Dance

Overview

Bachelor of Arts

The BA degree in the Dance program of the University of California, Santa Barbara offers a strong dance component within a liberal arts education. The BA is less specialized, less structured, and has fewer major requirements than the BFA. The BA allows students to undertake coursework in related fields in order to prepare themselves for alternative dance careers such as dance therapy, dance administration, dance history and dance education.

Bachelor of Fine Arts

The B.F.A. degree in dance is specifically oriented toward training the dance student for a professional career in performance and/or choreography. The curriculum is highly structured and provides daily professional training through a multitude of course offerings in dance and related arts that are designed to stimulate the potential artist toward his or her highest level of achievement. Central to this degree option are technique courses in modern dance and ballet which progress in sequence. Throughout the student's residence in the dance major, a minimum of eight technique classes per week (ballet and modern) is required. For graduation, the B.F.A. student must fulfill the minimum of proficiency requirement in technique by passing Dance 147C and 156F. Because of the focus of the professional degree, students are expected to maintain rigorous technical program. Courses in improvisation, choreography, repertory, and performance are integral to the studio aspect of the program, while classes in dance history, criticism, music analysis and musical resources build an in-depth knowledge of the literature of the field. Additionally, required courses in areas such as costume and lighting design, acting, mime, anatomy, and arts appreciation as well as optional classes in jazz, musical theatre, and pedagogy assure that graduates of the program are prepared to enter the profession with a broad enough background of experience to embark upon dance careers as independent artists.

Eligibility for this professional degree will be determined through an evaluation by the faculty of the student's potenial to fulfill the stringent requirements for the degree within the time normaly expected for marticulation.