Dance

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Purpose and Focus

The Department of Dance baccalaureate degrees allow students to pursue the study of dance in a liberal arts curriculum, which focuses on artistic, creative, technical and theoretical training. Through the Department of Dance curriculum and concert season, dance majors are prepared for professional careers in dance performance, teaching, and dance production, as well as post-baccalaureate study. The department produces a yearly concert season that provides cultural enrichment to the university and community.

Accreditation

Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities

Undergraduate Majors

Dance — Bachelor of Fine Arts in Performance/Choreography
Dance — Bachelor of Arts in Production/Management

Areas of Concentration

Bachelor of Fine Arts in Performance/Choreography
Focuses upon an in-depth curriculum of professional dance technique, choreography and performance, in preparation for a professional career in dance.

Bachelor of Arts in Production/Management
Focuses on an in-depth curriculum for professional dance production and management skills, in preparation for a professional career in this field of dance.

Admission to the Major

Minimum GPA: 2.30

Admission Policies

The Department of Dance honors the university entrance requirements for admission into the department. Students not meeting the 2.30 GPA may be admitted under contract on a probationary basis.

Placement Audition

A placement audition to determine technical ability and level is required of all dance majors upon entrance into the Department of Dance. This placement audition usually is scheduled the last day of instruction of the previous semester.

Admission to an Area of Concentration

All students will follow the Bachelor of Arts degree requirements until they have completed 15 to 30 semester hours at UNLV. At this time, those students wishing to apply for candidacy in the Bachelor of Fine Arts degree must audition before a panel of the dance faculty. These auditions are scheduled the last day of instruction of each semester. Candidates for the B.F.A. degree will undergo rigorous scrutiny in compliance with professional expectations in academic and creative accomplishments. Students are required to complete all required courses in their areas of concentration.

Transfer Policies

The Department of Dance will accept a maximum of 50 percent of required courses prefixed DAN toward graduation. Transfer credits in dance technique will be limited to no more than 12 in the Bachelor of Fine Arts degree and six in the Bachelor of Arts. Credits in production, music theory for dancers, and history do not transfer into the degrees without a placement exam.

Department Policies

Academic Policies

Students must maintain an accumulative GPA of 2.30. A 2.70 GPA must be maintained for courses taken in the Bachelor of Arts, and a 3.00 GPA must be maintained for the courses taken in the Bachelor of Fine Arts.

Repeatable Technique Courses

Technique courses in the Department of Dance are repeatable for a maximum of four credits. Repeatable technique courses are a common practice in the technical training of the dancer. Technique courses require a complex integration of a variety of skills: physical, mental, aesthetic, and technical. Often students demonstrate satisfactory levels of achievement in isolated skill areas but fail to synthesize them in performance. Consequently, the student who has not synthesized the material presented, yet has demonstrated isolated competencies does not deserve to fail the course. In many instances, the best course of continued study may be repeating specific technique courses that address individual deficiencies. Consequently, grades in technique courses are determined by a variety of factors: participation, progress, dedication, quality of work in relationship to student peers, attention to specific academic and performance requirements, and mastery of the material. A passing grade does not necessarily indicate promotion to a higher technique level.

Production

Dance majors are required to participate (and be available for participation) in dance productions sponsored by the Department of Dance. A record of the student’s involvement will be submitted each semester to the student’s advisor and be placed in the department file. Students unable to participate in a specific production or concert may submit a written request for a waiver to the chair of the Department of Dance. Students failing to participate in dance productions may be separated from the area of concentration.

Seminar in Dance (DAN 199)

This course is mandatory for the first year of matriculation as a dance major in the Department of Dance. The three remaining semesters may be completed at the discretion of the student. Three semesters of DAN 199 are required for transfer students. Dance majors will not be recommended for graduation if this requirement is not satisfied.

Multicultural–International Requirements

The Department of Dance requires dance courses that fulfill these requirements. Please check with your advisor to determine which courses those are.

Semester Juries

At the end of each semester, all dance majors will be scheduled to perform before a jury of the faculty. Juries are scheduled the last week of instruction. During that same week, all dance majors are required to meet with the faculty for a short conference, at which time students are evaluated with regard to progress in technique classes, development in area of concentration, academic standing, and production involvement and are given feedback with regard to future development and placement level.

Academic Probation

Students failing to make satisfactory academic progress or failing to meet the requirements of department policy or area of concentration policy will be placed on a semester academic probation with specified contractual conditions to be met by the end of the ensuing regular term (summer excluded). A student who fails to meet these contractual agreements will be placed on suspension from the area of concentration and/or from the Department of Dance. Students placed on academic suspension will not be allowed to enroll in course work in the area of concentration or in the department for one semester (summer excluded). Students on academic probation may not perform or participate in dance productions. At the end of the semester suspension, the student may petition the department and/or the area of concentration in advance of registration for reinstatement.

Progression

Undergraduate majors must complete all degree requirements within eight years of matriculation.

Scholarships

The Department of Dance offers the following dance scholarships: Kenneth and Mary Alice DeVos, Ronnie Greenblatt Memorial Dance Scholarship, and Grant-in-Aid. All scholarship applicants must audition before a panel of dance faculty. This audition is scheduled the Friday of the last week of instruction. Scholarship applications and guidelines are available in the Dance Department office. Many additional scholarships for scholastic achievement and financial need are available through the UNLV Financial Aid office.

Advisement

Dance majors are required to meet with an advisor at the end of each semester for approval of a schedule of classes for the next semester. Failure to seek academic advisement may postpone date of graduation.

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