Theatre Major: Dance Option B.A.

The dance option offers a diverse program that is designed to give the dance teacher, choreographer, and/or performer the skills needed to embark on a successful career. Technique courses in ballet, pointe, tap, jazz, and the aerial arts are at the core of this program. Courses in history of dance, composition, choreography and dance pedagogy aid dancers in preparing for a variety of employment opportunities in the dance field. In addition, dancers are introduced to the technical aspects involved in staging a full-scale performance. Performance opportunities include yearly faculty-directed dance concerts and student-created dance showcases each semester. Dancers may focus on one or all dance forms.

Students may choose to combine the dance option with requirements of the UNH Department of Education, in conjunction with a fifth year Master of Arts in Teaching (M.A.T.) or Masters in Education (M.Ed.) program. This path will prepare students for dance teaching certification or elementary school teaching certification with an undergraduate specialization in dance. They also have the option of pursuing dance education leading to K-12 dance teacher certification.

Contact Gay Nardone, Newman Dance Studio, (603) 862-1728, gay.nardone@unh.edu.

In the freshman and sophomore years, students should enroll for at least two major and two Discovery courses per semester. The minimum grade requirement for major courses is C- per course. Any grade lower than C- will not count toward the major. Under department policy, students who complete both COMM 401 American Sign Language I and COMM 502 American Sign Language II satisfy the bachelor of arts language proficiency requirement. All majors must take courses in the following areas: performance, design/theatre technology, and theory/history as well as fulfill between four and eight practicums and complete a capstone course. Although timing will vary with each option, it is strongly suggested that all introductory courses be taken prior to the end of the student's sophomore year.

The required minimum overall GPA in major coursework is 2.0.

Candidates for a degree must satisfy all of the University Discovery Program requirements in addition to satisfying the requirements of each individual major program. Bachelor of arts candidates must also satisfy the foreign language proficiency requirement.

Theatre department majors may use one major-required course to satisfy one Discovery category requirement.

All UNH B.A. degrees require a minimum of 128 credit hours.