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Department of Theatre, Drama, and Contemporary Dance

Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance

Students on Summer 2019, Fall 2019, or Spring 2020 requirements DANCEBFA
The Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance trains exceptional students who seek a professional career in dance within the context of an outstanding liberal arts education offered by Indiana University. The major includes dance technique, repertory, improvisation, composition, pedagogy, history, music, production, movement analysis, injury prevention, and Pilates certification. In addition, students take a strong academic core, completing requirements in arts and humanities. All majors are performing members of the Indiana University Contemporary Dance Theatre, and perform in the faculty/guest artist concert as well as dance in student works. Seniors produce a concert each fall. Students can find other performing opportunities with the opera, musical theatre program, the African American Dance Company, and Bloomington's local modern dance company, Windfall Dancers. Dance majors also have opportunities to perform nationally and internationally at various festivals and conferences.

Requirements

The major requires at least 84 credit hours, including the requirements listed below.
  1. Theoretical Foundations. Complete requirements a-e below:
    1. Introduction to Dance Studies. One (1) course:
      • THTR-D 231 Introduction to Dance Studies
    2. Twentieth-Century Concert Dance. One (1) course:
      • THTR-D 332 Twentieth-Century Concert Dance
    3. Basic Human Anatomy.
      • ANAT-A 225 when taken Summer 2024 or later
      • MSCI-M 115 INTRODUCTION TO ANATOMY AND PHYSIOLOGY
      • ANAT-A 215 BASIC HUMAN ANATOMY when taken prior to Summer 2024
    4. Introduction to Acting or Music Theory. One (1) course:
      • THTR-T 120 Acting I: Fundamentals of Acting
      • MUS-Z 111 INTRODUCTION TO MUSIC THEORY
    5. History or Anthropology of Dance. One (1) course:
      • THTR-T 370 History of Theatre and Drama I
      • THTR-T 371 History of Theatre and Drama II
      • THTR-T 460 Development of Dramatic Art I
      • THTR-T 461 Development of Dramatic Art II
      • THTR-T 462 Development of Dramatic Art III
      • THTR-T 463 Topics in Theatre History and Literature
      • THTR-T 468 Asian Performance
      • THTR-T 469 Globalization, Theatre, and Performance in Southeast Asia
      • AAAD-A 295 Survey of Hip Hop
      • AAAD-A 320 Black Dance History
      • ANTH-A 208 Topics in the Anthropology of the Arts and Expressive Behavior
      • ANTH-E 203 Stigma and the Expressive Arts: Cultivating Compassion
      • ANTH-E 208 Global Jazz, Reggae, and Hip-Hop: African Diasporic Music Beyond the African Diaspora
      • ANTH-E 317 Ethnographies of Media Worlds
      • ANTH-E 386 Performance, Culture, and Power in the Middle East and North Africa
      • ANTH-E 460 The Arts in Anthropology
      • ANTH-E 463 Anthropology of Dance
      • ANTH-E 464 Body, Power, and Performance
      • FOLK-E 295 Survey of Hip Hop
      • HISP-S 324 Introduction to the Study of Hispanic Cultures
      • *Another 300-499-level course approved by the department so long as it informs the understanding of dance theory and practice.
  2. Contemporary Practices. Complete requirements a-h below.
    1. Dance Practices I. One (1) course:
      • THTR-D 108 Dance Practices I
    2. Dance Practices II. One (1) course:
      • THTR-D 112 Dance Practices II
    3. Dance Practices III. One (1) course:
      • THTR-D 211 Dance Practices III
    4. Dance Practices IV. One (1) course:
      • THTR-D 212 Dance Practices IV
    5. Dance Practices V. One (1) course:
      • THTR-D 311 Dance Practices V
    6. Dance Practices VI. One (1) course:
      • THTR-D 312 Dance Practices VI
    7. Dance Practices VII. One (1) course:
      • THTR-D 411 Dance Practices VII
    8. Dance Practices VIII. One (1) course:
      • THTR-D 412 Dance Practices VIII
  3. Supporting Technique. 21 credit hours:
    • AAAD-A 100 African American Dance Company: Foundations and Practices
    • AAAD-A 221 Dance in the African Diaspora
    • AAAD-A 338 African American Dance Company: Advanced Studies and Practices
    • THTR-D 302 A Somatic Approach to Contemporary Ballet Practices
    • THTR-D 341 Cultural Choreographies
    • THTR-D 354 Advanced Tap Dance
    • THTR-D 355 Advanced Modern Dance
    • THTR-D 456 Advanced Jazz Dance
    • THTR-D 483 Topics in Dance
    • THTR-D 484 Professional Body Work Certification
    • THTR-T 175 Pilates for the Performing Artist
    • THTR-T 301 Musical Theatre Dance Styles I
    • THTR-T 302 Musical Theatre Dance Styles II
    • THTR-T 311 Introduction to Movement for the Theatre
    • THTR-T 410 Movement for the Theatre I
    • MUS-J 100 BALLET ELECTIVE/SECONDARY
  4. Dance Theory and Dance Making. Complete requirements a-l below.
    1. Improvisation for Contemporary Dance I. One (1) course:
      • THTR-D 121 Improvisation for Contemporary Dance I
    2. Performance as Art and Design. One (1) course:
      • THTR-T 125 Performance as Art and Design
    3. Improvisation for Contemporary Dance II. One (1) course:
      • THTR-D 161 Improvisation for Contemporary Dance II
    4. Contemporary Dance Workshop. Complete the following course three (3) times and for a total of three (3) credit hours:
      • THTR-D 301 Contemporary Dance Workshop
    5. Approaches to Dance-Making I. One (1) course:
      • THTR-D 221 Approaches to Dance-Making I
    6. Approaches to Dance-Making II. One (1) course:
      • THTR-D 222 Approaches to Dance-Making II
    7. Indiana University Contemporary Dance Theatre. Four (4) courses and four (4) credit hours:
      • THTR-D 361 Indiana University Contemporary Dance Theatre
    8. Dance Pedagogy. One (1) course:
      • THTR-D 351 Dance Pedagogy
    9. Choreographic Performance Project. One (1) course:
      • THTR-D 421 Choreographic Performance Project
    10. Methods of Movement Analysis. One (1) course:
      • THTR-D 461 Methods of Movement Analysis
    11. Senior Dance Summary. One (1) course:
      • THTR-D 462 Senior Dance Summary
  5. Professional Studies. One (1) course:
    • THTR-D 480 Advanced Choreographic Investigations
    • THTR-D 483 Topics in Dance
    • THTR-D 484 Professional Body Work Certification (Complete 3 credit hours for Pilates; 4 credit hours for yoga)
    • THTR-X 476 Practicum in Community Dance Partnerships
    • PSY-P 315 Developmental Psychology
    • PSY-P 324 Abnormal Psychology
    • SPH-A 387 MANAGEMENT OF DANCE INJURIES
    • SPH-K 405 EXERCISE AND SPORT PSYCHOLOGY
    • SPH-K 409 BASIC PHYSIOLOGY OF EXERCISE
  6. Major GPA, Hours, and Minimum Grade Requirements.
    1. At least 18 credit hours in the major must be completed in courses taken through the Indiana University Bloomington campus or an IU-administered or IU co-sponsored Overseas Study program.
    2. At least 18 credit hours in the major must be completed at the 300–499 level.
    3. Except for the GPA requirement, a grade of C- or higher is required for a course to count toward a requirement in the major.
    4. A GPA of at least 2.000 for all courses taken in the major—including those where a grade lower than C- is earned—is required.
    5. Exceptions to major requirements may be made with the approval of the department's Director of Undergraduate Studies, subject to final approval by the College of Arts and Sciences.