Dance (DANC)

An introduction to the discipline of Dance for dance major. Course topics include health and wellness, student life at LMU and important programs offered throughout the campus as they relate to the dance artist and their career goals in performance, choreography, and teaching. The course will also provide alum connections, an introduction to the L.A. dance community, and other important aspects of both the Dance major and the larger field of dance.

Majors only.
May be repeated for degree credit up to 2 times.
Offered Fall Semester.

Fundamental movement techniques in the idiom of modern, post-modern, and contemporary forms.

May be repeated once for degree credit.

Barre and center work for alignment, strength, flexibility, and coordination. Introduction to ballet terminology, aesthetics, and study of fundamentals of style and history.

May be repeated once for degree credit.

An introduction to the art of jazz dance. Emphasis on fundamental alignment and rhythmic skills as well as styling. Study of the aesthetics of entertainment.

May be repeated once for degree credit.

An introduction to tap dance and its history. Focus on specific skills in tap dance involving vocabulary, keeping time, music theory, and rhythm.

May be repeated once for degree credit.

Principles of the choreographic process in relation to movement invention, choreographic devices, choreographic craft, presentation, feedback, and reflection. Groundwork in aesthetics and compositional theory.

Dance majors and minors only.
Offered Fall Semester.
University Core fulfilled: Explorations: Creative Experience.

Continuation of DANC 160 with an emphasis on dance improvisation as a choreographic practice and in performance.

Dance majors and minors only.
Offered Spring semester.

An introduction to dance composition for the non-major. Exploration of space, time, and energy through movement, sound, and text.

University Core fulfilled: Explorations: Creative Experience.

An introduction to the theory and practice of yoga through exercise, meditation, and selected readings.

Introduction to basic principles of lighting, costuming, and production management.

Offered Spring semester.

Increased emphasis on energy, range, and expression. Complex rhythmic patterns and movement designs are explored. Introduction to performance technique and study of historical context and aesthetic principles.

Corequisite: DANC 253.
May be repeated once for degree credit.
Audition: First class meeting.
Lab fee required.

Learning to execute the vocabulary of ballet movement with technical accuracy. Beginning combinations across the floor. Continuation of study of history and aesthetics of the ballet style.

Audition: First class meeting.
May be repeated once for degree credit.

The study of the dynamics, line, skillful execution, and expressive performance of Ballet for students with beginning to intermediate experience with the form.

Majors/minors only.
May be repeated once for degree credit.
Lab fee required.

Study of the fundamental stylistic qualities and tenets of jazz dance.

Audition: First class meeting.
May be repeated once for degree credit.

Continuation of DANC 144. Increased focus on musicality.

Audition: First class meeting.
May be repeated once for degree credit.

Study of the fundamental dance and performance skills associated with musical theater dance.

Supplemental training for first year students with goals of improving technique and performance while limiting risk of injury.

Laboratory course.
Corequisite: DANC 202 Modern/Contemporary II.
May be repeated once for degree credit.

Study of Rudolf Laban's method of systematic description of qualitative change in movement. Application in choreography, in teaching and in learning movement.

Prerequisites: DANC 160 and either DANC 161 or DANC 163.
Dance majors and Dance minors only.
University Core fulfilled: Flag: Quantitative Reasoning.
Offered Fall Semester.

Exploration of dance composition based on styles of noted choreographers. Study of dance compositional forms. Theory and practice as modes of study.

Prerequisites: DANC 160 or DANC 163; DANC 161 and DANC 260.
Offered Spring Semester.

An interrogation of the social, gendered, anthropological, sexual, technical, and historical constructions around and within Western European dance with emphasis on new narratives of inclusion.

For DANC majors and minors only or by permission of instructor.
Offered Spring semester.

A study of dance as a cultural, political and socio-economic phenomena. Dance forms and practices from diverse communities and groups in the United States, including their historical and cultural origins and current contexts, will form the focus of study.

Majors/minors only or by permission of instructor.
University Core fulfilled: Foundations: Studies in American Diversity.
Lab fee required.

An embodied study of commercial dance through the lens of inclusivity and that prioritizes equitable practices. Classes will be taught by guest teachers from the L.A. commercial dance industry and will include dance technique and career advising

Audition: First Class Meeting.
May be repeated once for degree credit.
Lab fee required.

Continuation of DANC 202. More complex rhythmic patterns and movement design. Concentrated work on performance and projection techniques. Dance films and study of current research on dance criticism.

Audition: First class meeting.
May be repeated once for degree credit.
Lab fee required.

Continuation of DANC 220 and/or DANC 222. Variations from the repertory of classic ballet. Familiarity with the music, scenarios, and staging of several traditional ballets. Dance films and study of current research on dance criticism.

Audition: First class meeting.
May be repeated once for degree credit.
Lab fee required.

Continuation of DANC 220, 222, and 320. Augmented work in ballet technique and performance.

Audition: First class meeting.
May be repeated 3 times for degree credit.
Lab fee required.

Focus on styling and performance. Theoretical study of selected jazz dance artists and the impact of film and video on jazz dance.

Audition: First class meeting.
May be repeated once for degree credit.

A continuation of DANC 244. Focus on developing better skills, exploring rhythms, and mastering ability to keep time and phrase rhythms.

Audition: First class meeting.
May be repeated once for degree credit.

Continuation of DANC 342. Emphasis on study of jazz dance, hip hop, funk, and other dance styles used in commercial/media dance.

Audition: First class meeting.
May be repeated once for degree credit.

Study of hip hop as a cultural dance form.

May be repeated up to seven times. Students may only earn up to 8 credit hours across all instances of the course.

Continuation of DANC 248. Practice of the dance technique and performance skills associated with musical theatre. Study of music, costuming, and acting dimensions of musical theatre dance.

Audition: First class meeting.
Majors/minors only.

Laboratory courses using specialized training modalities selected from Pilates. Pilates Lab is a laboratory course using the Pilates Reformer as the primary instructional apparatus. Pilates Mat is a laboratory course based on the Pilates mat exercise method of training.

May be repeated up to seven times. Students may only earn up to 8 credit hours across all instances of the course.

This course will introduce students to fundamental principles and concepts in Music and Dance. Students will study the elements of Music and Dance and engage in creative expression. They will investigate each art form as a discrete discipline, and they will investigate how these art forms integrate with each other as well as with other subjects in the pre K-12 curriculum (e.g., reading, mathematics, sciences, and social studies). The course emphasizes learning using multiple intelligences (Musical Intelligence, Bodily-Kinesthetic Intelligence, Existential Intelligence, and Social-Interpersonal/Intrapersonal Intelligences, along with Verbal-Linguistic, Mathematical, and Visual-Spatial Intelligence). Students will focus on these intelligences as discrete and diverse ways of knowing and expressing facts, concepts, and feelings. They will also practice integration of these intelligences experiencing the possibilities of the potential synergy when these intelligences work in concert with each other.

Sophomores, juniors, and seniors only.
Meets Liberal Studies Credential requirement.
Lab fee required.
Offered Spring semester.

Practicum for DANC 363.

Offered Spring semester.

Study of Tae kwan do, Hap Ki Do, Kuk Sool, or other selected martial arts styles.

May be repeated once for degree credit.
Lab fee required.

Theory and practice of yoga through exercise, meditation, and selected readings.

Continuation of yogo practice begun in Yoga I.

Prerequisite: DANC 374.

Yoga practice particularly designed for those pursuing in-depth dance technique training.

Majors only.

Serving as crew member for 30 hours of Dance Production work in the areas of lighting, publicity, costuming, staging, and/or related fields.

Completion of a service project on campus or in the community.

Performance groups who choreograph, produce, perform, and teach on campus and select K-12 schools, dance studios, community centers, and other venues off campus.

May be repeated for degree credit up to 4 times.

Study of the elements of music theory and history which are common to dance and music.

Sophomores, juniors, and seniors only.
Majors/minors only.

An introduction to the techniques and rhythms of West African djembe drumming

Movement Arts experience ("new games," dance, sport) and study of the child's physical and motor development. Designed as pre-service Elementary School teacher training.

Meets Liberal Studies Credential requirements.
Offered Fall semester.

Theoretical, practical, and artistic exploration of Dance as a cultural phenomenon and its role in social change.

Prerequisites: DANC 102 or DANC 202, and DANC 281 or DANC 282.
Majors/minors only or by permission of instructor.
University Core fulfilled: Flag: Engaged Learning (when taken for 3 semester hours).

Practical and theoretical study of dance-related careers.

Junior and Senior Dance majors only.
Lab Fee required.

A study of a selected dance form as it is contextualized in its original time, place, social, and/or religious origin. Fulfills the World Dance requirement for Majors and Minors

May be repeated once for degree credit.

Continuation of DANC 302. Study focuses on subtlety in energy, range, and expression, along with concentration of style, rhythmic patterns, and movement design. Dance films and study of current research on dance criticism.

May be repeated once for degree credit.
Audition: First class meeting.
Lab fee required.

In-depth exploration of dance or performance technique and partnering.

Audition: First class meeting.
May be repeated for degree credit up to 7 times.

Continuation of DANC 402. Study focuses on increasing subtlety in energy, range, and expression, along with concentration on style, rhythmic patterns, and movement designs. Focus on style and professional work.

Prerequisites: DANC 102 or DANC 202, and DANC 302 and DANC 402.
May be repeated once for degree credit.
Lab fee required.

Study of pointe work in ballet and reconstruction of variations from ballets of different periods.

Audition: First class meeting.
May be repeated once for degree credit.

Continuation of DANC 420.

Prerequisite: DANC 320 or DANC 323 or DANC 420.
Audition: First class meeting.
May be repeated once for degree credit.
Lab fee required.

A continuation of DANC 344. Focus on developing better skills, exploring rhythms, and mastering ability to keep time and phrase rhythms.

Audition: First class meeting.
May be repeated once for degree credit.

Continuation of DANC 345. Emphasis on study of jazz dance, hip hop, funk, and other dance styles used in commercial/media dance.

By audition only.
May be repeated once for degree credit.

Continuation of DANC 445. Pre-professional emphasis including auditioning and career planning.

Prerequisites: DANC 242 or DANC 342, and DANC 345 and DANC 445.
Senior standing required.
By audition only.
May be repeated once for degree credit.
Lab fee required.

Formal seminar in philosophy of dance and aesthetic criticism.

Prerequisites: DANC 281 and DANC 282.
Senior standing required.
Majors only.

An investigation of the creative process in relation to dance specific artistry. Preparation and development of senior thesis.

Majors only.

One-on-one guidance on the development and presentation of the Senior Thesis Project.

May be repeated once for degree credit.

Format varies by semester. Auditioning, rehearsing, performing, and/or producing in the Dance Department main stage productions.

Majors and minors only.
May be repeated for degree credit up to 8 times, for a total of 12 semester hours.
University Core fulfilled: Flag: Engaged Learning.

Fundamentals of anatomy, physiology, and biomechanics of movement. Applied to the teaching and performance of dance and to the care of the dancer.

University Core fulfilled: Explorations: Nature of Science, Technology, and Mathematics.
Offered in the Fall semester.

Continuation of DANC 480.
Discusses the integration of the science of movement with the art of dance. Explores anatomy and biomechanics of the major joints of the human body.

Prerequisite: DANC 480 or HHSC 1550 or permission of instructor.
University Core fulfilled: Integrations: Interdisciplinary Connections.
Offered in the Spring semester.

Theory and practice of effective dance instruction, including methods, lesson plans, and practice teaching of high school students and adults.

Prerequisites: DANC 102 and DANC 202, or DANC 202 and DANC 302, and DANC 160 or DANC 163.
Majors/minors only.

Work experience in teaching, health care, or business.

May be repeated once for degree credit.

Use of computer technology and other media in the making and performance of dance.

Lab fee required.
Alternate semesters.

An in-depth exploration of performance techniques in ballet, modern dance, jazz dance, and other selected dance genre.

May be repeated for degree credit up to 4 times (maximum 4 semester hours).
Lab fee required.
Offered Fall semester.

An introduction to tap dance and its history. Focus on specific skills in tap dance involving vocabulary, keeping time, music theory, and rhythm. May be repeated one time for degree credit.

Standard letter grade only.
Offered Fall semester.

Orientation to Dance will provide students with foundational knowledge, resources, and introductions to dance as a collegiate discipline and as a multifaceted career. Students will learn ways to foster success and sustainability in dance. This is a required course for the BA in Dance, the BA in Choreography and Performance, and the BA in Dance Pedagogy and Social Action.

Dance majors only.
Lab fee required.
Standard letter grade only.
Offered Fall Semester.

Theory and practice of yoga through exercise, meditation, and selected readings.

Standard letter grade only.
Offered Fall semester.

Continuation of yoga practice begun in Yoga I.

Prerequisite: DANC 1072.
Standard letter grade only.
Offered Spring semester.

Yoga practice particularly designed for those pursuing in-depth dance technique training. The course may be repeated one time for credit.

Dance majors and minors only.
Standard letter grade only.
Offered Fall semester.

Study of Tae kwan do, Hap Ki Do, Kuk Sool, or other selected martial arts styles.

Standard letter grade only.
Lab fee required.
Offered Fall and Spring semesters.

A study of a selected dance form as it is contextualized in its original time, place, social, and/or religious origin and in its contemporary practices. This course may be repeated one time for degree credit.

Standard letter grade only.
Lab fee required.
Offered Spring semester.

Study of hip hop as a cultural and commercial dance form. This course may be repeated one time for credit.

Dance minors only.
Standard letter grade only.
Lab fee required.
Offered Fall semester.

The first course in the Hip Hop curriculum for the dance major, DANC 1110 is an introduction to the study of African dance, specifically dances of West Africa and the West African diaspora. This course lays the foundation for the study of Africanist movement aesthetics. This is a required course for the BA in Dance, the BA in Choreography and Performance, and the BA in Dance Pedagogy and Social Action. Upon recommendation by the Department, this course may be repeated one time for credit.

Dance majors only.
Standard letter grade only.
Lab fee required.
Offered Fall Semester.

The second course in the Hip Hop curriculum for the dance major, DANC 1121 explores the origins of hip hop movement as a form of resistance against the systemic and structural oppression of Black and Latine/Latino/Hispanic peoples. Students will learn foundational hip hop movement while developing an understanding of hip hop history with a focus on the critical periods of time in the development of the U.S. and popular culture. This is a required course for the BA in Dance, the BA in Choreography and Performance, and the BA in Dance Pedagogy and Social Action. Upon recommendation by the Department, this course may be repeated one time for credit.

Prerequisite: DANC 1110.
Corequisite: DANC 1521.
Standard letter grade only.
Dance majors only.
Offered Spring Semester

Study of fundamental ballet movement with technical accuracy. This course may be repeated one time for credit.

Dance minors only.
Standard letter grade only.
Lab fee required.
Offered Spring semester.

The first course in the Ballet curriculum for the dance major, DANC 1210 will focus on the acquisition and integration of the French terminology and the codified technical concepts of classical ballet, resulting in an understanding of the precision, coordination, control, strength, and efficiency in the execution of ballet. Students will also learn about the socio-historical positioning of ballet in development of Western concert dance. This is a required course for the BA in Dance, the BA in Choreography and Performance, and the BA in Dance Pedagogy and Social Action. Upon recommendation by the Department, this course may be repeated one time for credit.

Dance majors only.
Standard letter grade only.
Lab fee required.
Offered Fall Semester.

The second course in the Ballet curriculum for the dance major, DANC 1221 will continue to promote the understanding, acquisition and integration of terminology and codified technical concepts of classical ballet, focusing on the ways in which alignment and form affect the technical function and precision in ballet and vice versa. Students will continue to learn about the socio-historical positioning of ballet in Western concert dance. This is a required course for the BA in Dance, the BA in Choreography and Performance, and the BA in Dance Pedagogy and Social Action. Upon recommendation by the Department, this course may be repeated one time for credit.

Prerequites: DANC 1210.
Dance majors only.
Standard letter grade only.
Lab fee required.
Offered Spring Semester.

Fundamental movement techniques in the idiom of modern, post-modern, and contemporary forms. This course may be repeated one time for credit.

Dance minors only.
Standard letter grade only.
Lab fee required.
Offered Fall semester.

The first course in the Contemporary Modern curriculum for the dance major, DANC 1310 is an introductory course to modern dance. Students will learn basic movement principles and codified techniques from classical modern dance and apply them to more contemporary styles. Students will situate modern dance within the cultural and historical context of the turn of the 20th century and examine this embodied lineage. This is a required course for the BA in Dance, the BA in Choreography and Performance, and the BA in Dance Pedagogy and Social Action. Upon recommendation by the Department, this course may be repeated one time for credit.

Corequisites: DANC 1510.
Dance majors only.
Standard letter grade only.
Lab fee required.
Offered Fall Semester.

Study of the fundamental dance and performance skills associated with musical theater dance.

This course may be repeated one time for credit.
Standard letter grade only.
Lab fee required.
Offered Fall semester.

Study of the fundamental stylistic qualities and tenets of jazz dance. This course may be repeated one time for credit.

Dance minors only.
Standard letter grade only.
Offered Spring semester.

Continuation of DANC 1400, this course deepens the study of the dance technique and performance skills associated with musical theatre including music, costuming, and acting.

Pre-requisites: DANC 1400.
Standard letter grade only.
This course may be repeated one time for credit.
Lab fee required.
Offered Spring semester.

The first course in the Jazz Dance curriculum for the dance major, DANC 1411 is designed to introduce students to a historically and culturally sensitive iteration of jazz dance. With an emphasis on communal movement practices and Black /African American / Latin social dances, this class will expose students to the Africanist aesthetics unique to jazz dance. In bringing attention to the complex and fractured lineage of jazz dance, students will gain a more holistic understanding of this dance form and its position inside and outside of the concert dance canon. This is a required course for the BA in Dance, the BA in Choreography and Performance, and the BA in Dance Pedagogy and Social Action. Upon recommendation by the Department, this course may be repeated one time for credit.

Dance majors only.
Standard letter grade only.
Offered Spring Semester.

Laboratory courses using specialized training modalities selected from Pilates.

This course may be repeated one time for credit.
Standard letter grade only.
Offered Fall and Spring semesters.

In this course students will study mindfulness/sati and the practices that support them in that aim such as meditation, study of the teachings/dharma and dialogue. The underlying process of this practice is to gradually rest in the power of one's awareness.

Standard letter grade only.

This class provides supplemental training for the first-year dance major. The class aids the student in developing appropriate muscle strength and the skills of endurance, precision, efficiency of movement, and neuromuscular coordination, with the goal of improving dance techniques and aesthetic performance while limiting the risk of injury to the dancer. Discussions include attention to individual physical structure so that students learn to work safely within their physiological limits and maximize the ability to meet the choreographic demands of dance. This is a required course for the BA in Dance, the BA in Choreography and Performance, and the BA in Dance Pedagogy and Social Action.

Corequisites: DANC 1310.
Dance majors only.
Standard letter grade only.
Lab fee required.
Offered Fall Semester.

This class is a co-requisite of FND of Hip Hop: Understanding the Bounce in the spring semester and provides supplemental training for the first-year dance major. The class continues to develop the appropriate muscle strength and the skills of endurance, precision, efficiency of movement, and neuromuscular coordination, with the goal of improving dance techniques and aesthetic performance while limiting the risk of injury to the dancer. Discussions include attention to individual physical structure so that dancers learn to work safely within their physiological limits and maximize the ability to meet the choreographic demands of dance. This is a rewquired course for the BA in Dance, the BA in Choreography and Performance and the BA in Dance Pedagogy and Social Action.

Corequisites: DANC 1121.
Dance majors only.
Standard letter grade only.
Offered Spring Semester.

An introduction to the techniques and rhythms of West African djembe drumming.

Standard letter grade only.
Offered Fall semester.

Students will engage in project-based learning in the areas of lighting, sound, publicity, costuming, staging, and/or related areas of theatrical production by serving as the technical crew for 30 hours of Dance Production work for the fall dance productions. This is a required course for the BA in Dance, the BA in Choreography and Performance, and the BA in Dance Pedagogy and Social Action.

Dance majors only.
Credit/No Credit only.
Offered Fall Semester.

An introduction to the basic principles of lighting, sound, costuming, and production management. This course will address the basics of backstage terminology & vocabulary, theater organization, and technical elements involved in the production of dance. This course focuses on the collaboration and connections between the technical side and the artistic side of dance production. This is a required course for the BA in Dance, the BA in Choreography and Performance, and the BA in Dance Pedagogy and Social Action.

Dance majors only.
Standard letter grade only.
Offered Spring Semester.

An exploration of space, time, and energy through movement, motion, and choreographic thinking. Dance training or dance experience is not required.

University Core fulfilled: Explorations: Creative Experience ECRE.
Standard letter grade only.
Offered Fall and Spring semesters.

The first course in the choreographic curriculum for the dance major, DANC 1711 is the practice of self-discovery. In this class, students will foster creative practices. Through these practices, dancers discover personal voice, expand their own movement vocabulary, and refine and & deepen their abilities to use nuance to shape movement quality. This is a required course for the BA in Dance, the BA in Choreography and Performance, and the BA in Dance Pedagogy and Social Action.

Dance majors only.
University Core fulfilled: Explorations: Creative Experience [ECRE].
Standard letter grade only.
Offered Spring Semester.

Dance History I: Global Perspectives is a survey course focusing on non-western dance forms in their historical and cultural context. The course foregrounds an anti-racist approach and investigates the ways in which dance operates in various cultures and societies. Students will examine how dance is a mode of expression across the globe. This is a required course for the BA in Dance, the BA in Choreography and Performance, and the BA in Dance Pedagogy and Social Action.

Dance majors only.
Standard letter grade only.
Lab fee required.
Offered Fall Semester.

Continuation of DANC 1000 Introduction to Tap Dance, with an increased focus on skill, musicality and history. This course may be repeated one time for degree credit.

Standard letter grade only.
Offered Spring semester.

The third course in the Hip Hop curriculum for the dance major, DANC 2131 explores hip hop dance through the development of social dances, party dances and club dances. It builds upon the notion of hip hop as a form of resistance, adding the concept of joy in the face of oppression. This course will look at social dances, party dances and club dances that arise from these centers while considering Afro-diasporic movement patterns and migrations. This is a required course for the BA in Dance, the BA in Choreography and Performance, and the BA in Dance Pedagogy and Social Action. Upon recommendation by the Department, this course may be repeated one time for credit.

Prerequisites: DANC 1110 and DANC 1121.
Dance majors only.
Standard letter grade only.
Offered Spring Semester.

The third course in the Ballet curriculum for the dance major, DANC 2230 is for the dance student who already has a solid grasp of basic technical dance skills and the French terminology and is ready to tackle more advanced work. Students will begin to explore contemporary ballet styles as they differ from more classical styles. Throughout the semester, in addition to embodying the form, students will learn about the socio- historical development of ballet in the United States through an inclusive and diverse lens. This is a required course for the BA in Dance, the BA in Choreography and Performance, and the BA in Dance Pedagogy and Social Action. Upon recommendation by the Department, this course may be repeated one time for credit.

Prerequisites: DANC 1210 and DANC 1221
Dance majors only.
Standard letter grade only.
Lab fee required.
Offered Fall Semester.

The second course in the Contemporary Modern curriculum for the dance major, DANC 2320 builds on the foundational principles and skills of modern dance and explores how these skills dovetail with the Laban (Rudolf von Laban) framework, also known as the basic elements of dance (body, space, effort, shape/relationship). Students will examine the use of movement codification and movement analysis in the development of modern and post-modern dance. This is a required course for the BA in Dance, the BA in Choreography and Performance, and the BA in Dance Pedagogy and Social Action. Upon recommendation by the Department, this course may be repeated one time for credit.

Prerequisites: DANC 1310.
Dance majors only.
Standard letter grade only.
Lab fee required.
Offered Fall Semester.

The third course in the Contemporary Modern curriculum for the dance major, DANC 2331 emphasizes efficiency in movement through use of weight and momentum. While continuing to gain strength and flexibility in the legs, arms, core, and feet, students will explore the use and harnessing of momentum in the execution of movement. Students will continue examining the socio-historical development from modern dance to contemporary. This is a required course for the BA in Dance, the BA in Choreography and Performance, and the BA in Dance Pedagogy and Social Action. Upon recommendation by the Department, this course may be repeated one time for credit.

Prerequisites: DANC 1310 and DANC 2320.
Dance majors only.
Standard letter grade only.
Lab fee required.
Offered Spring Semester.

The second course in the Jazz Dance curriculum for the dance major, DANC 2420 builds on the student’s understanding of both Eurocentric and Africanist aesthetics and is designed to expose students to codified jazz dance practices. Students will explore techniques developed by a diverse group of seminal figures in studio and concert jazz dance such as, but not limited to, Luigi, Matt Mattox, Gus Giordano, Lynn Simonson, Frank Hatchett, Katherine Dunham and Bob Fosse. This course will expand students’ jazz dance vocabulary and will challenge students to better identify the core physical values and rhythmic complexities of the jazz idiom. This is a required course for the BA in Dance, the BA in Choreography and Performance, and the BA in Dance Pedagogy and Social Action. Upon recommendation by the Department, this course may be repeated one time for credit.

Prerequisites: DANC 1411.
Dance majors only.
Standard letter grade only.
Offered Fall Semester.

The third course in the Jazz Dance curriculum for the dance major, DANC 2431 examines the way in which culture, movement practices, aesthetics, and music from the Latin and African Diaspora have influenced jazz dance at certain moments in history. Students will be exposed to a sampling of dance vocabulary outside of the jazz idiom in collaboration with developing their exploration of the jazz dance tenets. This course will allow students to better understand and synthesize connections across disciplines through jazz movement vocabulary. This is a required course for the BA in Dance, the BA in Choreography and Performance, and the BA in Dance Pedagogy and Social Action. Upon recommendation by the Department, this course may be repeated one time for credit.

Prerequisites: DANC 1411 and DANC 2420
Dance majors only.
Standard letter grade only.
Offered Spring Semester.

Pilates Lab is a laboratory course using the Pilates Reformer as the primary instructional apparatus. This course may be repeated up to seven times. Students may only earn up to 8 credit hours across all instances of the course.

Dance majors and minors only.
Credit/No credit grading only.
Offered Fall and Spring semesters.

In this course, dance students will study the elements of music theory and history as they relate to movement and choreography. This is a required course for the BA in Dance, the BA in Choreography and Performance, and the BA in Dance Pedagogy and Social Action.

Dance majors only.
Standard letter grade only.
Offered Fall semester.

This course deepens students’ practical knowledge in the areas of theatrical lighting, sound, costuming, and/or publicity by guiding students through the hands-on application of these skills during spring dance department productions. This is a required course for the BA in Dance, the BA in Choreography and Performance, and the BA in Dance Pedagogy and Social Action.

Dance majors only.
Credit/No Credit only.
Offered Spring semester.

The second course in the choreographic curriculum for the dance major, DANC 2720 continues to nurture the choreographic explorations that began in DANC 1711. Having developed basic improvisatory skills involving movement invention and the heightening of reflexes and instinctive responses, students will now learn to develop improvisatory material. Students will use compositional tools to create choreography from improvisation, perform structured improvisations, and explore how improvisation can support creative processes for individuals and groups. This is a required course for the BA in Dance, the BA in Choreography and Performance, and the BA in Dance Pedagogy and Social Action.

Prerequisites: DANC 1711.
Dance majors only.
Standard letter grade only.
Offered Fall semester.

The third course in the choreographic curriculum for the dance major, DANC 2731 continues to develop dance-making skills and choreographic thinking by focusing on methods of transferring the concepts, aesthetics, and movement styles of the individual to the group. Students will learn to apply teaching methods, Laban Movement Analysis, and choreographic methods to create more complex pieces, moving from solo to group dances. The development of viewing, discussing, and writing about movement and choreography will be a key component of this course. This is a required course for the BA in Choreography and Performance only.


Prerequisites: DANC 1711 and DANC 2720.
Dance majors only.
Standard letter grade only.
Offered Spring semester.

This course interrogates the social, gendered, anthropological, sexual, technical, and historical constructions around and within Western European dance with emphasis on deconstructing old narratives and exploring new and more comprehensive narratives of inclusion. This is a required course for the BA in Dance, the BA in Choreography and Performance, and the BA in Dance Pedagogy and Social Action.

Prerequisites: DANC 1810.
Dance majors only.
Standard letter grade only.
Lab fee required.
Offered Fall semester.

In this course, students will open their eyes to the discipline of dance as cultural, political and socio-economic phenomena. Students will examine the variety of purposes that dance serves - dance as ritual, dance as entertainment, dance as wellness modality, dance as art and dance as agent for political activism. In addition to readings, live, and filmed performances as resource “texts,” the course will use the lecture demonstrations of guest dancers and scholars for source material. Students will move, write, research, and participate in dance forms from diverse communities and groups in the United States, analyzing them within their historical and cultural contexts. This is a required course for the BA in Dance, the BA in Choreography and Performance, and the BA in Dance Pedagogy and Social Action.

University Core fulfilled: Foundations: Studies in American Diversity [FDIV].
Standard letter grade only.
Lab fee required.
Offered Fall and Spring semesters.

This is a theoretical course with an engaged learning component. The course examines the intersection between dance and political/social activism. How does dance participate in addressing social issues? When does dance actually spark social change? Students will examine dances that bring communities together for change, dances that address social and political themes on stage, dances that protest in the street, dance artists and companies that challenge the notion of who gets to dance, and more. Class work will be based on the discussion of readings, dance films and engaged learning projects and engaged learning experiences. This is a required course for the BA in Dance Pedagogy and Social Action and the BA in Dance.

Dance majors and minors only.
University Core fulfilled: Engaged Learning for Mission [ELM].
Standard letter grade only.
Offered Spring semester.

In this course, students will be introduced to the commercial dance industry through movement and lecture. The course will include a series of guest teachers from the commercial dance industry who value equitable and inclusive practices. This course may be repeated three times for credit.

Dance majors and minors only.
Standard letter grade only.
Lab fee required.
Offered Fall and Spring semesters.

This course investigates effective funding and marketing strategies for dance artists interested in a professional career in the field as a performer, maker, and/or creator. Students will research viable funding sources for emerging artists, network with esteemed choreographers and leaders in the field, and define their brand as an artist throughout the course of the semester. This is a required course for the BA in Choreography and Performance only.

Dance majors only.
Standard letter grade only.
Lab fee required.
Offered Spring semester.

A continuation of DANC 2001. Focus on developing skills, rhythms, and the ability to keep time and explore phrasing. This course may be repeated one time for degree credit.

Pre-requisites: DANC 2001, or comparable experience as determined by instructor.
Standard letter grade only.
Offered Fall semester.

The fourth course in the Hip Hop curriculum for the dance major, DANC 3140 explores hip hop dance through the development of the individual dancer’s freestyle, or improvisation, in the form of cyphering – a communal practice of witnessing and sharing movement. The cypher, an open circle where individuals alternate dancing in the center, is quintessential for the development of craft, technique, and community. This is a required course for the BA in Choreography and Performance, and the BA in Dance Pedagogy and Social Action only. Upon recommendation by the Department, this course may be repeated one time for credit.

Prerequisites: DANC 1110, DANC 1121, and DANC 2131.
Dance majors only.
Standard letter grade only.
Lab fee required.
Offered Fall semester.

The fifth course in the Hip Hop curriculum for the dance major, DANC 3151 will focus on Hip Hop in the commercial industry. Students will analyze fusion, derivation, and appropriation of the form for the sake of commercial appeal and examine, both for the sake of criticality and competency, the impact of commercialism to the Hip Hop dance form. This is a required course for the BA in Choreography and Performance, and the BA in Dance Pedagogy and Social Action only. Upon recommendation by the Department, this course may be repeated one time for credit.

Prerequisites: DANC 1110, DANC 1121, DANC 2131, and DANC 3140.
Dance majors only.
Standard letter grade.
Offered Spring semester.

The fourth course in the Ballet curriculum for the dance major, DANC 3240 reinforces the technical skills gained in DANC 1210, 1221, and 2230. Students will learn to access complicated articulations of the extremities and nuanced connections through the core of the body as they relate to musicality and performativity. Throughout the semester, students will explore the cultural impact that the dominant narratives of ballet and the subordinated counter-narratives have had on Western concert dance. This is a required course for the BA in Choreography and Performance, and the BA in Dance Pedagogy and Social Action only. Upon recommendation by the Department, this course may be repeated one time for credit.

Prerequisites: DANC 1210, DANC 1221, and DANC 2230.
Dance majors only.
Standard letter grade only.
Lab fee required.
Offered Fall semester.

The fifth course in the Ballet curriculum for the dance major, DANC 3251 will focus on the acquisition of advanced-level proficiency in ballet technique. Throughout the semester, students will contextualize ballet today within the inclusive, anti-racist socio- historical context that was established in previous classes. This is a required course for the BA in Choreography and Performance, and the BA in Dance Pedagogy and Social Action only. Upon recommendation by the Department, this course may be repeated one time for credit.

Prerequisites: DANC 1210, DANC 1221, DANC 2230, and DANC 3240.
Dance majors only.
Standard letter grade only.
Lab fee required.
Offered Spring semester.

The fourth course in the Contemporary Modern curriculum for the dance major, DANC 3340 explores techniques developed in the post-modern era and how the nuance in these various techniques are embedded in the current contemporary vocabulary.
Students will continue building on skills learned in previous classes and continue to contextualize modern/contemporary dance within historical, artistic, and social landscapes. This is a required course for the BA in Choreography and Performance, and the BA in Dance Pedagogy and Social Action only. Upon recommendation by the Department, this course may be repeated one time for credit.

Prerequisites: DANC 1310, DANC 2320, and DANC 2331.
Dance majors only.
Standard letter grade only.
Lab fee required.
Offered Fall semester.

The fourth course of the Jazz Dance curriculum for the dance major, DANC 3441 explores jazz dance movement practices that emerged in the 1970s,1980s, and 1990s in spaces such as dance studios, dance conventions and competitions, Broadway, and MTV. The student will explore training methodologies as well specific works of choreography that are unique to this time period in American dance history. This is a required course for the BA in Choreography and Performance, and the BA in Dance Pedagogy and Social Action only. Upon recommendation by the Department, this course may be repeated one time for credit.

Prerequisites: DANC 1411, DANC 2420, and DANC 2431.
Dance majors only.
Standard letter grade only.
Offered Spring semester.

In this course, students will gain understanding of the human body as it experiences movement. The course will focus on the analysis of the physics, anatomy, physiology, and psychology of movement behavior.
This is a required course for the BA in Dance, the BA in Choreography and Performance, and the BA in Dance Pedagogy and Social Action.

Dance majors only.
University Core fulfilled: Explorations: Science, Tech, Math [ESTM]
Standard letter grade only.
Offered Fall semester.

This course is a continuation of DANC 3530. Students will explore anatomy and the biomechanics of the major joints of the human body and discuss the integration of the science of movement with the art of dance. Particular attention will be paid to the application of kinesiology to effective teaching and sustainable performing. This is a required course for the BA in Dance Pedagogy and Social Action and one of two required options for the BA in Dance.

Prerequisites: DANC 3530.
Dance majors only.
University Core fulfilled: Integrations: Integrations: Interdisciplinary Connections [IINC].
Standard letter grade only.
Offered Spring semester.

This course is designed to teach dance students the pre-production, production, and post-production skills of screen dance and dance on camera. Students will learn to shoot and edit movement using digital video cameras, their own smartphone cameras, and accessible editing platforms, ultimately developing proficiency and style that can expand their artistry and digital media fluency. Students will also learn about various historical and contemporary issues and approaches in combining dance and the moving image. This is a required course for the BA in Choreography and Performance only.

Dance majors and minors only.
Standard letter grade only.
Lab fee required.
Offered Spring semester.

In this course students will learn how to capture and create dance for the screen while exploring the significance of movement in all aspects of filmmaking and visual storytelling. Students will also delve into the rewarding process of transforming live art into engaging media forms.

Standard Letter Grade.
Offered Fall and Spring.

The fourth and final course in the choreographic curriculum for the dance major, DANC 3740 teaches students the skill of choreographing for the screen. Building on the
students’ knowledge of movement creation and development, as well as choreographic craft for the stage that was acquired in previous choreography classes, students will learn to translate the live audience’s eye to the camera eye. Students will apply the filmmaking skills they gained in Dance Production for the Camera to complete group assignments and projects in which they take turns being the choreographer behind the camera and being the dancer in front of the camera. This is a required course for the BA in Choreography and Performance only.

Prerequisites: DANC 1711, DANC 2720, DANC 2731, and DANC 3651.
Dance majors only.
Standard letter grade only.
Offered Fall semester.

Movement Arts experience ("new games," dance, sport) and study of the child's physical and motor development. Designed as pre-service Elementary School teacher training. Meets Liberal Studies Credential requirements.

Standard Letter grade only.
Offered Fall semester.

This course will introduce students to fundamental principles and concepts in teaching Music and Dance in secondary education. Students will investigate each art form as a discrete discipline, and they will investigate how these art forms integrate with each other as well as with other subjects in the pre K-12 curriculum (e.g., reading, mathematics, sciences, and social studies). The course emphasizes learning using multiple intelligences (Musical Intelligence, Bodily-Kinesthetic Intelligence, Existential Intelligence, and Social-Interpersonal/Intrapersonal Intelligences, along with Verbal-Linguistic, Mathematical, and Visual-Spatial Intelligence). Students will focus on these intelligences as discrete and diverse ways of knowing and expressing facts, concepts, and feelings. Meets Liberal Studies Credential requirement.

Sophomores, juniors, and seniors only.
Standard letter grade only.
Offered Spring semester.

This course is designed to provide students with the necessary skills to integrate their
technical and conceptual dance content knowledge within a
pedagogical framework. Students will gain an understanding of how dance lessons, units and curriculum are organized, represented, and adapted to the diverse interests and abilities of learners. The course presents the tools to create high-quality and sequential dance lessons and units that meet various strands of dance learning, incorporate well-designed and anatomically-driven warm-up exercises that build to complex phrase work or improvisational tasks, and employ assessment strategies and best practices. This is a required course for the BA in Choreography and Performance, and the BA in Dance Pedagogy and Social Action only.

Dance majors only.
Standard letter grade only.
Offered Fall semester.

Dance Theory and Criticism will introduce students to the concept of the critical turn in education and society and will offer a brief overview of a myriad of critical theories and their relationships to dance. Students will then dive more deeply into the history of dance criticism and the role it has played in defining dance in Western society. Students will develop their own critical voice through the process of viewing, analyzing, reading reviews, and discussing concert and commercial choreographic dance works. This is a required course for the BA in Choreography and Performance and one of two required options for the BA in Dance.

Dance majors only.
Standard letter grade only.
Lab fee required.
Offered Spring semester.

This introductory course provides an overview of the arts and culture ecosystem in relation to what it means to become a working arts professional with an understanding of the creative economy and the business fundamentals it takes to navigate it.

Standard letter grade only.
Lab fee required.
Offered Spring semester.

In this course, students will increase movement and professional skills applicable to the commercial dance industry. The course will include a series of guest teachers from the commercial dance industry who value equitable and inclusive practices. This course may be repeated three times for credit.

Dance majors and minors only.
By permission of instructor.
Standard letter grade only.
Lab fee required.
Offered Fall and Spring semesters.

A continuation of DANC 3000. Focus on skill, musicality, expression, and contemporary tap luminaries. This course may be repeated one time for degree credit.

Pre-requisites: DANC 3000.
Standard letter grade only.
Offered Spring semester.

Work experience in all areas in the field of dance. This course may be repeated one time for credit.

Dance majors and minors only.
Standard letter grade only.

The sixth and final course in the Hip Hop curriculum for the dance major, DANC 4161 focuses on a cornerstone of Los Angeles Street Dance Culture. Students will learn Krump dancing and its culture, particularly as it relates to the history of Krump emerging from the poverty-stricken neighborhoods of L.A. Students will learn to translate emotional range with artistry and expressivity through the Krump dance form.
This is one of three required options for spring semester senior-year movement practice for the BA in Choreography and Performance, and the BA in Dance Pedagogy and Social Action only. Upon recommendation by the Department, this course may be repeated one time for credit.

Pre-requisites: DANC 1110, DANC 1121, DANC 2131, DANC 3140, and DANC 4260 or DANC 4450 or DANC 4350.
Senior Dance majors only.
Standard letter grade only.
Offered Spring semester.

Study of pointe work in ballet and reconstruction of variations from ballets of different periods. This course may be repeated one time for credit.

By permission of instructor.
Standard letter grade only.
Lab fee required.

The sixth and final course in the Ballet curriculum for the dance major, DANC 4260 focuses on the integration of ballet technique into the students’ personal style and professional artistry. Students will learn to apply ballet technique beyond its own stylized form and to translate their balletic fluency across forms. Throughout the semester, students will critically examine ballet as one aesthetic within the range of aesthetics influencing a rapidly changing dance world today. This is one of three required options for fall semester senior-year movement practice for the BA in Choreography and Performance, and the BA in Dance Pedagogy and Social Action only.

Prerequisites: DANC 1210 DANC 1221 DANC 2230 DANC 3240 DANC 3251
Dance majors only
Seniors only
Lab Fee Required
Offered Fall Semester

The fifth course in the Modern Contemporary curriculum for the dance major, DANC 4350 explores contemporary techniques and styles, focusing on the specific skills of floorwork and changing planes. While reinforcing the commonalities within all styles of dance, students will learn to access efficiency in moving into and out of the floor, taking weight into the hands (inversions), and translating standing skills, such as momentum, locomotion, and performance, to floorwork. This is one of three required options for fall semester senior-year movement practice for the BA in Choreography and Performance, and the BA in Dance Pedagogy and Social Action only. Upon recommendation by the Department, this course may be repeated one time for credit.

Prerequisites: DANC 1310, DANC 2320, DANC 2331, and DANC 3340.
Senior Dance majors only.
Standard letter grade only.
Lab fee required.
Offered Fall Semester.

The sixth and final course in the Modern Contemporary curriculum for the dance major, DANC 4361 explores the refined precision and application of multiple styles into proficient performance of contemporary dance. Students will learn to summon their own improvisational and performative instincts, integrating this internal and experiential information with advanced-level contemporary choreography. Students will begin to view themselves as dance artists in the modern/contemporary lineage. This is one of three required options for spring semester senior-year movement practice for the BA in Choreography and Performance, and the BA in Dance Pedagogy and Social Action only. Upon recommendation by the Department, this course may be repeated one time for credit.

Pre-requisites: DANC 1310, DANC 2320, DANC 2331, DANC 3340, and DANC 4260 or DANC 4450 or DANC 4350.
Senior Dance majors only.
Standard letter grade only.
Lab fee required.
Offered Spring semester.

The fifth course of the Jazz Dance curriculum for the dance major, DANC 4450 is designed to build on the students’ already developed understanding of jazz dance through encouraging the articulation of personal style, the use of improvisation and the refinement of both Eurocentric and Africanist technique specific to jazz dance. Students will be exposed to jazz dance movement trends originating in social arenas, dance studios, Hollywood, Broadway and popular culture, with special attention placed on the evolution of jazz dance through the 1950s and 1960s and how appropriation and the introduction of European elements altered the form. This is one of three required options for fall semester senior-year movement practice for the BA in Choreography and Performance, and the BA in Dance Pedagogy and Social Action only. Upon recommendation by the Department, this course may be repeated one time for credit.

Prerequisites: DANC 1411, DANC 2420 EXP, DANC 2431, and DANC 3441.
Senior Dance majors only.
Standard letter grade only.
Offered Fall semester.

The sixth and final course of the Jazz Dance curriculum for the dance major, DANC 4461 is designed to enhance students’ understanding of the narrative and storytelling aspect of jazz dance through a development of physicalized nuance, accented flow and the refinement of performance quality. This course will place special emphasis on the way in which fusion has been part of jazz culture from its inception by introducing students to contemporary jazz choreographers that specialize in hyphenated jazz styles. This course will integrate commercial dance philosophies in preparation for potential careers in the entertainment industry. This is one of three required options for spring semester senior-year movement practice for the BA in Choreography and Performance, and the BA in Dance Pedagogy and Social Action only. Upon recommendation by the Department, this course may be repeated one time for credit.

Prerequisites: DANC 1411, DANC 2420, DANC 2431, DANC 3441, and DANC 4260 or DANC 4450 or DANC 4350.
Senior Dance majors only.
Standard letter grade only.
Offered Spring semester.

A pre-semester intensive workshop with professional choreographers and/or professional dance companies. This course may be repeated up to seven times. Students may only earn up to 8 credit hours across all instances of the course.

Dance majors only.
Credit/No credit grading only.
Lab fee required.

Format varies by semester. Auditioning, rehearsing, and performing in the Dance Department main stage or screen productions. This is a required course for BA in Choreography and Performance only. This course may be taken a total of eight times.

Credit/No Credit only.
Audition required.
Offered Fall and Spring semesters.

Students learn to create and deliver lecture demonstrations and dance-related curriculum for select K-12 schools, community centers, and other venues off and on campus. This course may be repeated one time for credit.

Dance majors and minors only.
Standard letter grade only.
Offered Fall and Spring semesters.

One-on-one guidance on the development and presentation of the Senior Thesis Project. This course may be repeated one time for credit.

Senior Dance majors only.
Standard letter grade only.
Offered Fall and Spring semester.

A professionalizing course for senior dance students who want performance careers in the stage, concert, and dance company industries. The course will include a series of choreographers and company directors based in Los Angeles and beyond. This course may be repeated one time for credit.

Co-requisites: DANC 4350.
Senior Dance majors only.
Credit/No Credit grading only.
Lab fee required.
Offered Fall and Spring semesters.

Work or practical experience at the intersection of dance and teaching, dance and health care, or dance and business, in addition to other dance related fields. This is a required course for the BA in Dance only.

Senior Dance majors only.
Standard letter grade only.
Offered Fall and Spring semesters.

This course invites students not only to explore new areas of interest but also to critically examine the body of knowledge and experience they have acquired in the dance field and beyond. Senior Thesis Project is specifically designed to assist the student in navigating their senior-year research projects with poise, planning, purpose and imagination. The students will work individually, and in partnership, with the professors of the course, and, as appropriate, with a professional mentor and peers. This is a required course for the BA in Choreography and Performance and BA in Dance Pedagogy and Social Action only.

Senior Dance majors only.
Standard letter grade only.
Offered Fall semester.

The implementation of senior theses in dance teaching or dance as social action. This is a required course for BA in Dance Pedagogy and Social Action only.

Senior Dance majors only.
Standard letter grade only.
Lab fee required.
Offered Spring semester.

The implementation of senior theses in choreography/performance. This is a required course for BA in Choreography and Performance only.

Senior Dance majors only.
Standard letter grade only.
Lab fee required.
Offered Spring semester.

Students learn industry standards, best practices, and professional tools for the commercial dance industry in Los Angeles. This course is a pre-requisite for DANC 4997 Senior Industry Showcase.

Dance majors and minors only.
Juniors and seniors only.
Standard letter grade only.
Lab fee required.

A professionalizing course for senior dance students who want performance careers in the entertainment and commercial dance industries. Dance minors are allowed to take this course by permission of advisor. This course may be repeated one time for credit.

Prerequisites: DANC 4996.
Dance majors and minors only.
Standard letter grade only.
Lab fee required.