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

Areas of Concentration

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

Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance for the Professional Dancer

Bachelor of Arts in Production/Management
Focuses on in-depth curriculum of professional dance production, management skills, and dance technique in preparation for a professional career in these related fields.

Minor

Dance
Dance Production & Management
Pilates

Certificate

Pilates Training

Admission to the Major

Admission Policies

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

Placement for Technique Classes

A placement audition to determine technical level is required of all dance majors upon entrance into the Department of Dance. A placement audition is scheduled on the last day of instruction of the previous semester, and the Friday prior to the first day of classes.  To confirm the dates, times, and locations of upcoming placement auditions, please visit www.unlv.edu/dance.  Students will not be able to register for technique classes without completion of the placement audition. 

Admission to an Area of Concentration

All students will follow the Bachelor of Arts degree requirements. Those students wishing to apply for candidacy in the Bachelor of Fine Arts in Performance and Choreography degree must audition before a panel of the dance faculty. These auditions are scheduled the last day of instruction of each semester, and the Friday prior to the first day of classes. To confirm the dates, times, and locations of upcoming placement auditions, please visit www.unlv.edu/dance.

Please note that it is expected that after the first year of curriculum, that students are actively enrolled in either the BFA or BA Production track. If a student does not pass the BFA audition after the first year, graduation may be delayed.

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 area 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 6 in the Bachelor of Arts. Credits in Dance Theory courses do not transfer into the degrees without a placement assessment. A change of major within UNLV does not constitute transfer status.

Department Policies

Academic Probation

Students must maintain a cumulative GPA of 2.00 for continued admission in the College of Fine Arts. Students with a GPA below the college requirement or below a 2.50 in departmental classes will be restricted from participating in the dance production season the following semester (not including summer session or dance production course work). Students failing to make satisfactory academic progress including failing to meet the requirements of departmental or area of concentration policy will be placed on a semester of 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 their 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 their 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 of suspension, the student may petition the department and/or the area of concentration in advance of registration for reinstatement.

Repeatable Technique Courses

Technique courses in the Department of Dance are repeatable for a maximum of four credits each in the 100 and 200 levels and a maximum of 6 credits each in the 300 and 400 levels. 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. Students may 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, but who has demonstrated isolated competencies, does not deserve to fail the course. In many instances, it is required to repeat a given level before moving up to a higher level.  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. All dance majors may need to complete four hours of load-in time for all main stage concerts. Failure to do so will result in an inability to perform the following semester. 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 and will be restricted from performing the following semester. All dance majors participating in the concert are required to strike the production. Failure to do so will result in the student being suspended from participating in productions the following semester.

Seminar in Dance (DAN 199)

This course is mandatory for the first two semesters of matriculation as a major in the Department of Dance. The one remaining semester may be completed at the discretion of the student. Three semesters of DAN 199 are also 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 offers dance courses that fulfill these requirements.

End of Semester Assessments

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. For a Production major, a portfolio review will also be scheduled. 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 their area of concentration, academic standing, production involvement, and are given feedback with regard to future development and placement level.

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, Bea Ratliffe, Ronnie Greenblatt Memorial Dance Scholarship, and Grant-in-Aid. All new scholarship applicants must audition before a panel of dance faculty. This audition is scheduled the Friday of the last week of instruction. All current students will automatically be considered for scholarships, and need not attend the audition. Scholarship guidelines are available on the Department of Dance website at www.unlv.edu/dance. Many additional scholarships for scholastic achievement and financial need are available through the UNLV Financial Aid office.

Advising

All Dance majors are assigned to a designated professional advisor within the College of Fine Arts Advising Center upon entering the Department of Dance through graduation. Concurrent to meeting with a professional academic advisor, dance majors are required to meet with a faculty advisor at the end of each semester for approval of their schedule of classes for the next semester. Failure to seek academic advising may postpone date of graduation.

Additional Policies

Additional Department of Dance policies are articulated in the UNLV Department of Dance Student Handbook. All dance majors and minors are required to obtain, read, and follow departmental polices. Failure to do so may result in the inability to participate in the Department of Dance production season. Students are also responsible for checking the departmental callboard outside of the dance office and their RebelMail for updates and announcements.
 

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