Salem State University - Dance

The Salem State University dance program honors the power of the moving body as an agent for self-actualization and civic engagement. We foster creative expression and communication through dance while contributing to the cultural understanding of a richly diverse world. We encourage critical thinking, experimentation, risk-taking, and interdisciplinary approaches, and are dedicated to the holistic development of our students.

The University, located just 15 miles north of Boston, is one of the largest state universities in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, and an important partner in the economic, cultural and intellectual vitality of the greater north-of-Boston region. Salem State provides a diverse community of learners with a high quality, student-centered education; one that prepares them to contribute responsibly and creatively to a global society.

The Music and Dance Department offers a Bachelor of Arts in dance degree that provides students with a comprehensive liberal arts education and is designed to prepare students for careers in the field of dance, including but not limited to performance/choreography, arts administration, and teaching. Majors select to focus on either hip hop or contemporary modern as their core areas of study and learn a diverse range of dance techniques: modern, hip-hop, ballet, improvisation, mind-body awareness, as well as rotating topics (tap, jazz, West African, conditioning for dancers, tango, etc.) The Salem Dance Ensemble provides valuable opportunities for students to choreograph, as well as perform in work by faculty and renowned guest artists in the new Sophia Gordon Center for the Arts theater. Visiting artists from varied backgrounds are invited each semester to teach master classes, perform, and set work on students. Additional studies in theater production, entrepreneurship, composition, and dance history give students a strong foundation in critical and creative thinking. Students can also develop their teaching skills by earning a certificate in dance education. The capstone seminar project offers a culminating experience for students to further research an area of personal interest.

Students enhance their college dance experience by attending the American College Dance Association Conference. Exemplary students can be initiated into the National Honors Society for Dance Arts and/or apply for the Presidential Arts Scholarship.

Visit the Music and Dance Department homepage for more information.
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