In this minor, you’ll engage with dance on multiple levels—creative, intellectual, and physical. 

Guided by our outstanding faculty, you’ll receive conservatory-caliber training in a small class setting. As a Dance Minor, you’ll gain a broad understanding of the historical, theoretical, and cultural roots of dance, while also learning and performing a variety of styles and choreography, from Ballroom to Traditional West African to Hip Hop. In addition, you’ll have the opportunity to attend shows throughout the Bay Area and work with a diverse range of guest artists. 

Our students grow tremendously in their critical thinking, writing, and verbal communication skills, all valuable skills for any future career. Some of our graduates head for careers in dance, theatre, and the arts. Many continue onto graduate studies. Others put their critical and creative skills to work outside of the arts, in education, health care, and beyond.

Myriad possibilities await you, and we are here to prepare you for them!

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Get to know our well-respected faculty and their specialties, as artists and scholars. Or explore scholarship opportunities and an array of performance possibilities.

Dance, Minor

The minor in Dance is designed for the Liberal Arts education. Students will take 21 units in choreography, movement and theory courses many of which also have Core curriculum designations. Dance skills are life-long transferable skills and this minor allows you to explore dance while also pairing it with other disciplines.

Requirements

Lower Division

The following lower-division courses are required for the major.

  • Choreography I (2 units)

LD Movement Classes

Take four movement classes from the following list. Courses may be repeated.

  • Tap (1 units)
  • West African Dance (1 units)
  • Baile Folklorico (1 units)
  • Jazz Dance (1 units)
  • Modern/Contemporary Dance I (1 units)
  • Ballet: Somatic Fundamentals (1 units)
  • Gaga/Improvisation (1 units)
  • Chinese Dance (1 units)
  • Ballroom (1 units)
  • Intermediate Tap (2 units)
  • Int West African Dance (2 units)
  • Intermediate Baile Folklorico (1 units)
  • Intermediate Jazz Dance (1 units)
  • Modern/Contemporary Dance II (1 units)
  • Ballet II (1 units)
  • Intermediate Hip-Hop Dance (1 units)
  • Intermediate Chinese Dance (1 units)
  • Intermediate Ballroom (1 units)
  • Hip-Hop Dance

Upper Division

The following courses are required

  • Laban and Bartenieff Movement (3 units)
  • Dance History: Antiracist Appr (3 units)

UD Movement Classes

Take four movement classes from the following list:

  • Advanced Tap (1 units)
  • Advanced West African Dance (1-2 units)
  • Advanced Baile Folklorico (1 units)
  • Advanced Jazz Dance (1 units)
  • Modern/Contemporary Dance III (2 units)
  • Ballet III (2 units)
  • Advanced Gaga/Improvisation (1 units)
  • Advanced Hip-Hop Dance (1 units)
  • Advanced Chinese Dance (1 units)
  • Advanced Ballroom (1 units)
  • Modern/Contemporary Dance IV (1 units)
  • Ballet IV (1 units)
  • Dance Pedagogy (3 units)
  • Asian Dance Contemporary World (3 units)
  • Dance and Performance Studies (4 units)

Dance Production

Take one of the following:

  • Dance Production I (1 units)
  • Dance Production II (1 units)
  • Lower Division Production
  • The Art of Acting (3 units)
  • Perceiving the Performing Arts (3 units)
  • Global Music and Dance (3 units)
  • Special Study in Design (1 units)

Saint Mary's Testimonials

Person Headshot '14

“The SMC Dance program has always provided a positive learning environment for its students and me. They offer a lot of diverse dance classes such as Modern, Ballet, West African, Ballet Folklorico and many more. The dance professors are always very warm, positive, caring and fun to be around within the studios. They are always there for their students and help push them to achieve their goals.”

Eesha Shah, Class of 2022

School and Department Information