Music and Dance: Dance

The Academic Program

The mission of the department 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.

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 or Minor

Honors Major or Minor

Majors or Minors 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 or Minor will be determined in consultation with an adviser from the dance faculty. 

May 2024: The New Honors Program in Dance is available to the class of 2027 and beyond. Students in Honors graduating prior to this class may elect to do some of their work through seminars or to follow the previous iteration of the program.

The Dance Honors Major is done through work on three preparations. Two of these must be completed through seminars. In the Dance Studies track, these should be two dance studies seminars. In the Choreography track, these should be one dance studies seminar and DANC 111. Honors Seminar in Choreography (which should be taken in the junior or senior year). In Dance Studies, the third preparation may be done as a two-credit thesis (or, with special permission, a pairing of a one-credit dance studies course and a one-credit thesis). In Choreography, the third preparation should be done as a pairing of a one-credit course in dance studies, theater production and design, film and media, music, visual art, or any other area of the student’s interest in consultation with their faculty advisor, and a one-credit senior project.

The Dance Honors Minor is done through work on one preparation. All Honors Minor work should be completed through seminars. Honors Minors in Choreography should take DANC 111. Honors Seminar in Choreography (which should be taken in the junior or senior year). Honors Minors in Dance Studies should select one seminar from those offered.

Honors seminars count toward the Dance Major and Minor in course. Typically the Honors Major requires three to four credits beyond the major in course: the second credit from two seminars (or both credits, in the case of DANC 111) and the second credit for either the thesis or the project. Typically the Honors Minor requires one credit beyond the minor in course, which is the second credit for the seminar.

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