Immerse yourself in the study of modern dance, ballet, jazz, hip-hop, tap and more with a major in Dance from Dean College.

Program Overview 

Raise the barre. Dance offers a powerful path to creative expression and artistic fulfillment.

A Bachelor of Arts in Dance from the Schools of Performing Arts at Dean College provides an ideal blend of purposeful liberal arts studies and conservatory-level training needed to prepare you for success, both on and off the stage.

For more than 50 years, Dean has been a nationally recognized educational center for dance. We are the only college in New England to offer both associate and bachelor's degree programs in Dance, as well as a minor and a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance. Our dedicated faculty and staff foster creativity, broaden perspectives, expand knowledge, develop proficiency, and prepare you for excellence in the field of dance.

Combining our rigorous, well-rounded technical training with a purposeful liberal arts curriculum, our dance program is ideal for those pursuing performance, choreography, teaching, studio management or other fields. The program combines academic courses in dance history, dance composition, Laban Movement Analysis, dance pedagogy, writing for the arts, anatomy and kinesiology with conservatory-level training in all techniques. Starting year one, you'll have the opportunity to perform, create and engage in real-world experiences.

You can choose a track in your area of interest:

A liberal arts core will compliment your training. You can also broaden your career options by adding a double major or minor in a related field.

Program Requirements 

Prospective students are required to complete an audition for the Dance program as well as an application for admission. Learn more about the audition process, requirements and dates.

Tracks

DANCE PEDAGOGY

In the Dance Pedagogy track, you will will learn the art and science of teaching dance from experts in this field. You will gain knowledge on the history of dance; how to utilize clear language while educating dancers; age-appropriate teaching methodologies; and the current state of dance education.

Dance Performance/Choreography

In the Dance Performance/Choreography track, you will learn how to demonstrate overall technical proficiency by engaging in practices and perspectives of professional-level dance. You will also gain an increasingly sophisticated understanding of choreography.

Dance Studies

The Dance Studies track will help you gain an understanding of the breadth of the dance field, while allowing you to take a leadership role in identifying and pursuing interdisciplinary dance studies. Whether you aspire to be a performer, choreographer or educator, dance studies will elevate your understanding and appreciation of dance as both an art form and a discipline.

Studio Management

Gain the essential skills to successfully run and manage a dance studio with the Studio Management track. You will learn the principles of business management and marketing, dance pedagogy, facility management and much more. Whether you're aspiring to open your own studio or looking to enhance your managerial skills in an existing one, this track provides the practical knowledge and expertise needed to thrive in the competitive dance industry.

Dean College dance professor instructing students during class

Joan Phelps Palladino Dance Faculty

Meet our hard-working faculty who are both subject-matter experts and dance professionals.

Beyond the Classroom

Dean College dancers performing onstage Starting your first year on campus, you’ll have extensive opportunities to perform, choreograph and engage in real-world experience.
  • Our dancers have participated in highly selective performances at the Kennedy Center, Joyce Theater and Ailey Citigroup Theater.
  • The Joan Phelps Palladino School of Dance participates in the American College Dance Festival (ACDF), where we've ranked in the top 30 schools nationally. Choreographic works by Dean students have been chosen for performance in the ACDF gala at the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC.
  • Our dance majors have interned at Jacob’s Pillow, Lincoln Center, Battery Dance Company, Broadway Dance Center, Rhee Gold, Boston Ballet and the National Dance Education Organization. They’ve taught creative movement in public schools, worked side by side with our athletic trainer and helped spearhead new dance conventions.

And when you graduate, you’ll be prepared to be an entertainer, entrepreneur and artist in the field. Our graduates have successful careers as performers, choreographers, dance journalists, instructors, studio owners, directors and dance therapists, working for companies such as the Boston Ballet, Disney Corporation, The Rockettes, Norwegian Cruise Lines, The Kraft Group and so much more.

Uniquely Dean

A Dean College dancer performing onstage during a performance. Through Dean’s Dance program, you’ll be performing and learning in real-world settings beginning in your first semester.
  • Participate in first-year dance seminars that help you discover the relationship of dance to other fields of study and introduce possible career paths to help you design your future.
  • Experience live music in class performed by talented local musicians.
  • Take master classes with dancers from Boston Ballet, Cirque du Soleil, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Broadway, Ballet West, The Martha Graham Dance Company, Complexions Dance company and many more. Recent master class guest artists have included Gabrielle Hamilton, award-winning Broadway cast member of the reimagined musical Oklahoma! and its national touring company, and Chris Rice-Thomson, a member of the touring company of Hamilton.
  • Receive highly specialized injury prevention and care services, provided by a full-time certified and licensed athletic trainer who has extensive experience in working with dancers.
  • Dean College has been recognized as the #4 Best Dance School (Undergraduate) in Massachusetts as part of the 2022 PLEXUSS Global Rankings.

Space to Learn and Perform

As a Dance major at Dean, you’ll have plenty of opportunities to take the stage in our first-class performance and teaching venues, study on-stage and behind-the-scenes techniques and receive support from our talented faculty and staff. Explore the photo gallery below to see the spaces you’ll learn and perform in.

RECENT STORIES

Check out the news and stories below to learn more about being a Dance major at Dean.