Dance

Dance

DANCE FACULTY
Steven Chatfield
Christian Cherry
Jenifer Craig
Brad Garner
Rita Honka
Walter Kennedy
Shannon Mockli
Florabelle Moses

African dance I students are capturing the beat of drums. The intensity that the students exhibit during the dance determines the tempo of the drum beats.

At Oregon, the dance studios are vibrant and challenging movement research sites for the development of the artistic possibilities of our community.

Dance is a highly collaborative art form. Our faculty members and students work seamlessly together along with musicians, composers, and other visual and performing artists on campus to create many new works each year.

The Department of Dance has a modern dance emphasis with a strong supporting area in ballet, together with many other genres of dance including jazz, tap, ballroom, tango, swing, and African.

Dance majors also study production for dance, history, improvisation, composition, and pedagogy. Internships and senior projects allow you to shape the focus of your education.

Our dancers regularly attend the American College Dance Festival. They also have the opportunity to present at annual academic conferences such as the International Association for Dance Medicine and Science.

Dance Facilities

The Department of Dance is housed in Gerlinger Annex, with four spacious studios on the third floor.

Two of these studios convert to become the 250-seat M. Frances Dougherty Dance Theatre, with lighting and stage equipment for department concerts.

The dance department also houses dedicated computer workstations for audio and video editing.

Dance Oregon

This student-powered group, open to anyone interested in dance, provides a variety of activities on and off campus, from film festivals to sponsoring professional guest artists who perform, lecture, set repertory, or teach master classes.

Repertory Companies

Dance Africa is a touring ensemble that performs in special outreach programs designed for area elementary schools.

The University of Oregon Repertory Dance Company tours through the state each year, performing contemporary works of both UO faculty and distinguished guest artists.

Dance Mission Statement

The primary aim of the Department of Dance is to enrich the lives of majors, non majors, and the Oregon community with diverse dance experiences. Dance is explored as an art form and as one of the humanities in a liberal-arts education. Study in dance as an academic discipline integrates inquiry and theory to develop skills in observation, critical thinking, problem solving, and evaluation. In addition to the academic components, dance students experience the rigorous professional discipline that is inherent in studio classes. The department emphasizes modern dance with a strong supporting area in ballet. Students may also study such idioms as African dance, improvisation, ballroom, contact improvisation, hip-hop, jazz, salsa, tango and tap.

Regardless of a student's career goals, education in dance at the University of Oregon provides the opportunity to develop motivation and self-discipline, intellectual curiosity, and creative imagination. These attributes are essential not only for a successful career but also for experiencing a fulfilling life.

Dance

"You will be on a first name basis with your professors. We want to know you. We couldn't do our work without you."
—Walter Kennedy,
Associate Professor
of Dance