The Dance Department offers students the opportunity to make dances and to perform them. According to former Department Chair Ed Burgess, “When a dancer seriously explores the art of making dances the dancer matures, gains new confidence as a performer, and begins to value their own personality as an artist.” The department expects all students to be as involved in making dances as in performing in them, and we also emphasize the importance of learning to interpret the work of others, including fellow students, faculty, and guest artists.

The artist residency is an essential part of this training, allowing students to explore different approaches to the creative process and exposing them (and their audiences) to a broader spectrum of current dance artistry. Artist residencies immerse students in the professional model, create networking opportunities that often lead to post-graduation employment, and provide a vital example of an artist who has made a long-term commitment to the discipline.

The Dance Department presents four concerts each year:
Winterdances and Summerdances, which showcase the work of faculty and guest artists, performed by students; and New Dancemakers and Dancemakers, which feature choreography by undergraduate and graduate students, respectively. The department also occasionally presents full evenings of work by guest artists, often in the context of a residency.

Recent guest artists produced at Winterdances/Summerdances have included Susan Marshall, Ronald K. Brown, Laura Dean, and Daniel Gwirtzman