Minor in Dance
The dance minor at Boston University is a collaboration between the School of Theatre and the Department of Dance. It is designed to enhance a student’s preparedness for a number of multidisciplinary fields including dance ethnology, dance history, movement therapy, musical theater, movement education, and arts administration. For those who wish to pursue dance performance or choreography as a career, or who wish to apply to graduate programs in dance, the dance minor will serve as verification of their skill level and commitment to this field of study.
In order to receive a minor in dance, students will be required to complete 20 credits in dance theory, studio, and performance classes.
Required Courses (14 credit hours)
| CFA Choreography | |
| CFA DR 334 Principles of Choreography (spring only) or CFA DR 434 Choreography and Design: Experiments in Movement and Light |
2 cr |
| CFA DR 119 20th Century Dance History (fall only) | 2 cr |
| CFA DR 203 Aesthetics of Dance (spring only) | 2 cr |
| PDP DA 400/CFA DR 601 Performance and Repertory (4 semesters) | var cr |
| Dance Technique Classes | |
| PDP DA or CFA ••• (minimum of 4 genres; 2 at int./adv. level) (Letter grade of A required in Low Intermediate classes to meet requirement.) |
4 cr |
| Choose from (one credit each): | |
| Ballet | 1 cr |
| Modern | 1 cr |
| Tap | 1 cr |
| Movement improvisation | 1 cr |
Elective Courses (minimum 6 credit hours)
PDP DA Technique classes in addition to those listed above:
| Dance classes | |
| Pilates |
1 cr |
| Hip-Hop |
1 cr |
| Ballroom |
.5 cr |
| Afro-Jazz |
1 cr |
| Cardio Jazz Funk |
1 cr |
| PDP MA Martial Arts | |
| Tai Chi or other Martial Arts |
1 cr |
| PDP MB Mind/Body | |
| Yoga and Zen Meditation |
1 cr |
| PDP NT Nutrition | |
| Nutrition |
.5 or 1 cr |
| CFA DR 133, 134, etc. Most studio courses in acting and movement for non-majors, history of theatre, and design/production courses in School of Theatre, and Independent Study Movement courses |
1–4 cr |
| CFA MU 119 or 120 Music Appreciation |
2 cr |
| CFA MU 111 or 112 Elements of Music Theory for non-majors | 4 cr |
| CAS AN 280/UNI HU 200 English Ritual Dance and Drama | 4 cr |
| SED PE 103 Intro to Human Movement |
2 cr |
| SED PE 303 Kinesiology (fall only) |
4 cr |
| TOTAL for Dance Minor |
20 cr |
Note: Currently available for students in the College of Fine Arts, College of Health & Rehabilitation Sciences: Sargent College, School of Management, School of Education, College of Arts & Sciences, College of Communication, and School of Hospitality Administration.
Students in the College of Communication may only pursue the dance minor if they are also pursuing a liberal arts minor. Please consult the COM Advising Office for details. Dance minors must register for the XA sections of their PERD dance courses by sending a request to mtaylor@bu.edu. The XA sections are graded. All other sections for PERD courses are pass/fail. Instructors will be grading the non-minor students in their grade books only. The department will keep these records in the event a student is eligible or interested in the dance minor at a later date.
The remaining credits are taken from an approved list of classes including dance techniques classes, School of Theatre movement classes, and general theatre arts classes.
For additional information, please visit the dance minor website or email dance@bu.edu.
