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About the Department of Dance
Based upon a central premise that art and education are extensions of the total humanistic endeavor, The Department of Dance is committed to supporting and affirming the role of dance in higher education offering an environment that trains and develops young artists while nurturing the art of dance. Paramount is the provision, unification and application of performance opportunities, creative projects and theoretical studies, which in turn empower enrichment of the arts in a diverse society in relevant and meaningful ways.
Dance students at The University of Iowa prepare to earn their living doing what they love: performance, choreography, teaching, or other creative careers. Dance and general studies at the BA, BFA, and MFA levels combine to establish a far-reaching foundation for artistic and intellectual development. The curriculum demands well-rounded understanding of dance theory, history and technique, as well as proficiency in both ballet and modern.
Through the Division of Performing Arts and the 2,533-seat Hancher Auditorium UI, dancers experience a myriad of performances -- the Department has hosted the American College Dance Festival five times -- participating in master classes and seminars with a variety of dance companies from the classical to the avant-garde in conjunction with the Dance Department's six technique studios, classrooms, video viewing and Labanotation computer room, as well as the video library, and The Space/Place Theater, the Department's own 200-seat performance space for formal concerts and experimental works.
The dance student refines classroom technique into the art of performance in the annual Dance Gala thesis and student/faculty concerts, School of Music operas, Theatre Arts Department musicals, the annual ACDFA festivals -- and, for exceptional students, the Dance Department's touring company: Dancers in Company. Students interested in pursuing teaching as a career can also develop these skills in such programs as Dance Forum.
Training with a strongly supportive and skilled faculty, working with a range of guest artists and taking advantage of many performance and choreographic opportunities give UI dance students the preparation necessary to enter into the field of professional dance and dance-related occupations.
