In the Department of Dance, students are given unparalleled opportunities to expand their knowledge and succeed in our programs—and beyond. Learn more about what makes us stand out:
Size
By design, the department is smaller than large state schools, thus creating a more intimate environment for education and growth. You will have more interaction with the faculty and fellow dancers.
Partnerships
Our strong alliance with the Cleveland Institute of Music provides opportunities for collaborations between dance and music in the form of live music for performances and/or original compositions.
The Department of Dance has partnered with DanceCleveland for more than 50 years to host master classes by artists presented in the Cleveland area. A sample of artists can be found among our guest artists.
Students and faculty of the dance department have collaborated with students and faculty from the Cleveland Institute of Art, who have designed various sets and video art components.
Community dance organizations such as the Dance/Movement Therapy Study Group and alumni-organized contact improv classes are hosted September through June each academic year.
Choreography
Choreography is more than just putting together sequences of movements. It is an art form that requires just as much study and investigation as a dancer’s technique. The two-year sequence of choreography classes within the curriculum carefully and thoroughly examines all the elements of creating a choreographic statement.
International and Unique Experiences
With the help of Friends of Dance and other funding sources, each year graduate students of the dance department have the opportunity to explore various aspects of dance in various international and national settings. The following is just a sample of what some have experienced over the past couple of years:
|
Activity |
Location |
|---|---|
| Butoh Training | Tokyo, Japan |
| Teaching | Istanbul, Turkey |
| Summer Workshop | Milan, Italy |
| Dance Exploration | Machu Picchu, Peru |
| International Conference | Rhodes, Greece |
| Dance Exploration | US Virgin Islands |
| Dance Exploration | Africa |
| Dance Archives | Jacobs Pillow, U.S. |
| Dunham Workshop | Jacobs Pillow, U.S. |
| International Conference | Prato, Italy |
| Limon Summer Intensive | Skidmore, N.Y. |
| Martha Graham Summer Intensive | New York, N.Y. |
| Garth Fagan Summer Intensive | Rochester, N.Y. |
| Dance Exploration | Australia |
| IADMS Conference | Singapore |
Undergraduate students may study abroad in their junior year. Dance students have studied in:
- France
- Germany
- Israel
- New Zealand
- Scotland
- United Kingdom