| Classroom & Studio |
The Dance Department’s course offerings beyond technique are expansive and exciting:
In our weekly Dance Forum series, students hear from dance artists and scholars on topics ranging from resume writing, to auditioning, to the Denishawn costume collection. In addition to technique and other dance coursework, MFA candidates undertake research projects, produce a graduate concert, and take comprehensive written and oral examinations. The heart of our fine arts programs are daily classes in contemporary dance and ballet with live musical accompaniment. Challenging and invigorating, these classes not only hone the instrument but prepare one for the world of professional dance. The core program of the Master of Arts in American Dance Studies includes courses in the history and theory of American dance and seminars in research practice and critical theory, as well as graduate electives in other disciplines. MA candidates write and defend a thesis and must pass final written and oral exams. Our well-known resident faculty and visiting artists, all from richly varied professional backgrounds, insure FSU dance graduates are versatile and experienced. The university’s annual artists’ series, Seven Days of Opening Nights, includes offerings by national dance artists, who join the life of the Dance Department during their stay. In recent years, this has afforded our students the opportunity to take class from and with company members of Garth Fagan Dance, Doug Varone and Dancers, Suzanne Farrell Ballet, and Ronald K. Brown/Evidence in addition to learning and performing these companies’ repertory. As such, the studio is a classroom for more than technique, but also an occasion to learn masterworks and new works from resident and visiting faculty, and to experience creativity in basic and advanced dance composition. |
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