Bachelor of Arts in Dance
Overview
Earn Your Degree in Dance
Prepare for your future artistic career with the Bachelor of Arts in Dance. As a graduate of this program, you will emerge prepared to enter the professional realm of concert dance, teach in a studio setting or pursue a career in dance medicine. Offered through Grand Canyon University's (GCU) College of Fine Arts and Production, in this bachelor in dance program, you engage in a curriculum based in creative collaboration and varied movement practices. You cultivate artistic skills and processes that help you face the demands of dance in the digital age. The core courses in this Bachelor of Arts dance program support you to become a dance artist who is capable of communicating effectively and reaching broad audiences.
As dancers and choreographers, you often negotiate your own terms and create your own structures for success. In order to try on these professional roles, you have frequent opportunities to perform and participate in concert productions such as the Ethington Dance Ensemble, the GCU Elementary and Middle School Dance Tour and Student Spotlight Dance Concerts, where faculty help you develop important 21st century skills of collaboration, innovation, critical thinking and cultural literacy. With the BA Dance degree, you will emerge from the program with the knowledge and practices to succeed in today's global marketplace.
Please note that an audition is required for acceptance into the bachelor in dance degree program.
Degree Outcomes
Study Advanced Dance Techniques Within a Balanced Curriculum
Studying dance technique in our Bachelor of Arts dance program accelerates your expertise in ballet, modern, jazz, tap and hip hop dance, with courses offered in five levels, in addition to master classes and guest artist intensives. At GCU, you are encouraged to grow as a dancer and choreographer, building your artist's toolkit and gaining a broad range of experiences. Investigations of dance as an applied and liberal arts discipline help you build literacy in dance and develop as a creative artist and cultural worker.
What You Will Learn
Examine Engaging Dance Curriculum
As a graduate of this dance degree program, you are prepared to:
- Perform a variety of dance forms with technical proficiency and self-expression
- Choreograph in professional dance contexts (i.e. concert, commercial)
- Plan and direct dance concert productions
- Teach dance effectively to a broad population of students
- Engage in artistic collaboration with a community to give voice to that community's values and needs
- Work with technology and media relevant to dance environments
- Pursue specialized studies in dance (i.e. dance medicine, dance ethnology)
- Build and contribute to dance-based businesses and organizations
Career Outcomes
Explore Careers in Dance
As a graduate of the Bachelor of Arts in Dance, you will have the training and guidance to pursue a career as a dancer, choreographer and private instructor. Workplaces include professional dance companies, private schools, community-based organizations and nonprofits, production corporations, entertainment or sports organizations, dance studios and fitness studios.
General Education Requirements
General Education coursework prepares Grand Canyon University graduates to think critically, communicate clearly, live responsibly in a diverse world, and thoughtfully integrate their faith and ethical convictions into all dimensions of life. These competencies, essential to an effective and satisfying life, are outlined in the General Education Learner Outcomes. General Education courses embody the breadth of human understanding and creativity contained in the liberal arts and sciences tradition. Students take an array of foundational knowledge courses that promote expanded knowledge, insight, and the outcomes identified in the University’s General Education Competencies. The knowledge and skills students acquire through these courses serve as a foundation for successful careers and lifelong journeys of growing understanding and wisdom.
Requirements
Upon completion of the Grand Canyon University's University Foundation experience, students will be able to demonstrate competency in the areas of academic skills and self-leadership. They will be able to articulate the range of resources available to assist them, explore career options related to their area of study, and have knowledge of Grand Canyon's community. Students will be able to demonstrate foundational academic success skills, explore GCU resources (CLA, Library, Career Center, ADA office, etc), articulate strategies of self-leadership and management and recognize opportunities to engage in the GCU community.
Course Options
- UNV-103, University Success: 4 credits
- UNV-303, University Success: 4 credits
Requirements
Graduates of Grand Canyon University will be able to construct rhetorically effective communications appropriate to diverse audiences, purposes, and occasions (English composition, communication, critical reading, foreign language, sign language, etc.). Students are required to take 3 credits of English grammar or composition.
Course Options
- ENG-105, English Composition I: 4 credits
- UNV-104, 21st Century Skills: Communication and Information Literacy: 4 credits
- ENG-106, English Composition II: 4 credits
- COM-263, Elements of Intercultural Communication: 4 credits
Requirements
Graduates of Grand Canyon University will be able to express aspects of Christian heritage and worldview. Students are required to take CWV-101/CWV-301.
Course Options
- CWV-101, Christian Worldview: 4 credits
- CWV-301, Christian Worldview: 4 credits
Requirements
Graduates of Grand Canyon University will be able to use various analytic and problem-solving skills to examine, evaluate, and/or challenge ideas and arguments. Students are required to take 3 credits of college mathematics or higher.
Course Options
- MAT-144, College Mathematics: 4 credits
Requirements
Graduates of Grand Canyon University will be able to demonstrate awareness and appreciation of and empathy for differences in arts and culture, values, experiences, historical perspectives, and other aspects of life (psychology, sociology, government, Christian studies, Bible, geography, anthropology, economics, political science, child and family studies, law, ethics, crosscultural studies, history, art, music, dance, theater, applied arts, literature, health, etc.). If the predefined course is a part of the major, students need to take an additional course.
Course Options
- PSY-102, General Psychology: 4 credits
- INT-244, World Religions: 4 credits
- SOC-100, Everyday Sociology: 4 credits
Program Core Courses
Course Description
This course is designed to prepare the student for a dance concert production in a theatrical setting. Through the rehearsal process and culminating performances, students gain dance proficiency by working in a range of styles and choreographic approaches. Students audition choreography and may be cast as dancers, understudies, stage managers, and production assistants. Prerequisite: Audition.
Course Description
This course is a study of somatic practices in dance. Students explore and discuss issues related to one body practice. Topics include body awareness, alignment, injury prevention, and movement observation.
Course Description
This course is an introduction to the techniques of the classical ballet, including alignment, positions, port de bras, and allegro combinations. It includes fundamental concepts, skills, movement vocabulary, and artistic expression specific to ballet.
Course Description
This course is an introduction to the style, technique, and rhythmic structures of jazz dance with emphasis on increasing movement capabilities and personal expression. It includes fundamental concepts, skills, movement vocabulary, and artistic expression specific to jazz.
Course Description
This course is designed to prepare the student for the GCU Elementary Dance Tour, a multi-media production composed through collaboration by faculty and students. Topics include choreography, dramatic dialogue, elementary teaching methods, technical production, and artistic expression in a range of different dance styles. Participation is determined by audition.
Course Description
This course is designed to prepare the student for a dance concert production in a theatrical setting. Through the rehearsal process and culminating performances, students gain dance proficiency by working in a range of styles and choreographic approaches. Students audition choreography and may be cast as dancers, understudies, stage managers, and production assistants. Prerequisite: Audition.
Course Description
This course is an introduction to the movement techniques of modern dance. It includes fundamental concepts, skills, movement vocabulary, and artistic expression specific to modern dance.
Course Description
This technique course is designed to increase skill in classical ballet. It includes intermediate concepts, skills, movement vocabulary, and artistic expression specific to ballet. Prerequisite: DAN-100.
Course Description
This course is a refinement of beginning skills, with an emphasis on development of technical abilities and performance qualities. It focuses on intermediate concepts, skills, movement vocabulary, and artistic expression specific to jazz. Prerequisite: DAN-101.
Course Description
This course is designed to prepare the student for the GCU Elementary Dance Tour, a multi-media production composed through collaboration by faculty and students. Topics include choreography, dramatic dialogue, elementary teaching methods, technical production, and artistic expression in a range of different dance styles. Participation is determined by audition.
Course Description
This course is designed to prepare the student for a dance concert production in a theatrical setting. Through the rehearsal process and culminating performances, students gain dance proficiency by working in a range of styles and choreographic approaches. Students audition choreography and may be cast as dancers, understudies, stage managers, and production assistants. Prerequisites: DAN-130A, DAN-130B, and Audition.
Course Description
This course is designed to introduce students to the elements of technical theater specific to a dance production and to prepare students to organize a production in a variety of media. The course covers the fundamentals of lighting and costume design; sound/music/video recording and other multimedia devices; and basic elements of production management, such as contracts, labor issues, budgets, facility rentals, marketing and fundraising.
Course Description
This course is designed to increase skill in classical ballet technique. It includes advanced concepts, skills, movement vocabulary, and artistic expression specific to ballet. Prerequisite: DAN-250.
Course Description
This course is designed to increase skill in jazz technique. It includes advanced concepts, skills, movement vocabulary, and artistic expression specific to jazz. Prerequisite: DAN-260.
Course Description
This course is a refinement of beginning skills with an emphasis on development of technical abilities and performance qualities. It includes intermediate concepts, skills, movement vocabulary, and artistic expression specific to modern dance. Prerequisite: DAN-120.
Course Description
This course is designed to prepare the student for a dance concert production in a theatrical setting. Through the rehearsal process and culminating performances, students gain dance proficiency by working in a range of styles and choreographic approaches. Students audition choreography and may be cast as dancers, understudies, stage managers, and production assistants. Prerequisites: DAN-130A, DAN-130B, and Audition.
Course Description
This course focuses on creating and developing movement through dance improvisation in solos, duets, and groups. Contact improvisation and partnering, the uses of improvisation in choreography and performance, and the creative process are explored. Students are guided toward finding their own artistic voice through movement, discussion, and writing.
Course Description
This course focuses on the elements of time, space, and energy as related to choreographic design. It is a study of these primary dance elements and their intrinsic role in developing diverse understandings of dance.The course considers design in the related fields of music and art as relevant to choreographic design and communication in dance.
Course Description
This course focuses on the exercises and activities necessary to develop strength, flexibility, endurance, and technical dance skill. It includes advanced concepts, skills, movement vocabulary, and artistic expression specific to modern dance. Prerequisite: DAN-270.
Course Description
This writing intensive course focuses on the anatomical and mechanical principles that relate to human movement; the analysis, management, and prevention of dance injuries; the analysis of body types and technical ability; and the means by which to improve dance ability. Aspects of teaching safe technique classes and alternative methods will also be explored.
Course Description
This course is designed to prepare the student for a dance concert production in a theatrical setting. Through the rehearsal process and culminating performances, students gain dance proficiency by working in a range of styles and choreographic approaches. Students audition choreography and may be cast as dancers, understudies, stage managers, and production assistants. Prerequisites: DAN-280A, DAN-280B, and Audition.
Course Description
This course is a study of and experience in various approaches to the choreographic process as related to artistic concepts and to the philosophy of art as espoused by various traditional and contemporary dance artists and as developed by the individual student. Prerequisite: DAN-385.
Course Description
Students study and utilize a variety of dance technologies, such as computer software, hardware, networking, multimedia, interactive media, and the internet in order to foster inquiry, collaboration, and interaction in the classroom to meet the needs of a diverse 21st century student population.
Course Description
This writing intensive course is a study of the histories and aesthetic systems of selected world dance traditions emphasizing interconnections between aesthetic practice, religious and social needs, and the impact of cultural convergence on dance.
Course Description
This advanced course is designed to increase technical proficiency and performance skill in classical ballet technique. It includes advanced concepts, skills, movement vocabulary, and artistic expression specific to classical ballet. Prerequisite: DAN-350.
Course Description
This advanced course is designed to increase technical proficiency and performance skill in jazz technique. It includes advanced concepts, skills, movement vocabulary, and artistic expression specific to jazz. Prerequisite: DAN-360.
Course Description
This course is designed to prepare the student for a dance concert production in a theatrical setting. Through the rehearsal process and culminating performances, students gain dance proficiency by working in a range of styles and choreographic approaches. Students audition choreography and may be cast as dancers, understudies, stage managers, and production assistants. Prerequisites: DAN-280A, DAN-280B, and Audition.
Course Description
This writing intensive course is a comprehensive comparative study of Western theatrical dance forms. The focus is on significant trends and individuals who shaped the development of modern dance, ballet, jazz, and vernacular dance, from ancient Greece to the modern era.
Course Description
This course encompasses traditional and contemporary approaches of dance education and examines effective teaching practices in settings including elementary and secondary schools, private dance organizations, and community-based settings. Practicum/field experience hours: 10. Fingerprint clearance required. Prerequisite: DAN-355.
Course Description
This course is a supervised experience in choreographing a dance for public performance arranged through a cooperative effort of the student and supervisor. Prerequisite: DAN-390.
Course Description
This advanced course is designed to increase technical proficiency and performance skill in modern technique. It includes advanced concepts, skills, movement vocabulary, and artistic expression specific to modern dance. Prerequisite: DAN-370.
Course Description
In this course, ballet technique will be studied to enhance mastery in technical and artistic expression. This course will examine pointe for women and conditioning for men, in preparation for partnering work. Partnering skills and classical ballet variations will be included for both men and women.
Course Description
This course is designed to prepare the student for a dance concert production in a theatrical setting. Through the rehearsal process and culminating performances, students gain dance proficiency by working in a range of styles and choreographic approaches. Students audition choreography and may be cast as dancers, understudies, stage managers, and production assistants. Prerequisites: DAN-380A, DAN-380B, and Audition.
Course Description
This course addresses alignment for dancers, using Pilates mat exercises. The course addresses how breath , strength, and coordination may facilitate greater ease and efficiency in movement.
Course Description
This course is designed for the pre-professional dancer. Students will further their studies in each dance form to enhance mastery in technical and artistic expression. Jazz studies in this course will include mock auditions and informal performance opportunities to reflect professional contexts such as commercial dance and musical theatre. Ballet studies will include pointe for women and conditioning for men, in preparation for partnering work. Partnering skills and classical ballet variations will be included for both men and women. Prerequisites: DAN-353 and DAN-363.
Course Description
This course is an introduction to the style, technique, and rhythmic structures of tap dance with emphasis on increasing movement capabilities and personal expression. It includes fundamental concepts, skills, movement vocabulary, and artistic expression specific to tap. Students will explore tap dance through historical, social, and improvisational contexts. This course is available for non-majors.
Course Description
This course is an introduction to the style, technique, and rhythmic structures of urban dance. Students will explore street dance styles with emphasis on increasing movement capabilities and personal expression. Development of proficiency includes fundamental concepts, skills, movement vocabulary, and artistic expression specific to Urban dance. Students will explore urban dance through historical, social, aesthetic, and improvisational contexts as well as most current forms found in popular urban culture. This course is available for non-majors.
Course Description
This course provides an opportunity for students to define their career goals and to network in preparation for a career and/or further dance studies. Students will explore current issues and career trends in dance. Topics will include professional portfolio creation, statement of artistic philosophy, academic research skills and business applications.
Course Description
In this course, students conduct artistic research through the practices of improvisation, choreographic choice making, and interdisciplinary collaboration. Students will engage in various creative projects with dance faculty, scholars, performers, and researchers across the College of Fine Arts and Production.
Course Description
This course will examine dance within both Christian and non-Christian contexts. Students will apply this knowledge to design dances, text and other materials for ministry, worship services, workshops, and outreach.
Course Description
This course is a continuation of Dance Research Seminar I, which provides an opportunity for students to define their career goals and to network in preparation for a career and/or further dance studies. Students will explore current issues and career trends in dance. Topics will include professional portfolio creation, statement of artistic philosophy, academic research skills and business applications.
Course Description
This course is designed for the pre-professional dancer. Modern dance technique will be studied with faculty and guest artists to enhance mastery in technical and artistic expression. Students choose either DAN-465A or DAN-465B. Prerequisite: DAN-373.
Course Description
This course is a continuation of the style, technique, and rhythmic structures of tap dance. Students will explore various tap styles with emphasis on increasing movement capabilities and personal expression. Development of proficiency includes fundamental concepts, skills, movement vocabulary, and artistic expression specific to tap dance. Students will explore tap dance through historical, social, aesthetic and improvisational contexts. Prerequisite: DAN-312.
Course Description
This course is a continuation of the style, technique, and rhythmic structures of urban and hip hop dance. Students will explore various urban styles with emphasis on increasing movement capabilities and personal expression. Development of proficiency includes fundamental concepts, skills, movement vocabulary, and artistic expression specific to urban dance. Students will explore urban dance through historical, social, aesthetic and improvisational contexts. Prerequisite: DAN-313.
Campus
* Please note that this list may contain programs that are not presently offered as program availability may vary depending on class size, enrollment and other contributing factors. If you are interested in a program listed herein please first contact your University Counselor for the most current information regarding availability of the program.
* The Department of Education defines how an institution must calculate a program's On-Time Completion rate for federal disclosure purposes. The On-Time Completion rate is based on a program's published required number of months to complete all degree requirements as provided in the institution's catalog. Completion statistics are updated every January and are based on the cohort of students who started the program in the same year and then graduated within the published program length.
On-campus program disclosures (48 months)* Please refer to the Academic Catalog for more information. Program subject to change.