PROGRAM DESCRIPTION

At the Dance Center of Columbia College Chicago, our Dance BA guides students to become boundary-pushing artists with distinct points of view. Our program embodies a progressive approach to dance education, drawing from a wide range of dance techniques and styles, including West African, Ballet, Hip Hop, and Modern, to create something entirely new and unique for each dancer. Rooted in history but constantly transforming, we honor dance lineages, while encouraging our students to innovate and repurpose the past and forge their own creative pathways.

Dancers progress along learning pathways focused on technique foundations, creative practice, dance studies, and career preparation. The Dance BA program establishes students’ foundational training and education, while opening avenues for additional majors and minors that support their professional work. BA students take part in a final Capstone Course where their distinct artistic perspectives are showcased as part of our renowned Dance Presenting Series (DPS). All students are encouraged to explore additional dance techniques through College-Wide Electives.

LEARNING OUTCOMES

As a result of successfully completing program requirements, students should be able to:

• demonstrate proficiency as dancers with practical experience across culturally diverse dance forms;

• create dances and scholarship that demonstrate exposure to collaborative and interdisciplinary processes;

• think critically about how dance practices circulate within systems of power and resistance;

• analyze their own scholarship and creative works as well as the works of their peers and professionals;

• create a portfolio that showcases their body of work and demonstrates transferable skills that can be applied across disciplines, in competitive job markets;

• apply their dance knowledge to the design and implementation of culturally responsive dance curriculum for a variety of populations; and

• effectively communicate their ideas kinesthetically, verbally and in writing.

Standards of Performance

The Dance Center expects exemplary effort and accomplishment from our BA candidates. Failure to meet one or more of the following expectations will result in review of the advisability of a candidate's continuation within the program. BA candidates in dance must:

• pass all required courses with grades of C or better;
• advance through technical requirements in a timely manner;
• exhibit engagement and presence in their artistic and scholarly practices; and
• conduct themselves in a manner beneficial to their own and others' education.

Transfer Students Seeking a BA in Dance

Transfer students seeking the BA degree must earn a minimum of 45 credits at Columbia and at least 15 of those must be toward major requirements. Any prior dance courses at a previous institution will be evaluated for equivalency with Columbia College's Dance Program requirements.

For students who have earned a Bachelor's degree previously, a Second Bachelor of Arts in Dance is available.