OATdb Archive

2008 - 2009

Dance BA

Goal
Deliver A Curriculum With Appropriate Discipline Specific Skills
The curriculum will address the discipline specific skills dictated by the dance profession.

Objective
Add Sequence Of Jazz Dance To Existing Ballet And Modern Dance Sequences
Having evaluated the needs of professionals in dance, it has become clear that including study of jazz dance at the majors' level is a needed component of the curriculum. Two courses have been submitted for inclusion in the dance curriculum.

Action
Offer Jazz Technique For Majors In Dance
Two levels of jazz technique will be offered as alternatives to ballet and/or modern technique. At this point, the faculty has agreed that the study of jazz will be an option rather than a requirement.

Objective
Incorporate Technology In Creative Process
Students should become adept with using video and computer technologies as archival tools; as documentation for research; as part of the choreographic process; and, ultimately, as part of the creative project itself.

Action
Offer Dance And Video Technology Course
The dance program will be offering the content of dance and video technology in a special topics course in the fall of 2009. The course is proposed for inclusion in the curriculum as the culmination of the sequence of choreography courses.

Goal
Raise Admission Standards For Program Admission
Students admitted to the program will demonstrate strong potential for succeeding in the program in the formal dance audition.

Objective
Refine Audition Assessment Process
Dance faculty will establish competitive baseline criteria for technique in ballet and modern dance. These criteria will be specified on the audition form used by faculty in determination of admission.

Action
Use Revised Evaluation Form In Upcoming Auditions
In the November audition for the dance program, the revised form with baseline criteria will be used to determine student admissions. Afterwards, faculty will assess the instrument for effectiveness and ease of use during the audition. We will continue to refine the audition evaluation process.


Update to previous cycle's plan for continuous improvement

Plan for continuous improvement Over the past two years, the dance program began the process of raising admission standards by initiating audition requirements for admission to the BA in Dance program. Since this was a new process, we did not know what rate of admission to expect based on number of students admitted; therefor, admission standards have been very basic. Our enrollment levels over the past two years did in fact diminish, then stabilized at a level that can be accommodated by the available facilities and faculty. Noting over the past year that the level of students auditioning was stronger than it had been the previous year, the dance faculty are encouraged that it is practical to continue gradually raising the bar for admissions in order to strengthen the program and our ability to deliver an effective curriculum. Starting from a higher level of training also reduces hours of beginning level of training often required, and makes feasible the inclusion of additional courses to expand training and of our dancers, such as the video and dance course and the jazz technique.