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Department of Dance

about

The Department of Dance is committed to excellence, innovation, learning in action, and entrepreneurship. Our mission is to bridge dance practice and scholarship and to foster interdisciplinary inquiry. As an internationally renowned faculty, we bring a challenging range of perspectives to our teaching and research, and we continually reexamine our curriculum in order to prepare both young and mature dancers for careers in an ever-evolving field.

The Dance Department embraces and extends the legacies of 20th-century American modern dance and ballet, ever mindful of the necessity to invigorate contemporary dance forms. Students forge their own creative voice, consolidate a range of technical skills and enjoy extensive performances opportunities. From dancing in the first year Freshman Touring Company to performing onstage at the Power Center, creating multi-media collaborations in the Duderstadt Video Studio or working in the community, dance students develop discipline, independent thinking, creative problem-solving, leadership and team skills, technological competencies and an appreciation for artistic, intellectual and social diversity. The fundamentals and finer points of dance technique, performance and composition are stressed; all practical learning is underpinned by compulsory academic courses both within and beyond our discipline.

Dance can also be studied as part of a dual-degree program. Many of our dance majors graduate with a Bachelor of Arts or a Bachelor of Science degree concurrently with their BFA.

faculty

guest artists

In addition to the regular faculty, students have the opportunity to work with a variety of guest artists each semester.

news

SMTD logo for news2013 SMTD Commencement Award Winners Announced

The recipients of the 2013 Albert A. Stanley Medal, Earl V. Moore Awards and Willis Patterson Diversity Awards were announced Friday, March 15. more

Robin Wilson
Robin Wilson Receives Shirley Verrett Award

Dance professor Robin Wilson named 2012-13 Verrett Award-winner for work supporting the success of women in creative fields who come from diverse backgrounds.     more

Power Center Concert 2012, Choreography by Bill DeYoung
Power Center Concert 2012, Choreography by Peter SparlingPower Center Concert 2012, Choreography by Peter SparlingPower Center Concert 2012, Choreography by Bill DeYoungPower Center Concert 2012, Choreography by Bill DeYoungPower Center Concert 2012, Choreography by Bill DeYoungPower Center Concert 2012, Choreography by Robin WilsonPower Center Concert 2012, Choreography by Robin WilsonPower Center Concert 2012, Choreography by Lucinda ChildsPower Center Concert 2012, Choreography by Lucinda Childs
"There's not one element of my life that doesn't revolve around dance...Dance is a metaphor for what's possible in life. To be able to move as a dancer has been a source of joy my whole life."
Daniel Gwirtzman, BFA Dance 1992

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Photography Credits:

U-M Photo Services

Joe Welsh

Peter Smith

David Smith

Glen Behring

Tom Bower

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