Bachelor of Arts in Dance
Website: https://twu.edu/dance/undergraduate-dance-programs/
The Bachelor of Arts degree in Dance is designed to provide the undergraduate dance major with a comprehensive liberal arts-based curriculum integrating dance studies with a broad foundation in the humanities and the other arts, as well as in the biological, physical, and social sciences. The goal of the program is to prepare students for dance careers in a variety of artistic and educational settings.
Marketable Skills
Defined by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board's 60x30 Strategic Plan as, "Those skills valued by employers that can be applied in a variety of work settings, including interpersonal, cognitive, and applied skills areas. These skills can be either primary or complementary to a major and are acquired by students through education, including curricular, co-curricular, and extracurricular activities."
- Effectively communicate movement theories, dance science concepts, and pedagogical ideas when observing, teaching, and practicing as a movement specialist and critically responding to others in such situations
- Engage in and develop critical thinking utilizing artistic and pedagogical models to create, problem-solve, implement and evaluate such projects as community dance experiences, performance and choreographic projects, presentations, and curriculum planning
- Develop interpersonal leadership skills by engaging in cooperative group learning while demonstrating effective social-emotional attributes when planning events and creating projects including dance outreach projects, dance and drill team companies, performance seasons, and fundraising activities
Admissions
All applicants must meet the general undergraduate admission requirements.
In addition to these general requirements, an audition for placement in dance practice classes is required. The placement audition for new students is held the week before classes begin in the fall semester. Students entering in the spring should schedule a placement audition with a dance faculty advisor or the Department Chair. For additional information about auditions please visit the Division of Dance Placement Assessment Audition website.
Degree Requirements
Total Semester Credit Hours (SCH): 120
Major: 60 SCH
Program Code: DANCE.BA; CIP Code: 50.0301.00
Texas Core Curriculum
| Code | Title | SCHs |
|---|---|---|
| ENG 1013 | Composition I | 3 |
| ENG 1023 | Composition II | 3 |
| Mathematics | 3 | |
| Life & Physical Sciences | 6 | |
| Language, Philosophy, & Culture | 3 | |
| Creative Arts | 3 | |
| HIST 1013 | History of the United States, 1492-1865 | 3 |
| HIST 1023 | History of the United States, 1865 to the Present | 3 |
| POLS 2013 | U.S. National Government | 3 |
| POLS 2023 | Texas Government | 3 |
| Social & Behavioral Sciences | 3 | |
| CAO: Women's Studies | 3 | |
| CAO: First Year Seminar, Wellness or Mathematics | 3 | |
| Total SCHs | 42 | |
Courses Required for Major
Dance/Movement Practices
Students are placed in modern and ballet through a placement audition and technique exams each semester. The student must achieve the minimum competency level, two semesters of Level 3 in modern dance and two semesters of Level 2 in ballet. If a student is placed in the upper levels, they must still complete the required number of technique credits. The ballet/modern technique requirement is fulfilled by meeting the minimum competency level and presenting the required number of credits. Students will register for one or more technique practice courses per semester. With Chair approval, students may take an additional Summer Dance Intensive to substitute for one Technique Practice credit. Summer Dance Intensives cannot be used to satisfy the Dance Practice competency requirements.
Somatic Practices
| Code | Title | SCHs |
|---|---|---|
| DNCE 1091 | Dance Physical Conditioning/Body Work | 1 |
| DNCE 1171 | Bartenieff Fundamentals of Movement | 1 |
| DNCE 2183 | Introduction to Movement Analysis and Description | 3 |
| DNCE 3193 | Experiential Anatomy for Dancers | 3 |
| Total SCHs | 8 | |
Technique Practice
| Code | Title | SCHs |
|---|---|---|
| Modern Dance Practice (based on placement audition) | 8 | |
| Elementary Modern Dance I | ||
| Elementary Modern Dance II | ||
| Intermediate Modern Dance I | ||
| Intermediate Modern Dance II | ||
| Intermediate/Advanced Modern Dance I | ||
| Intermediate/Advanced Modern Dance II | ||
| Advanced Modern Dance I | ||
| Advanced Modern Dance II | ||
| Ballet Practice (based on placement audition) | 4 | |
| Elementary Ballet I | ||
| Elementary Ballet II | ||
| Intermediate Ballet I | ||
| Intermediate Ballet II | ||
| Intermediate/Advanced Ballet I | ||
| Intermediate/Advanced Ballet II | ||
| Urban & Global Dance Practice | 3 | |
| Beginning Urban and Global Dance Practices | ||
| Urban and Global Dance Practices | ||
| Summer Dance Intensive | 3 | |
| Summer Dance Intensive | ||
| Total SCHs | 18 | |
Dancemaking
| Code | Title | SCHs |
|---|---|---|
| Choreography Courses | 7 | |
| Improvisation | ||
| Dance Composition | ||
| Choreographic Designs | ||
| Concert Choreography | ||
| Performance Courses | 9 | |
| Beginning Dance Performance (taken two times) | ||
| Intermediate Dance Performance (taken two times) | ||
| Advanced Dance Performance (taken two times) | ||
| Careers in Dance | ||
| Total SCHs | 16 | |
Dance Theory
| Code | Title | SCHs |
|---|---|---|
| Dance and Identity | 9 | |
| Dance and Globalization | ||
| History of Dance | ||
| Contemporary Trends and Issues in Choreography and Performance | ||
| Pedagogical Communities | 9 | |
| Theories of Teaching Dance Technique | ||
| Dance and Public Practice | ||
| Children's Dance | ||
| Total SCHs | 18 | |
Related Studies
The related studies courses are comprised of a coherent set of courses representing one or more areas of study. This set of courses should be related to the dance discipline or the student’s personal, professional, and/or career interests. A 21 SCH minor may be substituted for this 18 SCH Related Studies option. The courses submitted to meet the Related Studies requirement will be determined in consultation with the advisor and must meet the following criteria:
- 18 SCH must be submitted to meet the Related Studies requirement.
- The definition of a “cohesive set of courses” will be determined in consultation with the student’s advisor.
- No more than 6 dance elective SCH may be presented.
- At least 6 SCH presented for the Related Studies requirement must be advanced hours (3000 or 4000 levels).
Recommended Plan of Study
| First Year | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Fall | TCCN | SCHs | |
| DNCE 1091 | Dance Physical Conditioning/Body Work | 1 | |
| DNCE 1101 | Beginning Dance Performance | DANC 1151 | 1 |
| DNCE 1111 | Elementary Ballet I | 1 | |
| DNCE 1151 | Elementary Modern Dance I | 1 | |
| DNCE 1191 | Improvisation | DANC 1201 | 1 |
| ENG 1013 | Composition I | ENGL 1301 | 3 |
| HIST 1013 | History of the United States, 1492-1865 | HIST 1301 | 3 |
| UNIV 1231 | Learning Frameworks: First-Year Seminar | EDUC 1100, EDUC 1200, EDUC 1300 | 1 |
| Mathematics Core | 3 | ||
| SCHs | 15 | ||
| Spring | TCCN | ||
| DNCE 1101 | Beginning Dance Performance | DANC 1151 | 1 |
| DNCE 1121 | Elementary Ballet II | 1 | |
| DNCE 1161 | Elementary Modern Dance II | 1 | |
| DNCE 1171 | Bartenieff Fundamentals of Movement | 1 | |
| DNCE 2202 | Dance Composition | DANC 1301 | 2 |
| ENG 1023 | Composition II | ENGL 1302 | 3 |
| HIST 1023 | History of the United States, 1865 to the Present | HIST 1302 | 3 |
| Language, Philosophy, & Culture Core | 3 | ||
| SCHs | 15 | ||
| Second Year | |||
| Fall | TCCN | ||
| DNCE 2101 | Intermediate Dance Performance | DANC 2151 | 1 |
| DNCE 2111 | Intermediate Ballet I | 1 | |
| DNCE 2151 | Intermediate Modern Dance I | 1 | |
| DNCE 2171 | Beginning Urban and Global Dance Practices | DANC 2247 | 1 |
| DNCE 2183 | Introduction to Movement Analysis and Description | 3 | |
| DNCE 3292 | Choreographic Designs | 2 | |
| POLS 2013 | U.S. National Government | GOVT 2305 | 3 |
| Life/Physical Science Core | 3 | ||
| SCHs | 15 | ||
| Spring | TCCN | ||
| DNCE 2101 | Intermediate Dance Performance | DANC 2151 | 1 |
| DNCE 2121 | Intermediate Ballet II | 1 | |
| DNCE 2143 | Dance and Globalization | DANC 1305 | 3 |
| DNCE 2161 | Intermediate Modern Dance II | 1 | |
| DNCE 3191 | Urban and Global Dance Practices | 1 | |
| WS 2013 | Gender and Social Change: An Introduction to Multicultural-Women's Studies | 3 | |
| POLS 2023 | Texas Government | GOVT 2306 | 3 |
| Life/Physical Science Core | 3 | ||
| SCHs | 16 | ||
| Summer 1 | TCCN | ||
| DNCE 3913 | Summer Dance Intensive | 3 | |
| SCHs | 3 | ||
| Third Year | |||
| Fall | TCCN | ||
| DNCE 3101 | Advanced Dance Performance | 1 | |
| DNCE 3151 | Intermediate/Advanced Modern Dance I | 1 | |
| DNCE 3193 | Experiential Anatomy for Dancers | 3 | |
| DNCE 3393 | History of Dance | 3 | |
| Creative Arts Core | 3 | ||
| Wellness CAO Core | 2 | ||
| Related Studies | 3 | ||
| SCHs | 16 | ||
| Spring | TCCN | ||
| DNCE 3161 | Intermediate/Advanced Modern Dance II | 1 | |
| DNCE 3191 | Urban and Global Dance Practices | 1 | |
| DNCE 3813 | Theories of Teaching Dance Technique | 3 | |
| DNCE 4393 | Contemporary Trends and Issues in Choreography and Performance | 3 | |
| Related Studies | 3 | ||
| Social/Behavioral Science Core | 3 | ||
| SCHs | 14 | ||
| Fourth Year | |||
| Fall | TCCN | ||
| DNCE 3101 | Advanced Dance Performance | 1 | |
| DNCE 3151 | Intermediate/Advanced Modern Dance I | 1 | |
| DNCE 4182 | Concert Choreography | 2 | |
| DNCE 4243 | Children's Dance | 3 | |
| Related Studies (Upper Level) | 3 | ||
| Related Studies | 3 | ||
| SCHs | 13 | ||
| Spring | TCCN | ||
| DNCE 3161 | Intermediate/Advanced Modern Dance II | 1 | |
| DNCE 4123 | Dance and Public Practice | 3 | |
| Related Studies (Upper Level) | 3 | ||
| Related Studies | 3 | ||
| DNCE 4233 | Careers in Dance | 3 | |
| SCHs | 13 | ||
| Total SCHs: | 120 | ||
