Dance, BFA

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The BFA program is intended for students with professional aspirations and includes courses that in their breadth and depth prepare students to enter the field as young artists. At 78 credit hours in the major, the demands of the BFA program are significant. The possibility of a minor in another subject area within a standard four-year course of study is essentially eliminated. Therefore, the BFA is most appropriate for students who are ready to make a definitive commitment to dance. Acceptance into the BFA program requires formal application sometime between 45 and 60 credit hours of completed coursework at Columbia College Chicago.

The BFA program requires a substantial commitment to and accomplishment in physical training with inclusive proficiency requirements in the most advanced levels of both contemporary dance and ballet. The program features additional sequenced coursework in somatic practices, historical and cultural perspectives, music and rhythm, dance theory and applications, and dance pedagogy, as well as a core sequence in dance making, devoted to the development of creative voice and abilities. BFA candidates must select a concentration in either Pedagogy or Dancemaking.

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Concentrations

Dancemaking

Upon successful completion of the Dance major with a concentration in Dancemaking, students should be:

skilled contemporary dancers with substantial physical performance abilities who are prepared to enter the field at a professional level;
able to actively engage in dancemaking through choreography, improvisation and performance and successfully produce their original work;
knowledgeable concerning dance pedagogical practices and functional body mechanics and able to apply this knowledge to their teaching, dancing and directing; and
beable to describe, analyze and interpret dance.

Program Requirements

Pedagogy

Upon successful completion of the Dance major with a concentration in Pedagogy, students should be:

knowledgeable concerning functional body mechanics and be able to apply this knowledge to their teaching and dancing;
able to plan and present appropriate material and offer constructive feedback utilizing a variety of educational methods.
able to actively engage in dancemaking through choreography, improvisation and performance and apply these skills in the practice of teaching dance;
skilled contemporary dancers who are able to apply their technical abilities as a physical role model while teaching;
knowledgeable concerning historical, cultural, scientific and theoretical information and perspectives on dance and understand how their work fits into this larger context; and
able to describe, analyze and interpret dance.

Program Requirements

Performance Standards

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

Pass all required courses with grades of C or better and maintain a minimum 3.0 GPA.
Advance through technical requirements in a timely manner.
(Technical level should generally match their matriculation standing; that is, first year is level one, second year is level two, and so on.)
Exhibit full 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 BFA in Dance

Transfer students seeking the BFA degree must be in full-time residence a minimum of four semesters (excluding summers) and complete a minimum of 50 credit hours of required coursework, including all required courses beyond the core, within the Columbia’s Dance Department. Any prior dance courses will be evaluated for equivalency with our requirements, and a limited number may be allowed to stand in place of program requirements.