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

Suggested Academic Plan

Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance

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

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.