Dance

College of Creative Arts
Dean: Kurt Daw

School of Music and Dance
CA 140
415-338-1431
Web Site: www.musicdance.sfsu.edu
Director: Jassen Todorov
Dance Coordinator: Susan Whipp

Undergraduate Advisers:
Performance/Choreography—Rose, Whipp, Tadio
Musical Theatre—Damashek, Deeter, Whipp
World Cultures Emphasis—Whipp, Tadio, Modirzadeh

Faculty

Professors—Rose, Whipp

Assistant Professor—Tadio

Lecturers—Diamond, Gomes, McCarthy, Pierce

Programs

B.A. in Dance
Minor in Dance
Minor in World Music and Dance
Subject Matter Program in Physical Education-Concentration in Dance
(coordinated with Department of Kinesiology)


Program Scope

The focus of the Dance Program in the School of Music and Dance is to study Dance as an Art form. The Bachelor of Arts in Dance provides professional preparation in dance and an opportunity to emphasize dance performance and choreography, musical theatre or dance in world cultures. The Dance Program strives to have students develop strong foundational skills and knowledge necessary for a variety of professional tracts. SF State dancers have moved into performance and developed their own companies. The faculty have seen students develop careers in K-12 education or supplemented their education for work in private dance or pilates studios, and have successfully completed graduate dance studies at major institutions. Students with a major other than dance should investigate both the Minor in Dance and the Minor in World Music and Dance.

The B.A. is organized into three components: the Core, Dance Technique, and Emphasis Electives. Majors must complete a seventeen-unit core covering basic studies, the body as instrument, and aesthetics and history. Choices are available in the core to gear the student toward their chosen emphasis.

Technique electives offer the student a variety of styles and can be repeated for credit to optimize conditioning and development of expression. A minimum of twelve units of technique classes must be chosen, with nine units selected from numbers above 200. The Dance faculty recognize that most major students surpass the minimum technique credit level. Students must audition for placement into technique level and can progress to the next level with the consent of the instructor. Students in choreography and performance commonly study two technique areas each semester or study dance conditioning or pilates in conjunction with technique. Musical theatre students study a diverse blend of courses to augment their other theatre arts and music areas. World Cultures students will study in a cross section of cultural forms in both music and dance.

Individualized emphasis electives should be chosen according to career goals in consultation with an adviser. These courses have been chosen and optimally organized for students who wish to pursue dance performance and choreography, musical theatre, or world cultures. Upper division technique courses may be repeated in the emphasis of performance/choreography or musical theatre up to a maximum of six units. Three units may be elected from another area of the university with consent of the major adviser. Students should consider the following as culminating experiences in the major: Dance 461 Advanced Choreography and Production; Dance 399 University Dance Theatre; THA 333, Lyric Theatre Workshop, and THA 433, Music Theatre Workshop; and Dance 404, Production in Ethnic Dance. Dance students with music backgrounds may join world music ensembles during the fall and spring.

Dance Program Concerts

The dance program produces four concerts annually: The World Cultures Dance and Music Celebration, the New Moves Children's Concert, the New Moves Student Choreography Showcase, and the University Dance Theater.

Facilities

Dance facilities are presently located in three different buildings on campus. The two primary dance-teaching spaces are GYM 146 and Fine Arts 203. Adjacent to the large Gym studio is a rehearsal room GYM 123. Locker rooms are available adjacent to the Fine Arts studio or in the gymnasium. Both lockers rooms require a small usage fee. Dance concerts are primarily held in McKenna Theatre, a 700-seat house in the Creative Arts Building. Low or no-tech performances are presented in Knuth Hall and in the Fine Arts Building.

Career Outlook

Career options for dance majors are very diverse. Majors graduating from this program move into a variety of dance-related areas: performance, choreography, musical theatre work, teaching in public schools, private studios, and community centers. Some have successfully completed certification programs in pilates/dance conditioning. SF State’s graduates have also been accepted into graduate schools for MFA and doctoral work. Individuals have also moved into the related professions of arts management and non-profit work from the knowledge and skills gained from the study of dance.

The San Francisco Bay Area has a very active and vibrant dance, music, and theatre community with many performance ensembles, training centers, concerts, and arts service organizations. There are many ways for graduates to become involved in this larger dance community.

Teaching opportunities are available throughout the region in private and public education settings, private studios, and recreation centers. The State of California requires a teaching credential for employment in the public schools and views dance as a subject area in the field of physical education. To earn a credential, the student must follow the subject matter program in physical education with a concentration in dance, a program developed from the B.A. in Dance and from courses in Kinesiology. Consult a dance adviser and the SFSU Bulletin Index for credential information.

BACHELOR OF ARTS IN DANCE

The B.A. in Dance is designed to provide training in dance and an opportunity to emphasize dance performance and choreography, or music theatre, or world cultures. The major is organized around a seventeen-unit core, a minimum of twelve technique units, and sixteen units of emphasis electives. Emphasis area courses in dance, music, and theatre arts should be chosen according to career goals in consultation with an adviser. New majors and minors must take one of the auditions listed on musicdance.sfsu.edu web site. It is mandatory that students consult with their adviser on a semester basis and maintain a grade point average of 2.0.

On-line course descriptions are available.

Core Requirements Units
Basic Studies
MUS 120 Basic Music I 3
DANC 232 Dance Composition: Choreography I 3
DANC 300 Dance Organizational Strategies and Field Topics 2
DANC 311 Alignment Study/Pilates Mat 1
TH A 313 Lighting and Sound Laboratory and Crew 2
Body as Instrument*
Units selected from the following. 3
DANC 304 Issues in Dance Medicine I  
MUS 612 The Voice
Aesthetics and History*
Units selected from the following: 3
DANC 350 Dance Aesthetics: Cultural/Historical Perspectives  
DANC 430 Historical Survey of Dance in the Western World
TH A 300 Theatre Imagination
TH A 403 Theatre Backgrounds: 1900-Present
Total for core 17
Dance Technique
Units selected from the following. At least 9 units must be 200 or above with no more than 4 units from one course, except with advisers approval.
12
DANC 160 African Haitian Dance I (1)  
DANC 163 Ballet I (1)
DANC 173 Modern Dance I (1)
DANC 176 Modern Jazz Dance I (1)
DANC 207 Dance in Cultural Context: Afro-Brazilian Contemporary, Early Jazz Styles, Rhythm Tap, Flamenco, Capoiera, Afro-Cuban, Kathak (1)
DANC 236 Folklore of Dance: African-Haitian (2)
DANC 263 Ballet II (2)
DANC 275 Modern Dance II (2)
DANC 276 Modern Jazz Dance II (2)
DANC 311 Alignment Study/Pilates Mat (1)
DANC 316 Dunham Dance Technique (2)
DANC 363 Ballet III (2)
DANC 374 Modern Dance III (2)
DANC 376 Modern Jazz Dance III (2)
DANC 400 Technique Workshop in Contemporary Dance (1)
DANC 402 Workshop in Jazz/Music Theatre Dance (1)
DANC 474 Modern Dance IV (2)
DANC 699 Special Study (1-3)
TH A 125 Movement I: Skills
TH A 425 Movement II: Styles
Emphasis Electives
These courses are optimally organized for Performance/Choreography, Musical Theatre, and World Cultures. Courses selected may be from either Emphasis area and aligned with career goals. 6 units of technique courses, numbered 300 or above, may be repeated in this section for credit. Other DANC, THA, and MUS prefix courses may be used with adviser's approval. 3 units may be elected from other areas of the university with consent of major adviser.
16
Dance Performance and Choreography
DANC 310 Dance Conditioning/Pilates  
DANC 311 Alignment Study/Pilates Mat (1)
DANC 340 Creative Dance for Children
DANC 399 University Dance Theatre (2 + 2) [consecutive fall-spring semesters]
DANC 404 Production in Ethnic Dance
DANC 415 Dance in Religion
DANC 416 Advanced Repertory and Skill (1)
DANC 434 Dance Composition: Choreography II
DANC 461 Advanced Choreography and Production
DANC 463 Performance in Dance Production (1)
DANC 560 Supervised Experience in Dance Education
DANC 657 Damce Ethnology
DANC 699 Special Study (1-3)
Musical Theatre
MUS 311 Class Voice I (1)  
MUS 312 Class Voice II (1)
MUS 445 The Creative Imagination in Music
MUS 477 Career Management in Music
MUS 501 Music: The Listener's Art
MUS 505 Music of the World's Peoples
MUS 506 Survey of Jazz
TH A 125 Movement I: Skills
TH A 130 Acting Workshop I
TH A 333 Lyric Theatre Workshop
TH A 425 Movement II: Styles
TH A 433 Musical Theatre Workshop
World Cultures
Minimum 4 units in MUS
DANC 234 Social and Ballroom Dances of the US (2)  
DANC 234 Social and Ballroom Dances of the US (2)
DANC 207 Dance In Cultural Context (1)
DANC 236 Haitian Folklore (2)
DANC 404 Production in Ethnic Dance (1)
DANC 415 Dance in Religion
DANC 545 Kulintang Music/Dance of S. Philippines
MUS 386 World Music Ensemble (1)
MUS 387 Gamelan Ensemble
MUS 388 Jazz Combos (1)
MUS 505 Music of the World’s People
MUS 530 Music of Middle East and India
MUS 531 Music of North and Southeast Asia
MUS 532 Music of Latin America
MUS/ANTH 542 Seminar in Ethnomusicology
Minimum total for major 45

*Students in the Performance/Choreography Emphasis will typically select from DANC 304, 350, and 430. Students in the Musical Theatre Emphasis will typically select from MUS 612, THA 300, and THA 403. Students in World Cultures will typically select DANC 350 and MUS 612.

MINOR IN DANCE

The Dance Minor consists of a core curriculum of three courses (7 units) plus seventeen units taken from a list of electives on advisement. A total of twelve units in the minor must be upper division. Students seeking the Minor in Dance must take the placement audition for the study of technique and pass into the next higher level of technique with permission of the instructor. Other dance courses not on this list may be used as electives. Students should take special care to follow prerequisites for upper division courses: DANC 304, 340, 434, and 461. For specific dates and times of the placement audition, please contact the School of Music and Dance at 415-338-1431 or www.musicdance.edu.

Core Units
DANC 232 Dance Composition: Choreography I 3
DANC 311 Alignment Study/Pilates Mat 1
DANC 430 Historical Survey of Dance in the Western World or 3
DANC 350 Dance Aesthetics: Cultural and Historical Perspectives
Total for core 7
Electives
Courses selected from the following on advisement 17
DANC 160 African Haitian Dance I (1)  
DANC 163 Ballet I (1)
DANC 173 Modern Dance I (1)
DANC 176 Modern Jazz Dance I (1)
DANC 207 Dance in Cultural Context: Afro-Brazilian Contemporary, Early Jazz Styles, Rhythm Tap, Flamenco, Capoiera, Afro-Cuban, Kathak (1)
DANC 234 Social and Ballroom Dances of the U.S. (2)
DANC 236 Folklore of Dance: African-Haitian (2)
DANC 263 Ballet II (2)
DANC 274 Modern Dance II (2)
DANC 276 Modern Jazz Dance II (2)
DANC 300 Dance Organizational Strategies and Field Topics (2)
DANC 304 Issues in Dance Medicine I
DANC 310 Dance Conditioning (2)
DANC 311 Alignment Study/Pilates Mat (1)
DANC 316 Dunham Dance Technique (2)
DANC 340 Creative Dance for Children
DANC 363 Ballet III (2)
DANC 374 Modern Dance III (2)
DANC 376 Modern Jazz Dance III (2)
DANC 399 University Dance Theatre (2 + 2)
DANC 400 Technique Workshop in Contemporary Dance (1)
DANC 402 Technique Workshop in Modern Jazz Dance (1)
DANC 404 Production in Ethnic Dance (1)
DANC 416 Advanced Repertory and Skill (1)
DANC 434 Dance Composition: Choreography II
DANC 461 Principles of Dance Production
DANC 463 Performance in Dance (1)
DANC 474 Modern Dance IV (2)
DANC 560 Theory and Practice/Dance Education
DANC 699 Special Study (1-3)
Total for electives 17
Total for minor 24

 

MINOR IN WORLD MUSIC AND DANCE

Consult Minor in World Music and Dance for information on World Music and Dance.