The Dance Program
Students in the Dance Program in the Glenn Korff Schoof of Music are enrolled in the Hixson-Lied College of Fine and Performing Arts. The Dance Program is under the direction of the Dance Coordinator, Prof. Susan Ourada (slo@unl.edu), who is a Professor of Dance. It is accredited by the National Association of Schools of Dance (NASD). The Program offers the BA degree in Dance and a Minor in Dance. Students must successfully pass an audition for acceptance as a major or minor in Dance.
The UNL Dance Program offers a progression of classes that enables all dance students to take beginning, intermediate and advanced technique classes in a designated order. This sequence trains skilled dancers who are able to participate in dance program concerts and department productions as well as community projects.
The Bachelor of Arts degree with a Major in Dance
The BA degree in Dance offers comprehensive training in modern and ballet dance styles. Ballet and modern classes are offered as primary techniques with jazz, tap and musical theatre styles as secondary. Students study a balanced and integrated course load that combines dance with a strong liberal studies core. This program teaches the cultural, theatrical and performing aspects of dance. It emphasizes the development of working methods which are both safe and correct as it encourages students to explore and develop their personal creativity within a contemporary understanding of the dance field. A degree-requirement checksheet and a sample semester-by-semester plan for the BA in Dance are provided in the Appendix at the end of this Handbook.
Attendance
Students are expected to attend technique classes in order to improve technical skills and dance vocabulary. Make-up classes may be allowed at the discretion of the instructor. Poor attendance is grounds for failure of a dance technique course. Any absence beyond the number designated on the syllabus must have a written authorized excuse (e.g., doctor's note, school function) that must be approved by the Dance Coordinator. Assignments or exams can be made-up with a written authorized excuse by the Dance Coordinator. If students are too ill or injured and cannot participate in observations, they are considered absent.
Continuation in Dance Courses
The Dance Coordinator, in consultation with the dance faculty, determines placement progressions for dance students (i.e., when a student may move on to the next level of technique.) Dance majors must maintain a 2.0 in lower-division dance courses and 2.5 in upper-division dance courses for continued enrollment and advancement. When the grade point average (in dance courses) falls below 2.0, the Dance Coordinator reviews enrollment in dance courses for the following semester. Failure of two or more dance courses in any given semester constitutes automatic suspension from the dance program. Students may be required to refrain from enrolling in dance courses for the immediate semester, or other appropriate action as determined by the Dance Coordinator.
Performances
The concert season includes one major and two minor productions in any of the four performance spaces. A collection of student choreography, works in progress, and classroom demonstrations is presented at the end of each semester.
The Minor in Dance
Students must successfully pass an audition for acceptance as a dance minor. The Dance Minor requires a total of 18 credit hours, including the following courses:
DANC 159 Intro to History of Dance (3 cr)
DANC 338 Dance Kinesiology & Injury Prevention (3 cr)
DANC 111 Ballet I (2 cr)
DANC 112 Modern Dance I (2 cr)
DANC 211 Ballet II (2 cr)
DANC 212 Modern Dance II (4 cr)
DANC 312 Modern Dance III (2 cr).
Students transferring into the Dance program as a minor after a successful UNL audition, and who are bringing in dance credits from another institution, may find that their transfer credits are sufficient to complete most of the UNL minor. Dance minor students, however, must complete a minimum of 4 credits of Modern Dance technique study (one semester each of DANC 212 and DANC 312) while in residence at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.