Dance Major

What is a Dance Major at Drexel?

The Dance major at Drexel combines extensive stage and studio dance experiences with rigorous academic coursework. Community engaged learning and somatic inquiry are central components of the Drexel dance education. Our mission is to inspire and nurture civically engaged artists/practitioners through physical, intellectual, creative, and therapeutic experiences in dance. 

Drexel features an outstanding faculty of noted dancers, choreographers and educators who prepare our graduates for various careers in dance and related fields. We achieve this through our four specialized dance tracks: dance/movement therapy, dance education, physical therapy, and the custom design track. In addition, Drexel’s outstanding co-op program is a one-of-a-kind hands-on experience in which students gain valuable exposure and access to the dance field.  

Dance majors may choose to further their education through pursuit of a minor. Popular minors among Dance majors include Theatre, Music, Somatics, Business, and Photography. 

Through the Drexel Dance program, students excel as dancers, choreographers, and performers while exploring other areas of study offered by an outstanding university. The student who enters the dance major at Drexel University is interested in the expansive study of dance from a physical, cognitive, creative, and cultural perspective while preparing for gainful employment in dance and adjacent fields after graduation. 

Why Study Dance at Drexel? 

The Drexel Dance program offers a unique model that centers dance as a healing art. Students in the Dance major choose between four specific tracks: 

Become a Dance Therapist 

Students focused on dance/movement therapy prepare for jobs as dance/movement therapists—these students earn a BS degree in Dance during their first four years of study. From there, they have the option to do two additional years of study to earn a MA in Creative Arts in Therapy through the College of Nursing and Health Professions at Drexel, in order to become a registered dance/movement therapist. 

Become a licensed Dance Teacher in Pennsylvania  

Students focused on dance certification prepare for jobs as dance teachers in P-12 school settings in Pennsylvania. Students choosing this option will earn a BS degree in Dance with a license to teach dance through The Pennsylvania Department of Education. Students may elect to continue for a fifth year of study to earn a MS in Teaching, Learning and Curriculum through the Drexel School of Education. Students who successfully complete the five-year BS/MS option in education will then be recommended to the State for a Pennsylvania Teaching Certificate in Elementary Education as a secondary area to their dance certification. 

Become a Physical Therapist 

Students focused on physical therapy prepare to work as physical therapists in a variety of settings, including hospitals, treatment centers, schools, and private practice. Students interested in the physical therapy option will complete the four-year BS degree in Dance along with a series of recommended electives in the physical sciences. After completion of the BS degree, students may opt to continue their education for an additional three years in the College of Nursing and Health Professions to earn a DPT and become a licensed physical therapist. 

Become a Performer or Choreographer 

Students focused on the custom design track work closely with faculty mentorship and advice to create a unique career in dance. Many students in this focus select dance performance or choreography which prepares them to work as performers and/or choreographers in a variety of settings. Students interested in the performance option will complete the four-year BS degree in dance, with an emphasis on collaborative and interdisciplinary work. Students who select this track have gone on to perform and choreograph both regionally and nationally. 

What else we offer…. 

Drexel dance offers three dance companies; FreshDance, Dance Ensemble and Touring Ensemble.

FreshDance

FreshDance is the freshman year dance company that provides professional performance opportunities for first year students. This company works with professional choreographers, faculty and guest artists, as well as students, and presents their pieces twice a year in venues including the beautiful Mandell Theater. 

Drexel Dance Ensemble

Drexel Dance Ensemble is a professional quality dance company comprised of students beyond their freshman year. Twice a year, students in the company share a combination of student, faculty, and world-renowned guest choreography in a fully-produced concert. This company showcasing their work for more than 1000 patrons every season. Entrance to the company is by biannual audition and is open to any dancer in their second year or above. Many of these concerts take place in the Mandell Theatre. 

Drexel Community Engaged Movement Partnerships (D-CEMP)

• D-CEMP Touring Ensemble: Community engagement is a core component of the Drexel dance experience. The Youth Performance Exchange Touring Ensemble provides an exciting and satisfying opportunity to utilize dance as a conduit to teaching and connecting with children. Drexel students interested in becoming a member of the touring ensemble must audition and interview for the group at the beginning of the academic year. Learning and developing the performance material happens during the Fall Quarter, and touring to the schools happens in the Winter and Spring Quarters on Friday mornings, making the Touring Ensemble a year-long commitment. 
• Community Based Learning: In addition to our dance companies, students have the opportunity to work with our Community Based Learning Programs. 
• Dornsife Center: Drexel dancers partner with the Dornsife Center for Community Partnerships to offer free dance classes to youth and seniors in West Philadelphia. Weekly dance classes are taught by Drexel Dance students and alumni and mentored by Drexel Dance faculty to extend the physical, intellectual, creative and therapeutic aspects of dance to the community.
• Wheelchair Dance: This program partners dancers from Drexel with wheelchair-using teenagers with cerebral palsy from HMS School for a yearlong process to create dances that are presented at a matinee performance in June in the Mandell Theater. 

Pilates 

Drexel Pilates is an active and growing Pilates community that includes a fully equipped studio, personalized instruction, mixed equipment classes, mat classes, and its trademark 450-hour Drexel Pilates Training Program. Students in the dance major participate in Pilates training as part of their course of study. Qualified dance majors are able to attend the training program weekends for free but are responsible for the cost of private sessions. Drexel Pilates is housed in the Drexel Athletic Center at 33rd and Market Street.

Part Time Professional Dance Degree 

Drexel University’s Part Time Professional Option is designed to help professional dancers  transition to a post-performance career. Whether your goal is to find success in other areas of the dance industry or to continue earning an advanced degree, Drexel’s bachelor’s degree in Dance will give you the skills and support needed to prepare for this new stage in your career. 

What Skills Will You Learn in the Dance Undergraduate Program? 

Students who pursue a major in Dance will: 

• Develop high level of technical skills in dance
• Understand the value of diversity through a developing awareness of the world and their place in it
• Appreciate each dance form for its aesthetic properties and interactions with time periods and culture
• Demonstrate a professional work ethic
• Understand the interdisciplinary nature of dance and dance-related fields including; music and media arts
• Demonstrate visual literacy and kinesthetic proficiency
• Demonstrate an understanding of physical and emotional self-care practices
• Develop choreographic and improvisational skills
• Develop and demonstrate skills for critical thinking and the application of these skills in therapy, pedagogy and performance
• Understand and demonstrate a knowledge of musculoskeletal anatomy, kinesiology and musicality
• Describe movement using a range of theoretical and somatic frameworks

To learn more about the skills taught throughout the dance program, visit the curriculum page. 

Facilities for Dance Majors 

Students study, rehearse, and perform in a variety of spaces during their time at Drexel. The most commonly used spaces for the dance program are: 

Mandell Theater 

Ellen Forman Dance Studio 

418 Main Dance Studio 

Pilates Studio 

Career Opportunities with a Dance Degree

• Choreographer 

• Community Engaged Practitioner 

• Dance/ Movement Therapist 

• Dance Teacher 

• K-12 Dance Educator 

• Performer 

• Physical Therapist 

• Pilates Instructor
• Studio Owner

Alumni Spotlight

Drexel Dance Faculty

Check out our diverse faculty who bring a wide variety of experience and talent into the classroom!

The Philadelphia Dance Community

Our faculty share their talents outside of Drexel's campus, working with Philadelphia dance companies such as:

• Olive Prince Dance
• Cardell Dance Theater
• Ma'at Works Dance Collective
• JCWK Dance Lab
• Danse4Nia Repertory Ensemble

Learn about our Pre-College Dance program

Questions? Contact:

Jennifer Morley
Interim Dance Program Director
drexeldance@drexel.edu

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