Dance (BFA) with an Emphasis in Modern

This program is offered by the Leigh Gerdine College of Fine Arts/Department of Dance and is only available at the St. Louis main campus.

Program Description

Webster University's Department of Dance in The Leigh Gerdine College of Fine Arts educates students to become skilled, creative and compassionate thinking artists for 21^st century careers as performers, choreographers, educators and scholars.

Learning Outcomes

• Performance: Perform, with professional integrity, a variety of techniques and styles with a broad spectrum of expressivity and quality technical expertise with an emphasis in modern.
• Choreography: Create and produce professional, imaginative, original, in-depth choreographic work and direct dancers in the performance of that work.
• Teaching: Create and execute exemplary, innovative lesson plans for a variety of ages, techniques and populations; develop skills to communicate movement vocabulary to others.
• Integrate and successfully utilize knowledge from courses in the breadth and depth of the discipline.
• Function in a variety of professional contexts, creating global awareness through intrapersonal, interpersonal, collaborative and technological skills.

Special Requirements

Courses completed with a grade of D do not count toward fulfilling the specific course requirements of the major.

Acceptance to the Department of Dance as a degree-seeking student, BA or BFA is by audition and consists of the following:

• An interview to discuss career goals and past history.
• Submission of résumé.
• Performance of approximately two to three minutes of choreography.
• Participation in ballet and modern technique classes.

Degree Requirements

For information on the general requirements for a degree, see Baccalaureate Degree Requirements under the Academic Policies and Information section of this catalog.

• 97 required credit hours
• Applicable University Global Citizenship Program hours, with accommodations for the dance BFA
• Electives

Global Citizenship Program for Dance BFA

• GLBC 1200 Global Cornerstone Seminar
• 6 credit hours from courses designated ‘Roots of Cultures’ (One course with the DANC prefix can fulfill GCP and major requirements simultaneously)
• 3 credit hours from courses designated ‘Social Systems & Human Behavior’
• 3 credit hours from courses designated ‘Global Understanding’  (DANC 1040 may satisfy both a requirement of the major and a GCP requirement)
• 3 credit hours from courses designated ‘Physical & Natural World’ or ‘Quantitative Literacy’
• KEYS 4XXX Global Keystone Seminar

NOTE: Except where specified otherwise, the above courses must not also satisfy major requirements. GCP skills requirements may be fulfilled with the courses above, courses in the major, or electives. 'Arts Appreciation' is satisfied in meeting the requirements for the major.

Required Courses

• DANC 2000- or 3000-level applied dance, Ballet or Modern (6 hours)
• DANC 3000-level applied dance, Ballet (6 hours)
• DANC 3000-level applied dance, Modern (6 hours)
• DANC 4000-level applied dance, Modern (6 hours)
• DANC 2000-level applied dance, Tap (4 hours)
  or DANC 3000-level applied dance, Jazz (4 hours)
  or MUTH 2410, MUTH 3410 Musical Theatre Dance Styles I or II (4 hours)
• DANC 1040 International Dance (3 hours)
• DANC 1220 Improvisation I (2 hours)
• DANC 1310, DANC 1320 Composition I (6 hours)
• DANC 1410 Introduction to Professional Dance I (2 hours)
• DANC 1420 Introduction to Professional Dance II (1 hour)
• DANC 1550 Stagecraft for Dance I (1 hour)
• DANC 1560 Stagecraft for Dance II (1 hour)
• DANC 2210 Dance History: Lineage Based to 20th Century (3 hours)
• DANC 2250 Cross Training (2 hours)
• DANC 2310, DANC 2320 Composition II (6 hours)
• DANC 2520 Living Anatomy and Movement (3 hours)
• DANC 3150 Performance Techniques I (2 hours)
• DANC 3160 Performance Techniques II (2 hours)
• DANC 3210 Dance History: 20th Century to Present (3 hours)
• DANC 3220 Improvisation II (2 hours)
• DANC 3250 Somatics (3 hours)
• DANC 3550 Lighting and Costume Design for Dance I (1 hour)
• DANC 3560 Lighting and Costume Design for Dance II (1 hour)
• DANC 4310 Choreographic Project (3 hours)
• DANC 4400 Dance Pedagogy (3 hours)
• DANC 4420 Dance Teaching Practicum (1 hour) 
• DANC 4410 Webster University Dance Ensemble (7 semesters; 0 hours)
• DANC 4900 Senior Seminar (1 hour)
• Additional advanced-level work in technique, (DANC 3250, DANC 3050 etc.) choreography, topics, independent study
  or DANC 2050, DANC 2060, DANC 2250, or DANC 3220 (3 hours)
• WRIT 1010 The Craft of College Writing (3 hours)
  or ENGL 2160 Creative Writing: Fiction (3 hours)
• EPMD 1000 Introduction to Media Production (3 hours)
• THEA 1080 Studio Acting I (3 hours)
• ART 1000 Introduction to Studio Art (3 hours)
  or ART 3820 Performance Art (3 hours)
• MUSC 1000 Fundamentals of Notational Literacy (2 hours)