How does the body speak?

How do particular cultural and historical traditions shape the language of dance expression?

What physical practices and aesthetic principles inform the embodiment and mastery of different dance techniques?

How is choreography inspired and developed, and what are the key tools of its craft?

The Dance Major at Mount Holyoke offers the opportunity to investigate these and other questions through a comprehensive curriculum emphasizing technical training, creative experimentation and critical/theoretical understanding. The Major requirements are sufficiently flexible to accommodate the interests of serious dance performers as well as students with more creative, scholarly and/or interdisciplinary interests. There are also numerous offerings for students with little or no prior exposure to dance, as well as opportunities to minor in dance. The Department is renowned for its extensive studio offerings in ballet technique, modern technique and repertory/performance, as well as its regular offerings in West African Dance and rotating offerings in Tap, Jazz, Contact Improvisation and other forms. Theory courses range from Scientific Foundations of Dance to 20th Century Dance History to Choreography and Dance Aesthetics. This range of classes is further augmented by over 100 theory and studio courses offered annually through the Five College Dance Department.

Requirements for the Major and Minor