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Dance Minor
Program type:
Minor
Format:
On Campus
Est. time to complete:
2-3 semesters
Credit Hours:
18
Enhance your technique and explore contemporary and classical forms of movement with
UNT's dance minor.
The dance minor seeks to provide an opportunity for students to explore the field
of dance via breadth and some depth as tailored to their individual needs. Students
will gain and apply artistic and intellectual knowledge in the field of dance that
is relevant and applicable to each dance minor's interdisciplinary career goal or
personal enrichment aim.
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Request More InfoWhy Earn a Dance Minor?
Our curriculum exposes you to a broad range of dance techniques including modern dance and ballet, jazz, tap, African and other world dance forms. You also learn about related areas such as improvisation, choreography, dance history and music for dance.
Faculty members have extensive experience as choreographers, performers, directors, educators and researchers with expertise in:
- Computer applications to dance
- Dance pedagogy
- Interdisciplinary approaches to the choreographic process
- Movement analysis
- Research in dance science
- Therapeutic approaches with movement
They've also served as master teachers and presenters at national and international conferences and festivals. Their choreographic work has been presented by dance companies and independent performance groups throughout the nation. They've also been involved with international performances in Bolivia, Brazil, Costa Rica, the Czech Republic, France and Tunisia.
The faculty teaches from a kinesiological base, using a somatic approach to produce healthy dancers. Focus is placed on the education of the total individual and prepares students soundly for any graduate dance program
Dance Minor Highlights
Student dancers and choreographers participate in the ACDFA regional dance festival.
Facilities include wood and sprung floors, large rehearsal/class studios and a 409
seat performance venue.
Scholarships are available based on merit and talent.
The national dance honors society, Chi Tau Epsilon, has a chapter in the department.
Dance and Theatre faculty continue to work in the industry, locally, nationally and
internationally. Department alumni work with professional dance and theatre companies
as dancers, choreographers, actors and artistic directors.
Student performance opportunities include faculty and guest-artist choreography, as
well as student led projects. In addition to the department concerts, faculty members
often use student performers in commissioned choreography projects.
Dance Minor Courses You Could Take
Ballet Technique Level I (1 hr)
Basic techniques of classical and contemporary ballet practices. Emphasis placed on
fundamentals of alignment, form, coordination, and execution of simple ballet movement
vocabulary. Introduction to kinesiological and somatic approaches to ballet exercises
and movement sequences. Introduction of historical context of ballet technique.
Contemporary Dance Practices I (1 hr)
Introduction to perspectives, theories and practices of contemporary dance including
somatics, improvisation and progressive technique studies. Fundamental exercises and
analysis of human movement through lens of time, space and dynamics as they apply
to elements of dance with emphasis on structural alignment and functional integration.
Choreography I (3 hrs)
Introduction to the principles and application of dance composition through improvisational
exercises; addresses the elements of movement: space, time, and energy. Explores the
concepts of abstraction, organic movement, developing a motive, working from a score
and musicality.
Appreciation of Dance as a Contemporary Art Form (3 hrs)
Exploration of the aesthetics of dance as an art form. Emphasis placed on the development
of an appreciation for dance as a form of communication and as a reflection of contemporary
society through the lens of concert dance of the 20th and 21st centuries. Includes
lectures, films and live performances, as well as written critical analysis.
Stress Reduction Through Movement (3 hrs):
An introductory course designed to acquaint and equip the student with diverse and
global perspectives on wellness and health maintenance. Four basic units of study:
1) varying medical philosophies and disciplines; 2) the mind-body connection; 3) therapeutic
massage and bodywork; 4) movement (strength, flexibility, balance, and endurance).
Develops an understanding of the power each of us has to affect the immune system
and the body’s efficiency to promote and maintain health.
Survey of Dance (3 hrs)
Study of cultural dance forms, the roots of formal dance practices, and contemporary
dance styles as a reflection of societal shifts through the context of migration,
colonization and globalization in the development of dance as a performing and participatory
art form. Includes movement experiences and written analysis of dance practices.
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