Dance (DANC)

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Abstract

The Department of Dance offers a Master of Fine Arts degree in Dance with concentrations in either performance or choreography. It is designed to give outstanding students advanced training and opportunities for creative growth. This modern dance program will prepare the student for the professional world as a dancer, choreographer or teacher on the college level.

The competencies that students learn during the program will allow them to teach a broad range of dance and dance-related subjects after they graduate. They should be able to produce and present dance in a number of contexts and modalities both on the campus and in the community.

The program provides many performance opportunities, some of which are directed by faculty members, visiting artists and students in the choreographic emphasis. Yet another objective is to provide a program that broadens the performing artist's understanding of all aspects of dance. Important emphasis will be given to dance history and philosophy and the study of current issues in the field. We wish our graduates to exhibit a high degree of insight into the cultural contexts in which dance has developed in the past and continues to develop today.

Students in both the performance and choreography emphases will be expected to spend a significant amount of time learning about technical aspects of dance as well as promotion and house management and the myriad of other organizational details that go into producing a dance performance. They will be actively involved in the practical application of this knowledge as part of their training. Graduates who understand every aspect of the theater needed to successfully present a dance performance will find themselves more highly employable both in the performance and educational fields of the profession.

Admissions Information

Applicants should have a strong undergraduate preparation in technique and dance composition. They should have completed the following undergraduate courses or their equivalent: improvisation, kinesiology, dance teaching methods, dance production, Laban Movement Analysis, and two semesters of dance history or one semester of history and one of dance philosophy, ethnology or aesthetics. Undergraduate deficiencies will be considered on an individual basis.

Application Deadlines

	Fall	Spring
Domestic Applicants: U.S. Citizens and Permanent Residents
Domestic Applicant Deadlines	Applications must be received by February 1 .	This program does not accept applications for this semester.
International Applicants: Applicants from Outside the U.S. or U.S. Citizens / Permanent Residents with Non-U.S. Credentials IMPORTANT:   International Applicants and U.S. Applicants with Non-U.S. Credentials must follow the domestic deadlines above if they are earlier than the deadlines listed below.
Applicants seeking admission under F (Student) or J (Exchange Visitor) visas	February 1 If Domestic Deadline is after Feb. 1	June 1 If Domestic Deadline is after Jun. 1
Applicants seeking admission under A, E, G, H, I, and L visas and immigrants	May 1 If Domestic Deadline is after May 1	October 1 If Domestic Deadline is after Jun. 1
U.S. Citizens and Permanent Residents with foreign credentials	May 15 If Domestic Deadline is after May 15	October 31 If Domestic Deadline is after Oct.31

Application Requirements

1. No Tests
2. 3 Letters of Recommendation addressed (can be submitted online)
3. Audition/Interview
4. Writing Sample (submitted online with application)
5. DVD to be mailed to department
6. NOTE:Audition Date for Fall 2008 Admission is March 1, 2008

Degree Requirements

Master of Fine Arts (M.F.A.)
Students enrolled in the program must complete a total of 60 credit hours of study with a minimum cumulative grade point average of 3.0 to graduate and will be juried on a regular basis to determine their progress. Graduation from the program requires the successful completion of a final project demonstrating a synthesis of craft and artistic understanding as well as professional competence in the area of concentration. Final projects may follow either of two emphases: (1) the thesis project for the choreographic emphasis will consist of the public presentation of a body of dance works choreographed by the candidate; (2) the thesis project for the performance emphasis will consist of the public presentation of a body of dance works featuring the candidate in performance. For both emphases, the total performance time is to be equivalent to a substantial dance concert. The work may be presented in one or more publicly attended events. Candidates are responsible for the organization of all production elements involved in the presentation of the project.

Facilities and Special Resources

The location of campus, eight miles away from Washington D.C., places the Department a half hour away from America's second city of dance where one may study and enjoy a wide variety of offerings of ballet, modern and ethnic dance.

Financial Assistance

A limited number of teaching assistantships that include partial or full tuition remission is available. All qualified applicants may be nominated for Graduate School fellowships; the deadline for applications is February 1.

Contact Information

The Guidelines for the Graduate Program provide course requirements, examination procedures and descriptive materials for the M.F.A. program. For specific information, contact:

Karen K. Bradley, Director of Graduate Studies
Department of Dance Clarice Smith Performaing Arts Center
University of Maryland College Park
MD  20742-1615
Telephone: (301) 405-0387
Fax: (310) 314-1972
kbradley@wam.umd.edu

http://www.dance.umd.edu

Ms. Marie Visosky, Coordinator, Department of Dance Graduate Program
Department of Dance University of Maryland
College Park
MD  20742-1615
Telephone: 301-405-3181
Fax: 301-314-1972
mvisosky@umd.edu

http://www.dance.umd.edu

Courses: DANC