Why Iowa?

Iowa Dance is a close-knit creative community, nestled in the heart of a major university, in a vibrant small city that loves the arts and ideas. Guided by nationally respected artist-professors, you'll dance, study, and perform as part of a well-rounded liberal arts and sciences education.

Prepare for any career

Earn your MFA in choreography or performance

Extraordinary artists, scholars, and teachers

Join the Iowa Dance Family

We're a welcoming and supportive community of creators on a campus full of friendly people doing fascinating things. We invite you to train and perform with professors and fellow students who are as passionate about dance as you–and to develop your artistry, your career, and your knowledge of the world.

Write Your Story

You have lots of interests–and we want you to explore them all as part of our Iowa Dance family. As an undergraduate, we'll encourage you to double-major, to transcend disciplinary boundaries, and to build your unique life and career.

Earn your Masters of Fine Arts in Dance

Your MFA in Dance prepares you to take the next step in your professional journey. If you're an expressive, curious, and passionate dancer seeking an immersive education in a creative community through supportive, comprehensive training, we invite you to experience our graduate program.

undergraduate students practicing ballet at barres in Halsey Hall gym

1 ST

university to award MFA degree in the U.S.
undergraduate student Ellie Daley dressed in black dancing on the steps of Catlett Hall. she is linging forward with her arms stretched over her head in the opposite direction and looking back at the camera

12 +

student-led dance concerts and performances each year

1

The only comprehensive Dance Program in Iowa
dancer in Intermediate Jazz dance class. Primary Instructor, Lovar Kidd

64 %

of BA students are double majors
group of BFA students performing onstage

News and announcements

X Marks the Arts Presents: Free Week 2026

Wednesday, January 14, 2026
Free Week returns for its second year from February 16 – 22, 2026, transforming Downtown Iowa City’s Cultural & Entertainment District into a weeklong celebration of creativity, community, and connection.

Meandering River — a cross-campus collaboration

Sunday, December 21, 2025
Dance Assistant Professor Stephanie Miracle was a key collaborator in the project, which brought together academics and artists from across campus to engage the Iowa City community to expand and challenge perceptions of the Iowa River.

Iowa Dance Festival to return for the start of the holiday season

Tuesday, December 16, 2025
Dance Associate Professor Eloy Barragan co-directs the festival with 2022 Dance BFA grad Emily Trapnell.

Events

Grant Wood Fellows Artist Talks & Panel | 2026 promotional image

Grant Wood Fellows Artist Talks & Panel | 2026

Thursday, January 29, 2026 6:00pm to 8:00pm
Stanley Museum of Art

Join the 2025–2026 Grant Wood Fellows artists for an evening of discussion about their work and research. The event will be accompanied by light refreshments.

Panel members:

Ada Friedman (Painting & Drawing)

Elizabeth Claire Rose (Printmaking)

Kyle Marshall (Interdisciplinary Performance—Dance)

The Grant Wood Art Colony seeks to provide a creative home for the next generation of artists and continue Grant Wood’s creative advocacy in the School of Art & Art History and the Division of Performing Arts...

Artist Talk & Performance with Alejandro Russo promotional image

Artist Talk & Performance with Alejandro Russo

Thursday, February 5, 2026 6:00pm to 7:30pm
Space Place Theater

Join us for a lecture and performance with Alejandro Russo, an Argentine-Spanish choreographer and the co-director of La Malagua dance company based in Lille, France. Russo’s work uniquely blends the disciplines of engineering, dance notation, and movement research. His work Entre-autre, created while in residence at an auto factory in the north of France, highlights the body in working atmospheres and explores the erasure and withdrawal of corporeal physicality in factory environments. Russo is...

Hawkeye Dance Day promotional image

Hawkeye Dance Day

Friday, February 13, 2026 8:30am to 5:00pm
Halsey Hall
Campus visit day for prospective dance majors

Many Keys, One Conversation: Schizophrenia, Neuroscience and Creativity

Wednesday, March 11, 2026 5:30pm to 8:30pm
The James Theater

This event brings together storytelling, dance, science, and dialogue to destigmatize schizophrenia and mental illness. Through personal narratives, artistic expression, cutting-edge research, and expert insight, attendees will discover the power of vulnerability, resilience, and community support in mental health. When we share our stories, we heal together

5:30 - 6:00 PM | Reception with Hors d'oeuvres & Poster Session
6:00 - 6:15 PM | Michael Judge: A Brother's Perspective
6:15 - 6:45 PM |...

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