Dance Program

Apply Now View Courses
group of people dancing

Program

Program at a Glance

Degree Types

  • Associate Degree

Formats

  • In-Person

Length

  • 4 Semesters | Associate Degree

Academic and Career Pathway

Fine and Applied Arts

Dance Beyond the Classroom

The Dance program offers rigorous technical training grounded in creative research, body mechanics, diverse aesthetics and scholarship, preparing students to become versatile, well-rounded dancers.

Students learn through hands-on classes and fully produced performances led by COD faculty who are active professionals in the Chicago, national and international dance communities.

Fall and spring concerts showcase original works for both stage and screen by faculty, students and guest artists. Performances take place in the Belushi Performance Hall at the McAninch Arts Center, giving students the opportunity to dance in a professional-grade theater supported by experienced lighting and costume designers. Through close collaboration with the College of DuPage Theater, Art, Fashion, and Music programs, students gain interdisciplinary skills that expand creative possibilities and career pathways.

The Dance program offers introductory through advanced coursework  in dance appreciation, ballet, jazz, modern, tap, hip hop, choreography and composition, dance technology, dance pedagogy, and performance and production.

Determine Your Path

Many students that graduate with a degree in dance find themselves as dancers, choreographers, rehearsal assistants and directors, actors, models for fashion and commercial work, commercial performances, producers and directors, movement therapists, somatic practitioners, and dance educators in dance studios, park districts, K-12 schools, and in higher education.

Whether you are preparing for a career in dance or taking dance courses, College of DuPage has the right program for you. COD offers:

  • Dedicated instructors with years of professional experience.
  • Instruction utilizing top-notch facilities, equipment and resources.
  • Affordable programs to help students achieve success without creating overwhelming debt or draining a savings account.
  • Small class sizes that ensure students receive personalized attention from instructors.
  • Articulated transfer programs with several prestigious institutions.
  • Exceptional stages including the Belushi Performance Center in the McAninch Arts Center at College of DuPage.
  • Opportunities to study and/or work with nationally and internationally recognized guest teachers and choreographers

Dance Transfer Pathway, A.A.

What is a Transfer Pathway?

A transfer pathway represents a typical course schedule/sequence for a student planning to complete the A.A. degree within two years, then transfer and major in a specific discipline. A transfer pathway is not institution-specific.

It is important to understand that the pathway provided in the adjacent tab is just one possible combination of classes by which to complete an A.A. and prepare for transfer in your chosen area of study. Other course combinations and sequences can work, too. It is strongly recommended that students work directly and frequently with a COD academic counselor/advisor, a COD faculty advisor, and academic counselors/advisors at potential transfer schools, to develop and execute a plan that works best for them.

Get Started Today

The first step to getting started is to apply for admission.

Dance Program graduates will: 

  • Develop the knowledge and skills to perform, appreciate, understand, and interrogate dance as an art form utilizing physical practices and critical studies of dance and the related arts.
  • Integrate diverse aesthetics, scholarship, and praxis involving theory of dance, dance as a physical practice, and choreography and performance as a form of artistic investigation and research.
  • Model and integrate rigorous training, body mechanics and functional alignment, inclusive spaces, and personal agency within various multifaceted dance practices.
  • Demonstrate an integrated knowledge of the historical contexts of dance as an art form and of the physical practices of dance in its many forms.

Careers

 

 

Contact Information

Jessica Kondrath

Program Chair / Assistant Professor

Dance Faculty Directory

Kayla Kurtzweil

Program Support Specialist

People on stairway

Take the Next Step

Whether you’re exploring, applying or planning your path, COD makes it easy to get started.

Visit Apply Steps to Enrollment

© College of DuPage

ApplySteps to Enrollment