The Department of Theatre and Dance
Sam Houston State University
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Sam Houston State University is home of one of the oldest and most successful Dance Programs in the state of Texas. The SHSU Dance Program has had nearly 30 works selected for the American College Dance Festival Association Regional Festival Gala Concerts and has been invited to six of the eight National College Dance Festivals hosted by ACDFA which showcase the best of American college dance at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington D.C. In the fall of 1998, the program was listed as one of the 25 outstanding programs in the United States by Dance Spirit Magazine.
Graduates of the program are currently working in such professional careers as: performing with dance companies and touring with entertainment industrial shows; teaching, directing and choreographing in university and high school dance programs; working in health-related fields, such as physiotherapy, occupational therapy, chiropractic medicine and massage therapy; or are continuing with graduate work.
Facilities - Physical facilities include six spacious studios equipped with variable speed CD players, video cameras and monitors, and pianos for ballet and modern classes. There is also an on-site informal theater that seats up to 150 people. It has a 24 channel lighting system, high fidelity sound equipment, and step academic seating.
Faculty - The SHSU Dance Program has four full-time faculty members and seven graduate teaching assistants. Master classes and residencies by guest artists and other dance professionals are offered regularly. Recent guest artists have included Mark Taylor, Gus Solomons jr, Donald McKayle, Teri Weksler, Art Bridgman/Myrna Packer and Bill Evans.
Performance Opportunities - Performance opportunities in dance include: two formal dance concert series per academic year, public school tours, musicals, student produced concerts, and regional and national dance festivals. Touring opportunities are provided through two student companies: The Raven Dance Project, which travels statewide; and Dance Spectrum, which is local. Both companies perform in either the 500-seat University Theatre Center or in the SHSU Dance Theater. Fifty percent of the works in the repertory are choreographed by guest artists as reconstructions, and twenty percent are choreographed by students.
Admission - Auditions are now required for admission to the Dance Program. Dance Repertory Company auditions are held each semester on the first class day to determine company membership and to place dancers in their appropriate technique level.
Degrees Offered - The Program offers the Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Fine Arts, the Bachelor of Fine Arts in Musical Theatre with a Dance emphasis, and the Master of Fine Arts degrees. Secondary teaching certification is also available through the university. In recent semesters, the program has enrolled 60-70 dance majors.
Curriculum - Four levels of ballet and modern dance technique are offered. The curriculum includes Choreography, Improvisation, Dance History, Laban Movement Analysis, Folk and Social dance forms, Principles of Dance, Kinesiology, Criticism & Analysis, Repertory, World Dance, Dance As Art, Rhythmic Structure of Movement, Research Methods in Dance, Dance Pedagogy and Body Conditioning, as well as numerous popular dance forms, such as Jazz, Hip-Hop, and Musical Theatre dance. All dance majors are required to attend seven to twelve hours of technique each week. In addition, company members rehearse up to sixteen hours per week. Students must demonstrate an advanced level of proficiency in ballet or modern dance technique before graduating.
Dance Requirements - All dance majors are required to register for Crew for a minimum of four semesters. Candidates for the Bachelor of Arts degree in Dance must be registered in at least one dance technique course each semester and must complete at least three credit hours of DNC 430 (Repertory) and at least one semester of either DNC 433 (Advanced Ballet Technique) OR DNC 434 (Advanced Modern Dance Technique). Candidates for the Bachelor of Fine Arts degree must be registered in both ballet and modern dance technique each semester and must complete at least six credit hours of DNC 430 (Repertory) and at least two semesters of either DNC 433 (Advanced Ballet Technique) OR DNC 434 (Advanced Modern Dance Technique). DNC 333, 334, 430, 433, and 434 are open only by audition, faculty recommendation, or permission of the instructor.
| Bachelor of Arts | Bachelor of Fine Arts |
| REQUIRES ADMISSION TO SHSU | REQUIRES ADMISSION TO SHSU |
| AUDITION REQUIRED | AUDITION REQUIRED |
| No evaluation for continuation | Evaluation for continuation at end of sophomore year |
| Requires a minor in another field | No requirement for a minor |
| Requires 12 hours in a foreign language | No requirement for foreign language |
| DNC 110: Workshop (4 semesters) | DNC 110: Workshop (4 semesters) |
| DNC 430: Repertory (3 credit hours) | DNC 430: Repertory (6 credit hours) |
| Each semester: ballet one semester, modern in the other semester. (Generally a minimum of 8 technique classes.) | Freshman year: ballet one semester, modern in the other semester. Then, ballet and modern every semester. (Generally 14 technique classes.) |
| Complete at least one semester of DNC 333(intermediate ballet) or DNC 334 (intermediate modern) | Complete at least two semesters of DNC 433 (advanced ballet) or DNC 434 (advanced modern) |
| *Placement in technique classes requires instructor's approval. | *Placement in technique classes requires instructor's approval |
| DNC 172: Dance As Art (fall) | DNC 172: Dance as Art (fall) |
| DNC 272: Dance History (spring) | DNC 272: Dance History (spring) |
| DNC 273: World Dance (spring), or DNC 232: Social & Folk (fall, spring) | DNC 273: World Dance (spring), or DNC 232: Social & Folk (fall, spring) |
| DNC 374: Principles of Dance Technique*(spring) or DNC 373: Laban Movement Analysis (fall) | DNC 374: Principles of Dance Technique* (spring) or DNC 373: Laban Movement Analysis (fall) |
| DNC 472: Criticism & Analysis (fall of odd years) or DNC 474: Dance Pedagogy (fall of even years) | DNC 472: Criticism & Analysis (fall of odd years) or DNC 474: Dance Pedagogy (fall of even years) |
| DNC 127:Improvisation (fall freshman yr.) | DNC 127:Improvisation (fall freshman yr.) |
| DNC 176: Rhythmic Structure of Movement (spring freshman yr.) | DNC 176: Rhythmic Structure of Movement (spring freshman yr.) |
| DNC 276: Choreography I (fall) | DNC 276: Choreography I (fall) |
| DNC 376: Choreography II (spring) | DNC 376: Choreography II (spring) |
| DNC 476: Choreography III (fall) | |
| DNC 492: Senior Studio (varies) | |
| 1 theatre production class (lighting, costume design, etc.) | 2 theatre production classes (an acting or voice class can substitute for a production class) |
| *BIO 245: Human Anatomy *PHY 135/115: Physics (prerequisites for DNC 374 and 373) |
*BIO 245: Human Anatomy *PHY 135/115: Physics (prerequisites for DNC 374 and 373) |
Course Offerings
DNC 110 Dance Workshop
DNC 115 Popular Dance Forms
DNC 124 Folk Dance Forms
DNC 126 Theatre Dance Forms
DNC 127 Dance Improvisation
DNC 131 Dance As Art
DNC 176 Rhythmic Structure of Movement
DNC 233 Beginning Ballet Technique
DNC 234 Beginning Modern Dance Technique
DNC 270 Dance Notation I
DNC 271 Dance Notation II
DNC 276 Choreography I
DNC 310 Dance Workshop
DNC 332 Social & Folk Dance Forms
DNC 333 Intermediate Ballet Technique
DNC 334 Intermediate Modern Dance Technique
DNC 338 World Dance: Exploring Cultures
DNC 376 Choreography II
DNC 430 Repertory
DNC 433 Advanced Ballet Technique
DNC 434 Advanced Modern Dance Technique
DNC 467 History of Dance: Primitive Era to 1700
DNC 468 History of Dance: 1700 to Present
DNC 470 Principles of Dance Technique
DNC 476 Choreography III
DNC 492 Senior Studio
DNC 493 Independent Study
DNC 585 Research Methods in Dance
Scholarships
Performance scholarships from $250.00 to $1000.00 are available to students who:
Auditions for scholarship are held at the same time as auditions for BA and BFA admissions. This year's scholarship auditions for the 2006-2007 school year will be held on November18, 2005 and February 11, 2006. The dance office keeps a list of students who have inquired about the dance program, and information regarding auditions is mailed by November. If this information has not been received, please call the dance office at (936) 294-1875.
General Information
The student body numbers about 12,000, of whom about 1600 are graduate students. GRE scores are required for graduate admissions, and early admission is available. In-state tuition is $1087 per semester, while non-resident tuition is $4237 per semester for fifteen semester credit hours. Room and board in university housing are available for about $1575 per semester*. Financial aid is available through the university, and the Dance faculty awards performance scholarships by audition.
*Check the SHSU ADMISSIONS Homepage for regularly updated tuition & admission information
For more information on the Dance Program:
Jennifer Pontius
Dance Program Coordinator
Sam Houston State University
PO Box 2269
Huntsville, Texas 77341-2269
(936) 294-1300 or (936) 294-1875
dnc_jkp@shsu.edu
Other reference sites:
SHSU Undergraduate Catalog & Graduate Catalog