Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree in Dance
Dispatch by Travis Lake; Photo by Lynn Lane
Program Overview
The Bachelor's in Fine Arts in Dance program provides intensive study in modern, ballet, partnering, pilates and jazz techniques; multiple performance opportunities; exciting guest artists and choreographers; opportunities for choreographic exploration including the integration of media into the creative process; as well as a solid academic grounding in coursework ranging from Dance History to Pedagogy to Dance & Technology.
The BFA is a 120 credit degree in dance taking four years of residency in the Department of Dance. Admission is competitive with approximately 100 undergraduates in the program at a time. Graduates of the program go on to work professionally in various dance related fields such as: performing with companies or touring groups (concert, cruise ship, entertainment, etc); teaching, directing and choreographing in university, studio, and high school dance programs; working in arts management, dance technology, or health-related fields; or are continuing with graduate work in dance science (MA), history (MA) or fine arts (MFA).
Admission to the BFA Program
Auditions are required for admission to the Department of Dance.
2024-2025 Audition dates for the BFA program are:
Friday, November 8, 2024 from 1:00 PM - 4:00 PM
Friday, February 28, 2025 from 1:00 PM - 4:00 PM
Friday, April 11, 2025 from 1:00 PM - 4:00 PM
Learn More About BFA Auditions
Getting Started - What incoming BFA students need to know
Sam Houston State University is home of one of the oldest and most successful Departments of Dance in the state of Texas. The SHSU Department of Dance has had over 35 works selected for the American College Dance Festival Association Regional Festival Gala Concerts and has been invited to eleven National College Dance Festivals and counting hosted by ACDA which showcase the best of American college dance at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington D.C. The program has been listed as one of the 25 outstanding programs in the United States by Dance Spirit Magazine.
Opportunities for Dance Majors
Performance Opportunities - SHSU Dance prides itself on the great number of performance and choreographic opportunities provided each year for students. All shows are performed on our Montague Dance Theater stage, a state-of-the-art performance space.
Performance opportunities in dance include: two faculty choreographed dance concerts (Dance Spectrum in Concert) per academic year, graduate (Masters of Dance) & undergraduate (Dances @ 8 and Senior Studio) student produced concerts, MFA Thesis concerts, Winter and Spring Dance Workshops, and regional and national dance festivals.
Auditions for the concerts are held each semester the first week of school and all dance majors and minors are welcome to audition.
Work with Guest Artists - The Department of Dance has a history of bringing guest artists, choreographers, and performances to campus.
As part of The Dance Gallery: The Texas Experience - a long-standing professional choreographic performance series performed at Sam Houston from 2010 to 2023, choreographers were selected to set works on SHSU Dance. Commissions included: Dual Rivet - Jessica Smith and Chelsea Ainsworth (NY), Sidra Bell (NY), Rohan Bhargava (India), Mike Esperanza (Manilla, Philippines), Manuel Vignoulle (France), Astrid von Ussar (Slovenia), Enzo Celli (Italy), Maurice Causey (Netherlands), Rohan Bhargava (India), Stefanie Nelson Dancegroup (NY), somebodies dance theater (CA), Bliss Kohlmyer (FL), iMEE (RI), Jane Weiner (TX), Amy Cain and Dawn Dippel/Revolve Dance (TX).
Other Guest Artist Classes and Choreographic Commissions have included: Jeremy Guyton (CA), Netta Nerushalmy (NY, Israel), Takehiro Ueyama (NY, Japan), Shen Wei Dance Arts, Joshua L Peugh (Dark Circles Contemporary Dance), Jennifer Mabus, Cameron McKinney, Alethea Alexander, Jarod Theoret, David Justin, Lauren Anderson, Sandra Organ, Teoma Nacarrato, Gregory Nuber, and many others.
Workshop and Intensive Opportunities - SHSU Dance regularly travels with students to conferences and dance intensives such as American College Dance Association, Texas Dance Improvisation Festival, and Dance Italia in Lucca, Italy. The vicinity of Sam Houston to greater Houston allows students to engage in many performance and choreographic opportunities occurring in the city as well. These experiences help broaden student connections to others in the field and expand their knowledge and understanding of dance.
BFA in Dance Student Handbook - All Dance majors are required to follow the guidelines laid out in the BFA student handbook.
Dance Curriculum Description
Four levels of ballet and modern dance technique are offered. The curriculum includes four semesters of Choreography, Contact Improvisation/Partnering, Dance History, Jazz Dance, Principles of Dance, Pilates, Criticism & Analysis, Dance & Technology, Career Resources, Repertory, Dance and Popular Culture, and Dance Pedagogy, as well as numerous popular dance forms. All dance majors are required to attend seven to twelve hours of technique each week in addition to rehearsal hours per week. Students must demonstrate an advanced level of proficiency in ballet or modern dance technique before graduating. In their final year, students complete a choreographic capstone project that culminates in a fully produced dance concert. The first Thursday and Friday of each semester placement auditions for technique classes occur.
Transfer Students - Most transfer student need a minimum of five semesters of study at Sam Houston State University to complete the BFA in Dance. If you have completed courses at another university that we recognize as equivalent to our courses, we will give you credit for those. We work closely with transfer students to help them complete their dance study at Sam Houston.
Sophomore Gate – Occurs in conjunction with DANC 3376, Choreography 2. This review of candidates for the BFA degree in dance is intended as an opportunity for the faculty to assess the student’s progress and potential for completion of the BFA program, and for the student to fully consider her/his own commitment to such pursuits. In addition to assessing performance and choreographic skills demonstrated in the Sophomore Gate solo, the faculty will confirm that the student has maintained a minimum 3.0 GPA in dance classes and an overall commitment to the requirements of a Dance Major. Candidates will present a 3-5 minute solo, which they have choreographed under the guidance of their assigned faculty mentor and junior mentor.
There are three outcomes possible for The Sophomore Gate; passing and retention in the BFA program, not passing and student will be advised out of the program, and a probationary period of one semester where the student is asked to improve grades in dance classes or to repeat the gate process itself.
"Meridian's Sky" by Colette Kerwick; Photo by Lynn Lane
Department of Dance
815 17th Street, Suite 150, Huntsville, TX 77340
Phone: (936) 294-3342 or (936) 294-1875 | E-mail: shsudance@shsu.edu