Community Practice (4 credits)
  • DANC 296: The Art of Teaching Dance (4 credits)
  • DANC 305: Dance and Interdependent Community (4 credits)
  • ADD: SART 281: Performance Art and Social Intervention (4 credits)
Somatic Awareness Courses

This category is designed to encourage a diverse approach to a depth of understanding of embodiment. These courses serve as valuable cross training exercise for the dancer, but also provide training for relaxed strength, total body coordination/organization, integration of breath support, balance, centered alignment, timing, weight shifting, mindfulness, fluidity, and energy flow. Somatic study also helps to identify unconscious physical habits that over time can lead to injury or pain.

Choose at least two credits from the following:

  • DANC 106: Pilates (1 credit)
  • DANC 114: Introduction to Yoga (2 credits)
  • DANC 115: Moving Into Stillness (2 credits)
  • DANC 130: Conditioning for the Dancer and Athlete (2 credits)
  • DANC 167M: Ecolinguistics: Language and Movement (4 credits)
  • DANC 170: Embodied Resourcing Through Somatic Practices (4 credits)
  • DANC 200: Anatomy and Kinesiology (4 credits)
  • DANC 208: Tai Chi: Movement Art and Culture (2 credits)
  • DANC 209: Qi Gong: Chinese Way to Health (2 credits)
  • DANC 211: Tai Chi: Explorations (4 credits)
  • DANC 218: Into the Present Moment (4 credits)
  • DANC 225: Yoga II: Continuing the Journey (2 credits)
  • DANC 230: Living Anatomy, Living Yoga (4 credits)
  • DANC 245: Dance/Movement Therapy Foundations (4 credits)
  • DANC 258: Resilient Activism Embodied Practices for Effective Systemic Change (2 credits)
  • DANC 288: Movement Analysis and Integration (4 credits)
Experience in Technical Production

Students are required to complete one red job (13+ hours), one yellow job (6-12 hours) and one green job (0-5 hours). The following are examples of different types of technical jobs:

  • Green job: Helping to lay the marley floor
  • Yellow job: Running sound for a guest artist
  • Red job: Stage managing for a student or faculty concert

Movement Studies Minor

The movement studies minor offers students an experiential and theoretical study of movement and dance. The minor educates students about dance as an art form, explores the use of movement and dance as a means of creative and personal expression. Though movement studies, students can also gain a greater understanding of culture, traditions, and philosophies from all over the world.

Requirements

The movement studies minor consists of a minimum of 26 credits.

Foundations

Choose at least 10 credits from the following:

  • DANC 102: Fundamentals of Movement (2 credits)
  • DANC 170: Embodied Resourcing Through Somatic Practices (4 credits)
  • DANC 195: World Dance: Movement as Culture (4 credits)
  • DANC 200: Anatomy and Kinesiology (4 credits)
  • DANC 204: Contact Improvisation and Culture (4 credits)
  • DANC 211: Tai Chi: Explorations (4 credits)
  • DANC 230: Living Anatomy, Living Yoga (4 credits)
  • DANC 288: Movement Analysis and Integration (4 credits)
Embodied Practices/Dance Appreciation

Choose at least four credits from the following:

  • DANC 104: Contact Improvisation (2 credits)
  • DANC 109: Costume Design for Dance (1 credit)
  • DANC 110: Beginning Dance Techniques (Jazz, Ballet and Modern) (2 credits)
  • DANC 116: Intro to Somatic Ballet (2 credits)
  • DANC 140: Tap Dance: Beginning (2 credits)
  • DANC 145: Beginning Jazz Dance (2 credits)
  • DANC 150: Beginning Contemporary Dance (2 credits)
  • DANC 155: Movement Revolutions: A Cultural History of Social Dance (4 credits)
  • DANC 160: Dance Improvisation (2 credits)
  • DANC 171: Capoeira: Brazilian Art Movement (2 credits)
  • DANC 181: West African Dance Forms (2 credits)
  • DANC 185: Krumping: Culture and Expression (2 credits)
  • DANC 187: Hip-Hop: Dance, Culture, and History (2 credits)
  • DANC 188: Hip Hop Culture and Breaking (2 credits)
  • DANC 189: Hip Hop Culture and Breaking IA (2 credits)
  • DANC 190: Dances of the Middle East: Folkloric Bedouin (2 credits)
  • DANC 197: Latin Dance (2 credits)
  • DANC 212: Ngoma: Drumming, Dance, and Ritual in Southern Africa (4 credits)
  • DANC 215: Beginning Ballet II/Advanced Beginning Ballet (2 credits)
  • DANC 228: Dance History: Philosophy, Aesthetics, and Culture (4 credits)
  • DANC 237: Dance Ensemble (2.0 credits)
  • DANC 240: Tap Dance Intermediate (2 credits)
  • DANC 242: Design for Dance (2 credits)
  • DANC 243: Dance on Camera/Camera on Dance (4 credits)
  • DANC 247: Moving Memories (4 credits)
  • DANC 248: Arts and Activism (4 credits)
  • DANC 249: The Art of Dance, Change, and Community Practice (4 credits)
  • DANC 250: Contemporary Dance: Context and Practice (4 credits)
  • DANC 251: Context and Practice (4 credits)
  • DANC 253: West African Dance: Context and Practice (4 credits)
  • DANC 266: Intermediate Contemporary Dance (2 credits)
  • DANC 267: Advanced Contemporary Dance (2 credits)
  • DANC 268: Intermediate Somatic Ballet (2 credits)
  • DANC 269: Advanced Contemporary Ballet (2 credits)
  • DANC 273: Capoeira Roda: Strategies and Improvisation (2 credits)
  • DANC 278: Choreography (4 credits)
  • DANC 279: Dancer as Collaborator (1 credit)
  • DANC 281: West African Dance Forms II (2 credits)
  • DANC 283: West African Dance and DunDun (2 credits)
  • DANC 285: Experience Guinea (4 credits)
  • DANC 290: Dances of the Middle East: Orientale (2 credits)
  • DANC 296: The Art of Teaching Dance (4 credits)
  • DANC 365: Sansifanyi: West African Dance and Drum Ensemble (3 credits)
  • DANC 377: Choreographic Voice: Dance and Physics Frontiers (4 credits)
  • DANC 378: Choreographic Voice: Dance and Social Justice (4 credits)
  • DANC 379: Choreographic Voice: Dance and Narrative (4 credits)
  • DANC 380: Repertory and Performance (3 credits)
  • DANC 397: Dance Ensemble I (1 credit)
  • DANC 398: Dance Ensemble II (1 credit)
Movement Studies/Somatic Awareness

Use the following courses to complete the remaining 26 credits:

  • DANC 106: Pilates Lab (1 credit)
  • DANC 114: Introduction to Yoga (2 credits)
  • DANC 115: Moving Into Stillness (2 credits)
  • DANC 130: Conditioning for the Dancer and Athlete (2 credits)
  • DANC 167M: Ecolinguistics: Language and Movement (4 credits)
  • DANC 202: Dance and Peacebuilding (4 credits)
  • DANC 208: Tai Chi: Movement, Art, and Culture (2 credits)
  • DANC 209: Qi Gong: Chinese Way to Health (2 credits)
  • DANC 218: Into the Present Moment (4 credits)
  • DANC 225: Yoga II: Continuing the Journey (2 credits)
  • DANC 233: Climate Interventions: Performing Arts + New Media (4 credits)
  • DANC 235: Change: Welcomed, Denied, Inevitable: An Investigation Through Movement, Writing, and Dialogue (4 credits)
  • DANC 258: Resilient Activism Embodied Practices for Effective Systemic Change (2 credits)
  • DANC 271: Capoeira II: Music in Motion (2 credits)
  • DANC 305: Dance and Interdependent Community (4 credits)
Experience in Technical Production

Students are required to complete one green job (0-5 hours), one yellow job (6-12 hours), and either one red job (13+ hours) or an additional green and yellow job. The following are examples of different types of technical jobs:

  • Green job: Such as helping to lay the marley floor
  • Yellow job: Such as running sound for a guest artist
  • Red job or additional green and yellow job: Crew for a student or faculty concert