Dance

About this opportunity

The School of Music, Dance and Theatre offers in-depth educational experiences for majors pursing a bachelor’s degree in Dance or Dance education as well minors in Dance. 

The core values of the program are creativity, inquiry and humanity. These values are interwoven into a wide range of academic experiences and exploratory processes, allowing students to gain a deep understanding of dance as inquiry and to bridge knowledge and community. The dance program includes technique instruction in a range of forms, including Afro-Latin salsa, contemporary ballet, hip hop, contemporary modern and somatic practices. Students also study creative practices (the study of the creative process and dance-making using improvisation, choreography and interdisciplinary approaches); dance and digital arts; dance history, ethnography and philosophy; and movement practices (the study of the theory, history and technique of a range of dance forms and mind--body practices).

Thesis

Thesis projects can take the form of a written thesis document, or a combination of a creative work, i.e., choreographic performance, audio and/or video production, etc, plus a written document. This critical investigation represents the culmination of work developed during undergraduate study and usually involves making dance or movement-based work in a context specific venue, creating a written document and “defending” the project. 

Dance abides by Barrett's requirements for who can serve on a committee. Some students have done thesis projects that are outside of their major—if this is of interest it is strongly recommended that you have taken a course with someone from the other area, and that they be part of the committee. These are guidelines—if you can dream it, we can find ways to make it happen. Begin talking to your Faculty Honors Advisor early to begin thinking of possibilities.

• Complete the Dance Course Override Request Form to receive "class permission" and include the name of the course instructor and the instructor’s email. The form then routes to the instructor for review and approval. 
• Once approved by the instructor, it routes to the Herberger Advising staff for processing. The student receives notification of approval or denial once the staff completes the processing. 

Academic Preparation

Students are encouraged to take electives in other areas of interest to have a wider range of possible thesis committee members. Connecting with Herberger faculty in freshman and sophomore years is strongly recommended in order to best prepare for planning a thesis project. 

Recommended Timeline

The thesis project is generally done in two stages of the senior year (some students who were double majors have done this in their junior year). DCE 492—Honors Directed Study, is taken in the fall and the student establishes their committee, creates a prospectus, and begins research. DCE 493—Honors Directed Study, is taken in the spring. This is where the project is presented and defended. See Barrett schedule and create a timeline in order to meet all the required deadlines. Keep in mind that faculty committee members do best with a two-week turn-around for written documents.

Other Honors Opportunities

Honors contracts and internships are created on a case-by-case basis. Honors contracts can be done as individual or group projects—details are worked out at the beginning of the semester with the professor. Internships are upper division experiences and are custom-designed for the student based on their interests and available faculty or community members. Visit the Herberger Current Student Information Hub for support. 

Students who are not Dance majors or minors also are encouraged to propose Honors Enrichment Contracts in their Dance courses. If there is interest in producing a thesis project with a dance focus it is important to have taken previous Honors Enrichment Contracts in Dance including at least one upper division course. Students can explore opportunities for non-majors in dance here.