Dance

By choosing dance, you are opening yourself to a world of knowledge about the human body and its relationship to cultures around the world. Choreographers craft human movement in myriad ways to create meaning and make commentary on the world around us.

By studying how to create, perform and analyze dance, you will learn to ask such questions as: What frames our experience of dance? What kind of meaning exists in specific movements, at different times and in different places? What political and historical events have shaped specific dance forms? How do our choreographic choices impact an audience? How can we study dances and dancers from different angles – culturally, emotionally, psychologically, intellectually and scientifically? How does kinesthetic awareness shape the dancing experience? How can we improve dance technique to prevent injury? How can we represent dance through digital technologies and what do such technologies offer our analysis of dance and the dancing body?

Dance enables you to fully experience yourself and your place in the world by heightening your senses, sharpening your perceptions, honing your physical capacity, and drawing attention to issues of representation and identity. In this program, you will transform your knowledge of dance by engaging with dance history, pedagogy, choreography, dance science, critical theory, dance for the camera, improvisation, dance production, and various dance techniques. During the course of your studies you will gain creative thinking skills, research and analytical capabilities, written and verbal communication skills, as well as a rigorous practical and theoretical training in dance.

In the UCalgary Dance program, you can earn either a Bachelor of Fine Arts, a Bachelor of Arts in Dance, or you can enroll in one of our combined degrees, earning a joint Bachelor of Arts in Dance/Bachelor of Kinesiology or a Bachelor of Arts in Dance/Bachelor of Education in just five years.

Career opportunities

As a Dance graduate, you will be prepared for career opportunities in such areas as dance performance, choreography, dance teaching, dance administration, dance journalism, dance scholarship, dance and digital technology, and/or dance science. An Arts degree can also be used as a stepping-stone to graduate studies or other professional degrees in such areas as medicine, education, law, architecture, journalism, arts administration, business, filmmaking, social work, or environmental design.

Program highlights

Study abroad opportunities - Cultural and academic experiences at destinations around the world.

Take workshops and classes from nationally and internationally renowned guest artists.

Courses in this program

Sample courses in this program include Creative Process, Contemporary Technique, Dance Pedagogy, Dance History, Safe Dance Practice, Dance for the Camera, Cross Cultural Currents: Dance Theory and Global Forms, Dance Anatomy, Performance Practicum, Jazz, Ballet, Hip Hop and more

Detailed course information

First year Degree Guide - Arts
First year Degree Guide - Fine Arts
Program Description (Course Calendar)
List of Courses in the Program​