The University of Utah Department of Modern Dance MFA application packet
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Dance Minor
The Dance Minor program in the University of Utah Department of Modern Dance enables students to engage in the intellectual, technical, and creative investigation that the department is known for, while completing a major in another discipline. Dance minors take a selection of classes from the non-majors and majors program, tailoring a curriculum based on each individual’s interests and abilities. Coursework is designed to enable students to fully engage in all aspects of a fine arts degree; requirements for the minor include dance technique, composition, and upper-division theory courses. Minors are also welcome to audition for departmental concerts. The Dance Minor requires the completion of 18 semester credit hours of approved course work in the dance minor, in addition to University general education requirements. These 18 credits may be taken throughout a four-year program of study or may be concentrated into a shorter time period.
All incoming minors must audition for admission into the Department of Modern Dance as well as comply with regular University admission procedures (see the link for Undergraduate Admissions Information for admissions procedures and audition dates). Auditions are for acceptance only; at this time, the department is unable to provide scholarships for dance minors. Candidates must audition in-person at one of our scheduled auditions; alternative auditions are not available for minor applicants.
Minors are expected to take pre-requisites in the non-majors program before attending majors’ courses; exceptions can be made for those who demonstrate exceptional proficiencies. It is possible for a student to receive their minor in dance without ever taking a majors’ studio class. Minors may not take upper-division theory courses until after his/her freshman year. Minors must place into any majors-level studio class, either with the permission of the faculty member, through a placement audition during the first week of classes, or must have proven his/her ability and preparation through previously taken non majors classes. Minors wishing to take a studio majors class must be aware that the faculty of the Department of Modern Dance presumes that minors will have the physical stamina and coordination to take majors classes safely. If the faculty feels a student’s safety is in jeopardy, the student may be asked to drop out of the program. Minors meet regularly with their advisor to monitor progress through the program.
If a dance major has been out the program for over a year and wants to return to complete a minor, he or she must re-audition for the program. If a dance major wants to switch to a minor while in the program or within a year of departure from the program, he or she must be in good standing in the department and must get permission from the department chair, minor advisor, and fine arts advisor. Dance minors wanting to transfer into the major program must re-audition.
The department is a contemporary dance community that is distinguished by its sense of excellence, professionalism, humanism, and a proud commitment to a lively spirit of creative inquiry. Diversity is welcomed, respected and encouraged; creative and intellectual integrity is required; professional discipline is expected. The mission of our Minor Program is to promote the growth and development of students as dance artists, critical inquirers, and community members. Through the breadth and depth of the curriculum, the students develop competencies in artistic expression, somatic literacy, critical thinking, empirical knowledge, self-esteem, collaboration, and problem solving.
For general information about the Department of Modern Dance, please refer to our web site at http://www.dance.utah.edu. For queries specific to the minors program contact: Satu Hummasti, Associate Professor of Modern Dance, Sophomore, Transfer, and Minor Advisor, .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
Download PDFs:
Modern Dance Minor Curriculum
Modern Dance Application
Spring Semester 2011 Non-Major Classes
The Department of Modern Dance offers a variety of Non-Major Dance Classes. Come join us to experience this amazing art form and express yourself through dance. Several classes fulfill multiple university requirements including Fine Arts Exploration and Diversity credits.
Register On-line or call 801 581-7327 for more information.
AFRO-CARRIBEAN
(This course is listed under Beginning Modern Dance)
DANC 1200-002; 1 credit
This class provides an introduction to dances from the Afro-Caribbean Diaspora a means of cultural expression, leisure and physical vitality.
HIP-HOP DANCE
(This course is listed under Intermediate Modern Dance)
DANC 1020-002; 1 credit
This course will teach the fundamentals of Hip-hop.
DANCE COMPOSITION
DANC 1023-001; 3 credits
Designed for non-majors and fulfills Fine Arts Exploration credit, this course provides structured learning and experience with group improvisation and dance composition. Fundamental concepts of dance composition and choreography are explored.
DANCE—A CREATIVE PROCESS
DANC 1075-001; 3 credits
This course fulfills the Fine Arts Exploration credit and encourage students to access aspects of the creative process through the medium of movement and dance. Students will explore different dance forms and modes of creativity used in artistic discovery.
MODERN DANCE I
DANC 1200-001; 1 credit
Learn the fundamentals of modern dance technique. Receive technical and creative instruction derived from modern dance forms.
CONTACT IMPROVISATION
(This course is listed under Intermediate Modern Dance)
DANC 1020-001; 1 credit
This course begins with physical contact as a starting point for exploration through movement improvisation. Techniques taught and incorporated include weight transfer, counter balance, rolling point of contact, falling, suspension, and lifting.
These courses are also available through Academic Outreach and Continuing Education (AOCE):
Hip-Hop: course number: DANC 102-001
Contact Improvisation: DANC 120-002
What is AOCE?
Please Note: Courses and class times are scheduled to change, please check class listings.
Fall Semester 2010 Non-Major Classes
HIP-HOP DANCE (course number 9732)
(This course is listed under Intermediate Modern Dance)
DANC 1020-001; 1 credit; M,W 7:15-8:45 PM; MCD studio 220
This course will teach the fundamentals of Hip-hop.
DANCE AND CULTURE (course number 8179)
DANC 1010-001; 3 credits; M, W, F 2:00-2:50PM; HEB 2006 (M,W), MCD 260 (F)
This course fulfills Diversity & Fine Arts Exploration. It is designed for non-majors, and is designated as a Fine Arts Foundation course. Students will learn dance styles from many cultures, taught by guest specialists, as well as gain a fundamental understanding of dance as a means of cultural expression.
DANCE COMPOSITION (course number 11455)
DANC 103-001; 3 credits; T, H 12:25-1:45 PM; MCD 260
Designed for non-majors and fulfills Fine Arts Exploration credit, this course provides structured learning and experience with group improvisation and dance composition. Fundamental concepts of dance composition and choreography are explored.
DANCE COMPOSITION (course number 11456)
DANC 103-002; 3 credits; M, W, F 8:35-9:25; MCD 260
Designed for non-majors and fulfills Fine Arts Exploration credit, this course provides structured learning and experience with group improvisation and dance composition. Fundamental concepts of dance composition and choreography are explored.
DANCE—A CREATIVE PROCESS (course number 11458)
DANC 107-001; 3 credits; M, W, F 8:35-9:25 am; MCD studio 240
This course fulfills the Fine Arts Exploration credit and encourage students to access aspects of the creative process through the medium of movement and dance. Students will explore different dance forms and modes of creativity used in artistic discovery.
MODERN DANCE I (course number 13430)
DANC 120-001; 1 credit; M ,W,F 2:00-2:50 PM; MCD studio 220
Learn the fundamentals of modern dance technique. Receive technical and creative instruction derived from modern dance forms.
MODERN DANCE I (course number 13431)
DANC 120-002; 1 credit; T, TH 2:00-3:20 PM; MCD studio 260
Learn the fundamentals of modern dance technique. Receive technical and creative instruction derived from modern dance forms.
These courses are also available through Academic Outreach and Continuing Education (AOCE):
Dance Composition: course number 11455; DANC 103-001
Dance Composition: course number 11456; DANC 103-02
Dance- Creative Process: course number 11458; DANC 107-001
Beginning Modern Dance: course number 13430; DANC 120-001
Dance in Culture: course number 8263; DANC 1010-001
Graduate Screendance Certificate
Screendance as both a practice and an area of theoretical discourse is burgeoning worldwide, as evidenced by the proliferation of Screendance festivals, symposia, conferences and publications. Also known as dance for camera, cine dance, and video dance, this exciting hybrid form, which in the past has been found at the margins of practice in the fields of dance and film, is now taking a central place as an independent art form. Through the advocacy of practitioners and scholars worldwide, the field of Screendance is articulating its richly intertwined art-historical roots as a means to understand present dance, film, digital media and art practices and how they intersect in a complex discourse of ideas about the body on screen.
For more information on this program click here
September 12: Diverseworks, A Curated Evening of International Dance Films
DIVERSEWORKS SCREENING curated by Ellen Bromberg in collaboration with Dance Films Association
September 10: The Next Generation - Juried Student Films
For the fifth time, in conjunction with the Dance for the Camera Festival, the students of the University of Utah’s Department of Modern Dance and Division of Film Studies will present student works chosen from submissions from around the world. Selected by a jury of professionals and educators in the field, this evening provides young filmmakers and choreographers with a venue for their work, as well as providing audiences with a glimpse of the future. Selected films are:
The Performer (3:46)
Claire Hancock
University of Arizona
Patati-Patata (10:00)
Cynthia Domenico
Brazil- Universidade Anhembi Morumbi 2007
Red (2:00)
Ally Voye
Dance for the Camera Workshop, Victoria, B.C. 2007
3 Speed (3:33)
Marta Renzi
CanAsian Dance for the Camera, Toronto, 2009
That Girl (3.50)
Clare Mangan
Bournemouth University-UK
Dnimreven ems’ti (6:00)
Allison Shultz
Arizona State University
Texas Plates (2.45)
Marta Renzi
Dance for the Camera Workshop, Victoria, B.C. 2007
Syntax of Things (3:00)
Susan Haines
Dance for the Camera Workshop - Victoria, B.C. 2008
Ballet Dancers (2:30)
Lee Stobby
University of Michigan
Charmed (3.35)
Helen Todway-Cains
Dance for the Camera Workshop, Victoria, B.C. 2007
Sanctum II (4.00)
Jeanette Ginslow
MAI, Dundee University, Scotland
September 11: An Evening of Award Winning Films by Laura Taler
A VERY DANGEROUS PASTIME — a devastatingly simple dance guide
15 minutes
Paris, 1913. Crowds riot in the streets after the premiere of Vaslav Nijinsky’s Rite of Spring - yet another tragic example of the anger and frustration that comes from not understanding dance. Now, after nearly a century of confusion, it need never happen again. A VERY DANGEROUS PASTIME, our devastatingly simple dance guide, is here to dispel the myth that dance is beyond comprehension for the layperson. This witty and textured collage of dancefilm, vintage footage and interviews with well-known Canadian actors, athletes and musicians, demystifies and enhances the personal viewing experience proving that dance need no longer be ... A VERY DANGEROUS PASTIME.
Awards:
Best of the Festival, Dance on Camera New York 2001
Special Jury mention for humour and innovation, IMZ dance screen 2000
Nominated for 2 Gemini Awards 2001
Dances For A Small Screen — The Barber’s Coffee Break
7 minutes
The Barber’s Coffee Break pairs choreographer/performer Tedd Senmon Robinson with filmmaker Laura Taler. Their improvised dancefilm skips back and forth between a small stark kitchen and a wide-open rural field, between an almost claustrophobic intimacy and an airy, contemplative spaciousness.
Awards:
Nominated for 5 Gemini Awards including Best Director1999
Gemini Award for Best Editing of a Performing Arts/Variety Program 1999
LOVE SONGS – The Sorcerer … Forsaken … Love Song
11 minutes
Three musical shorts bring our hero and heroine together, force them apart, and finally reunite them. It’s the old story of love, betrayal, and ultimate reconciliation, set to the music of Mozart, Wolf and Mahler.
the village trilogy
24 minutes
The village trilogy is a 24 minute dancefilm about the search for home. Choreographer Laura Taler makes her directorial debut with the dancefilm the village trilogy. The film alludes to the millions of people uprooted through emigration in the past century, while exploring ideas of home and family. Employing the physical characteristics of early cinema, Taler and her dancers capture a time and place that is beyond our grasp, but not beyond our memory.
Awards:
Cinedance Award, Moving Pictures 1995
Best Experimental Film, Toronto Worldwide Short Film Festival 1996
Gold Hugo, Short Subject Experimental, Chicago International Film Festival 1996
FESTIVAL SCREENINGS:
September 10: The Next Generation, Juried Student Films
September 11: An Evening of Award Winning Films by Laura Taler
September 12: Diverseworks - Award Winning Dance Films From Around the World
SUBMISSION AND WORKSHOP APPLICATION FORMS
STUDENT_SUBMISSION_FORM_09.pdf
JURY
GABRI CHRISTA
Gabri Christa’s work lives where dance, theater and film merges, and the Caribbean, Europe and the Americas converses. Born and raised in Curaçao, the Dutch Caribbean, she came to New York, via the Netherlands, Cuba and Puerto Rico. Her performances have been shown in New York at Dance Theatre Workshop, PS 122, Aaron Davis Hall, Central Park Summer Stage, Judson Church, Center for the Arts at the College of Staten Island, Snug Harbor Cultural Center, 92nd Street Y, University Settlement. Outside New York her work has been performed in Albany, Philadelphia, Pittsburg, Minneapolis, Salt Lake City, Seattle and Princeton. Abroad her work was performed on the Caribbean islands of Curaçao, Aruba, St. Maarten, St. Thomas, Puerto Rico, Guadeloupe and Cuba. South America in Venezuela and Suriname, and in Europe her work has toured extensively through out the Netherlands, Germany and Belgium.
Her short films were shown in New York at Dance on Camera Festival at Lincoln Center, Dance Theater Workshop, Cantor Film Center, Nueva Film festival Tokyo, Japan, Bonn Film Festival, Denver Pan-African Film Festival. Her film “High School” was awarded a Creative excellence award from ABC television. She is a recipient of John Simon Guggenheim Fellowship and other awards /commissions including from the Jerome foundation, Pittsburg Dance Council, National Performance Network (NPN) Creation Fund, Arts International U.S. Fund for American Artists at International festivals, United states Information Agency, the Dutch Ministry of Culture, Council of the Arts and Humanities of Staten Island, and Dance theater Workshop’s Suitcase fund. She was a digital fellow and artist in residence at Dance Theater Workshop and at dvRepublic a project of the Black Film Maker Foundation.
As an educator she has taught and lectured at the University of Washington, Bates dance Festival, Manhattanville College, Fordham University, University of Michigan, New York University, Princeton University and Ballet Hispanico of New York. She has taught numerous workshops while traveling and also has taught extensively in New York City Public Schools. She has been a contributing author to “Caribbean Dance from Abakua to Zouk” a de la Torre Bueno Price winning book. Gabri Christa holds a BA from the College of the Arts, School for New Dance Development in the Netherlands and a MFA from the University of Washington. She is a board member of Dance Theater Workshop and is an advisory board member for Dance/NYC.
LYNETTE KESSLER
Dance Camera West founder and executive/artistic director, Lynette Kessler is an accomplished dancer, choreographer, and media artist with an MFA in Dance from the University of Michigan and a BFA in Dance from York University in Toronto. Known for her innovative collaborations and dance work for the screen that have been shown in film and video festivals worldwide, Kessler has received numerous awards including an Alden B. Dow Creativity Fellowship and an artist residency at Headlands Center for the Arts. She is a founding member of the Media & Dance Festival International Network, has served on dance film review committees for EMPAC (Experimental Media and Performing Arts) Commission, American Choreography Awards, Dance on Camera Festival in New York, Moving Pictures Festival of Dance on Film in Toronto, and is a guest lecturer at UCLA, UC Irvine, and Cal Arts. Kessler sits on the board of directors for the following organizations: Buckminster Fuller Institute, Dance Channel TV, and the California Ear Unit. She is an active member of the advocacy groups: Arts for LA, California Arts Advocates, and Americans for the Arts.
John Malashock, Artistic Director of Malashock Dance, founded Malashock Dance in 1988 after a distinguished performing career with Twyla Tharp Dance in New York – where he was featured in numerous television special, appeared in the Academy Award winning film Amadeus, and toured worldwide. He has created over 60 original choreographic works for the Company and has collaborated on projects with the La Jolla Playhouse, Old Globe Theatre, San Diego Symphony, San Diego Opera, and La Jolla Music Society. He has won four Emmy Awards for his dance films, which he created with UCSD-TV and were broadcast by PBS stations nationwide. John has served as a faculty member at the American Dance Festival, at California State University Long Beach, and has taught throughout Europe, Asia and Central America.
CALL FOR STUDENT DANCE FILMS
The University of Utah Department of Modern Dance and the Division of Film Studies are pleased to announce a call for submissions of original student dance works made specifically for the medium of video or film. An evening of student works will be presented on Thursday, September 10, 2009, in conjunction with the International Dance for the Camera Festival. Students of the University of Utah’s Department of Modern Dance and Division of Film Studies will present an evening of student works chosen from submissions from around the world. Selected by a JURY of professionals and educators in the field, the adjudication process provides valuable feedback to submitting students. The adjudicated evening provides young filmmakers and choreographers a venue for their work, and provides audiences a glimpse of the work of future dance filmmakers from around the world. Being accepted are:
- Choreography for the Camera - original work made specifically for the video/film medium or staged work
remade for the camera (performance documentation will not be adjudicated)
- Documentary - productions which include interviews or other educational elements in addition to
choreography
- Experimental/Digital Technologies - work that extends the boundaries of the medium and exists only in the
realm of video, film or new technologies
Students submitting works must be or have been enrolled in a full-time university undergraduate or graduate degree program, or a dance film workshop when the work was made. The postmark deadline for national and international submissions is 5:00 pm, Wednesday, July 15, 2009. There is no submission fee. Click STUDENT_SUBMISSION_FORM_09.pdf to download. This form must be submitted with DVD.
Only Region 1 or All Region DVD formats will be accepted.
Please send all entries and inquires to:
Dance for Camera Festival
Department of Modern Dance
The University of Utah
330 South 1500 East, Rm. 106
Salt Lake City, Utah 84112-0280
Phone: 801-581-7327
Fax: 801-581-5442
For more information please contact:
Student Co-Director Shannon Vance: .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
Student Co-Director Erin Empey: .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
The 7th Int’l Dance for the Camera Festival and Workshop 2009 with LAURA TALER
Presented by The University of Utah Department of Modern Dance and the Division of Film Studies with support from the Council of Dee Fellows
September 10-12, 2009
Award winning Canadian Filmmaker, LAURA TALER leads a two-day hands-on workshop
The three nights of screenings begin at 7:30 pm and include:
September 10 - The Next Generation: Curated Student Works
September 11 - An Evening of Award Winning Films by Laura Taler
September 12 - Diverse Works: Award Winning Dance Films From Around the World
The festival and workshop will take place at the Marriott Center for Dance on the University of Utah Campus
For Campus Map, click MAP
WORKSHOP SCHEDULE
THURSDAY EVENING, 9/10
7:30-9:00 SCREENING AND OPENING RECEPTION
FRIDAY, 9/11
9:00-9:30 COFFEE AND GREET
9:30-11:00 CASE STUDIES 1
11:15-1:00 CASE STUDIES 2
1:00-2:00 LUNCH
2:00-3:00 PLANNING DISCUSSION, PLANNING & STORYBOARDS/SHOTLISTS
3:00-5:00 PLANNING, CONT’D, WORK WITH DANCERS, ETC.
5:00-7:30 DINNER
7:30-9:00 SCREENING
SATURDAY, 9/12
9:00-11:00 SHOOT
11:15- 1:15 EDIT
1:15-2:15 LUNCH
2:15-5:00 WATCH & DISCUSS
5:00-7:30 DINNER
7:30-9:00 SCREENING, CLOSING RECEPTION
Registration fee for the entire festival, which includes workshop and all screenings is $150.00.
Click on Festival_Application_09.pdf to download.
For information about SUBMITTING A STUDENT FILM, click HERE
Housing
Housing is available at the University Guest House on the University of Utah campus, a short walk or shuttle bus ride from the Marriott Center for Dance where the festival and workshop will be held. Please visit their website at http://www.guesthouse.utah.edu. A block of rooms has been reserved under the name of The Dance for the Camera Festival, for $75/night. There is a light-rail connection from the campus to downtown Salt Lake City where many other accommodation options are available as well. The train runs every 15 minutes and takes about 5 minutes to get downtown.
For more information please contact:
Festival Director Ellen Bromberg: .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
Student Co-Director Shannon Vance: .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
Student Co-Director Erin Empey: .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
LAURA TALER BIOGRAPHY
Romanian born director Laura Taler has been creating award-winning performing arts films for
over ten years. Her work has been praised for its unique combination of emotional resonance,
wit, and striking visuals. Talerʼs background as a choreographer is evidenced in her films through
their sense of movement and rhythm, and in her keen understanding of art and artists.
During her career as a choreographer, Taler intertwined movement with photography, text, and
film footage: in a cemetery, a bar-room, on the stage, and on the screen. Her choreographic work
was driven by building character through movement and gesture and by exploring the effect of
movement in different media and in unusual places. These drives came together in 1995 when
Taler made her directorial debut with the award-winning dancefilm “the village trilogy”.
Since then Taler has created over a dozen films that focus on telling stories with movement and
music. These documentaries, dance films, music films and silent dramas have been broadcast
on the CBC (Canada), Bravo! (Canada), W (Canada), TfO (Ontario), ARTV (Quebec), Bravo
(U.S.), Channel 4 (U.K.), NPS (The Netherlands), Kunstkanaal (The Netherlands), ABC
(Australia), IBA (Israel), SVT (Sweden) and screened in numerous festivals and special
screenings internationally. Taler also conducts dancefilm workshops and master classes around
the world.
In 2002 a screening of Talerʼs work at the Getty Center earned her the following review in the Los
Angeles Times: “For depth of feeling, photographic sensitivity and movement invention … her
mastery of choreography and direction is unquestioned”.
Selected Awards and Filmography:
the village trilogy (1995):
Best Canadian Dancefilm, Moving Pictures Festival of Dance on Film & Video
Best Experimental Film Award, Worldwide Short Film Festival
Gold Hugo, Chicago International Film Festival
Heartland (1997):
Best Canadian Dancefilm, Moving Pictures Festival of Dance on Film & Video
Best Experimental Documentary, Hot Docs! Int. Documentary Festival
Dances For A Small Screen (1997):
5 Gemini Award Nominations, Academy of Canadian Film & Television
Gemini Award for Best Editing, Academy of Canadian Film & Television
A Very Dangerous Pastime (2000):
Special Jury Mention, IMZ dance screen
Best of the Festival, Dance On Camera Festival, NYC
2 Gemini Award Nominations, Academy of Canadian Film & Television
Perpetual Motion (2002):
Gemini Award Nomination, Academy of Canadian Film & Television
DEATH and the MAIDEN (2003)
Gemini Award Nomination, Academy of Canadian Film & Television
FORSAKEN (2005)
THE SORCERER (2007)
LOVE SONG (2008)
Technique Standards: Level I-IV
TECHNIQUE STANDARDS: LEVELS I-IV
(.pdf download 124 KB technq_stndrds_06.pdf)
DANC 1310, 1410, 2310, 2320, 3310, 3320, 4310, 4320, 6310, 6311, 6320, 6321, 7320
Compiled by: Faculty members at fall retreat – October 30, 2006
Technique skills are built to facilitate choreography and performance. Choreography that is of an idiosyncratic nature to a high degree could demand additional specific conditioning or coaching in order for students to successfully accomplish and perform the material while remaining injury free (i.e. athletic, gymnastic, and/or genre specific vocabulary). In other cases specific coaching for the use of text/vocalization might be necessary in order for dancers to perform more theatrical works effectively and convincingly. Overall strength, connectivity, body awareness, and finesse are necessary to maximize aesthetic performance and to minimize the risk of injury in today’s dance students.
In addition to the core Modern Dance technique courses, our curriculum includes a wide array of movement experiences ranging from ballet for modern dance students, West African, jazz, and other diverse cultural forms (folk dances, hip hop, flamenco, etc…). As students progress through 4 years of their technique training, it is our goal that they should become steadily more connected, strong (not to be confused with rigid or stiffly controlled), increase their ability to articulate the torso with specificity and integrate its relationship to the limbs and vice versa, specific clarity and articulate use of the feet and legs, arms, and back, head and neck. Students at each level are expected to be self motivated – intrinsically, core connection is a core value of all of the technique teachers as is the application of strength building and integrative patterning “exercises” perfected in the conditioning and movement fundamentals series during the first year, as well as inside of the technique classes themselves.
All dance majors are required to advance to Level III and successfully complete Dance 3310/3320. However, most students advance to and successfully complete Level IV Dance 4310/4320.
LEVEL I
The primary focus in Level I is on “WHAT I am doing.”This is a beginning level.
Students in this level would be entering freshmen in the Modern Dance major. Entering students audition for acceptance and typically must have had previous dance training or other equivalent physical training/experience that has provided muscular conditioning, flexibility, coordination, rhythmic acuity, internal intention linking to external expression, spatial awareness, and a certain level of understanding of dynamic alignment in vertical that is energized and threaded together in at least basic and even more desirable at an intermediate level. Ideally, level one students would not have had training that is so strongly coded in other genres (such as ballet or jazz) that it prohibits their ability to embody modern training that is more released, immediate, clear of mannerisms, and affectations, and accessible to kinetic investigation. Students in Level I will develop proficiency in:
*Efficient modes of moving (including basic principles of dynamic alignment, momentum, and initiation).
Understanding of: core support, neutral pelvis placement (vs. under tucking or hyperextension, use of plie and cushioning through the feet.
Individual difference and awareness of unique limitations such as hip socket range of motion and outward rotation within those limitations so as to maintain pelvic stability (Note: stability may not always be desired but level one students need to understand a working base line of support).
Articulation of outward rotation and parallel positions of feet and legs.
Understanding of pronation and supination.
Support leg strength and stability.
*Demonstration and understanding of fundamental concepts of total body organization as related to overall movement literacy. Concepts of total body organization include: Breath support, core distal, head tail, upper lower, body half, and cross lateral (or other similar concepts of total body integration and organization.
Comfortable with going off vertical and finding it again.
Introduction to Pilates mat and reformer work as well as movement fundamentals (Bartenieff Fundamentals) and Laban analysis.
*Ability to investigate energy qualities (with breath support).
*Ability to understand and demonstrate basic rhythmic structures and patterns.
*Understanding of personal and environmental space – Concept of directing and projecting energy within the body and/or into space.
*Introduction to spatial concepts of planes, dimensions, directions, levels, and spatial pulls and tensions.
*Ability to acquire sequential movement material.
*Familiarity with basic locomotor movements and mechanics and coordination of weight shift, level change, and inverted movements (walking, running, leaping, skipping, hopping, undercurves, overcurves, falls, handstands, etc…).
*Development of intrinsically motivated, committed work ethic and best practices of nutrition and healthy life style habits.
LEVEL II
Primary focus is on “WHERE I am sending my attention and where I am in relation to my environment.” This is an Intermediate level.
Students will have a proficiency in the Standards in Level I. They will also have a proficiency in the following Standards:
*Ability to risk and expand one’s spatial parameters – Development of increased drive through space.
*Ability to sense one’s weight and incorporate that weight in both on-balance and off-balance movement (including the use of momentum and weight release).
*Comfortable with going off vertical and finding it again.
Low center of gravity and investigation of weight (and lightness).
Stability/Mobility awareness and facility.
Demonstration and understanding of movement initiation and subsequent movement follow-through.
*Increased facility in adapting to new teaching methods and styles.
*Sequencing becomes easeful.
*Ability to execute energy modulations with breath support – A greater level of effort efficiency than in level I.
*Demonstration and understanding of rhythmic acuity.
*Demonstration and understanding of breath support in metric and non-metric phrasing (development of melodic breath).
Embodiment of musicality and more complex phrasing.
*Ability to acquire movement material, sequentially and qualitatively.
*Understanding of kinesiology being developed in theory and embodied in technique and conditioning contexts.
*Knowledge of and continued practice of sound practice of conditioning, nutrition, and healthy lifestyle habits.
LEVEL III
Primary focus is on “HOW I am doing what I’m doing – Quality” -This is an Advanced Level.
Students will have a proficiency in the Standards in Levels I and II. Additionally, they will demonstrate an aptitude in both their movement expressivity and their technical foundation and increasing expertise. Students will also have a proficiency in the following areas, although they may occasionally lack consistency in one or more of these Standards:
*Demonstration of expressivity in metric or non-metric phrasing.
*Appetite to fulfill the movement spatially, qualitatively, and melodically with fluidity and integration.
Seamless transitions and sophistication of phrasing.
Drive through space in all planes, levels, and directions is committed and easeful.
*Understanding and demonstration of breath support to fulfill one’s own individual performing “voice”.
*Ability to more quickly and easefully acquire axial and/or locomotor sequential movement material with a qualitative sensibility.
*Sequencing becomes easeful.
*Increased facility in adapting to new teaching methods and styles.
*Ability to embody material fully and qualitatively and to perform it with clear intention takes place with decreased processing time (i.e. longer and more complex phrases are expected to be performed well with less time spent on explanation).
*Ability to commit and follow through with clarity.
*Acquisition of mature work ethic and habits consistent with those of a future member of the dance profession.
*Increased level of conditioning to facilitate increased demands in athleticism, strength specificity especially in the use of legs and feet as they facilitate going into the air and landing or the use of arms, hands, and back as they facilitate inverted movements or weight shifts.
*As students progress through level III they find a balance between strength and fluidity.
*Comfortable with propulsion (push – reach-pull) and lower to upper andupper to lower body phrasing and connectivity.
*Freedom and accessibility to 3-dimensional movement and spiraling.
*Transverse movement facility.
*Understanding the difference between release of excess tension and relaxation or passive weight with no core support.
*Knowledge of and continued practice of sound practice of conditioning, nutrition, and healthy lifestyle habits.
LEVEL IV
Focus integrates “What, Where, How and now involves Why I am doing what I’m doing.” This is a Pre-Professional Level.
Students will have a proficiency in the Standards in Levels I, II and III. Additionally, they will demonstrate an aptitude in both their movement expressivity and their technical underpinnings. As more mature dance student performers. They will also have a consistent proficiency in the following Standards:
*Students at this level should be conditioned at an elite level.
*Understanding and full demonstration of movement melody (incorporating melodic breath, dynamic modulations, textural nuances, and rhythmic acuity).
*Ability to quickly acquire axial and/or locomotor movement material, both sequentially and qualitatively, with a full understanding of melodic breath, dynamic modulations, textural nuances, and rhythmic acuity.
*Student is facile at performing in muuliple genres and styles and is adept at reading and interpreting movement phrases.
*Full qualitative and technical skill investment and integration of these dimensions.
*The ideal level IV student doesn’t wait for personal feedback. They see all general feedback and peer coaching as applicable.
*They are at home with their bodies but are pro-active in seeking new information – willing to investigate new information.
*A level IV student is strong without being locked and fluid/released without being line-less.
*Availability to an increased intensity in the learning process.
*Integration – connected movers. Integration physically, mentally, emotionally such that they are more versatile.
*Confidence as a performer to fully embody one’s own movement voice.
*Ability to fulfill and/or surrender to the spatial, qualitative, and temporal parameters in movement phrases.
*As students progress they both pick up on movement subtleties(Become good translators of movement) and increasingly personalize movement (use technique for personal expression).
*Embodiment of mature work ethic and habits, consistent with those of a professional performer.
*A Level IV student has a sense of the whole while being able to articulate parts. A good sense of their center and proprioception of their body in relation to that center.
*Efficiency is realized.
*Continued practice of sound practice of conditioning, nutrition, and healthy lifestyle habits (hopefully beyond graduation – into professional work and life).
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I have to audition to be in the dance program?
- Yes. You must come to one of our auditions and be accepted by the faculty in order to participate in our program. Please see the Undergraduate category located under Programs and Couses for more information.
What if I can’t come to a scheduled audition?
- If you are applying as an undergraduate student, please may contact Abby Fiat at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address), 801 581-3223, to audition by DVD or schedule an in-person audition on a day that is convenient for you and the Department. Graduate students please contact Stephen Koester at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address), 801 587-9808 for more information.
How many people do you accept into the undergraduate (BFA) program?
- We do not have a set number of people that we accept every year. Acceptance into the program is merit based and we accept who we think will do well in the program.
How do I apply for scholarships within the program?
- Incoming Freshman and Transfers do not need to apply separately for scholarships. Everyone who attends our auditions is under scholarship consideration.
How many performances does the Department put on each year?
- The Department produces at least 7 concerts during the course of the school year. These include Performing Dance Company- Fall, Graduate Concert, Student Concert-Fall, Performing Dance Company- Spring, Senior Concert, 1, Senior Concert 2, and Student Concert-Spring.
Are performances required?
- The only concert that participation is required as a major is in your Senior Year for the Senior Concert and as Third Year Graduate in the Graduate Concert. All other performances are not required but encouraged and you must audition for each semester.
Can I double major?
- Yes. It may not be possible to complete both degrees in four years, but it is possible to double major. You will need to academic advising to plan out how you pursue two degrees.
How long is the program?
- The B.F.A. program in the Department of Modern Dance is four years. Fall and Spring semester each academic year. An M.F.A. requires three years to complete.
May I take departmental classes during the Summer semester?
- No. The Modern Dance curriculum is scheduled for Fall and Spring of each academic year. However, Summer semester is a great time to take classes that fulfill your General Education and Major requirements.
What are housing options on campus?
- On campus housing information can be found at http://www.housing.utah.edu/
If I am transferring from a different university will my credits transfer?
- It depends. First and foremost the faculty must determine by your audition if you would be accepted into the program. Secondly, they will determine if you will enter our program as a freshman or a sophomore. If you are transferring from a different dance program, then your transcripts will be reviewed by the faculty to determine if your previous dance program is comparable with ours. If you are transferring from a different university but have not been involved in a dance program you most likely be accepted as a freshman in our program.
Why are the Ballet and Modern Dance program separate at the University of Utah? Do I have to choose one or the other?
- Both the Ballet and Modern Dance Departments hold long-standing traditions in their respective disciplines. They were formed at different times here on campus and each uphold their own emphases and purposes. Both departments are nationally recognized for their outstanding programs and are both housed in the Marriott Center for Dance. Incoming student must choose which program they will participate in.
How do I schedule a time to come visit the department?
- If you are interested in coming to visit our program arrangements can be made with our Director of Undergraduate Studies, Abby Fiat at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address), 801 581-3223 or Director of Graduate Studies, Stephen Koester at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address), 801 587-9808. We would love for you to come check out our facilities, watch classes, and meet faculty in order for you to determine if our program might suit your academic and artistic interests.
Is the department application separate from the university application?
- Yes. You must be accepted into the University of Utah in order to participate in our program. You can apply to the University of Utah at http://www.sa.utah.edu/admiss/
Can I audition for the program before I’ve applied to the university?
- Yes. Our first audition is usually in January. Applications to the University are not due until April 1. You may audition for our program before you apply to the university. However, your acceptance into our program is contingent on your acceptance into the university. We suggest that you begin your university application process either before or soon after your audition for our program.
Masters of Fine Arts Degree
The Graduate Program in the Department of Modern Dance cultivates multiple ways of investigating, articulating and understanding the body/mind through theory and practice. The curriculum promotes rigorous, in-depth inquiry into dance as a physical, aesthetic, intellectual and cultural practice.
Dance is a way of knowing…of knowing one’s self, one’s community and one’s place in the world. It is the goal of the Department of Modern dance to cultivate this way of knowing. Within a context of highly focused experiential and didactic education, our goal is to create an environment that encourages questioning, risk-taking, sensitivity and humanity.
The Department is committed to creating an educational community in its finest form: one which invites diversity, embraces ambiguity, welcomes creative conflict, practices honesty, experiences humility, and frees men and women through knowledge and experience. The Department of Modern Dance, its faculty and curriculum, promote excellence in education by engaging students in performance, improvisation, choreography, philosophy, dance technology, and other academic/theoretical pursuits. The program focuses on creative and intellectual development as well as expanding one’s dancing and choreographic abilities.
The MFA is a 61 credit terminal degree in the field of dance taking three years of residency in the Department of Modern Dance to complete. For those with extensive professional experience and/or great determination to finish in less time, it is possible to complete the degree in 4-5 semesters. The MFA degree is intended to provide the breadth and depth of knowledge necessary to prepare graduates for professional careers in dance, including college and university teaching. Please note that a Master of Art (MA) degree is no longer offered. The MFA degree incorporates an individualized thesis project design. Through the thesis research process, the MFA graduate program allows for the specialization of personal interests. The thesis topic is conceptualized and implemented by each MFA student focusing on a single theme that may involve elements of performance, choreography, and other areas of interest. It is an expectation for students to investigate new areas of interest, challenge old beliefs, explore deeper what is already familiar and to design MFA projects that expand and integrate areas of strength with new areas of learning. Graduate students seeking an advanced degree from the Department of Modern Dance are required to actively participate in the design of their programs and creative works/theses. Faculty assist in a candidate’s progress through a system of guidance and mentorship to best serve the student and his/her success, in order to preserve both the standards of the professional field, and the noted reputation of the Department of Modern Dance - a reputation that rests upon work that strives for excellence.
The Graduate Program is an exciting/rigorous course of study designed for those with serious professional aspirations. Applicants do not necessarily need to have their undergraduate degree in dance but must demonstrate a depth of proficiency and a maturity of understanding. The Graduate Program is particularly geared to those who have had some dance experience since receiving their undergraduate degrees and for the returning professional who is looking for an academic environment in which to advance their growth. The course curriculum is tailored/adjusted for each student based on his/her experience, proficiencies and interests. Proficiencies based on professional expriences and deficiencies based on one’s undergraduate course work are assessed at the outset of study so that appropriate modifications in the degree requirements may be determined; deficiencies must be made up in addition to completing regular requirements.
Acceptance into the Modern Dance Graduate Program is determined by audition. The audition offers an opportunity for prospective students to observe our program as well as providing our faculty the opportunity to assess each student’s artistic potential and success in completing our demanding program. Applicants wishing to be considered for departmental scholarships and/or Graduate Assistantships in their first year are required to attend the audition, plus have all appropriate application materials to us by March 1.
MFA Mission and Philosophy
The Graduate Program in the Department of Modern Dance cultivates multiple ways of investigating, articulating and understanding the body/mind through theory and practice. The curriculum promotes rigorous, in-depth inquiry into dance as a physical, aesthetic, intellectual and cultural practice.
PHILOSOPHY
Dance is a way of knowing . . . of knowing one’s self, one’s community and one’s place in the world. It is the goal of the Department of Modern Dance to cultivate this way of knowing through a curriculum that fosters the articulation of the body and the mind. The program offers opportunities for rigorous in-depth investigation of dance as an aesthetic, intellectual and cultural practice. Within a context of highly focused experiential and didactic education, we strive to create an environment that encourages questioning, risk-taking, sensitivity and humanity.
Experimentation is risky. We rarely know in advance what will give us life and what will sap life away. But if we want to deepen our understanding of our own integrity, experiment we must - and then be willing to make choices as we view the experimental results. -Parker Palmer
Dance in education does not exist just for the pleasure of dancing, but through creative effort in giving aesthetic forms to significant experience it is hoped students will develop their creative power and in turn improve themselves as persons. - Margaret H’Doubler
Graduate Curriculum
The MFA in Dance is a minimum 61 credit terminal degree taking three years of residency in the Department of Modern Dance to complete. For those who come with extensive professional experience and/or great determination to finish in less time, it may be possible, with faculty permission, to complete the degree in 4 or 5 semesters. We strongly recommend taking three years to maximize the artistic growth and development opportunities that the program offers. A core curriculum is required of all MFA students. The curriculum is designed to provide both breadth and depth in the field of modern dance, cultivating excellence in artistry and education.
Core Curriculum Requirements:
Course Number Course Title (Credits)
D6110-6160 Grad Modern Dance Technique (12) see notes
D6210 Grad Dance Workshop I (3)
D6211 Grad Dance Workshop II (3)
D6212 Creative Projects Laboratory (1)
D6410 Explorations in Dance and Digital Media (3)
D6310 Research Design (3)
D6320 Aesthetics and Criticism (3)
D6510 Grad Teaching Methods (3)
D6530 Dance Administration in Academe (3)
D6950 Thesis Research Studio (1)
D6970 Thesis Research - Masters (6-12) (see notes)
D6340 Dance and Community (grad seminar) (3)
D6430 Screendance (3)
(grad seminar)
D6330 Dancing Bodies (grad seminar)
Modern Dance Electives
If undergraduate course work does not include Dance History, Movement in Culture or Kinesiology, these courses will be required for the MFA degree and counted as elective hours. If a candidate is seen to lack necessary writing skills based, upon their course work first semester, a writing course will also be required. Deficiencies in any other curricular areas that the faulty identify as needing to be addressed as per expectations of an MFA degree, may result in the candidate being required to take additional course work as specified by the faculty. Candidates are encouraged to take electives both within and outside of the department that relate to their main interest areas. Only electives at the 6000 level will count toward the MFA. Departmental electives include:
D6110 Grad Apparatus Conditioning (1-3)
D6730 Dance Performance PDC (1-3)
D6610 Graduate Kinesiology I (2)
D6620 Graduate Kinesiology II (2)
D6350 Graduate Movement in Culture (3)
D6360 Graduate Dance History (3)
D6520 Advanced Principles of Teaching (1-2)
D6961 Integrated Arts summer honors program (3)
D6630 Research Teaching Kinesiology (2)
D6740 Graduate Lighting and Production (2)
MFA Degree Requirements Listed by Semester
Year One Autumn
D6210 Graduate Workshop I (3)
D6410 Explorations in Dance and Digital Media (3)
D6310 Research Design (3)
D6110-6150 Modern Dance Technique (3)
Electives (not encouraged)
Electives not encouraged
Year One Spring
D6211 Graduate Workshop II (3)
D6510 Grad Teaching Methods (3)
D6120-6160 Modern Dance Technique (3)
D6330 Dancing Bodies (3)
Or
D6320 Aesthetics/Criticism (3)
Electives (2-5)
Year Two Autumn: Thesis proposals written and presented
D6212 Creative Projects Laboratory (1)
D6110-6150 Modern Dance Technique (3)
D6430 Screendance (3)
Electives (2-6)
Year Two Spring: Preliminary research done on thesis
D6950 Thesis Research/Studio (1)
D6320 Aesthetics/Criticism (3)
Or
D6330 Dancing Bodies (3)
D6120-6160 Modern Dance Technique (3)
D6340 Dance & Community (3)
Electives (2-6)
Year Three Autumn: Thesis creative work completed and writing begun
D6530 Dance Administration in Academe (3)
D6970 Thesis Research - Masters (2-6)
Electives (2-6)
Year Three Spring: Written thesis completed and orals held
D6970 Thesis Research - Masters (3-6)
Electives (3-6)
Please note:
The above schedule is based upon graduation after 6 semesters of study. To graduate in an alternative number of semesters will consequently reconfigure the above information.
Graduate requirements may be waived or re-configured for students who present solid rationale for their requests. Rationale is usually based on proficiency in a given area of the curriculum and/or the specific interests in a student’s research and thesis focus. To make changes to the MFA graduate requirements, first consult with your graduate advisor. Approval for curricular changes is made by submitting a student request and/or by agreement of the full faculty through the assistance of the graduate advisor.
Graduate students may enroll for a maximum of 16 credit hours/semester. Those with graduate assistantships must enroll for a minimum of 9 credit hours/semester.
A student may take more than 12 credits of Modern Dance Technique and/or Thesis Research – Masters, though only a maximum of 12 credits may be applied to the required 61 credits needed for program completion.
All Graduate Teaching Assistants who serve as the primary teacher of a course must register for 1 credit of Advanced Principles of Teaching (D6855) for the first two semesters in which they teach. TA’s will not need to register for this course more than twice, regardless of if they teach in more than two semesters.
Graduate Course Requirements:GRADUATE_CURRICULUM.pdf(.pdf download 36 KB)
Graduate Admission Auditions
All incoming graduate students must submit an application, along with the required support materials. Applicants must also be accepted to the University itself, which is a separate application, available on-line at this link: Apply Yourself. All applicants must meet University of Utah graduate admission standards. Applicants are encouraged to begin the application process to the University and the Department of Modern Dance as soon as possible. The Graduate Record Exam is not required. International students please contact the office for International Admissions at 801 581-3091. For appropriate guidelines see www.sa.utah.edu.admiss/
Audition Dates for Fall 2012:
Friday, February 3, 2012
Friday, March 2, 2012
NEW YORK CITY AUDITIONS:
TBA
ALL auditions will be for acceptance and scholarship consideration. Registration will be from 8:30 - 9:00 am. Auditions will include a technique class, improvisation session, showing of a solo choreographed by the auditioner, and an interview with the faculty. A CD player and iPod jack will be provided. Solos should be 3 minutes maximum in length. In addition, prospective graduate students may submit a videotape of a group work at the audition. In exceptional circumstances, applicants may request alternative admission procedures, including arranged visits to campus and/or video tape submissions.
Criteria for selection will include a combination of the following:
Technique: technical ability, performance skill, alignment, dynamic projection, perceptual acuity.
Improvisation: creativity, artistic daring, commitment, involvement, inventiveness, openness.
Composition: craft, movement invention and individuality of statement.
Intellectual Maturity: Articulation skills, evidence of self-motivation, openness to new ideas, ability to connect theoretical frameworks to personal experience.
While all auditions make a student applicant eligible for admission, we encourage the prospective student to audition in person. Only students auditioning in person are eligible for scholarships.
Please notify us by email, .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) or telephone (801 587-9813) which audition you plan on attending, or if you will be sending a video tape of your dancing. If you have questions about the auditions, the Department, or the University, please call us at 801 581-9813 weekdays from 8 AM to 5 PM.
Download Department of Modern Dance Graduate Application form: graduate_application_admiss.doc
Download Suggested Format for Vita: gradapp_vita.pdf
Download Application for Graduate Assistantships : grad_scholarships_for_audition.pdf
Online Graduate Application for the University of Utah: Apply Yourself
Graduate Assistantships
Each spring the Department awards Teaching/Graduate Assistantships (TA/GA’s) and scholarships through an audition and application process, incoming graduate students by scholarship audition, returning graduates by application. In addition, the faculty may nominate returning graduate students for a University Teaching Assistantship (UTA), an award funded from the Graduate School.
The number and financial amount of each award may vary from year to year depending on the availability of Department funds, however, generally, the Department offers 4-6 half Graduate Assistantships; a full Graduate Assistantship may also be made available to either a returning professional or student of particular merit. Half Graduate Assistantships provide tuition remission for half of your credits with the rest paid at in-state rates and a stipend of $4,500. A full Graduate Assistantship includes tuition remission for up to 12 credits per semester and a stipend of $9,000 per year plus health insurance benefits.
All awards are merit based and rely heavily on one’s current standing in the Department or audition performance. Funding and the teaching assignments attached to an assistantship are limited and consequently competitive; we unfortunately cannot support every graduate student. Funding decisions are difficult and made after serious consideration by the entire faculty. Continuing students who have received scholarships or TA/GA’s will not automatically have them renewed but go through a re-application process at the end of each year. A student who has been awarded financial support must maintain required academic standards. A student placed on probation may have their funding taken away. Students with a GPA below 3.0 may not be considered for future Departmental financial support until their GPA is raise to 3.0 or above. A student who’s GPA falls below a 3.0 during the year will lose their assistantship for the rest of that year.
As we cannot guarantee or provide departmental support for all graduate students all semesters, every out-of-state graduate student is strongly encouraged to establish Utah residency. This can now be done after one year of study and allows one to pay tuition at in-state rates. Establishing residency is not difficult. Check with the Graduate School for residency guidelines, 581-7642 or www.utah.edu/gradschool
Note: It should be assumed that no graduate student will receive TA/GA funding in their final semester, the semester in which they hold their orals. The reason behind this is that all credits except Thesis Research D6970 should have been taken. In the final semester by taking only Thesis Research D6970 credits, all students pay at in-state tuition rates. In addition, it is difficult if not impossible to fulfill the University requirement that one must be registered for a minimum of 9 credit hours in order to receive TA/GA funding. Finally, by not supporting a candidate in this final semester, the Department may consequently support a larger number of other graduate students.
Download Application for Incoming Graduate Scholarship here: grad_scholarships_for_audition.pdfd
Download returning Graduate Student Assistantship Application: Returning_Grad_Scholar_App.pdf
Graduate Scholarships and Awards
In addition to Graduate Assistantships (Full and Half), the following support is available to eligible Graduate Students.
WICHE Graduate Tuition Reduction Program
The Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education promotes the sharing of higher/graduate education resources among the western states. In most cases, students pay tuition at resident student rates. Any graduate student in the Department of Modern Dance who is a resident of a participating WICHE state is automatically eligible and may enroll in the tuition reduction program. There is no requirement that students meet financial aid criteria, but they must fulfill all admission requirements and deadlines set by the University and Department. Participating WICHE states are Alaska, Arizona, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oregon, South Dakota, Washington and Wyoming.
E.R. Hayes Endowed Graduate Scholarship
Scholarship: one cash award up to $2,500.
Eligibility: incoming or returning graduate student.
Application: By audition, application form.
Tim Wengard Endowed Scholarship
Scholarship: incoming graduate student up to $4,500.
Eligibility: incoming graduate student.
Application: By audition, application.
Eskridge Endowed Scholarship
Scholarship: incoming graduate student up to $4,500.
Eligibility: incoming graduate student.
Application: By audition, application.
Summer/Special Project Support
Scholarship: various cash awards, not to exceed $1,000, to support student projects such as festival participation, summer projects, performance opportunities, commissioning of solos for MFA performance track.
Eligibility: current department major in good standing.
Application: Departmental application and faculty review.
Integrated Movement Studies (IMS) Scholarships
For students applying to the University of Utah’s MFA program in Modern Dance, several full tuition graduate scholarships for the Integrated Movement Studies certification program are available. Contact Stephen Koester (801) 587-9808 or Janice Meaden (206) 849-4380 at IMS if you are interested.
AWARDS
Orchesis Awards
Each spring Orchesis awards are given to students who have shown exceptional merit in the areas of performance, choreography, and/or production. Orchesis members currently enrolled in the university select award recipients, subject to faculty approval.
Dee R. Winterton Award
Each spring a student is chosen by the faculty for this award who exemplifies the following qualities: creativity, humor and wit, abundance of spirit, love of the arts, love of dance, love of people, generous sharing of time and talent, and a striving for excellence.
L. Scott Marsh Mentorship Award
Each spring a graduate student is chosen by the faculty for this award. The award honors a graduate student in the Department of Modern Dance who has “brought someone along” through example and encouragement. Specifically, the recipient has shown the following attributes: 1- Serves as a mentor by enabling others to fulfill their individual potential, 2- Exhibits leadership and administrative ability by inspiring others to work toward a shared vision, 3- Demonstrates a personal commitment to scholarship and the increase of knowledge within the field of modern dance.
Department of Modern Dance Service Award
Each spring a student(s) is chosen by the faculty for this award who has provided exceptional service to the department, university, local dance community and/or the community at large.
Please e-mail .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) for additional information.
For University-wide graduate financial support opportunities, contact:
University Graduate Fellowships
Carol Bergstrom at (801) 581-6020, .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address), or visit the Graduate School Office, 302 Park Building on campus. Also visit the Graduate School web site for further information, www.utah.edu/gradschool. Check out the Graduate Research Fellowship.
Give to the Department of Modern Dance
Why Utah?
International Student Touring – France, Hong Kong, Australia
Soon to be Introduced New MFA emphasis in Dance Film
Host of the bi-annual International Dance for the Camera Festival and Workshop
Frequent host of the American College Dance Festival Association Conference
Regular in-Department performing opportunities including Performing Dance Company
Host of the Integrated Movement Studies Certificate Program (Laban/Bartenieff Studies) with Peggy Hackney and Janice Meaden
A lively local professional dance community including the internationally known Ririe-Woodbury Dance Company and Repertory Dance Theatre
The Graduate School at The University of Utah
Undergraduate Scholarships and Awards
E.R. Hayes Endowed Scholarships
Scholarship: two, one-year tuition remission scholarships.
Eligibility: Utah state resident, incoming freshman.
Application: By audition. Application form submitted, audition class, composition study, and interview with faculty.
Cordelia Quick Endowed Scholarship
Scholarship: one cash award up to $4,500.
Eligibility: out-of-state undergraduate, freshman.
Application: By recommendation and faculty approval.
Haskell Endowed Scholarships
Scholarship: four, cash awards of $1,100.
Eligibility: current sophomore or junior dance majors in good standing.
Application: Department’s application form and faculty review.
Michael Foundation Endowed Scholarship
Scholarship: one cash award of $1,000.
Eligibility: undergraduate transfer student.
Application: By audition
Summer/Special Project Support
Scholarship: various cash awards, not to exceed $1,000, to support student projects such as festival participation, summer projects, performance opportunities.
Eligibility: current department major in good standing.
Application: Departmental application and faculty review.
Fine Arts House Scholarship
AWARDS
Orchesis Awards
Each spring Orchesis awards are given to students who have shown exceptional merit in the areas of performance, choreography, and/or production. Orchesis members currently enrolled in the university select award recipients, subject to faculty approval.
Dee R. Winterton Award
Each spring a student is chosen by the faculty for this award who exemplifies the following qualities: creativity, humor and wit, abundance of spirit, love of the arts, love of dance, love of people, generous sharing of time and talent, and a striving for excellence.
Department of Modern Dance Service Award
Each spring a student(s) is chosen by the faculty for this award who has provided exceptional service to the department, university, local dance community and/or the community at large.
Please E-mail .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) for additional information
Give to the Department of Modern Dance
Undergraduate Admission Auditions
All incoming undergraduate students (including incoming freshman majors, minors, and transfer students) must submit an application and audition for admissions into the Department of Modern Dance as well as comply with regular University admission procedures.
To apply for admission to our program, please complete and return the Department of Modern Dance Application for Admissions Form located at the bottom of the page. There will be a $45.00 (non-refundable) processing fee required for each auditioner, which should be included in the application submission. Checks can be made to: The University of Utah Department of Modern Dance. Please send applications to:
Attention: Glenda Staples
The University of Utah Department of Modern Dance
330 South 1500 East, Rm 106
Salt Lake City, UT 84112
Your acceptance into our department is contingent upon your acceptance into the University Of Utah. The University of Utah accepts applications on-line at www.sa.utah.edu/admiss/ . The deadline for the application to the University of Utah is April 1st. For specific questions about The University admissions, contact the admissions office at (801) 581-7281. For questions about University scholarship deadlines, contact Financial Aid at (801) 581-6211.
The University of Utah Department of Modern Dance requires all incoming freshman and transfer students to audition for acceptance as modern dance majors. These auditions offer an opportunity for prospective students to observe our program and for our faculty to view student potential. Students must attend the following date to audition for the upcoming Fall 2012 semester:
Saturday, January 21, 2012
Registration: 8:30 - 9:00 am
Orientation Meeting: 9:00 - 9:30 am
Audition: 9:30 am - 1:30 pm*
Audition dates for the 2012-2013 year, fall semester:
Friday, March 30, 2012
Registration: 11:00 - 11:30 am
Orientation Meeting: 11:30 am - 12:00 pm
Audition: 12:00 pm - 3:30 pm*
Friday, August 17, 2012
Registration: 8:30 - 9:00 am
Orientation Meeting: 9:00 - 9:30 am
Audition: 9:30 am - 12:00 pm*
Friday, August 19, 2011
Registration: 8:30 - 9:00 am
Orientation/Audition: 9:00 am - 12:00 pm*
*Estimated end time.
Reminder: There is a $45.00 (non-refundable) processing fee for each auditioner, to be submitted with the application. Checks can be made to: The University of Utah Department of Modern Dance.
Registration takes place in the foyer of the Marriott Center for Dance, in the northeast area of the building. Those auditioning are required to attend a half hour orientation information meeting immediately following registration on each of the audition dates. Parents are encouraged to attend this orientation meeting as well. However, the actual audition is closed to anyone not auditioning.
ALL auditions will be for acceptance and scholarship consideration, both for in-state and out-of-state students. The auditions will consist of a technique class, an improvisational class, an interview with the faculty, and the presentation of a one-to-two minute self-choreographed solo. Attendees using music must bring either a CD or iPod.
We encourage all students interested in auditioning for the program to contact the appropriate advisor listed below at least one week prior to the audition date. However, walk-ins are also welcomed.
Please note that audition dates and times are subject to change and we suggest calling the week of the audition to confirm these details. If you have additional questions about the audition, you may contact our office at (801) 581-7327.
Advisors:
Abby Fiat—Incoming Freshman, US and International Students
.(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) (801) 581-3223
Eric Handman—Transfer Students
.(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) (801) 587-9813
Administration
Tyler Kunz—Office Assistant
.(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
Download Department of Modern Dance Application for Submissions Form here: undergrad_application.doc
Undergraduate Coursework Overview
Beginning in the fall semester of the freshman year, the BFA Program focuses on the students’ technical, creative, and theoretical development. This integrated development is achieved through the sequential progression of the entire undergraduate curriculum. In the
beginning level studio work (workshop and technique courses), emphasis is placed on the acquisition of basic locomotor skills, movement sequencing, problem solving techniques, and improvisational abilities. During the freshman year, students are also introduced to body conditioning, somatic training, musical theory, and cultural dance forms. The intermediate level studio work focuses even more specifically on dance technique and conditioning, on individual/group performance, and on abstraction and thematic development in choreography. In the kinesiology courses, sophomore students pursue an in-depth scientific understanding of the mechanics and workings of the human body along with a clear and detailed understanding of the prevention and care of dance injuries. In the advanced level studio work, students continue to work on technique but focus more intensively on the creative process. During this time, students are more deeply involved in the production of their creative and/or scholarly research.
During their junior and senior years, students expand their critical thinking abilities by investigating dance within a contextual framework that incorporates history and cultural practice, philosophy, aesthetics, and musical theories. During this same time, students are given pedagogical experiences in the elementary and secondary public schools through the teaching methods courses (Children’s Dance and Secondary Teaching Methods). Our pedagogy supports the very basis of the BFA Program– improvisation, choreography, and performance with theoretical, pedagogical, and scientific support. Because of this integrated curriculum, the students experience and utilize interactive, relational, and process-oriented pedagogy. The program is both teacher-directed and student-centered.
Upon graduation from our undergraduate program, our students are fully prepared for the demands and expectations of the dance profession as future performers,choreographers, teachers, scholars, dance artists, and dance advocates.
Undergraduate Course Requirements:BFA_Requirements.pdf(.pdf download 56 KB)
BFA Mission
The mission of our BFA Program is to promote the growth and development of students as dance artists, critical inquirers, and community members. The students’ technical training and creative investigation are aligned with coursework in the theoretical, pedagogical, and scientific parameters of the art form. Through the breadth and depth of the curriculum, the students develop competencies in artistic expression, somatic literacy, critical thinking, empirical knowledge, self-esteem, collaboration, and problem solving.
Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree
The BFA program in the University of Utah Department of Modern Dance integrates the rigors of intellectual exploration, technical discipline, and creative investigation in order to prepare dancers for the opportunities and challenges of the profession. The undergraduate curriculum is the foundation of the department upon which the graduate program rests. The department is a contemporary dance community which is distinguished by its sense of excellence, professionalism, humanism, and a proud commitment to a lively spirit of creative inquiry. Diversity is welcomed, respected and encouraged; creative and intellectual integrity is required; professional discipline is expected. The quality of faculty instruction, the rigors of the curriculum, the facilities available to the students, and the national/international reputation of the program all contribute to the high standards set by the department. As is noted in Dance Teacher Now, November 1997, the Department’s undergraduate program is ranked third nationally and the graduate program is ranked first.
Coursework is designed to prepare dancers for a professional career in performance, choreography, and teaching. The BFA is a four-year degree program requiring completion of 77 semester credit hours of approved course work in the dance major, in addition to University general education requirements. A teaching major in dance with secondary school certification is also available.
All incoming undergraduate students (including both incoming freshman and transfer students) must audition for admission into the Department of Modern Dance as well as comply with regular University admission procedures. Incoming students must be aware that the faculty of the Department of Modern Dance presumes that majors will have the physical stamina and coordination to take major classes safely. If the faculty feels a student’s safety is in jeopardy, the student may be asked to drop out of the program. Students are evaluated each semester with regard to:
1. Technical facility
2. Choreographic ability
3. Academic performance
4. Motivation and commitment
For more information please e-mail us at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
Download information packet: BFA Major/Minor Application Packet
Degree Programs
The University of Utah is a Research One Institution with a student enrollment of 25,000, situated in the foothills of the Wasatch Mountains overlooking Salt Lake City. The University of Utah Department of Modern Dance is NASD accredited and consistently ranked as having one of the top programs in the country with approximately 90 undergraduate majors and 20-25 graduate students. Our alumni have gone on to work internationally and nationally as dancers, choreographers, artistic directors, teachers, videographers and administrators.
The Department of Modern Dance offers a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree, a Master of Fine Arts Degree, and a Minor in Modern Dance, and is distinguished by its sense of excellence, professionalism, humanism, and a profound commitment to a lively spirit of creative inquiry. We are closely affiliated with the Department of Ballet, sharing the 333 seat state-of-the-art theater, technical staff and equipment resources. Courses within the Ballet curriculum are available to students enrolled in the Modern Dance program. The Department of Modern Dance resides within the College of Fine Arts and has close association with the Departments of Art and Art History, Music, Theater, and Film Studies. We offer a full performance season in our theater, which includes frequent performances by our nationally acclaimed student company, Performing Dance Company. Company members are selected each semester by audition. Salt Lake City has a dynamic and vibrant dance community, offering our students and professional dancers opportunities for involvement and development.
