The Dance Program

The Dance Program is part of the UNL School of Music in the Hixson-Lied College of Fine and Performing Arts. The Dance Studio and dance faculty offices are located in Mabel Lee Hall. Dance classes are also held in the Johnny Carson Theatre at the Lied Center for Performing Arts.

• Bachelor of Arts in Dance
• Classes
• The Program of Study in Dance
• Performances
• Guest Artists

To request more information about the dance program click here

For audition information or to request an audition click here

or you may contact the admissions coordinator at:

UNL School of Music
Janet Sievert
121 Westbrook Music Building
Lincoln, NE 68588-0100
(402) 472-6830
email: School of Music

Bachelor of Arts

The Dance Program offers the BA Degree in Dance with comprehensive training in modern dance, including technique, improvisation and composition, augmented by ballet. Students study a balanced and integrated course load which combines dance with a strong liberal studies core. This program teaches the cultural, theatrical and performing aspects of dance. It emphasizes the development of working methods which are both safe and correct as it encourages students to explore and develop their personal artistry.

Click here to see a semester by semester plan

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Classes

Dance classes are open to all University of Nebraska students according to the prerequites listed in UNL Bulletin. Dance majors and minors must successfully complete an audition. Ballet and modern dance classes are the primary techniques offered with elective classes in other areas including Choreography for the Camera, Choreography & Technology, and Social Dance.
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Program of Study

The program of study in dance offers a progression of classes, enabling students to take beginning, intermediate and advanced technique classes in a designated order. This has made for more skilled dancers who are able to participate in dance program concerts and department productions as well as community projects. Other courses for the dance major include Introduction to Dance, Dance History: 20th Century and Beyond, Dance Composition, Kinesiology and Injury Prevention, Dance Pedagogy, Music for Dance and Repertory, Improvisation and Performance.
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Performances

Performances are an integral part of the UNL Dance Program. The concert season includes one major production with works by faculty and guest artists each year, and two informal productions which include student choreography, and works in progress. Students also have the opportunity to participate in mainstage productions with the School of Music and the Department of Theatre Arts. Performance opportunities in the Lincoln area for dancers and choreographers include the Lincoln Community Playhouse, the Haymarket Theatre, The Lincoln Contemporary Dance Ensemble, Omaha Theater Dance Company, the Moving Company and the Lincoln Midwest Ballet Company. Students also attend the Regional American College Dance Festival where their choreography is presented and adjudicated by superb dance artists and teachers.
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Guest Artists

Dance students are given exceptional opportunities to attend master classes and workshops from guest artists and members of professional dance companies who are brought directly to the dance program or are performing at the Lied Center for Performing Arts.  Most recently students have worked with Jenna Riegel from Bill T Jones/Arnie Zane Dance company (who created a work on the UNL dancers that will be presented in 2012 at the regional ACDFA conference), Paul Besaw from the University of Vermont and Misa Table, Jeff Curtis, formerly with Shapiro and Smith, and Jan Van Dyke.  In addition, for three years Troika Ranch was at the University as part of a Doris Duke Charitable Trust Creative Campus initiative and worked extensively with the Dance Program including involving the students int eh creation of a new work that premiered at the Lied Center.  Earlier artists have included Richard Alston,  Beijing Modern Dance Company, River North, Pilobolus, Hubbard Street Dance Theater, Miami City Ballet, David Parson's Dance Company, Twyla Tharp Dance Company, Diavolo and Ballet Hispanico. Most recently, the Dance Department has welcomed Daniel Kubert from Bill T. Jones Dance Company for a one year residency and has sponsored such guest artists as Carol Mezzacappa from DanceConsort (New York City); John McLaughlin formerly principal dancer with Douglas Dunn Dance Company (New York City); Kim Robards, Artistic Director of Kim Robards Dance Company (Denver); Kennet Oberly, former dancer with Stuttgart Ballet and former artistic director of Ballet Iowa; Rhythm McCarthy, professor of dance at Southwest Missouri State University and former dancer with North Carolina Dance Theatre; and Dadisi Sanyika, artistic director of Dembrebrah West African Drumming and Dance Ensemble (Los Angeles).
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American College Dance Festival