Music and Dance: Dance

The Academic Program

The mission of the program is to offer students dance experiences that privilege a merging of embodied practice and history/theory in relation to more than one situated perspective (those listed above). Some courses concentrate on one cultural context only (this is true generally in history, repertory, and technique). Others put a variety of perspectives in conversation (choreographic laboratories, improvisation, history, repertory, and theory).The role of dance as an agent of social change is also present in Swarthmore dance offerings. All dance studies courses engage students in an investigation of the relationship of dance to other arts and areas of thought.

The study of Dance as a liberal art requires an integrated approach to theory, history, and performance, with experience in all three areas being essential to its understanding as an artistic and intellectual pursuit. Acceptance is through consensus among the faculty, and students should complete the requirements for admission to the major or minor in the first two years of study. The program offers three different areas of focus: Choreography, Dance Studies, and Individually Created (Special Major). If a student has not completed all the requirements for admission to the major or minor at the time of application but has done good work in one or more courses in the program, the student may be accepted on a provisional basis.

Dance Studies

At Swarthmore, dance students are encouraged to consider the links between aesthetics and politics, delving deeply into history or current practices to engage with dance as a global discourse. All courses in the program, whether in Dance Studies or Choreography, engage students in an investigation of the relationship between dance and other arts and areas of thought.  Many of our Dance Studies courses (which are intensive reading and writing courses) are cross-listed with Music, Anthropology, Asian Studies, French and Francophone Studies, Gender and Sexuality Studies, Religion, Peace and Conflict Studies, Theater, and Comparative Literature, as well as eligible for Interpretation Theory and Global Studies.  Individual research projects allow a student to focus on their chosen area of study, deepening investigation under the direction of a faculty mentor.

Choreography/Dance Making

At Swarthmore, students make dances and become choreographers by developing embodied knowledge and conceptual frameworks central to creating movement dialogues and design.  Choreographers learn how to craft movement in relation to space, time, and energy dynamics as well as emotional and political content. Dance Lab (I and II): Making Dance, and Improvisation courses in our program examine how these principles apply across different dance forms and encourage experimentation with new media.  Global dialogues that embrace a variety of dance histories and critical perspectives strengthen the study of choreography from cross-cultural and inter-cultural perspectives.  We encourage students to develop their individual projects, find their own voice, explore cross-disciplinary collaborations, and refine their artistic statements.

The Major/Minor requirements for Dance were revised in 2021 and apply to the class of 2023 and beyond. Majors and Minors in the classes of 2021 and 2022 should refer to the 2019-2020 College Bulletin or consult with their advisor for guidance.

Course Major

Course Major

The goal of the course major in Dance is to expose a student to the broad scope of the field. The distribution of required courses for the major provides students with an introduction to Dance Studies, Choreography, Studio Practice, and Performance, and allows them to direct their final credit(s) in the major toward a specific focus: Choreography, Dance Studies, or an Individually Created focus (Special Major). Majors will be required to develop an extended paper or a significant dance performance piece as part of their focus. All dance majors are strongly encouraged to participate in Studio Practice and Repertory/Ensemble classes each semester.

All Majors will design their programs in consultation with a faculty advisor.

Requirements for Admission to the Major (to be completed in the first two years of study):

1. Overall average of C or better in all courses taken during the two semesters preceding the time of application.

2. Completion of one course in dance studies at Swarthmore with a grade of B or better.

3. Completion of one course (Dance Lab I or II for Choreography focus and Dance Lab I or one additional dance studies course for Dance Studies focus) at Swarthmore with a grade of B or better

4. Completion of at least one .5 credit course in Studio Practice or Repertory/Ensemble

*Although Studio Practice and Repertory/Ensemble courses can be repeated for credit, a student can only apply a course once towards the Major requirements. 

The dance faculty encourages students to pursue a senior project/thesis that incorporates a comparison or integration of dance with some other creative or performing art (creative writing, music, theater, or visual art), with a community-based learning component, or with another academic discipline of the student’s interest. 

Course Minor

Course Minor

The goal of the course minor in dance is to expose a student to the broad scope of the field. The distribution of required courses for the minor provides students with an introduction to Dance Studies and Choreography and allows them to direct their final credit(s) in the minor toward one of these two areas. Minors will be encouraged, but not required, to develop an extended paper or a dance performance piece as part of their program. All dance minors are strongly encouraged to participate in Studio Practice and Repertory/Ensemble classes each semester.

All Minors will design their programs in consultation with a faculty advisor.
 

Requirements for Admission to the Minor (to be completed in the first two years of study):

1. Overall average of C or better in all courses taken during the two semesters preceding the time of application.

2. Completion of one course in dance studies at Swarthmore with a grade of B or better.

3. Completion of at least one .5 credit course in Studio Practice or Repertory/Ensemble

*Although Studio Practice and Repertory/Ensemble courses can be repeated for credit, a student can only apply a course once towards the Minor requirements.  

Honors Major

Honors Major 

Majors in the Honors Program must have received a grade of B+ or better in all dance courses before admission. The choice of focus for a student’s major will be determined in consultation with an adviser from the dance faculty. 
The Dance Major in Honors is identical to the Dance Course Major in its basic coursework requirements. Most of the credits below may be drawn either from coursework already counted for a Major or Minor in course or may represent additional courses. The two starred courses must always be taken in addition to coursework already undertaken for the major, as they represent the second credit of the two-credit thesis or project required for Honors Majors.

Requirements for the Honors Major: 

All dance majors in the Honors Program must complete three preparations of two credits each: 

1. Dance Studies: two dance studies courses

2. Choreography: DANC 012. Dance Lab II: Making Dance or DANC 013. Dance Lab III: Making Dance and one dance studies course

3. Either Senior Project or Senior Thesis:

Senior Project (Choreography)

    DANC 092. Independent Study (Fall)* 

    DANC 094. Senior Project (Spring)

Senior Thesis with a literature review (Dance Studies):

    DANC 095. Senior Thesis (Fall)

    DANC 096. Senior Thesis (Spring)*

*Students’ choice of which courses to include in their preparations is subject to faculty approval. Syllabi, papers, and videos of student choreography from these courses will be submitted to external examiners as part of students’ Honors Portfolio. Students should be prepared to submit their final senior project or thesis proposal at the start of their junior year. 

Honors Minor

Honors Minor 

Students in the Honors Program who are presenting a major in another discipline and a minor in dance must do one two-credit preparation in dance, in either Choreography or Dance Studies. 
The Dance Minor in Honors is identical to the Dance Course Minor in its basic coursework requirements. Some of the credits below may be drawn either from coursework already counted for a Major or Minor in course or may represent additional courses. The starred courses must always be taken in addition to coursework already undertaken for the minor, as minors in Course are not required to complete a senior thesis or project.

Requirements for the Honors Minor: 

Choreography: 

1. One dance studies course

2. DANC 012. Dance Lab II: Making Dance, DANC 013. Dance Lab III: Making Dance, or

DANC 094. Senior Project*
 

Dance Studies: 

1. One dance studies course 

2. DANC 095. Senior Thesis*

*Students’ choice of which courses to include in their preparations is subject to faculty approval. Syllabi, papers, and videos of student choreography from these courses will be submitted to external examiners as part of students’ Honors Portfolio. Students should be prepared to submit their final senior project or thesis proposal at the start of their junior year. 

Special Major

The program for a Special Major comprises a minimum of five credits in dance coursework. The two disciplines in this major may be philosophically linked or may represent separate areas of the student’s interest. The faculty encourages students to consider the philosophical links between the two disciplines. Examples of past special majors include: Dance and Anthropology, Dance and Art, Dance and Biology, Dance and Education, and Dance and Psychology.  Special Majors are encouraged to take at least one dance class before applying.

All Special Majors will design their programs in consultation with a faculty adviser.

Additional Information Regarding the Dance Program

Dance Courses