Mission Statement
The Department of Dance is committed to the liberal arts study of
"dance as an art form" and the belief that such a study necessitates an
integration of the kinesthetic (body), the intellectual (mind), and the
emotional/internal (spirit). We see this trinity (body/mind/spirit) as
the core concern of the discourse, the discipline and the faculty as we
explore physical and metaphysical material both artistically and
academically, exposing students to the principles of dance through
movement and through theoretical inquiry. Our aim is to expose students
to a wide variety of approaches by utilizing primary and secondary
sources. The opportunity for application in research and concert
performance is available early in the student's career, enabling
her/him to become independently productive in the application of these
principles.
Our Goals
- To encourage these body/mind/spirit experiences to serve as a foundation for personal, creative, intellectual, and artistic freedom. To create opportunities for self-discovery by exploring, shedding limitations, reflecting, and questioning within a process; and for sharing these discoveries.
- To physically challenge students in several movement experiences ranging from traditional dance (e.g., ballet, Indian Classical, Afro-Caribbean, West African) to modern dance (e.g., the movement vocabulary of specific personalities such as Humphrey or Dunham) to contemporary dance (e.g., the eclectic works of postmodernism and new dance).
- To impart knowledge and comprehensive understanding of the languages, syntax, historical developments, and cultural significances of dance's various bodily-kinesthetic forms. We strive to balance breadth with depth both in our movement opportunities and in our theoretical inquiries.
- To expose students to methods of movement analysis including formats for criticism, systems of analysis, and methods for retrieving previously choreographed works.
- To expose students to primary and secondary research skills through the effective use of the Internet as an aid. Specifically important is the identification of periodical materials and resource centers for current information.