Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance

A BFA in dance focuses on technical training and preparation for a career in professional performance.  Student progress will be assessed at the end of their second year in the program through the Sophomore Review. For more information, please see the Department of Theatre and Dance's website or email KUDance@ku.edu.

Dance BFA applicants must apply to the University of Kansas and declare their degree program interest. No audition is required for entry into the BFA program. Instead, students are assessed following the second year of study in terms of technical, artistic and academic development in the form of the Sophomore Review.

The curriculum leading to the B.F.A. focuses on technique, choreography, and performance. It prepares students for professional careers or further academic study in dance. 

B.F.A. majors receive integrated training across ballet, modern/contemporary, jazz, tap, and hip hop dance techniques. They also take courses in choreography, dance theory, history, dance science, and pedagogy. Other B.F.A. courses include flamenco, career preparation in the arts, conditioning and injury prevention for dancers, musical theatre dance, and special topics in dance studies. Students must complete a senior project in performance and/or choreography. B.F.A. majors have a variety of performance opportunities as members of the University Dance Company. 

Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance Degree Requirements

Course List

Code	Title	Hours
Core 34 General Education		34
The KU Core 34 is comprised of 34-35 credit hours typically completed during the first two years of study. The Core 34 consists of the following requirements: English (6), Communications (3), Math & Statistics (3), Natural & Physical Sciences with lab (4-5), Social & Behavioral Sciences (6 in two different disciplines), Arts & Humanities (6 in two different disciplines), US Culture (3), and Global Culture (3)
MATH 105 Introduction to Quantitative Reasoning is the designated "math pathway"course. MATH 101 or MATH 107 are also accepted. These courses will fulfill your Core 34 Math and Statistics requirement.
DANC 330 is a required course of the major. Students are strongly advised to satsify 3 credits of their Core 34 Global Culture by taking this course.
Major Requirements
Professional Development and Assessment
DANC 100	Introduction to the Dance Major	1
DANC 290	Sophomore Review	1
Dance Technique		33
Majors must complete 33 hours of dance technique at the 200 level or higher, including 6 hours in at least one genre at 300 level or higher. Satisfied 33 hours from the following. Courses may be repeated for credit. NOTE: some courses may require additional prerequisites.
DANC 211	Ballet II
DANC 213	Contemporary Modern II
DANC 215	Jazz II
DANC 260	Musical Theatre Dance
DANC 313	Contemporary Modern III
DANC 315	Jazz III
DANC 319	Tap Fundamentals
DANC 317	Hip Hop Fundamentals
DANC 411	Ballet IV
DANC 417	Hip Hop II
DANC 419	Tap II
University Dance Company		4
Majors must complete four semesters of University Dance Company. May be repeated for credit.
DANC 320	University Dance Company
Dance Composition
Majors must complete each of the following courses:
DANC 150	Choreography I	2
DANC 250	Choreography II	2
DANC 350	Choreography III	3
Dance Studies
Majors must complete each of the following courses:
DANC 330	Dance in Culture	3
DANC 375	Anatomy and Injury Prevention	3
DANC 460	Critical Dance Studies	3
DANC 520	Pedagogy	3
Dance Electives		12
Satisfied by 12 hours from the following:
DANC 210	Rhythms and Structures of Music
DANC 377	Somatics & Conditioning
DANC 390	Introduction to Flamenco Dance
DANC 475	Career Preparation in the Arts
DANC 498	Directed Study in: _____
DANC 530	Practicum in: _____
DANC 540	Field Experience in Dance Teaching
DANC 580	Special Topics in Dance: _____
General Electives		13
Students will need to complete additional general elective credits to reach the required 120 hours.
Capstone Course
DANC 550	Senior Project	3
Total Hours		120

Major Hours & Major GPA

While completing all required courses, majors must also meet each of the following hour and grade-point average minimum standards:

Major Hours in Residence

Satisfied by a minimum of 15 hours of KU resident credit in the major.

Major Junior/Senior Hours

Satisfied by a minimum of 12 hours from junior/senior courses (300+) in the major.

Major Junior/Senior Graduation GPA

Satisfied by a minimum of a 2.0 KU GPA in junior/senior courses (300+) in the major. GPA calculations include all junior/senior courses in the field of study including F’s and repeated courses. See the Semester/Cumulative GPA Calculator.

Below is a sample 4-year plan for students pursuing the BFA in Dance. To view the list of courses approved to fulfill Core 34, please visit the KU Core 34 page.

Freshman
Fall	Hours	Spring	Hours
DANC 100 (Major Requirement)	1	Dance Technique, Major Requirement	3
Dance Technique, Major Requirement1	3	Dance Technique, Major Requirement	3
Dance Technique, Major Requirement2	3	DANC 150 (Major Requirement)3	2
Core 34: English (SGE)010	3	DANC 320 (1 of 4, Major Requirement)	1
Core 34: Social and Behavior Science (SGE)050	3	Core 34: English (SGE)010	3
Core 34: Arts and Humanities (SGE)060	3	MATH 105 (Core 34: Math and Statistics (SGE))030	3
	16		15
Sophomore
Fall	Hours	Spring	Hours
Dance Technique, Major Requirement	3	Dance Technique, Major Requirement	3
Dance Technique, Major Requirement	3	DANC 350 (Major Requirement)	3
Core 34: Communications (SGE)020	3	Core 34: Natural and Physical Sciences (SGE)040	4-5
DANC 250 (Major Requirement)	2	Dance Elective, Major Requirement4	3
DANC 320 (2 of 4, Major Requirement)	1	DANC 290 (Major Requirement)	1
Dance Elective, Major Requirement4	3
	15		14-15
Junior
Fall	Hours	Spring	Hours
Dance Technique, Major Requirement	3	DANC 375 (Major Requirement)	3
Dance Elective 4	3	Dance Technique, Major Requirement2	3
DANC 320 (3 of 4, Major Requirement)	1	DANC 320 (4 of 4, Major Requirement)3	1
Core 34: Arts and Humanities (SGE)060	3	Second Area of Study/Elective/Degree/Junior-Senior Hours	3
DANC 460 (Major Requirement)	3	Second Area of Study/Elective/Degree/Junior-Senior Hours	3
Core 34: US Culture (SGE)070	3	Second Area of Study/Elective/Degree/Junior-Senior Hours	3
	16		16
Senior
Fall	Hours	Spring	Hours
DANC 330 (Core 34: Global Culture (SGE))070**	3	DANC 550 (Capstone Requirement, Major Requirement )1	3
Dance Technique, Major Requirement	3	DANC 520 (Major Requirement)	3
Dance Elective, Major Requirement3	3	Core 34: Social and Behavior Science (SGE)050	3
Second Area of Study/Elective/Degree/Junior-Senior Hours	3	Dance Technique, Major Requirement	3
Second Area of Study/Elective/Degree/Junior-Senior Hours	3	Second Area of Study/Elective/Degree/Junior-Senior Hours	1
	15		13
Total Hours 120-121

¹

Technique placement determined by Dance Department faculty. If student begins technique coursework at 200-level, degree plan will alter significantly.

²

See Catalogue for full list of approved Dance Technique Courses.

³

Choreography classes sequenced/not offered every semester. See Dance Course Rotation for more details.

⁴

See Catalogue for full list of approved Dance Electives.

Please note:

All students in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences are required to complete 120 total hours of which 45 hours must be at the Jr/Sr (300+) level.

*Courses with a * designate courses that are degree requirements but can also be taken to fulfill the KU Core requirement. If another course is used to fulfill the Core 34 requirement, the course listed is still required as a degree requirement.

Notes:

*  - This course is a Required major course and is also part of Core 34: Systemwide General Education.  If this course is not taken to fulfill the Core 34:SGE requirement, it must be taken in place of elective hours.

**  - This course is a Recommended Core 34: Systemwide General Education course.  This specific course is not required but is recommended by the program’s faculty.

***  - This course is a Required Core 34: Systemwide General Education course.  This program is approved by the Kansas Board of Regents to require this specific Core 34:Systemwide General Education course.  If a student did not take this course it must be taken in addition to other degree requirements.

At the completion of this program, students will be able to: 

• Acquire a set of professional-level skills and practices required for entry into a career in dance performance, choreography, and pedagogy. Such skills include advanced-level physical competency in dance, creative problem-solving, communication and collaboration, significant performance experience, and effective teaching and rehearsal practices. 
• Practice and apply advanced techniques in multiple dance disciplines and demonstrate an advanced ability to carry out embodied research, inquiry, and movement discovery.
• Participate in the creative process through the creation and interpretation of choreography with an emphasis on approaches across multiple performance production models. 
• Apply research methodologies in critical dance studies. Understand dance within historical and cultural lineages, analyzing how movement shapes and reflects societal values.
• Demonstrate knowledge of human kinesiology, somatics, and principles of dance science to sustainable dance practice, performance, and pedagogy.