Overview

Offered by the Department of Dance, the Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance aims to nurture well-rounded, versatile performing artists and teaching artists with the ability to articulate the importance of dance in human life, arts, and culture. The program focuses equally on three areas of dance technique: African Diasporic dance, Ballet, and Modern/contemporary practices, with electives in Jazz, Tap, and other forms. Additional core requirements include improvisation, composition, repertory, and dance science/somatics, along with courses in dance teaching, dance analysis, dancing cultures, and historical perspectives of dance. Students have multiple opportunities to perform in Conwell Dance Theater. The BFA also provides seminar workshops for development of a professional portfolio and life/career plan.

The BFA in Dance aims to

  • Guide students in developing their creative potential through technique, choreography, performance, research and interdisciplinary exploration.
  • Educate students about the various forms and purposes of dance within social, cultural, and historical contexts.
  • Provide intensive training in a range of dance techniques and styles as represented by the faculty and selected guest artists.
  • Prepare students for professional careers as performing artists, choreographers, teachers, scholars, entrepreneurs, community builders, and responsible leaders in the field of dance.

The Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Dance is conferred upon a student by recommendation of the faculty and upon the satisfactory completion of a minimum of 124 semester hours of credit and completion of the required Dance and university requirements.

Campus Location: Main

Program Code: BC-DANC-BFA

Special Admissions Requirements

See Dance Admissions information on the Boyer College of Music and Dance page.

Mission

The Department of Dance nurtures student excellence in performance, choreography, teaching, and scholarship in an inclusive environment that affirms dance as central to human society. Through embodied practice, we seek to honor traditions while exploring new ways of being and knowing through dance. We embrace and promote dance as a vehicle for community building and social justice. The department's mission is based on the premise that the physical, intellectual, emotional, social, spiritual, and aesthetic aspects of human experience can find full, holistic expression in the art of dance.

Dance Resources

The Dance Department, with its three large studios, Pilates room, 175-seat black box theater, assortment of classrooms, and student lounge support a broad array of activities. The Philadelphia Dance Collection at Temple University (PDCAT) provides access to the dance legacy of the Department of Dance and the Philadelphia region through a permanent collection of multi-format archival resources.

Special Opportunities

Throughout the school year, Conwell Dance Theater offers many opportunities for students to perform and choreograph. A typical year features two student concerts, two Master of Fine Arts concerts, two Bachelor of Fine Arts senior concerts, a faculty dance concert, an alumni concert, and end-of-semester repertory showings. Added to this are performances and residencies with guest artists and informal student choreography performances. Recent guest artists have included Kyle Abraham; Rennie Harris Puremovement; Cornelius Carter; Ruth Andrien, former soloist with the Paul Taylor Dance Company; Nina Watt, member of the José Limón Dance Company; and Fairul Sahid, Asia Duo Dance Company (Singapore).

Accreditation

Full accredited Member of the National Association of Schools of Dance (NASD).

Contact Information

Karen Bond, Department Chair
215-204-6280
karen.bond@temple.edu

Jillian Harris, Associate Professor of Dance and Bachelor of Fine Arts Program Coordinator
215-204-6279
jhdan2@temple.edu

Sherril Dodds, Graduate Program Coordinator
215-204-4959
sherril.dodds@temple.edu

Learn more about the Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance.

These requirements are for students who matriculated in academic year 2025-2026. Students who matriculated prior to fall 2025 should refer to the Archives to view the requirements for their Bulletin year.

Summary of Requirements

The Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Dance is conferred upon a student by recommendation of the faculty and upon the satisfactory completion of a minimum of 124 semester hours of credit and completion of the required Dance and university requirements.

University Requirements

  • All students are required to complete the university's General Education (GenEd) curriculum.
  • All students must take a minimum of two writing-intensive courses. The specific writing-intensive courses required for the major are identified with the code "WI".

Program Requirements

General Education courses32
Foundation
DANC 1801First Year Seminar in Dance1
DANC 1811Movement Improvisation I2
DANC 1812Movement Improvisation II2
DANC 1813Dance Repertory I2
DANC 1819Dance Production1
DANC 1834Introduction to African Diasporic Dance Traditions2
DANC 1835Early Modern Dance I2
DANC 1836Introduction to Classical Ballet2
DANC 1837Neo-Traditional West African Dance I2
DANC 1838Early Modern Dance II2
DANC 1839Ballet Enchainments2
DANC 1841Music for Dancers2
DANC 1852Ways of Knowing Dance2
Advanced Courses
DANC 2813Dance Composition I2
DANC 2814Dance Composition II2
DANC 2833Contemporary Approaches to Ballet I2
DANC 2834Neo-Traditional West African Dance II2
DANC 2835Post-Judson Dance Practices I2
DANC 2837Umfundalai Technique I2
DANC 2838Post-Judson Dance Practices II2
DANC 2839Contemporary Approaches to Ballet II2
DANC 2872Foundations of Dance Education3
DANC 3811Field Experience in Dance2
DANC 3812Creative Process in Dance3
DANC 3813Dance Repertory II3
DANC 3831Global Ballet Styles and Conventions2
DANC 3832Ballet and Abstraction2
DANC 3834Umfundalai Technique II2
DANC 3835Somatic Dance Explorations I2
DANC 3837Hip Hop I2
DANC 3838Somatic Dance Explorations II2
DANC 3851Lighting Design for Dance3
DANC 3873Creating Dance Histories3
DANC 3896Dancing Cultures (WI)3
DANC 3897Making Meaning in Dance (WI)3
Select two of the following:4
Advanced Ballet Technique I
Hip Hop II
Contemporary Hybrid Dance Practices I
Select two of the following:4
Advanced Ballet Technique II
Matters in Contemporary African Diasporic Dance
Contemporary Hybrid Dance Practices II
DANC 4861Dance Science and Somatics3
DANC 4873Senior Seminar3
Select one of the following:3
Dance Education Project
Senior Choreographic Project
Total Credit Hours124

Suggested Academic Plan

Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance

Suggested Plan for New Students Starting in the 2025-2026 Academic Year

Plan of Study Grid
Year 1
FallCredit Hours
DANC 1801 First Year Seminar in Dance 1
DANC 1811 Movement Improvisation I 1 2
DANC 1819 Dance Production 2 1
DANC 1834 Introduction to African Diasporic Dance Traditions 2
DANC 1835 Early Modern Dance I 2
DANC 1836 Introduction to Classical Ballet 2
DANC 1841 Music for Dancers 2
ENG 0802
Analytical Reading and Writing [GW]
or Analytical Reading and Writing: ESL [GW]
or Honors Analytical Reading and Writing [GW]
4
 Credit Hours16
Spring
DANC 1813 Dance Repertory I 2 2
DANC 1837 Neo-Traditional West African Dance I 2
DANC 1838 Early Modern Dance II 2
DANC 1839 Ballet Enchainments 2
DANC 2813 Dance Composition I 1 2
DANC 4861 Dance Science and Somatics 3
GenEd Quantitative Literacy Course GQ 4
 Credit Hours17
Year 2
Fall
DANC 1812 Movement Improvisation II 2
DANC 1852 Ways of Knowing Dance 2
DANC 2833 Contemporary Approaches to Ballet I 2
DANC 2834 Neo-Traditional West African Dance II 2
DANC 2835 Post-Judson Dance Practices I 2
DANC 3851 Lighting Design for Dance 2 3
IH 0851
Intellectual Heritage I: The Good Life [GY]
or Honors Intellectual Heritage I: The Good Life [GY]
3
 Credit Hours16
Spring
DANC 2814 Dance Composition II 1 2
DANC 2837 Umfundalai Technique I 2
DANC 2838 Post-Judson Dance Practices II 2
DANC 2839 Contemporary Approaches to Ballet II 2
DANC 3813 Dance Repertory II 3
DANC 3897 Making Meaning in Dance [WI] 3
IH 0852
Intellectual Heritage II: The Common Good [GZ]
or Honors Intellectual Heritage II: The Common Good [GZ]
3
 Credit Hours17
Year 3
Fall
DANC 3812 Creative Process in Dance 1 3
DANC 3831 Global Ballet Styles and Conventions 2
DANC 3834 Umfundalai Technique II 2
DANC 3835 Somatic Dance Explorations I 2
DANC 3896 Dancing Cultures [WI] 3
GenEd Breadth Course 3
 Credit Hours15
Spring
DANC 2872 Foundations of Dance Education 3
DANC 3832 Ballet and Abstraction 2
DANC 3837 Hip Hop I 2
DANC 3838 Somatic Dance Explorations II 2
DANC 3873 Creating Dance Histories 3
GenEd Breadth Course 3
 Credit Hours15
Year 4
Fall
Select two of the following: 4
Advanced Ballet Technique I  
Hip Hop II  
Contemporary Hybrid Dance Practices I  
DANC 4873 Senior Seminar 3
GenEd Breadth Course 3
GenEd Breadth Course 3
 Credit Hours13
Spring
DANC 3811 Field Experience in Dance 2
Select two of the following: 4
Advanced Ballet Technique II  
Matters in Contemporary African Diasporic Dance  
Contemporary Hybrid Dance Practices II  
Select one of the following: 3
Dance Education Project  
Senior Choreographic Project  
GenEd Breadth Course 3
GenEd Breadth Course 3
 Credit Hours15
 Total Credit Hours124
1

These four courses must be completed with a C- or better to fulfill the GenEd Arts requirement.

2

May be taken in Fall or Spring.