Dance (BA/BS)

The Bachelor of Arts (BA) and the Bachelor of Science (BS) include study in all four areas of the dance curriculum, technique, performance, creative practice, and theory and require 68 credit hours in Dance. Some BA/BS students double-major in Dance and another area of study while others choose to exceed the required 68 credit hours and minor in another area. Dance requirements for the BA and BS are the same; the difference in the two lies in the university requirements, which are outlined at this website. The BA/BS degrees do not require an audition. More information on the department and the degrees can be found at website.

Mission Statement

Our mission is to promote creative and expressive agency, cultural investigation, and historical inquiry in a welcoming and rigorous environment. The curriculum interweaves a multiplicity of movement practices, choreographic approaches, and theoretical lenses to embolden students to amplify dance as a vital signifier of the human condition. We believe in supporting students in meeting the physicality required to develop technical proficiencies, in finding the dedication needed to establish a self-reflexive creative practice, and in building confidence in the transformative possibilities of their artistic voice.

Program Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion of this program, students will be able to:

Synthesize a multiplicity of movement practices through immersion in diverse dance forms, performance, creative practice, and theory.
Contextualize and understand dance as a vital signifier of the human condition through cultural investigation and historical inquiry.
Cultivate a self reflexive creative practice
Understand theoretically based aspects of dance including music, dance science (anatomy and kinesiology), history and culture, pedagogy, and production of dance.
Communicate the social and cultural significance of dance through effective writing, speaking, embodied practice, and creative inquiry.

Courses required for a dance major must be taken for letter grades when that option is available. A grade of P* must be earned in courses designated pass/no pass (P/N) only.

Dance Major Requirements

Course List
Code	Title	Credits
Technique ^{1, 2}		21
Contemporary
DANC 150	Contemporary Foundations
DANC 170	Contemporary I (Placement Required)
DANC 270	Contemporary II (Placement Required)
DANC 370	Contemporary III (Placement Required)
Ballet
DANC 152	Ballet Foundations
DANC 172	Ballet I (Placement Required)
DANC 272	Ballet II (Placement Required)
DANC 372	Ballet III (Placement Required)
Hip Hop
DANC 155	Hip Hop Foundations
DANC 175	Hip Hop I
DANC 275	Hip Hop II First Term
DANC 276	Hip Hop II Second Term
DANC 375	Hip Hop III
African
DANC 185	African I
DANC 285	African II
DANC 385	African III
Other
DANC 199	Special Studies: [Topic]
DANC 299	Special Studies: [Topic]
DANC 399	Special Studies: [Topic]
DANC 386	Dance in the African Diaspora: [Topic]
DAN 494	Advanced Movement Practice
Performance		7
DAN 280	Dance Loft Performance
DAN 380	Student Dance Concert Performance
DAN 436	Dema African Performance Ensemble: [Topic]
DAN 480	Faculty Dance Concert Performance
DAN 486	Student Dance Collective: [Topic]
DAN 408	Workshop: [Topic]
Creative Practice (8 credits)
DAN 171	Dance Improvisation: [Topic]	1
DAN 371	Improvisation II	1
DAN 252	Dance Composition I	3
DAN 352	Dance Composition II	3
Theory (26 credits)
DAN 125	First Year Seminar: [Topic] (Taken twice)	2
DAN 251	Looking at Dance	4
DAN 255	Dance Production I	2
DAN 355	Dance Production II	1
DAN 258	Musical Elements of Dance	3
DAN 260	Anatomy of Human Movement	4
DAN 301	African Dance Aesthetics	4
DAN 443	Dance and Power	3
DAN 425	Senior Seminar: [Topic] (Taken three times)	3
Electives ³		6
Additional Performance courses ⁴
Creative Practice Courses
DAN 271	Contact Improvisation: [Topic]
DAN 412	Student Dance Concert
DAN 452	Dance Composition III
DAN 453	Spring Choreo Loft
Theory Courses
DAN 241	Screendance: History and Theory
DAN 360	Dance Kinesiology
DAN 444	Contemporary Issues in Dance
DAN 458	Music for Dancers
DAN 491	Teaching Dance
Independent Study ⁵
DAN 401	Research: [Topic]
DAN 403	Thesis
DAN 404	Internship: [Topic]
DAN 405	Reading and Conference: [Topic]
DAN 406	Practicum: [Topic]
Total Credits		68

¹: Technique: 3 course minimum in each idiom (African, Ballet, Contemporary, and Hip Hop).
²: Upper-Division Technique: 8 credits minimum.
³: 6 credits of electives from Performance, Creative Practice, and/or Theory, may also include a maximum 2 credits of Independent Study.
⁴: Performance courses that are not applied to the Performance requirement may count toward elective requirement.
⁵: Independent Study is not required, but up to 2 credits may count toward elective requirement.

Students transferring to the UO as dance majors after two years of college work elsewhere should have completed courses for the UO BA foreign language/BS mathematics requirement, two terms of college-level English composition, as many of the university’s core-education requirements as possible.

Additional Requirements

34 of the 68 credit hours in Dance required for the BA/BS must be done in residency at UO. These credits will be a combination of courses with DAN and DANC prefixes.

Four-Year Degree Plan

The degree plan shown is only a sample of how students may complete their degrees in four years. There are alternative ways. Students should consult their advisor to determine the best path for them.

Courses that apply to the major must be passed with grades of C– or better.

Bachelor of Arts in Dance

Degree Map
First Year
Fall		Milestones	Credits
First term of first-year second-language sequence			4
WR 121Z	Composition I		4
DAN 255	Dance Production I		2
Choose two from the following:			2
DANC 170	Contemporary I
DANC 172	Ballet I
DANC 175	Hip Hop I
DANC 185	African I
DANC 199	Special Studies: [Topic]
	Credits		12
Winter
Second term of first-year second-language sequence			4
General-education course in arts and letters			4
General-education course in social science			4
Choose two from the following:			2
DANC 170	Contemporary I
DANC 172	Ballet I
DANC 175	Hip Hop I
DANC 185	African I
DANC 199	Special Studies: [Topic]
	Credits		14
Spring
Third term of first-year second-language sequence			4
WR 122Z or WR 123	Composition II or College Composition III		4
General-education course in social science			4
Choose two from the following:			2
DANC 170	Contemporary I
DANC 172	Ballet I
DANC 175	Hip Hop I
DANC 185	African I
DANC 199	Special Studies: [Topic]
	Credits		14
	Total Credits		40

Maintain an overall GPA of 2.50 or higher.

Degree Map
Second Year
Fall		Milestones	Credits
First term of second-year second-language sequence			4
General-education course in arts and letters that doubles as multicultural			4
General-education course in science			4
Choose two from the following:			2
DANC 270	Contemporary II
DANC 272	Ballet II
DANC 275	Hip Hop II First Term
DANC 399	Special Studies: [Topic]
DAN 355	Dance Production II		1
	Credits		15
Winter
Second term of second-year second-language sequence			4
General-education course in science			4
General-education course in social science that doubles as multicultural			4
Choose two from the following:			2
DANC 270	Contemporary II
DANC 272	Ballet II
DANC 275	Hip Hop II First Term
DANC 399	Special Studies: [Topic]
	Credits		14
Spring
Third term of second-year second-language sequence			4
General-education course in science			4
Multicultural course			4
Choose two from the following:			2
DANC 270	Contemporary II
DANC 272	Ballet II
DANC 275	Hip Hop II First Term
DANC 399	Special Studies: [Topic]
Electives			2
	Credits		16
	Total Credits		45

Maintain an overall GPA of 2.50 or higher. Identify a minor, certificate program, or second major.

Degree Map
Third Year
Fall		Milestones	Credits
DAN 251	Looking at Dance		4
Elective course			3
General-education course in arts and letters			4
General-education course in social science			4
	Credits		15
Winter
DAN 252	Dance Composition I		3
DAN 260	Anatomy of Human Movement		4
Elective course			3
Multicultural course			4
	Credits		14
Spring
DAN 352	Dance Composition II		3
General-education course in arts and letters			4
Elective courses			8
	Credits		15
	Total Credits		44

Maintain good academic standing and complete general-education requirements. A degree audit is recommended.

Degree Map
Fourth Year
Fall		Milestones	Credits
DAN 407	Seminar: [Topic]		1
DAN 408	Workshop: [Topic]		3
DAN 494	Advanced Movement Practice		2
DAN 452	Dance Composition III		3
DAN 458	Music for Dancers		3
Elective course			2
	Credits		14
Winter
DAN 360	Dance Kinesiology		3
DAN 407	Seminar: [Topic]		1
DAN 408	Workshop: [Topic]		3
DAN 494	Advanced Movement Practice		2
Elective course			4
	Credits		13
Spring
DAN 407	Seminar: [Topic]		1
DAN 408	Workshop: [Topic]		3
DAN 494	Advanced Movement Practice		2
Elective courses			5
	Credits		11
	Total Credits		38

Maintain good academic standing and complete major, minor, and/or certificate programs.

Bachelor of Science in Dance

Degree Map
First Year
Fall		Milestones	Credits
MATH 105Z	Math in Society		4
WR 121Z	Composition I		4
DAN 255	Dance Production I		2
Choose two from the following:			2
DANC 170	Contemporary I
DANC 172	Ballet I
DANC 175	Hip Hop I
DANC 185	African I
DANC 199	Special Studies: [Topic]
Elective course			1
	Credits		13
Winter
MATH 106	University Mathematics II		4
General-education course in arts and letters			4
General-education course in social science			4
Choose two from the following:			2
DANC 170	Contemporary I
DANC 172	Ballet I
DANC 175	Hip Hop I
DANC 185	African I
DANC 199	Special Studies: [Topic]
Elective course			1
	Credits		15
Spring
MATH 107	University Mathematics III		4
WR 122Z or WR 123	Composition II or College Composition III		4
General-education course in social science			4
Choose two from the following:			2
DANC 170	Contemporary I
DANC 172	Ballet I
DANC 175	Hip Hop I
DANC 185	African I
DANC 199	Special Studies: [Topic]
Elective course			1
	Credits		15
	Total Credits		43