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Click arrow to start and stop music. From the CD "Global Grooves" by Denison University's Dance Department Resident Musician Terrence Karn.

Gill Miller

Welcome to Dance at Denison!

We are genuinely glad you have found us. Whether your introduction to Denison was from a friend, a guidance counselor, an admissions inquiry or our web site, we welcome the opportunity to further your interest in our unique program.

Dance is not ordinarily taught in high schools. If you have pursued dance previous to college, it was most likely in private studios. It is equally likely you have only been exposed to the art of dancing and not to the interrogation of dance practices themselves. Consequently, we know you are a special student in that you are following an interest not readily identified as an academic course of study nor easily regarded in academic environments. At Denison, we encourage you to approach the place of dance as a creative forum, a cultural event, a somatic science, and an analytical methodology.

Your college search has no doubt revealed the rarity of finding an independent dance department in a small liberal arts college with the academic strengths Denison boasts.  Having recently celebrated our 36th year as an independent major, our department is one of the oldest majors in any private liberal arts institution. Your curiosity and our longevity is a powerful combination for achieving great things in student and faculty collaboration. Here at Denison, you will have the opportunity to interact personally with each of your faculty members, perform consistently throughout your college career, experience leadership and responsibility, shape the direction of the department's guest roster and activities, and create community and networks among your peers and alum.

As a dance major, you will be encouraged to discover your individual talents and interests and to expand these through advanced, independent study of dance, manifested in a Senior Research project. We have designed our major to cross multiple dance disciplines and to provide a solid and broad base of intellectual and experiential expertise in dance.

Browse through our website for information about our faculty, our students, our facilities, our guest artists, and our curriculum.  The tab “Visit Us” is a specially designed for you to find out more about dance at Denison. Please contact us to request a Prospective Student Manual, to ask a question or to arrange a visit.

We invite you to visit us and take a class, meet your fellow classmates and upper class-persons, make your interests known, and plan on taking advantage of all a small college has to offer its dance students!  You will find a rewarding, rich and useful experience in dance at Denison!


Most warmly,


Gill Wright Miller, PhD
Chair/ Associate Professor


 

EVENTS

Dance Department Auditions:  Wednesday,  September 9, 7:00pm, Doane Dance Upper Studio

Susan Alexander Residency: Master Class, September 18, 2:30pm, Composition Workshop, September 19, 10am - 4pm

Blakeley White-McGuire Residency: Master Class, Wednesday, October 7, 2:30pm,  Public lecture, Thursday, October 8, 10:00am, Bryant Center, 301

U Win Maung, Assistant Professor of Dance (Burmese) in Performance: Friday, October 16, (short performances during Museum opening) Denison University Museum, Burke Hall.  Free and open to the public.

Bryant Art Center Opening Ceremony: Site-based performances by students of Composing the Body course, throughout Bryant Art Center, Friday, October 16, 5:30-6:30pm. Open to the Denison community.

Rebecca Bryant Residency: October 22-24, teaching Contemporary Technique and Improvisation

Rebecca Bryant, musician Don Nichols with Sandra Mathern-Smith in Performance: Saturday, October 24, Mulberry House MIX Lab Gallery,  7:30 and 9pm.

Cultural Studies in Dance History Class Performance: Tuesday, November 3, 7:30pm, Doane Dance Performance Space. Students to perform Judson-like theater pieces. Open to the Denison community.

Burmese Student performance: Thursday, November 19, 8:00pm, Doane Dance Building featuring burmese dance performed by Denison students and U Win Maung, Assistant Professor of Dance (Burmese)

Fall Faculty Concert: December 3 - 5, 8:00pm, Doane Dance Performance Space featuring works by dance faculty Stafford Berry, Jr., Sandra Mathern-Smith and Alfred Dove. An opening salutation performed by Stafford Berry and Terrence Karn. Talk back session with choreographers after the performance. Free and open to the public.


EVENTS

Dance Department Auditions:  Wednesday,  January 27, 6:45 pm, Doane Dance Upper Studio

Dance Senior Research Concert: Saturday, February 27, 2:00 pm and 7:30 pm, Doane Dance Performance Space by senior Dance major Tricia Smit

Mark Taylor, January, February, March - five visits to set piece on students for Spring Performance (April 22-24, 2010; 8 pm; Doane Dance Building). June 5, 2010; 8:00 pm; public performance with professional performers

Kwabena Osei Appiagyei, March 1- 3, Master classes.  Spring concert performer; April 22-24, 2010; 8 pm; Doane Dance Building

C. Kemal Nance, March 8 - 11, 2010. Master classes in Umfundalai Technique

Jackie Lopez, aka "Miss Funk," Monday, March 29, 2010; 4:30 pm, Doane Dance Building.  Hip-Hop Master Class. Open to the Denison community

Dance Department Spring Concert: Thursday-Saturday, April 22, 23, 24,  8:00 PM, Doane Dance Performance Space featuring works by dance faculty Stafford Berry, Jr., Julie Fox and guest artists. Free and open to the public. Arrive early, limited seating