StudyQA — Bachelor: Dance — Northwestern University

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As an undergraduate in dance, you'll study composition and choreography in depth as you are challenged to write, research, and analyze the field of dance. At the same time, you'll continue to develop your dance skills with technique classes and performance opportunities.

The foundations of our dance program are contemporary modern dance, which includes the vibrant Jump Rhythm Jazz style, along with ballet and tap. You'll examine the body in motion, explore collaborations in dance and music, and improvise dance as you develop your own vocabulary for composition and choreography.

Our faculty include award-winning professional dancers, choreographers and renowned researchers and scholars of dance history, theory and education. Guest artists lead master classes in a variety of forms and styles.

The dance and liberal arts curriculum is designed to foster your intellectual, artistic and professional growth and prepare you to pursue career opportunities in performance, dance writing, education, choreography, dance therapy and administration.

Students gain admission to the dance major through the regular Northwestern Undergraduate application process. There is no audition for the dance major. A placement class is held during Wildcat Welcome to determine the appropriate technique level for students to take.

Core Courses

101-1 Movement Awareness
101-2 Dance in Context
101-3 Introduction to Improvisation
225 Dance Composition

Dance Technique

Dance technique classes: a minimum of 4 units from the list below (three classes add up to 1 unit of credit); classes in a dance form must be taken sequentially, each in consecutive quarters in a single academic year; classes in a sequence need not be taken at the same level. Technique courses must include:

Two yearlong sequences in modern, chosen from 150, 250, or 350
One yearlong sequence in jazz, chosen from 160, 260, or 360
One .34 unit class in Jump Rhythm Technique tap or jazz; may be counted as part of the yearlong sequence in jazz
One additional year-long sequence in a single form chosen from the classes listed below
In addition to the 4 required yearlong sequences, an additional .34 unit class, 140 Cultural Forms

Technique Classes

110 Movement for the Stage
120 Topics in Preparation for Performance
130 Music Theatre Dance
140 Cultural Forms
150 Modern I
160 Jazz I
161 Jump Rhythm Technique I
170 Ballet I
180 Tap I
181 Jump Rhythm Tap I
250 Modern II
260 Jazz II
261 Jump Rhythm Technique II
270 Ballet II
280 Tap II
281 Jump Rhythm Tap II
350 Modern III
360 Jazz III
370 Ballet III
380 Tap III

2 Performance Courses chosen from the following list:

235 Choreography for Music Theatre
325 Advanced Choreographic Study
326 Advanced Improvisation
345 Studies in Collaboration
387 Theatre/Dance Practicum
465 Studies in Dance (see Graduate School catalog)

2 Dance Studies Courses chosen from the following list:

201 Cultural Studies of Dance
215 Dance History
315 Dance Criticism
335 Special Topics in Dance Research (methods or history topics)
365 American Rhythm Dancing and the African American Performance Aesthetic
THEATRE 367 Music Theatre History
399 Independent Study
200- or 300-level communication courses: 3 courses
DANCE 395 Senior Seminar-Students enroll in fall, winter and spring and receive one credit total upon completion of the year’s work in the spring quarter.
Production: two registrations for THEATRE 119 Production Laboratory (0 units)

Additional Requirements (29 units)

Courses outside communication: 6 courses at the 200 level or above, including at least 3 courses at the 300 level or above (may include courses taken to meet the distribution requirement)
Electives in communication and other areas to complete a minimum of 45 units of credit

Requirements

Common Application or Coalition Application*
Official secondary school transcript and school report
Counselor recommendation
At least one teacher recommendation
Official SAT or ACT scores†
Official TOEFL or IELTS scores (ONLY international applicants whose first language is not English or whose schooling has not been in English)
Recommended: two SAT subject tests
Nonrefundable application fee of $75 or fee waiver
Early Decision Agreement (ONLY Early Decision applicants)
Midyear transcript (ONLY Regular Decision applicants)
Music audition (ONLY School of Music applicants)
Required for home-schooled applicants: 3 SAT subject tests