Open Dance Classes
Please note that not all courses are offered every semester. This listing is not considered authoritative. Please visit Access.SMU for authoritative course offerings including meeting times, professor, and more.
The following dance courses are open to all students from any field of study.
DANC 1030: Partnering I Lab
A focus on the development of weight sharing skills, with methodology based in techniques associated with contact improvisation and Bartenieff Fundamentals. Covers repertory from Pilobolus, one of the most internationally renowned dance companies that bases its work in contact improvisation. Restricted to first-year students.
DANC 1301, DANC 1302: Beginning Ballet
Introduction to the fundamentals of classical ballet. Not applicable to the dance major or minor.
DANC 1303, DANC 1304: Beginning Modern Dance
Introduction to basic movement skills, experiences and concepts of modern dance. The course will explore the movements and ritual of the Afro-Brazilian Art of Capoeira. Not applicable to the dance major or minor.
DANC 1305, DANC 1306: Beginning Jazz Dance
Introduction to the fundamentals of jazz dance with emphasis on rhythm and theatrical style. Not applicable to the dance major or minor.
DANC 2107: World Rhythms I
Listening, analysis and performance of African, Latin American and other rhythms. Techniques of playing percussion will be explored. Opportunities will be provided for students to accompany dancers using authentic instruments.
DANC 2108: World Rhythms II
Continued listening, analysis and performance of African, Latin American and other rhythms. Techniques of playing percussion will be explored in greater depth with more emphasis on performance. Further opportunities for students to accompany dancers using authentic instruments.
DANC 2301, DANC 2302: Intermediate Ballet
Further exploration of classical ballet. Previous experience in the study of classical ballet is required. Not applicable to the dance major or minor. Prerequisite: Previous experience in the study of classical ballet.
DANC 2303, DANC 2304: Intermediate Modern Dance
Further exploration of modern dance. Previous experience in the study of modern dance is required. Not applicable to the dance major or minor. Prerequisite: Previous experience in the study of modern dance.
DANC 2305, DANC 2306: Intermediate Jazz Dance
Further exploration of jazz styles. Previous experience in the study of jazz dance is required. Not applicable to the dance major or minor. Prerequisite: Previous experience in the study of jazz dance.
DANC 2345: Improvisation and Movement Studies
The development of individual movement skills through the exploration of images and elements from all of the arts, emphasizing the concepts of line, rhythm, mass and weight. Special attention will be placed on individual creative problem-solving through movement as it pertains to space, time and energy. Prerequisite: One year of dance technique and instructor approval.
DANC 2370: Movement as Social Text
Investigation of ways in which movement and dance have meaning in different cultural, social and historical contexts. Examples of dance in a cross-cultural context, encompassing both Western and non-Western dance forms will be included. Emphasis will be placed on the nature of movement, its unique properties, the ways in which it conveys meaning, and its relationship to culture and society.
DANC 2371: Ballet Tradition
A historical perspective of classical ballet from the Renaissance to contemporary ballet. Emphasis is directed toward traditional developments, artistic changes and performance practices. Not applicable to the dance major or minor.
DANC 2372: Twentieth-Century Dance
The study of Western theatre dance from 1900 to the present. Attention is given to various contemporary forms and practices and to the history of dance for film and theatre. Not applicable to the dance major or minor.
DANC 3086: Explorations in Style
Explores of a variety of dance forms to broaden exposure of students to styles and techniques beyond the foundation of the standing curriculum. Prerequisites: Junior or senior class standing and technique level placement of II or IV in the appropriate technique.
DANC 3320: Dance and Digital Technology
Dance and Digital Technology is a course tailored to dance majors interested in learning basic digital media skills that will enhance their work as dancers, choreographers, and artists in the world. The course will cover image design for performance advertisement and programs, audio editing and creating a sound score for choreography, digital video editing and dance for camera, and creating a personal website with video reel and digital resume. Students will learn these skills in a hands-on environment and will be responsible for completing project-based assignments.
DANC 3354: Dance and Camera
Instruction in basic camera and editing skills and techniques designed to broaden and empower the dancer’s understanding of the moving dance image on camera, and the ways this imagery may be modified and presented as digital media. A variety of modes of digital capture are covered, including single-camera archival, performer viewpoint, multicamera, and site-specific capture techniques. Students also learn basic nonlinear editing skills in support of creating a dancer/choreographer reel and digital portfolio. Prerequisite: Junior or senior standing.
DANC 3374: The Evolution of American Musical Theatre
This course examines the evolution of American musical theatre from its roots in minstrelsy, burlesque and vaudeville, to its adolescence in comic opera, operetta and musical comedy to its codification as musical theatre. The first unit of the class examines the early forms of popular entertainment, the second unit looks at the development of the integration of dance, music and drama into the form we know as musical theatre and the last unit examines the figures of the 20th century who refined this integration both on Broadway and in Hollywood.
DANC 4086: Explorations in Style
Explores a variety of dance forms to broaden exposure of students to styles and techniques beyond the foundation of the standing curriculum. Prerequisites: Junior of senior class standing and technique level placement of III or IV in the appropriate technique.
DANC 4104: Partnering
Introduction to the basic elements of partnering inherent in classical ballet. Emphasis on technical skills and classical style. Includes excerpts from classical repertory. Admission by invitation. Prerequisite: Instructor approval.
DANC 4216: Men's Ballet Technique
Emphasis on the virtuosity specific to the male dancer in the balletic idiom. The class objective is to strengthen and develop the dancer to his utmost potential. Includes variations. Admission by placement.
DANC 4218: Women's Pointe Technique
Emphasis on the virtuosity specific to the female dancer in the balletic idiom. The class objective is to strengthen and develop the dancer to her utmost potential. Includes variations. Admission by placement.
DANC 4230, DANC 4236, DANC 4239: Jazz Dance Immersive
Advanced jazz dance techniques and styles. May be taken as a stand-alone course or as an immersive supplement to Jazz Dance III or IV. Prerequisites: Junior or senior standing, Jazz Dance III or IV placement, and instructor approval.
DANC 4232, DANC 4234: Jazz Dance IV
Further exploration of advanced techniques and styles of jazz dance, performance projection, individual style, characterizations, and musical theatre themes. Focus on extensive combination sequences and jazz repertory. Admission by placement.
DANC 4312, DANC 4314, DANC 4316, DANC 4317: Ballet IV
Advanced ballet technique, offering a transition from dance study to professional-level work with an emphasis on technical proficiency, musical phrasing, stylistic variables, and individual interpretation. Admission by placement.
DANC 4322, DANC 4324: Modern Dance IV
Advanced contemporary dance technique, offering a transition from dance study to professional-level work. Admission by placement.
DANC4370: Dance Criticism and Aesthetics
A practical introduction to writing about dance performance. Works of master critics are examined to gain a historical perspective and to become familiar with a variety of methodologies in analyzing dance texts. Emphasis placed on observation and writing skills. Prerequisite: DANC 2371 or 2372 and instructor approval.