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Dance

The Department of Dance offers degree programs for undergraduates and graduate students. The undergraduate major in dance provides a liberal arts and sciences education and thorough preparation for careers in professional dance, choreography, and education, as well as preparation for graduate studies.

The department offers as many as 14 concerts every year, providing dance students with numerous opportunities for performance and choreography. Each year the University of Iowa Dance Company performs Dance Gala on campus, and since 1986, the department's touring company, Dancers in Company, has given students an opportunity to perform in Iowa and surrounding states.

Dance faculty members regularly present their choreography in national and international venues, giving University student performers the opportunity to further develop their performance skills. Periodic master classes with noted guest teachers, choreographers, and touring companies add diversity to the dance experience.

The department is one of four academic units that make up the Division of Performing Arts.

Undergraduate Programs

The department offers a Bachelor of Arts, a Bachelor of Fine Arts, and a minor in dance. It also participates in offering the Certificate in Performing Arts Entrepreneurship, offered through the Division of Performing Arts.

Students must audition on campus in order to be admitted to a degree program or the minor in dance, as well as for placement in advanced dance classes.

Bachelor of Arts

The Bachelor of Arts in dance requires a minimum of 120 s.h., including 53 s.h. of work for the major (50 s.h. in dance and 3 s.h. in a required anatomy course). The program is designed for students who want to acquire a strong liberal arts and sciences background while pursuing a comprehensive undergraduate dance education. The degree stresses performance and choreography as well as dance theory courses, including dance history, dance kinesiology, and dance production.

Students must audition on campus, during the semester before they enter the University, in order to be admitted to a degree program in dance. They must audition for placement in dance classes before they register for classes. Nonmajors and students minoring in dance may register only for beginning and continuing levels of ballet and modern dance, but they may register for all levels of jazz and Afro-Cuban dance. Contact the Department of Dance, the undergraduate program coordinator, or the Office of Admissions for additional information.

Students must complete the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences General Education Program.

All B.A. students must complete 027:053 Human Anatomy (3 s.h.). The required 50 s.h. in Department of Dance courses must include two semesters of 137:113 Major Ballet II or 137:114 Major Modern Dance II with a grade of B-minus or higher. Two semesters of 137:124 Major Modern Dance III, 137:123 Major Ballet III, or 137:130 Major Modern Dance IV also satisfy this requirement. At least half of all semester hours in the major must be earned at The University of Iowa. No more than 50 s.h. in Department of Dance courses may be counted toward the 120 s.h. required for the B.A.

Students who select cross-referenced, non-dance department courses to satisfy the core course requirements must take additional dance electives to complete the required 50 s.h. in Department of Dance courses.

CORE COURSES 

STUDIO COURSES
 

DANCE TECHNIQUE

Dance majors must take 6 s.h. each of ballet and of modern dance technique; students choose 20 s.h. from the following. All courses may be repeated.

DANCE ELECTIVES

Credit earned in Department of Dance courses (prefix 137) that is not used to satisfy core, studio, or dance technique degree requirements is counted toward the dance elective requirement. Dance electives complete the 50 s.h. of dance courses required for the Bachelor of Arts.

The required number of semester hours in dance electives varies depending on whether the student completes the core with dance courses or with cross-referenced courses from another department, or has a core requirement waived.

Bachelor of Fine Arts

The Bachelor of Fine Arts in dance requires a minimum of 120 s.h., including 78 s.h. of work for the major (75 s.h. in dance and 3 s.h. in a required anatomy course). In contrast to the B.A., the B.F.A. emphasizes choreography and performance through an additional 25 s.h. of choreography, performance, and technique. Students may be admitted to the B.F.A. program after they have completed a minimum of 30 s.h. at The University of Iowa. Students who have achieved the equivalent of major II technique and who show academic and professional promise are selected by department faculty for admission to the program.

Students must complete the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences General Education Program.

All B.F.A. students must complete 027:053 Human Anatomy (3 s.h.). The required 75 s.h. in Department of Dance courses must include three semesters of 137:123 Major Ballet III or 137:130 Major Modern Dance IV with a grade of B-minus or higher. B.F.A. students are required to maintain a cumulative g.p.a. of at least 3.50 in dance department courses. They also must earn at least half of the semester hours in the major at The University of Iowa. No more than 75 s.h. in Department of Dance courses may be counted toward the 120 s.h. required for the B.F.A.

The department encourages B.F.A. students to register for cross-referenced core courses under the Department of Dance course number (prefix 137). Cross-referenced courses are those with more than one course number (e.g., 137:051/049:049 Production: Run Crew).

CORE COURSES

B.F.A. students should register for cross-listed courses under the Department of Dance course number (prefix 137).

STUDIO COURSES
 

DANCE TECHNIQUE

Students are required to complete 14 s.h. each of ballet and modern dance courses and a total of 32 s.h. of technique, chosen from the following (all courses are repeatable).

DANCE ELECTIVES

B.F.A. students choose advanced-level elective course work by selecting one of the following three options.

Option 1 (one pedagogy course):

Option 2 (one advanced history or theory course):

Option 3 (two choreography courses):

Credit earned in Department of Dance courses (prefix 137) that is not used to satisfy core, studio, or dance technique degree requirements is counted toward the dance elective requirement. Dance electives complete the 75 s.h. of dance courses required for the Bachelor of Fine Arts.

The required number of semester hours in dance electives varies depending on whether the student completes the core with dance courses or with cross-referenced courses from another department, or has a core requirement waived.

Senior Project

B.F.A. students culminate their experience with senior projects in choreography or performance.  The senior project also may be taken for honors credit.

Four-Year Graduation Plan

The following checkpoints list the minimum requirements students must complete by certain semesters in order to stay on the University's Four-Year Graduation Plan. (Courses in the major are those required to complete the major; they may be offered by departments other than the major department.)

Department of Dance course work beyond 50 s.h. for a B.A. and 75 s.h. for a B.F.A. does not apply toward semester hours required for graduation.

Bachelor of Arts

Before the third semester begins: 12 s.h. of courses in the major and at least one-quarter of the semester hours required for graduation

Before the fifth semester begins: 24-32 s.h. of courses in the major and at least one-half of the semester hours required for graduation

Before the seventh semester begins: 36-48 s.h. of courses in the major and at least three-quarters of the semester hours required for graduation

Before the eighth semester begins: 42-50 s.h. of courses in the major

During the eighth semester: enrollment in all remaining course work in the major, all remaining General Education courses, and a sufficient number of semester hours to graduate

Bachelor of Fine Arts

Before the third semester begins: 16 s.h. of courses in the major and at least one-quarter of the semester hours required for graduation

Before the fifth semester begins: 25-40 s.h. of courses in the major and at least one-half of the semester hours required for graduation

Before the seventh semester begins: 45-60 s.h. of courses in the major and at least three-quarters of the semester hours required for graduation

Before the eighth semester begins: 57-75 s.h. of courses in the major

During the eighth semester: enrollment in all remaining course work in the major, all remaining General Education courses, and a sufficient number of semester hours to graduate

Honors

In order to pursue honors studies in the Department of Dance, a student must be a member of the University of Iowa Honors Program, which requires students to maintain a cumulative University of Iowa g.p.a. of at least 3.33 (contact the University of Iowa Honors Program for more information). Honors students in dance must maintain a g.p.a. of at least 3.50 in UI dance department courses.

The honors program in dance is designed to serve and recognize outstanding students in the areas of choreography, performance, and special projects. It requires 8-10 s.h. To complete the honors program in dance, students must take two courses for honors credit and complete an honors project. All honors projects must be approved by the dance department faculty.

Minor

The minor in dance requires a minimum of 15 s.h. in University of Iowa Department of Dance courses, including 12 s.h. in 100-level courses. Students must maintain a g.p.a. of at least 2.00 in the minor. Course work in the minor may not be taken pass/nonpass. Students must audition on campus in order to be admitted to the minor and for placement in dance classes. Auditions are offered four times per year. For audition information, contact the department or visit the Department of Dance web site.

Graduate Program

The department offers a Master of Fine Arts in dance, with a choice of choreography or performance track. Students must audition on campus in order to be admitted to the M.F.A. program.

Master of Fine Arts

The Master of Fine Arts in dance requires a minimum of 60 s.h. of graduate credit. The program is designed to be completed in four to six semesters in residence. Students who demonstrate accomplishment in dance performance and/or choreography may apply for admission to the M.F.A. program. Applicants select the choreography or the performance track before they are admitted.

Admission is based on a review of videotaped choreographic and performance work; letters of recommendation; application materials; and an on-campus audition, in which applicants teach one or more classes and take advanced classes in ballet and modern technique.

Advanced technique (ballet and/or modern) and demonstrated accomplishment in performance or choreography are prerequisites for admission to the M.F.A. program.

The M.F.A. requires the following course work.

DANCE CORE

A total of 19 s.h. of core course work is required for both the performance and the choreography track. 

DANCE TECHNIQUE

The performance track requires 18 s.h. from the following, the choreography track requires 12 s.h.; courses may be repeated. Performance track students must take a minimum of 4 s.h. of modern dance and 4 s.h. of ballet. 

EMPHASIS COURSES

A total of 14 s.h. is required for both the choreography and the performance track.

Choreography Track 

A total of 8 s.h. from these: 

Performance Track

M.F.A. performance track candidates must earn 12 s.h. in performance courses and 2 s.h. in choreography courses. 

ELECTIVES

M.F.A. candidates in performance must earn a total of 9 s.h. in elective courses numbered 100 or above. A minimum of 6 s.h. must be earned in non-dance department courses. The remaining 3 s.h. must be earned in 137:147 Dance Kinesiology, 137:181 Dance History, or 137:182 The Contemporary Dance Scene.

M.F.A. candidates in choreography must earn a total of 15 s.h. in elective courses numbered 100 or above. A minimum of 6 s.h. must be earned in non-dance department courses; 6 s.h. must be earned in a course or courses that provide research material for the thesis. The remaining 3 s.h. must be earned in 137:147 Dance Kinesiology, 137:181 Dance History, or 137:182 The Contemporary Dance Scene.

Facilities

The Department of Dance houses six technique studios, a movement training lab, a media classroom and library, a media laboratory, an audio recording laboratory, and its own theater for dance concerts.