68 courses with the subject DAN, each shown exactly as we captured it from the college's catalog, with every element we hold. Where the wording looks broken, that is our reading of the catalog, not the college's text.
DAN 101SFTopics: Dance Studio-Strength and Flexibility through Movement1
This course provides students with a practical and theoretical understanding of the relationship between the strength, flexibility and mobility of the body. Through experiential methods students learn how the connective tissues of the body function both as an interconnected web which facilitates movement, alignment and coordination, as well as proprioception. Students develop an individualized practice throughout the semester drawing from various movement systems and dance training methods. Students examine the relationship between strength, flexibility and agility as applied to dancing. Restrictions: DAN 101 may be taken for credit a total of 3 times with different topics. Enrollment limited to 40. {A}
Subject
DAN
Credits (min)
1
Credits (max)
1
Credit unit
Credit
Type
course
Repeatable
may be taken for credit a total of 3 times with different topics.
A duet form of movement improvisation. The technique focuses on work with gravity, weight support, balance, inner sensation, outer awareness and touch, to develop spontaneous fluidity of movement in relation to a partner. May be repeated once for credit. Enrollment limited to 25. {A}
Beginning study of the basic principles and vocabularies of classical ballet. Class covers both Barre and Center. Emphasis is placed on body alignment, the development of whole-body movement and musicality. The basics of more advanced steps, from turns to jumps, are introduced. Primary concepts such as outward rotation, weight shifts and physical safety are emphasized. Two to three semesters are recommended at the beginning level before advancement to Intermediate levels. May be repeated up to three times. Enrollment limited to 25. {A}
A continuation of DAN 120. Beginning study of the basic principles and vocabularies of classical ballet. The class is composed of two parts: Barre and Center. Emphasis is placed on body alignment, the development of whole-body movement and musicality. The basics of more advanced steps, from turns to jumps, are introduced. Primary concepts such as outward rotation, weight shifts and physical safety are emphasized. Two to three semesters are recommended at the beginning level before advancement to Intermediate levels. Prerequisite: DAN 120 or equivalent. May be repeated up to three times. Enrollment limited to 25. {A}
This course serves as an accessible dance course for all students interested in dance, regardless of ability and dance experience. Throughout the semester, students are introduced to a variety of dance forms and approaches (contemporary dance, salsa, jazz/funk, improvisation). The course promotes the development of dancing skills, aesthetic appreciation, community connection and cultural literacy. In these studio classes, students learn dance techniques while cultivating physical competencies, artistic creativity and bodily expressivity as a part of a community experience. Assignments, class discussions and movement material are designed to foster critical analysis of contemporary issues related to the interaction of dance and society. Enrollment limited to 25. {A}
This course is structured to introduce students to the art of tap dance. This course focuses on developing technical and improvisational skills. In addition, it also delves into the historical and cultural context of the art form. Specifically, students hone their practice of technical building blocks, such as toe taps, heel drops, shuffles, pullbacks, and ball changes. Students also experiment with various time signatures, polyrhythms, tones, volumes, and tempos to familiarize themselves with the complexities possible in the form. Enrollment limited to 30. {A}
This course explores the creation and performance of dance as it relates to musicals and storytelling in theater. Students practice applicable dance techniques and choreographic principles, gaining hands-on understanding of dance in musicals. The course embraces a diversity of styles and definitions of musicals. Instructors build upon their own training to teach material in the lineage of one or more dance forms—e.g., jazz, tap, ballet, modern dance, Hip Hop—that feature in musicals for the stage and the screen. The course situates its topic in relevant historical and cultural contexts. Open to students at all levels of experience. Enrollment limited to 30. {A}
This course provides a comprehensive study of Bollywood dance, encompassing fundamental footwork, grooves, rhythm patterns and expressive hand gestures. Students delve into the cultural significance of Bollywood dance, cinema and music, gaining insights into societal changes over time. Additionally, the course explores folk dances from various Indian states, such as Rajasthan, Punjab and Gujarat, enriching students' understanding of regional dance traditions. Restrictions: DAN 141 may be taken for credit a total of 3 times with different topics. Enrollment limited to 30. (E) {A}
Subject
DAN
Credits (min)
2
Credits (max)
2
Credit unit
Credits
Type
course
Repeatable
may be taken for credit a total of 3 times with different topics.
This course is a comprehensive introduction to flamenco, a product of Spain's blended Andalusian culture. Principles of flamenco musicality and structure are combined with the foundations of flamenco dance technique. Students study colocación (placement), estilización (stylization), posturas (postures), brazeo (armwork), floreo (handwork), vueltas (turns), taconeo (footwork), compás (phrasing), palmas (rhythmic clapping), jaleo (words of encouragement) and letras (verses). These skills are applied to choreographic studies and improvisation in a juerga (social) setting. Students use their knowledge to build a patada (a short dance) in one of two styles - bulerías or tangos. Sturdy heeled shoes are required. Restrictions: DAN 141 may be taken for credit a total of 3 times with different topics. Enrollment limited to 30. {A}
Subject
DAN
Credits (min)
2
Credits (max)
2
Credit unit
Credits
Type
course
Repeatable
may be taken for credit a total of 3 times with different topics.
This course offers an exciting exploration of Cuban dance, focusing on styles deeply connected to Black identity and culture. Students dive into the rich history, spirituality, and artistic expressions of AfroCuban dance forms rooted in African ethnic groups like the Bantu, Yoruba, and Fon. These traditions have profoundly shaped Latin American dance and continue to influence today's global culture. Through hands-on learning, students experience the intricate rhythms and dynamic movement patterns that have transcended borders and time, merging into contemporary popular culture. Get ready to not only study these dances but also move to their vibrant beats, gaining a deeper understanding of their impact on identity and expression. Features live drummers. Restrictions: DAN 142 may be taken for credit a total of 3 times with different topics. Enrollment limited to 30. {A}
Subject
DAN
Credits (min)
2
Credits (max)
2
Credit unit
Credits
Type
course
Repeatable
may be taken for credit a total of 3 times with different topics.
DAN 142WATopics in Dance Forms of the African Diaspora: West African Dance2
This course introduces West African dance, music and song as a traditional mode of expression in various West African countries. It emphasizes appreciation and respect for African culture and its profound influence on American culture and art. Restrictions: DAN 142 may be taken for credit a total of 3 times with different topics. Enrollment limited to 30. {A}
Subject
DAN
Credits (min)
2
Credits (max)
2
Credit unit
Credits
Type
course
Repeatable
may be taken for credit a total of 3 times with different topics.
Highly expressive and technically precise, Kathak is a renowned genre of Indian dance performed across the world—at once a symbol of North Indian culture and a transnational practice of the Indian diaspora. With roots in Indian temples and influenced by Middle Eastern culture, Kathak blends dance, drama and music to tell mythological stories. This course introduces elements of Kathak technique, including its signature percussive footwork and symbolic hand gestures (mudras). It fosters knowledge of Kathak’s history and cultural context, teaching the technique in dialogue with Indian music, philosophy and mythology. No previous experience necessary. Restrictions: DAN 143 may be taken for credit a total of 3 times with different topics. Enrollment limited to 30. {A}
Subject
DAN
Credits (min)
2
Credits (max)
2
Credit unit
Credits
Type
course
Repeatable
may be taken for credit a total of 3 times with different topics.
Argentine Tango, which is experiencing a worldwide revival, is the sensual and elegant social dance of Buenos Aires. Class includes the movements, the steps, the history and anecdotes about the culture of Tango. The class covers traditional and modern forms. All dancers learn lead and follow, so you do not need a partner. May be taken twice for a total of four credits. Enrollment limited to 40. {A}
Hip-hop is a popular form of Afro-diasporic cultural production and, for many, a lifestyle. In this studio course for beginner dancers, students learn movements from the poppin', lockin', house and breakin’ dance techniques. This study of movement vocabulary is contextualized in analyses of hip-hop’s history, culture and current trends. May be taken three times for a total of six credits. Enrollment limited to 30. {A}
Introductory study of dance composition, including movement research, spatial design, rhythmic phrasing, musical forms and performance. Enrollment limited to 12. {A}
DAN 171Dance History: Political Bodies From the Stage to the Page4
This course excavates the artistic, social and cultural trends that have driven the histories of ballet, jazz dance, modern dance and postmodern dance throughout the 20th and 21st centuries. The course looks critically at artists such as Isadora Duncan, Rudolf Laban, George Balanchine, Martha Graham, Katherine Dunham, Alvin Ailey, Anna Halprin, Pina Bausch and Bill T. Jones. Through readings, discussions, dance viewings, movement activities and sessions in the Museum of Art, Josten Library and Sophia Smith Collection, students examine how notions of race, nationality, gender, sexuality and political ideology inform dance. Students conduct historical research on a topic of their choice. Enrollment limited to 20. {A}{H}
A laboratory course based on the preparation and performance of department productions. Students may elect to fulfill course requirements from a wide array of production-related responsibilities, including stage crew. It may not be used for performance or choreography. Students who wish to register for two credits in the same semester should register for two separate sections of DAN 200. Restrictions: May be taken four times for credit, with a maximum of two credits per semester. {A}
DAN 202Strength and Flexibility through Movement Intermediate2
This course provides students with a practical and theoretical understanding of the relationship between strength, flexibility and mobility of the body. Through experiential methods students learn how the connective tissues of the body function as an interconnected web which facilitates movement, alignment, coordination and proprioception. Students develop an individualized practice throughout the semester drawing from various movement systems and dance training methods. The course examines the relationship between strength, flexibility and agility as applied to dancing. This course supports students training in dance and other movement forms. Students learn anatomical connections within the musculo-skeletal system and apply them to movement practice. Enrollment limited to 25. {A}
This course offers an in-depth exploration of aesthetic and interpretive issues in dance performance. Through experiments with improvisation, musical phrasing, partnering, personal imagery and other modes of developing and embodying movement material, dancers explore ways in which a choreographer’s vision is formed, altered, adapted and finally presented in performance. May be taken three times for credit. Audition required. Instructor permission required. {A}
DAN 210Hybrid Technique: The Modern Dance to Ballet Continuum2
This technique course emphasizes that dance genres are not isolated in themselves. Each style has a variety of influences. The course physically explores and embodies both the similarities and differences between two forms of dance and the variety of movement aesthetics and possibilities created when ideas and tools from both forms are present in the body simultaneously. The course also teaches how these two genres can support each other and enrich a dancer's unique movement qualities and sequences. Prerequisite: Modern or Contemporary Technique at the Advanced Beginner level. Enrollment limited to 35. {A}
A duet form of movement improvisation. The technique focuses on work with gravity, weight support, balance, inner sensation, outer awareness, and touch, to develop spontaneous fluidity of movement in relation to a partner. Prerequisite: One dance technique course or equivalent. Enrollment limited to 25. Instructor permission required. {A}
Intermediate study of the principles and vocabularies of classical ballet. Class covers both Barre and Center. The primary concepts from the beginning study are developed: body alignment, development of whole-body movement, musicality and embodiment of performance style. All types of turns and various jumps are developed, both petit and grand allegro. Two to three semesters at the intermediate level are recommended before auditioning for Advanced levels. Prerequisite: DAN 121 or equivalent. May be repeated up to three times. Enrollment limited to 25. {A}
A continuation of DAN 222. Intermediate study of the principles and vocabularies of classical ballet. Class covers both Barre and Center. The primary concepts from the beginning study are developed: body alignment, development of whole-body movement, musicality and embodiment of performance style. All types of turns and various jumps are developed, both petit and grand allegro. Two to three semesters at the intermediate level are recommended before auditioning for Advanced levels. Prerequisite: Previous dance experience. May be taken up to three times. Enrollment limited to 30. {A}
This course is an intermediate study of contemporary pointe technique. All students are assumed to have an appropriate level of ballet technique (as covered in the FCD's ballet courses or the equivalent). The FCD Advanced Placement status is not required however, all students must be concurrently registered for a related two credit technique class and are required to be at the intermediate level in that technique. May be taken up to three times. Meets with DAN 327. Enrollment limited to 30. {A}
This course is structured to deepen students' relationship to the art of tap dance. The course focuses on refining technical and improvisational skills. In addition, the course delves into the historical and cultural context of the art form. Specifically, students hone their practice of technical building blocks e.g. shuffles, paddle-and-rolls, pull backs, rhythm turns, and wings. Students also experiment with various time signatures, polyrhythms, tones, volumes, and tempos to familiarize themselves with the complexities possible in the form. Lastly, students learn sections of choreography from the traditional tap dance repertoire. Prerequisite: DAN 137. Enrollment limited to 15. {A}
An introduction to selected scientific aspects of dance, including anatomical identification and terminology, physiological principles, and conditioning/strengthening methodology. These concepts are discussed and explored experientially in relationship to the movement vocabularies of various dance styles. Enrollment limited to 30. {A}
DAN 242Dance Forms of the African Diaspora Intermediate2
This studio course offers intermediate-level technique training in any of the dance forms from Africa and the African Diaspora. The physical study of the form is contextualized socially, culturally and historically, favoring an interdisciplinary perspective. Through the course, students approach the study of dance as a catalyst for cultural empowerment and social change. Enrollment limited to 30. {A}
This course focuses on developing modern dance technique, specifically técnica cubana as conceptualized by Cuban choreographers Ramiro Guerra and Eduardo Rivero. This technique integrates elements from Graham, Cunningham, Limon, ballet, and Afro-Cuban dance, emphasizing improvisation and expressive breathing techniques. Through this course, students enhance their performance and creative skills by exploring various movement qualities, such as spine articulation, body isolations, awareness of gravity, and complex polyrhythms. The ability to take risks and work with others to investigate and analyse movement in depth from anatomical concepts as well as to explore one's own maximum capabilities are fundamental and supported in this course. Enrollment limited to 30. {A}
This course journeys through time and allows students to experience in their own bodies the evolution of hip-hop from its social dance roots to the contemporary phenomenon of commercial choreography that hip-hop has become. Using film and text in addition to studio work, this class creates a framework from which to understand and participate in the global culture of hip-hop dance. May be taken twice for a total of four credits. Enrollment limited to 30. {A}
Coursework emphasizes dance making, improvisation, and performance through generating and designing movement-based studies and one fully realized performance project. Various devices and approaches are employed including motif and development, text and spoken language, collage and structured improvisation. Enrollment limited to 10. Instructor permission required. {A}
DAN 272Dance Anthropology: Performed Identities and Embodied Cultures4
What are social functions of dance? How does the body signify culture? How does movement articulate identities? What forms of knowledge do dance anthropologists produce, and how? Through theories of performance and embodiment, this course illuminates the relationships between self, body, culture, and society. It discusses the nature of fieldwork and ethnographic research in dance, critically examining how contemporary ethnographers negotiate the historical relationship between anthropology and coloniality. The course highlights ethnographies of dance forms from the Americas, Africa, Asia, the Middle East, and Europe. Students conduct a fieldwork project of their choice, engaging in participant observation and fieldnote writing. Enrollment limited to 20. {A}{S}
DAN 287Analysis of Music from a Dancer's Perspective4
A primary goal is development of the ability to focus on subtle details in music while dancing, teaching, choreographing, or performing. Dancers cultivate an open mind and skills for imagining many relationships between dance and music. Students improvise music, make up songs, translate choreography into music, and dance with music from various cultures and historical periods. The course emphasizes rhythm, terminology, and categories, meaning in music, and strategies for finding music. Students listen to varied musical styles and paradigms, formulate statements about music, study ethical questions about music and musicians, and distinguish between recorded and live music. Enrollment limited to 12.
DAN 300CTTopics in Dance Technique and Performance-Contemporary Trends1
This studio dance course offers a series of contemporary dance technique master classes with Smith MFA teaching fellows and other dance artists. It is designed to augment students' ongoing dance training. Through this course students engage in a wide range of approaches and material in the contemporary dance realm. Each week is a “deep-dive” into a different aesthetic and artistic philosophy. It aims to introduce students to a variety of perspectives on dance and its place in our culture.
This course offers an in-depth exploration of aesthetic and interpretive issues in dance performance. Through experiments with improvisation, musical phrasing, partnering, personal imagery and other modes of developing and embodying movement material, dancers explore ways in which a choreographer’s vision is formed, altered, adapted and finally presented in performance. May be taken twice for a total of 4 credits. Audition required. Instructor permission required. {A}
This course offers an in-depth exploration of aesthetic and interpretive issues in dance performance. Through experiments with improvisation, musical phrasing, partnering, personal imagery and other modes of developing and embodying movement material, dancers explore ways in which a choreographer’s vision is formed, altered, adapted and finally presented in performance. In its four-credit version, this course also requires additional readings and research into broader issues of historical context, genre and technical style. Course work may be developed through existing repertory or through the creation of new work(s). May be taken twice for credit. Audition required. Instructor permission required. {A}
May be taken twice for a total of four credits. Audition required. Prerequisite: DAN 317. Enrollment limited to 30. Instructor permission required. {A}
Advanced study of the principles and vocabularies of classical and contemporary ballet. Registration is allowed after passing a placement exam at the start of the academic year. Classes move at a rapid pace. A demonstrated understanding of body alignment and turnout is expected, along with directions of the body, the use of port de bras, and advanced “bravado” steps. Emphasis is placed on musicality and an embodiment of performance style. Pointe work is optional in class, at barre and center, with the instructor’s permission. May be repeated up to three times. Enrollment limited to 25. Audition required. Instructor permission required. {A}
A continuation of DAN 324. Advanced study of the principles and vocabularies of classical and contemporary ballet. Registration is allowed after passing a placement exam at the start of the academic year. Classes move at a rapid pace. A demonstrated understanding of body alignment and turnout is expected, along with directions of the body, the use of port de bras and advanced “bravado” steps. Emphasis is placed on musicality and an embodiment of performance style. Pointe work is optional in class, at barre and/or center, with the instructor’s permission. May be taken up to three times. Enrollment limited to 30. Audition required. Instructor permission required. {A}
This one-credit technique course is an advanced study of contemporary pointe technique. All students are assumed to have an appropriate level of ballet technique (as covered in the FCD's ballet courses or the equivalent). The FCD Advanced Placement status is not required however, all students must be concurrently registered for a related two-credit technique class and are required to be at the advanced level in that technique. May be taken up to three times. Meets with DAN 227. Enrollment limited to 30. {A}
This two-credit technique course is an advanced study of contemporary pointe technique. All students are assumed to have an appropriate level of ballet technique (as covered in the FCD's ballet courses or the equivalent). The FCD Advanced Placement status is not required however, all students must be concurrently registered for a related two-credit technique class and are required to be at the advanced level in that technique. May be taken up to three times. Enrollment limited to 30. {A}
This course offers an opportunity to explore how place and landscape offer inspiration and opportunities for dance, performance and embodied experience. Place can include natural landscapes, buildings, parks, pathways, stairways, living rooms and the place of bodies. The goal of this course is to create bridges between the ecological and the poetic realms of human experience. Students explore how creativity is being in relationship to things, beings, environments and the historical and cultural contexts. This course includes a series of public performances and is open to students interested in engaging in creative collaborative process. Enrollment limited to 18. {A}
DAN 377CITopics in Advanced Studies in History and Aesthetics-Contact Improvisation Practice and History4
In this course students engage throughout the semester both in the practice of contact improvisation (CI) and the study of its history from 1972 till the present. The class studies how CI has become a worldwide phenomenon, how it has evolved on different continents and regions, and how its participants have navigated issues of power, sexuality, race, identity and culture. Students consider the ecosystems of CI classes, jams and performances; CI in academia; and CI in relationship to professional dance training, aesthetics, and performance. All levels. Enrollment limited to 20. {A}
DAN 377SATopics in Advanced Studies in History and Aesthetics-Salsa in Theory and Practice4
This course is an in-depth exploration of salsa from theoretical and practical perspectives. Dance lessons familiarize the students with beginner to intermediate level salsa steps, targeting skills in bodily coordination, musicality, expressivity and improvisation, as well as in memorization of choreography and communication between partners. The learning of the dance is framed within an analysis of literature on salsa cutting across dance history, anthropology, musicology and cultural studies. Readings, documentaries, class discussions and research assignments situate salsa as an expression of Latino and Latin American cultures, but also as a global product through which dancers and musicians from Cuba to Japan perform notions of gender, ethnicity and nationality. No previous dance experience required. Enrollment limited to 20. {A}
Senior seminar is a capstone course that integrates dance studies through an individual research or creative project. Students learn to articulate critical analysis and to give feedback to peers. Required for senior dance majors. Open by permission to seniors with other majors who have a serious interest in dance. Restrictions: Seniors only; Dance majors only. Enrollment limited to 12. Instructor permission required. {A}
For qualified juniors and seniors. May be substituted for DAN 399 with permission of the department. May be taken twice for credit. Instructor permission required.
First-year MFA students enroll in this course to fulfill the graduate performance requirement. Enrollment in DAN 505 takes place in the same semester as the performance. The requirement is met by participating in the choreography of an FCD faculty member (including guest artists) or an MFA thesis. Students must attend the respective auditions. Restrictions: DAN graduate students only.
First-year MFA students enroll in this course to fulfill the graduate dance production requirement (usually stage managing a dance concert). Enrollment in DAN 507 takes place in the semester when the student completes the dance production assignment, as scheduled by the faculty. Restrictions: DAN graduate students only.
First-year MFA students enroll in this course to accrue independent study credit for their grad event choreography, but only in the semester when their grad event piece is not created within a choreography course (DAN 521 or DAN 553). Restrictions: DAN graduate students only. Instructor permission required.
Advanced work in choreographic design and related production design. Study of the creative process and how it is manifested in choreography. Prerequisite: Two semesters of choreography.
This course seeks to expand the students’ knowledge of the literature in dance history and theory. It prompts discussions of historiography, writing, research methods, and cultural theory in dance studies. The readings trace the development of critical dance studies since the 1990s by surveying the field’s foundational texts as well as recent scholarship. These texts illuminate a variety of dance genres, time periods, and artists, while theorizing the body, movement, choreography, and performance from cultural, social, and ideological perspectives. Additionally, this course cultivates skills in dance research and writing. Students work on individual research projects throughout the semester.
This class examines and engages the choreographic process through a study of the interaction of expressive movement with concrete and abstract design ideas. Choreographic ideas developed in this class are based on the premise that design elements can be used as source materials for choreographic intent. In addition to studies and projects, weekly writings are assigned. Restrictions: DAN graduate students only.
DAN 560Scientific Principles in the Teaching of Dance4
This course is designed to assist graduate students as they teach dance technique. The principles of anatomy, injury prevention and rehabilitation, and nutrition are examined in relation to fundamentals of dance pedagogy; expressive dance aesthetics are examined formally within a context of current body science. Through analysis of body alignment, safe and efficient movement patterns, and proper nutritional needs, students learn methods that increase efficiency, clarity, strength and coordination and that ultimately achieve desired aesthetic goals. Class work includes lectures, experiential application, and computer analyses to reinforce a rigorous understanding of the scientific principles and body mechanics that are observed within dance performance as well as in excellent teaching of dance. Prerequisite: DAN 241 or equivalent. Restrictions: DAN graduate students only.
MFA students enroll in this course to conduct independent research for the thesis in the summer between their first year and second year in the program. Summer research indications are detailed in the MFA Handbook.
MFA students enroll in this course to obtain credit for the creative process of the thesis in the Fall semester of their second year in the program. Directions for the thesis are detailed in the MFA Handbook. Restrictions: DAN graduate students only. Department permission required.
DAN 591Second-Year Thesis: Production and Analysis4
Second-year MFA students enroll in this course in the Spring semester to obtain credit for the public presentation of the thesis choreography, the ensuing paper and the oral examination. Directions for the thesis are detailed in the MFA Handbook. Department permission required.
