The Department of Dance is committed to developing young artists as creative thinkers and problem solvers who may further the arts in society in diverse, urgent, and transformational ways. In all its endeavors, the Department of Dance imparts the values and knowledge necessary to making their dancing, dance-making, and movement practices, lifelong pursuits. We aim to equip students with the necessary artistic, creative, critical, and theoretical capacities that they will need to be successful in a changing world.
Vision
The University of Iowa Department of Dance aspires to be a national leader in illuminating the value of dance in higher education and in society through its teaching, research, engagement of communities, and service to the professional field. We seek to be known for our contributions to creative and scholarly research in movement arts, for our innovative curricula and pedagogies that connect doing, thinking, and making, and as an inclusive community of dance artists and scholars.
Goals
Provide a rich, challenging, and diverse dance curriculum for our degree-seeking students and for those who major in other disciplines
Illuminate for students the value and significance of dance as a form of embodied knowledge in a place of learning in the professional field, and in society at large
Sustain and advance a high-quality academic and working environment
Support the creative and scholarly research of the faculty, especially in ways that enhance teaching and promote diversity of thought, style, and approach
Promote excellence in dance education in support of cultural diversity
Encourage and foster artistic interdisciplinary collaborations
Continue to hone and advance the creative and scholarly research of the graduate program and its graduate student community
Serve the people of Iowa at the community, regional, and statewide levels through high-quality public performances and outreach programs
Sustain, celebrate, and increase our national and international presence in the field of dance
