Student leaps into the air in front of blue lights while other dancers on stage stand still

Dance Minor

A minor in dance provides students with a range of experiences that encourage creative exploration and critical thinking.

Minors are encouraged to enhance their study at summer dance festivals and intensive workshops. Dance classes are often enhanced by attendance at and participation in the dance performances and opportunities offered in the college and local communities. Dance minors should expect to actively participate in these co-curricular activities.

Courses You Might Take

DAN 240

Emerging at the turn of the twentieth century, modern dance encourages the development of physical capacities for creative expression. Focusing on proper alignment, body mechanics, and anatomical efficiency, this course introduces the basic principles and technical components involved in performing techniques of Modern Dance. Though the primary work is in the studio, course work will also include readings, video viewing, discussion, and written analysis. 

DAN 260

An introduction to the fundamental skills of dancemaking, this course explores the development and crafting of movement for performance. Examining a range of compositional methods and performance approaches, students will develop the basic tools for dance choreography. Coursework will include studio practice, readings, performance viewings, and written assignments.

DAN 282

Through a transhistorical study of a various styles and forms, this lecture/discussion class examines a variety of issues around gender and sexuality illuminated in the staging, performance, and practice of dance. Understanding dance as a focused site for conceptualizing how bodies make meaning, this course explores the social and historical configuration of dancing bodies and dance’s capacity to form and transform social identities.

Related Programs

Interested in Studying Dance at Davidson?