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Dance, Minor

ÀÏ˾»ú¸£ÀûÍø’s dance minor is a 23-credit program that aims to broaden perspectives about dance in various forms. SLU’s dance minor is open to all students interested in dance as a personal and cultural practice, regardless of their previous experience with the discipline.

Students in SLU's dance minor hone their bodies as skillful instruments for expression and communication. They heighten their awareness of an embodied human experience by applying formal and improvisational dance techniques, choreographic processes, rehearsal and performance practices. They also gain an understanding of the historical and cultural contexts of dance.

With a curriculum that encourages connections between dance and other personal and professional pursuits, the minor investigates dance as a concert art form and personal practice. Students also explore dance’s potential applications to other disciplines, such as medicine, psychology, theatre and music, physical and occupational therapy, health and exercise sciences, nutrition and dietetics, and athletic training. Seeking such intersections nurtures critical thinking, which can lead to developing novel perspectives that ignite creative thinking and innovation.

Curriculum Overview

Dance integrates mind, body and spirit. This can teach students to treat their body as an intelligent source for learning, exploration and discovery. At the same time, SLU’s education of the whole person fosters internal connections that sensitize students to a deeper understanding of themselves, their relationships with others and their world. Physical benefits of dance include improved balance, strength, coordination and performance, confidence, encouraging a life of integration, vitality, health and well-being. Therefore, the study of dance is well suited to inform and support any track of study, worldview or personal goal.

Toward this aim, students must complete eight credits in dance foundations, eight credits in dance technique, four credits in dance study and three credits in a related area of study. The three dance foundations courses include a theatre and dance history course, an introduction to dance course covering ballet, modern and jazz dance, and a choreography course. These three courses allow students to gain knowledge of essential dance styles, performance and choreography practices, and the history of dance and theatre.

Building on this, dance minors at SLU take a further eight credits (four courses) of technique in ballet, jazz and modern dance forms. For their final three courses, students must select two courses in dance study and one course in a related area of study.

Students may petition to apply credit from related disciplines to the minor with the approval of the coordinator, as well as to apply credit in dance study and a related area of study from dance courses offered at ÀÏ˾»ú¸£ÀûÍø’s Madrid campus, such as flamenco and Latin dance, among others.Ìý Ìý

Dance students must complete a minimum total of 23 creditsÌýfor the minor. Repeated course credits may not apply.

Dance Foundations
¶Ù´¡±·°äÌý2000Introduction to Dance: Ballet, Modern, and Jazz Dance3
°Õ±á¸éÌý4515History of Theatre and Dance Advanced Studies3
¶Ù´¡±·°äÌý3000Choreography2
Dance Technique
Choose four courses with the Dance Technique attribute, such as:8
¶Ù´¡±·°äÌý2100
Ballet Technique I
¶Ù´¡±·°äÌý2200
Jazz Dance Technique I
¶Ù´¡±·°äÌý2300
Modern Dance Technique I
¶Ù´¡±·°äÌý3100
Ballet Technique II
¶Ù´¡±·°äÌý3200
Jazz Dance Technique II
¶Ù´¡±·°äÌý3300
Modern Dance Technique II
Dance Study
Choose two or more courses with the Dance Study attribute, such as:4
¶Ù´¡±·°äÌý2010
Dance Improvisation
¶Ù´¡±·°äÌý2020
Hip-Hop Dance
¶Ù´¡±·°äÌý2650
Spanish Dance: Flamenco
¶Ù´¡±·°äÌý2660
Latin Rhythms and Dance
¶Ù´¡±·°äÌý2670
The New Flamenco Experience
¶Ù´¡±·°äÌý2680
Advanced Latin Rhythms & Dance
¶Ù´¡±·°äÌý2850
Musical Theatre Dance
Related Area of Study 3
Choose one course with the Dance Related Area attribute, such as:
²Ñ±«³§°äÌý2270
Music Theory I
²Ñ±«³§°äÌý3300
History of Music I
²Ñ±«³§°äÌý3310
History of Music II
°Õ±á¸éÌý1010
Introduction to Performing Arts
°Õ±á¸éÌý2200
Survey of Theatre Design
°Õ±á¸éÌý2500
Costume Construction
°Õ±á¸éÌý2510
Acting I: Fundamentals
°Õ±á¸éÌý2560
Movement for the Theatre
°Õ±á¸éÌý2580
Make-Up for the Stage
°Õ±á¸éÌý3620
Stage Management
Total Credits23

Continuation Standards

A student must maintain a 2.00 grade point average (GPA) in dance minor coursework.

Students can complete part of the dance minor at SLU’s campus in Madrid.Ìý

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