Bachelor of Arts (BA) in Dance
The BA in dance is for students seeking a broad liberal arts education with a specialization in the area of dance.
Students pursuing the bachelor of arts in dance or the minor take classes through Mason Gross, but they are enrolled in other schools such as School of Arts and Sciences or the School of Environmental and Biological Sciences. No audition is required.
BA dance majors complete 41 credits in dance at Mason Gross School of the Arts. Dance courses include modern, ballet, jazz, somatics, improvisation, choreography, production, dance history, kinesiology, rhythm, Laban Movement Analysis, dance studies, and electives in more advanced levels of practice and additional movement forms such as Street and Club dances and Latin and Hispanic dance forms.
Requirements for Declaration
REQUIREMENTS FOR DECLARATION
Current Rutgers students interested in declaring the MINOR or BA MAJOR must have:
- a 2.5 GPA and
- have completed 6 credits of MGSA technique/studio classes with a C or better
To declare the major/minor
- SAS students must declare through MyMajor. Students from other Rutgers units must contact their major advisor for instructions specific to their unit.
- Major and minor declarations can be submitted at any time but will only be processed when all requirements have been met.
- Applications are due on the first of the following months: November, January, April, and August. Decisions are made by the 15th the month that application is received.
- Students are advised to declare the major/minor no later than the second semester of their sophomore year to allow for adequate time to complete all requirements by their expected date of graduation.
- Students must be declared majors/minors to audition for department sponsored concerts.
Even if you are not yet ready to declare, you can receive Dance department course information by emailing dance@mgsa.rutgers.edu using your scarletmail email address with the subject line “Dance Department Inquiry.”
Learning Goals of the BA in Dance
What students will know:
Upon completion of the BA degree, our students will possess the knowledge and skills to constructively engage with diverse embodied practices and perspectives in the dance field, including historically marginalized practices; articulate how their intersectional identities connect to and impact their artistic/pedagogic/scholarly practices; utilize creative research methodologies; and engage with dance as a political, social, cultural, historical, and economic act.
What students will value:
Upon completion of the BA degree, our students will value rigor in their artistic practices; self-knowledge and understanding of their positionality as an artist and scholar; the potential of cross-curricular, multidisciplinary, and interdisciplinary engagements as resources within dance and related fields; the distinctive physical and cultural values of diverse movement practices; a social and environmental justice mindset; community service engagement; and wellness and self-care.
What students will do:
Upon completion of the BA degree, our students will be able to employ critical thinking and creative and scholarly research to become self-directed and self-managing practitioners; and investigate, integrate, and synthesize embodied experiences through artistic and scholarly methodologies into dance or other career fields.
Career Outcomes
This degree program prepares students to explore careers in:
- Interdisciplinary arts
- Performance and choreography
- Arts administration
- Lighting design
- Stage management
- Teaching Pilates and yoga
- Dance history/scholarship
- Physical therapy
Curriculum and Course Offerings
BA Dance Curriculum Requirements
Students engage in various movement practice classes that include African and African Diasporic forms, classical/traditional forms, contemporary fusion forms, and somatic forms. Creative practice classes include improvisation and choreography. Other coursework highlights Kinesiology, Wellness, and Dance Studies. Elective offerings encompass performance opportunities and further studio and theoretical study.
Related Minors and Certificates
Arts Management and Leadership Minor: The minor in Arts Management & Leadership supports students seeking to gain skills or build careers in arts administration in either the nonprofit or commercial sectors. The minor equips students with the basics of business skills such as economic and financial literacy, data analysis software, management skills, and teamwork skills, and their application in a variety of subfields within arts administration, including education and outreach, arts marketing, development and grant-seeking, and production. Through three required courses—two in Business Studies and one in Arts Administration Studies—and three electives, students gain a foundation for work or graduate study in the field of arts administration. Learn more here.
Creative Expression and the Environment Minor: The minor in Creative Expression and the Environment is a multidisciplinary program in which students gain familiarity with fundamentals of environmental issues and learn to respond to them through creative expression in a variety of disciplines and media in the arts and humanities. Students gain the flexibility to develop their skills as readers, writers, musical performers and composers, visual artists, designers, theater artists, filmmakers, dancers, choreographers, and more, even as they see how those skills can contribute to the communication and creation of knowledge in environmental science and social science. Learn more here.
Disability Studies Minor: The Disability Studies minor examines the meaning, nature, and consequences of disability, as a social, cultural, and political construct. It provides students the opportunity to challenge normative ableist paradigms that reinforce rigid ideas about the body and personhood for people with disabilities. This minor is well-matched to majors in public health, public policy, urban planning and design, planning and public policy, kinesiology and health, labor and employment relations, visual and performing arts, health administration, sociology, psychology, and more. Learn more here.
Minor in Holistic Wellness: The Holistic Wellness minor is a unique, interdisciplinary 18-credit program that prepares students to promote wellness in any career path. The curriculum balances foundational courses in wellness principles with hands-on experiences in areas such as yoga, nature journaling, and arts in health, all while examining the societal structures and policies that impact the 8 Dimensions of wellbeing. This comprehensive approach ensures graduates understand both personal wellness practices and how to implement effective wellness programs for others across all dimensions of wellness. Learn more here.
Study Abroad
In the third year of study, BFA dance students are eligible to participate in study abroad programs through Rutgers Global.
France: Camping (Summer)
The Camping: Dance, Choreography and Performance program centers around the Camping Festival, hosted by the Centre National de la Danse (The National Dance Center) of France, an international festival and platform of workshops, talks, film screenings, professional encounters, public presentations, and performances. A unique experience bringing together artists from around the world, Camping offers a unique artistic experience that immerses students into the international contemporary dance scene.
Israel: DanceJerusalem
The DanceJerusalem program in Israel, facilitated jointly by the Rothberg International School and the Jerusalem Academy of Music and Dance, combines artistic training in dance skills and technique with academic exposure to Israel’s social, historical, and cultural environment. Mason Gross BFA dance majors eligible for study abroad pursue artistic and technical training in classical ballet, contemporary dance (including Ohad Naharin’s GaGa technique), choreography, repertoire, and improvisation. Master classes with Batsheva dance company members and guest artist residencies provide students with unparalleled opportunities to create, rehearse, and perform works with outstanding Israeli composers and choreographers.
Italy: Accademia dell’Arte (Summer)
The Accademia dell’Arte program in Arezzo, Tuscany, Italy, is rooted in the European tradition of modern dance, German Ausdruckstanz and German dance theater. Mason Gross BFA dance majors eligible for study abroad can expect a program that features classical ballet, modern and post-modern performance techniques as well as somatic approaches with specific cultural movement traditions such as butoh or the traditional Italian tarantismo. Study abroad students in the Accademia’s dance program will enjoy an enriching and challenging encounter with European dance culture in a truly inspiring environment. Accademia dell’Arte aims to create an atmosphere that encourages authentic and individual expression thereby cultivating artistic development and personal growth.
United Kingdom: Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance
As a BFA dance major, students can study at Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance in London, United Kingdom, known internationally in the field of dance. The undergraduate program aims to prepare students for a successful career or further study in the competitive world of contemporary dance. Students can opt for this official study abroad program in their junior year.
Brazil: Afro-Brazilian Dance and Musicin Salvador (Summer)
The program, a collaboration between Mason Gross Dance and Music Departments, offers an immersive cultural experience centered in Afro-Brazilian dance and music as community-driven, culturally sustaining practices blending African, Portuguese, and Indigenous traditions. Salvador, home to the largest Black population outside of Africa, is the center of Afro-Brazilian culture. The program host site is the Dance Department at the Federal University of Bahia (UFBA). Students will participate in daily Afro-Brazilian dance and music classes with master teachers from UFBA and the Dance School of the Fundação Cultural do Estado da Bahia (FUNCEB). Additionally, the program features a series of cultural excursions to deepen students’ awareness and understanding of the history and contributions of Afro-Brazilians. Excursions include the Afro-Brazilian Museum, Carnival Museum and a dance and music performance by the world-famous Balé Folclórico da Bahia.
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Minor in Dance
The minor in dance program provides introductory experience in dance training and dance theory. Minors in dance complete 20 credits in dance at Mason Gross School of the Arts. A minimum of 2.5 GPA is required to apply and students must earn a C or better in required courses to complete the minor.
Requirements for Declaration
REQUIREMENTS FOR DECLARATION
Current Rutgers students interested in declaring the MINOR or BA MAJOR must have:
- a 2.5 GPA and
- have completed 6 credits of MGSA technique/studio classes with a C or better
To declare the major/minor
- SAS students must declare through MyMajor. Students from other Rutgers units must contact their major advisor for instructions specific to their unit.
- Major and minor declarations can be submitted at any time but will only be processed when all requirements have been met.
- Applications are due on the first of the following months: November, January, April, and August. Decisions are made by the 15th the month that application is received.
- Students are advised to declare the major/minor no later than the second semester of their sophomore year to allow for adequate time to complete all requirements by their expected date of graduation.
- Students must be declared majors/minors to audition for department sponsored concerts.
Even if you are not yet ready to declare, you can receive Dance department course information by emailing dance@mgsa.rutgers.edu using your scarletmail email address with the subject line “Dance Department Inquiry.”
Learning Goals of the Minor in Dance
What students will know:
Upon completion of the minor, students will possess the knowledge and skills to utilize a creative mindset; constructively engage with diverse embodied practices and perspectives in the dance field, including historically marginalized practices; articulate how their intersectional identities connect to and impact their artistic practices; and engage with dance as a political, social, cultural, historical, and economic act.
What students will value:
Upon graduation, our students will learn to value a creative mindset; rigor in their artistic practices; the potential of cross-curricular, multi and interdisciplinary engagements as resources within dance and related fields; the distinctive physical and cultural values of diverse movement practices; wellness and self-care.
What students will do:
Upon completion of the minor, our students will be able to employ critical thinking towards becoming self-directed and self-managing practitioners; and investigate, integrate, and synthesize embodied experiences.
Possible career outcomes:
The minor in dance supports integrating artistic and embodied mindsets into a variety of careers.
Curriculum and Course Offerings
Dance Minor Curriculum Requirements
Students engage in various movement practice classes that include African and African Diasporic forms, classical/traditional forms, contemporary fusion forms, and somatic forms. Creative practice classes include improvisation and choreography. Other coursework highlights Kinesiology, Wellness, and Dance Studies. Elective offerings encompass performance opportunities and further studio and theoretical study.
Related Minors and Certifications
Arts Management and Leadership Minor: The minor in Arts Management & Leadership supports students seeking to gain skills or build careers in arts administration in either the nonprofit or commercial sectors. The minor equips students with the basics of business skills such as economic and financial literacy, data analysis software, management skills, and teamwork skills, and their application in a variety of subfields within arts administration, including education and outreach, arts marketing, development and grant-seeking, and production. Through three required courses—two in Business Studies and one in Arts Administration Studies—and three electives, students gain a foundation for work or graduate study in the field of arts administration. Learn more here.
Creative Expression and the Environment Minor: The minor in Creative Expression and the Environment is a multidisciplinary program in which students gain familiarity with fundamentals of environmental issues and learn to respond to them through creative expression in a variety of disciplines and media in the arts and humanities. Students gain the flexibility to develop their skills as readers, writers, musical performers and composers, visual artists, designers, theater artists, filmmakers, dancers, choreographers, and more, even as they see how those skills can contribute to the communication and creation of knowledge in environmental science and social science. Learn more here.
Disability Studies Minor: The Disability Studies minor examines the meaning, nature, and consequences of disability, as a social, cultural, and political construct. It provides students the opportunity to challenge normative ableist paradigms that reinforce rigid ideas about the body and personhood for people with disabilities. This minor is well-matched to majors in public health, public policy, urban planning and design, planning and public policy, kinesiology and health, labor and employment relations, visual and performing arts, health administration, sociology, psychology, and more. Learn more here.
Minor in Holistic Wellness: The Holistic Wellness minor is a unique, interdisciplinary 18-credit program that prepares students to promote wellness in any career path. The curriculum balances foundational courses in wellness principles with hands-on experiences in areas such as yoga, nature journaling, and arts in health, all while examining the societal structures and policies that impact the 8 Dimensions of wellbeing. This comprehensive approach ensures graduates understand both personal wellness practices and how to implement effective wellness programs for others across all dimensions of wellness. Learn more here.
Study Abroad
In the third year of study, BFA dance students are eligible to participate in study abroad programs through Rutgers Global.
France: Camping (Summer)
The Camping: Dance, Choreography and Performance program centers around the Camping Festival, hosted by the Centre National de la Danse (The National Dance Center) of France, an international festival and platform of workshops, talks, film screenings, professional encounters, public presentations, and performances. A unique experience bringing together artists from around the world, Camping offers a unique artistic experience that immerses students into the international contemporary dance scene.
Israel: DanceJerusalem
The DanceJerusalem program in Israel, facilitated jointly by the Rothberg International School and the Jerusalem Academy of Music and Dance, combines artistic training in dance skills and technique with academic exposure to Israel’s social, historical, and cultural environment. Mason Gross BFA dance majors eligible for study abroad pursue artistic and technical training in classical ballet, contemporary dance (including Ohad Naharin’s GaGa technique), choreography, repertoire, and improvisation. Master classes with Batsheva dance company members and guest artist residencies provide students with unparalleled opportunities to create, rehearse, and perform works with outstanding Israeli composers and choreographers.
Italy: Accademia dell’Arte (Summer)
The Accademia dell’Arte program in Arezzo, Tuscany, Italy, is rooted in the European tradition of modern dance, German Ausdruckstanz and German dance theater. Mason Gross BFA dance majors eligible for study abroad can expect a program that features classical ballet, modern and post-modern performance techniques as well as somatic approaches with specific cultural movement traditions such as butoh or the traditional Italian tarantismo. Study abroad students in the Accademia’s dance program will enjoy an enriching and challenging encounter with European dance culture in a truly inspiring environment. Accademia dell’Arte aims to create an atmosphere that encourages authentic and individual expression thereby cultivating artistic development and personal growth.
United Kingdom: Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance
As a BFA dance major, students can study at Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance in London, United Kingdom, known internationally in the field of dance. The undergraduate program aims to prepare students for a successful career or further study in the competitive world of contemporary dance. Students can opt for this official study abroad program in their junior year.
Brazil: Afro-Brazilian Dance and Musicin Salvador (Summer)
The program, a collaboration between Mason Gross Dance and Music Departments, offers an immersive cultural experience centered in Afro-Brazilian dance and music as community-driven, culturally sustaining practices blending African, Portuguese, and Indigenous traditions. Salvador, home to the largest Black population outside of Africa, is the center of Afro-Brazilian culture. The program host site is the Dance Department at the Federal University of Bahia (UFBA). Students will participate in daily Afro-Brazilian dance and music classes with master teachers from UFBA and the Dance School of the Fundação Cultural do Estado da Bahia (FUNCEB). Additionally, the program features a series of cultural excursions to deepen students’ awareness and understanding of the history and contributions of Afro-Brazilians. Excursions include the Afro-Brazilian Museum, Carnival Museum and a dance and music performance by the world-famous Balé Folclórico da Bahia.
Advising