The Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance curriculum is designed to prepare both the student seeking a career in dance as a performing artist as well as the student seeking a career as a teacher and choreographer in a private studio setting.
An audition is required for entrance into the program. Through a comprehensive curriculum, students develop their ability to improvise and compose dance, use technology for the presentation of dance, and demonstrate dance technique in solo and ensemble performances. Students perform a variety of repertoire in a wide range of settings, and have numerous opportunities to attend diverse public performances and events.
Shenandoah’s Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance program offers a wealth of intensive training and performance experiences in a diverse, arts saturated environment while maintaining the close-knit community and “feel” of a dance company.
You’ll have extensive opportunities to perform in faculty, guest artist, peer and self choreographed work. The international focus of Shenandoah University also facilitates opportunities for you to study and perform in other countries.
Our Conservatory setting also facilitates collaborative experiences with colleagues in both music and theatre.
We offer an exciting Performing Arts Leadership & Management Master’s degree program that can be accomplished with just one additional year of study after you complete your undergraduate degree.
Learn More About This Program
Our dance majors are engaged in research studies with the Athletic Training and Physical Therapy graduate programs, and benefit from their availability of evaluation and care that is scheduled on campus throughout the academic year and backstage during performances.
Within Shenandoah’s caring dance community, your professional expectations are nurtured as you develop your personal excellence and strive to achieve your individual goals. Upon completion of your degree, Shenandoah’s Dance Division will have prepared you to contribute to your artistic and cultural community in an increasingly competitive market that demands diversity, collaboration and creative strategies.
You Will Learn:
- Diverse, integrated technical skills in ballet, modern dance and jazz techniques
- Nuanced performance skills in classical and contemporary styles
- Contemporary dance composition skills, including contact improvisation and partnering
- Professional lighting, costuming and technical theatre experience
- Historical, scientific and pedagogical foundations for building dance careers
- Professional career development strategies, including the use of web/media technology for creative and promotional purposes
Minor in This Program
Shenandoah Conservatory offers minors in Music, Theatre, and Dance for all Shenandoah University students. Acceptance into conservatory minors must be approved by the Division/Department Chair, and some minors require an audition.
Learn more about Conservatory Minors
Declaring a Minor
Shenandoah students work with their Academic Advisor to declare a minor. Academic Advisors will continue to work with students to ensure that they fulfill all of the requirements to complete the minor.
Incoming students should not indicate their intended minor on their Shenandoah application. Applications are for intended majors only.
Internship Possibilities
The Career Services staff helps Shenandoah students search and apply for internships related to their major and career goals. Internships differentiate you as an applicant in your future job searches, provide hands on experience in your field, allow you to sample different career paths for your major, and help you find a specific position that fits your passion before graduation.
Career Possibilities
Aubrey Lawrence ’15 made it to the America’s Got Talent Finale on NBC with her touring dance company DIAVOLO | Architecture in Motion! Dani Maloney ’18 graduated early to fly to Los Angeles to join Diavolo as well. The two SU alumni are performing at the Kennedy Center and are hoping for a chance to compete in America’s Got Talent again.
The program offers professional training for a wide variety of contemporary dance careers, including concert performance (contemporary modern and jazz companies), commercial work (including Broadway, touring, cruise lines and video/film) and studio teaching. The discipline and creative problem-solving skills readily transfer to a variety of careers related to the performing arts, including promotion, marketing and teaching. Students are also prepared to pursue advanced studies in health and wellness professions (including physical therapy, exercise sciences, massage and fitness training) with an eye toward providing arts-intelligent care for performing arts professionals.
The Career Services Office Provides A Comprehensive Range Of Services And Resources To Assist Shenandoah Students In Their Career Search. Services offered include resume and cover letter building, mock interviews, and professional dining etiquette workshops.
I am the first from my family to graduate from college. Career Services helped my dream of becoming a professional dancer become reality. You really can get a degree in dance and make a career out of it!”
Chris Saunders | Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance ’17
Classes
Shenandoah Conservatory dancers are immersed in their art from the moment they arrive on campus. The intimate conservatory approach provides a focused environment for study, while the supportive atmosphere encourages individual growth and creativity. Technique courses in ballet, modern dance, jazz, tap, pointe & Pilates, deliver individualized attention and cultivate maximum progress. Facilities include two large studios, one of which is a 150-seat performance space. All ballet and modern dance technique courses have live accompaniment. Students are engaged in an intensive sequence of improvisation, solo and group composition, and partnering studies. Courses in dance history, dance sciences, theatre production, marketing and promotion techniques, music, and teaching techniques build a strong foundation for artistic expression and a scholarly awareness of dance as an art form.
The Dance Division presents three main stage concerts yearly in the 600-seat Ohrstrom-Bryant Theatre, engaging students in performance beginning in their freshman year. Outreach activities and showcases for student choreography are frequent. Master classes and residencies with internationally acclaimed guest artists are scheduled throughout the year.
View Full Dance (BFA) Curriculum
Learning support services are available to all students in every course at Shenandoah. Free peer tutoring with a student who has previously succeeded in the course is available for any course across the university. The Writing Center is available for every stage of the writing process from thesis development to proofreading and bibliography assistance. The Math Enrichment Center is available for math and science assistance. Professors and Academic Advisors across the university also have office hours and open door policies to ensure Shenandoah students succeed academically.
Performance Opportunities and Ensembles
Shenandoah Conservatory produces more than 400 performances each year. Enroll in a dynamic curriculum and start preparing for a meaningful career in the arts. You will practice your craft in front of audiences and develop a plan for your professional launch into the industry that focuses on your personal desires and aspirations.
Embrace extensive performance opportunities with top-tier facilities from theatres, concert halls and dance studios. Unite with fellow artists and join an alumni family that takes center stage from Broadway to the concert halls of Europe.
Shenandoah Conservatory Performances
Ensembles
Shenandoah Dance Ensemble is the performing outlet for students of the Dance Division at Shenandoah Conservatory. The ensemble performs extensively on campus and in a wide variety of nationally recognized venues.
Shenandoah Conservatory is home to more than 20 instrumental, vocal, and dance ensembles that present numerous performances every year. These performances take place throughout Shenandoah University’s vibrant campus on its various stages, including a concert hall, recital hall, proscenium stage, black box studio, outdoor amphitheater and more, to venues and performance spaces in the Northern Shenandoah Valley and around the world. Ensembles constantly engage with Shenandoah’s dynamic faculty and an array of distinguished guest artists through residencies, workshops and unique performance opportunities.
Faculty
Experience the world-renowned Shenandoah Conservatory. Study with master teachers – more than 100 professionals in music, theatre, dance and arts management.
Shenandoah Conservatory’s prestigious faculty is dynamic, creative, and passionately committed to the highest levels of artistic excellence. A deeply caring community, they mentor students with a wealth of professional expertise, balancing rigorous expectations with compassion and wisdom. At Shenandoah, you will study with, and perform for, award-winning composers, Metropolitan Opera singers, Grammy Award winning conductors and international competition winners. You will learn from leading scholars in music and premiere works created by accomplished dance artists and cutting-edge directors. Shenandoah Conservatory’s faculty embodies the highest levels of professional accomplishment and the deepest commitment to furthering the artistic growth and creative aspirations of students in every discipline.
Maurice Fraga
Christina Halpin Chair in Dance; Chair of Dance Division; Associate Professor, Dance
Full BiographyTing Yu Chen
Associate Dean for Student Affairs and Professor of Dance
Matthew Pardo
Justin Lewis
Michael Jones
Application and Audition Information
Shenandoah University works on rolling admissions. Applications are reviewed individually and holistically.
Submit your application, review required admissions materials, and find our admissions standards.
Admission to Shenandoah Conservatory is highly competitive. Not only must students be academically admissible, they must also complete and pass the mandatory audition/portfolio review and interview process. Audition dates are limited and may fill and close well in advance of the audition date.
Study Abroad
Make studying abroad the highlight of your college experience! Whether you go for a year, a semester, or just a few weeks, you will never forget learning in another culture! The Center for International Programs is here to help you plan your study abroad experience. Start your planning early to ensure the courses you complete abroad count toward your degree and you graduate on time.
Global Experiential Learning (GEL) Program
The Global Experiential Learning (GEL) Program offers Shenandoah students a short-term, faculty-led, study-abroad experience for academic credit. These short-term, credit-bearing, faculty-led programs are offered winter break, spring break, and during the summer. If a course is not within your major, it might be used as an elective.
Study Abroad
Shenandoah University is a member of the International Student Exchange Program (ISEP), a global network of 300 universities. This partnership allows students to study for a full semester or year at other member campuses abroad. By working closely with their academic advisors and the study abroad advisor, students can take classes taught in English abroad while receiving Shenandoah credit.
Shenandoah University also maintains direct partnerships with several universities around the world. These relationships allow students from SU to study abroad as exchange students and students from these universities to study at SU. All partner universities offer courses taught in English.
Fast-Track to Arts Management
Accelerated PALM Program
The Master of Science in Performing Arts Leadership and Management is designed to provide future performing arts executives and artistic leaders with the industry skills required in the 21st century. The accelerated program in Performing Arts Leadership and Management is available for current Shenandoah Conservatory undergraduates who, upon completion of their undergraduate degree, wish to obtain a Master of Science in Performing Arts Leadership and Management in just one year. Students who are accepted into the accelerated program will begin to take arts leadership and management courses during their undergraduate studies and register for internship during the summer between senior year and their final year of graduate study.