Dance BFA, BA & Minor

About this Program

Refine your artistry through the Dance BFA, Dance BA or Dance minor as you build technical excellence, creative confidence and performance experience across diverse dance styles and interdisciplinary collaborations.

Through daily studio practice, choreography, improvisation and performance, you’ll develop your artistic voice while training across contemporary, ballet, jazz, Africanist, global and somatic movement traditions. You’ll learn from accomplished faculty, collaborate with guest artists and fellow students, and perform in theaters, digital media and site specific settings that challenge you to grow as both an artist and collaborator.

Whether you’re pursuing intensive professional training or a flexible pathway that complements other academic interests, you’ll build a strong foundation in technique, creative practice and dance studies while gaining valuable connections to Seattle’s vibrant arts community. You’ll graduate prepared to contribute to the evolving world of dance and a variety of creative professions.

Quick Facts

Program Type

Major or Minor

Degree

Bachelor of Fine Arts
Bachelor of Arts
Minor

School

Cornish College of the Arts

Campus

South Lake Union

Learning Format

In-Person

Duration

4 years

Start Date

August, January

Credits

120 semester credits

Find YOUR Creative Path

Our Dance programs are designed with flexibility in mind. Students can explore different academic and creative paths early in their studies and, if their interests evolve, easily transition between the BFA and the BA without losing progress toward their degree. BA students benefit from the freedom to study across disciplines by pursuing a double major or minors, while students pursuing a BFA receive specialized training. This structure helps you find the program that best supports your artistic and professional goals as they evolve through your course of study.

Dance BFA

The Dance BFA is a selective, audition based program that provides an immersive education combining rigorous artistic and technical training with performance, creative practice and community engagement. You’ll study a broad range of physical practices, choreography, performance, technical production, pedagogy and dance studies while developing the artistic, technical and professional skills needed for a sustainable career in dance and related fields.

Throughout the program, you’ll collaborate with faculty, guest artists and fellow students while engaging in creative research, community care and self care, and entrepreneurial practice. You’ll also explore dance and performance through historical, social, cultural and theoretical perspectives. Your studies culminate in a senior capstone project that reflects your artistic growth, creative voice and professional goals.

Dance BA

The Dance BA combines rigorous dance training with the breadth and flexibility of a liberal arts education. You’ll engage in physical practices, creative process and research, dance studies, anatomy, pedagogy, entrepreneurship and community engagement while developing an understanding of dance and performance through historical, social, cultural and theoretical perspectives.

Designed for students with diverse interests and goals, the Dance BA allows you to tailor your education by combining dance with broader academic, creative and professional pursuits. You’ll connect embodied practice with artistic and scholarly inquiry while preparing for a wide range of dance related careers or a double major in another discipline.

Dance Minor

The Dance minor allows you to explore dance alongside your primary field of study. You’ll engage in physical practices, creative work and dance studies while developing a broad understanding of dance and performance within artistic, historical and cultural contexts. Whether you’re looking to complement another major or deepen your creative practice, the minor provides a strong foundation in movement, collaboration and artistic expression.

Core Skills & Techniques

Physical Practices/Technique: Train daily in a breadth of dance styles, including, contemporary, modern, ballet, Africanist, somatics, and world dance forms.
Creative Practices––Choreography, Composition, Improvisation and Collaboration: Develop original dance works through exploration, experimentation, and collaborative practice.
Performance: Participating in choreographed, conceptual, and improvisational works presented in theaters, in digital formats, and site-specific performance settings.
Dance History & Theory: Understanding the theoretical, historical, social, and cultural contexts of dance, dance pioneers, and the relationship between other artistic mediums.
Somatics & Anatomy: Studying the human body, understanding how the body moves, somatic practices, conditioning, and injury prevention.
Entrepreneurial Studies: Develop professional practices within the dance industry such as career development, writing, and production for a sustainable dance career.
In-The-Field: Immerse yourself in Seattle’s dance community by training with professional dancers and participating in community engagement as part of being an artist and a citizen.

Learning Outcomes

BFA Program Learning Outcomes:

Demonstrate proficiency in a breadth of physical dance practices that are grounded in creative, somatic, and anatomical understanding.
Apply knowledge of dance and performance practices within theoretical, historical, social, and cultural contexts.
Create, in solo and in collaboration, movement-based works for physical and digital spaces.
Communicate complex ideas and apply critical thinking through writing, speaking, and diverse media.
Apply understanding of professional practices in the dance field.

BA & Minor Program Learning Outcomes:

Demonstrate broad proficiency in a breadth of physical dance practices that are grounded in creative, somatic, and anatomical understanding.
Apply knowledge of dance and performance practices within theoretical, historical, social, and cultural contexts.
Create, in solo and in collaboration, movement-based works.
Communicate complex ideas and apply critical thinking through writing, speaking, and diverse media.
Demonstrate awareness of professional practices in the dance field.

Connect Your Passion to New Possibilities

Explore purposeful academic combinations while pursuing a rigorous arts education to enhance your career preparation. At Seattle University, you can combine a Dance BA with a wide variety of other majors or add any minor while staying on track to graduate in four years. You can also customize a Dance BFA by pursuing any minor offered across Seattle University without extending your time to degree.

While this is not an exhaustive list, explore some of the many ways Dance can be paired with other disciplines to enhance your academic journey and strengthen your professional preparation:

Visit Cornish College of the Arts

For more than a century, Cornish College of the Arts has inspired artists, performers and designers to push creative boundaries and shape the future of their fields. Today, at Cornish College of the Arts at Seattle University, you can experience that legacy firsthand while exploring the studios, performance spaces and collaborative community where creativity comes to life. Schedule a campus visit, take a virtual tour or connect with our admissions team to discover how you can make this historic creative community your own.