Dance Skills are Life Skills or  What Do You Do With a Major in Dance? 

The dance faculty at Saint Mary’s College have created an undergraduate and

graduate dance program that mirrors the values of the pedagogy, “dance skills are life skills.”

What can you do with a dance major?

Everything.

CHANGE: We ask our students to be open to change. Change is a part of the process of growth. “Awareness is the first step toward change” (Peggy Hackney). We use the language of change to inform our students and ask them to cultivate a sense of curiosity about change. This is a life skill. One will be a successful adult if one can adjust to change easily and flow with the challenges that change brings. We ask our students to embrace and expect change. PERSONAL UNIQUENESS: The dance program values diversity in its students, the classroom, and the dance studio. We support every body-type and seek dancers of all backgrounds to join us. We honor one's “personal uniqueness” (Bill Evans). We make it a point to build a learning community that provides multiple voices of feedback and invite discussion without judgement. In a world filled with hatred and violence for the difference of religion, skin color, race, gender, and more, we model that all of us can work from a place of community.

DIVERSITY: We endeavor to decolonialize dance and invite all styles and genres to inhabit the same world. We do not place Western dance or any other dance form on a pedestal. We teach students to be good humans first. We also ask them to “intellectually engage with social, cultural, economic, and political diversity. [We want them to] understand what it means to be civically engaged in diverse communities and to work cooperatively in diverse workplaces” (SMC core curriculum). This is a life skill. CREATIVITY: We cultivate creativity, skill and artistry in a nurturing and supportive environment. The dancer demonstrates individual artistic choices and promotes self-authority and agency to express individual thought and creativity outside of rigid, dominant and binary world views. “Creativity is a habit, and the best creativity is a result of good work habits” (Twyla Tharp). Creativity is a skill that allows the student to “think outside of the box” to offer new perspectives and solutions not tried before. FULLY PRESENT: Our dance program invites the student to be “fully present and fully alive” (Bill Evans). We take our work seriously and also provide perspective on life experiences. For example, while we prepared for our midterms in 2018, much of the wine country was on fire. Our friends and family were in danger. We were engulfed by the smoke from the fires which served as a constant reminder of the peril our fellow humans faced. How does dance inform us in this context? How does dance support us in this context? Why is dance important in this context? We asked the students these questions. Dance is a radical act and a defining act for us. We use it as our healing place and find agency in it. The discipline of our work allows us to invest in ourselves and in others. Dance doesn’t just live in the dance studio. We must foster honesty, generosity, and kindness and we must be present. These are life skills. REFLECTION: We employ the process of reflection and peer feedback. We are invested in the process, not only the product. We ask our students to find their own path, to share ideas, to seek clarity and ask questions. We find value in mistakes and ask students to learn from them instead of applying judgement and punishment. We ask them to join us on this journey as reflection is a life skill. COLLABORATION: Students who come to Saint Mary’s to dance have a passion for movement. Our noncompetitive atmosphere revolves around a student dance company giving all dancers the opportunity to perform starting in their first year. Our graduate program is governed by many voices ranging in age, dance styles and genres. We ask our undergrads to dig into ideas and our grads to dig deeper. We ask all to foster respect and honor the community that is Saint Mary’s College and the world.

ALUMNI: Graduates of the Saint Mary’s College Dance Company undergraduate dance program are dancing professionally in the Bay Area and beyond. They are also lawyers, teachers, physical therapists, dance studio owners, social workers, doctors and more. So if someone asks: “What can you do with a dance major?” Tell them: “Everything!” The dance program was both equally challenging and rewarding intellectually, physically, and artistically. The dance company was another family for me on campus. I was able to realize my true self, without judgment. The dance company got me to Saint Mary’s and kept me at Saint Mary's. - Brevin Domingo class of 2019

Allied Health Science and Dance: Choreography & Performance, Double Major

The dance faculty at Saint Mary's gave me a strong foundation to have a confident and patient dance practice. Intertwining with the excellent liberal arts foundation, I was taught to ask great questions, think philosophically, and be vulnerable. The community of artists within the dance program helped me feel grounded, and I think that's most important for someone who is trying to establish a long-standing career in dance. -Coline Buencamino class of 2016

Kinesiology: Health Promotions and Dance, split major

Flow Chart for Dance Science Individualized

Major: Pre-physical Therapy

Fall 2019 1. Perfa 80, Dance Science

2. English 4

3. Chem 8/9

4. Math 27

5. Technique .25 x 2, Perfa 75-01, 75-02,

Perfa 194, Dance Co rehearsal or crew

(.25)

Spring 2020 1. Seminar 1

2. English 5

3. Chem 10/11

4. Math 4

5. Technique .25 x 2, Perfa 75-01, 75-02,

Perfa 192 or 194, Dance Co rehearsal or

crew (.25)

Fall 2020 1. Seminar 2

2. Perfa 90, Choreography I and lab

3. Bio 1/1L

4. Core- SCHU, Psych LD

5. Technique .25 x 2, Perfa 75-03 &

176-01, Perfa 194 (.25)

Spring 2021 1. Perfa 182, Dance History I

2. Bio 25/26

3. TRS 97

4. Core- SCHU, Pysch UD

5. Technique .25 x 2, Perfa 75-03 &

176-01, Perfa 192 or 194 (.25)

Fall 2021 1. Seminar 103

2. Perfa 183, Dance History II

3. Bio 15/16

4. UD Kines

5. Technique .25 x 2, Perfa 175-01 &

176-02, Perfa 194 (.25)

Spring 2022 1. Perfa 185, Dance Pedagogy, also CE

2. Perfa 184, Dance in Performance, also

AD and WID

3. Bio 25/26

4. Perfa 190, Choreography II (.25)

Technique .25 x 2, Perfa 175-01 &

176-02, Perfa 192 or 194 (.25)

Fall 2022 1. Seminar 104

2. Senior Project, Perfa 198

3. Perfa 180/180L, LBMS

4. Phys 10/L

5. Technique .25 x 2, Perfa 175-02,

176-02, Perfa 194 (.25)

Spring 2023 1. Asian Dance, Perfa 181 also GP

2. UD Kines

3. TRS UD

4. Phys 11/L

5. Technique .25 x 2, Perfa 175-02,

176-02, Perfa 194 (.25)

Students can make changes to the courses to fit the needs of the prerequisites for graduate

studies.

Minor in Dance

Fall 2019 1. Perfa 80, Dance Science 2. English 4 3. 4. 5. Technique (.25 x 2) Perfa 75-01, 75-02; Performance or Crew, Perfa 194 (.25) FYAC TOTAL: 4.75

Spring 2020 1. Seminar 1 2. English 5 3. Perfa 1, Perceiving 4. 5. Technique (.25 x 2) Perfa 75-01, 75-02; Performance or Crew, Perfa 194 (.25) FYAC TOTAL: 4.75

Fall 2020 1. Seminar 2 2. 3. 4. 5. Technique (.25 x 2) Perfa 175-01, 176-02, Dance Production 194 (.25) TOTAL: 4.75

Spring 2021 1. Perfa 182, Dance History I, AU/AA/CP 2. 3. 4. 5. Technique (.25 x 2) Perfa 175-01, 176-02; Dance Production 194 and/or 192 (.25) TOTAL: 4.75

Fall 2021 1. Perfa 183, Dance History II 2. 3. 4. 5. Technique (.25 x 2) Perfa 175-01, 176-02, Dance Production 194 (.25) TOTAL: 4.75

Spring 2022 1. Perfa 184, Dance in Performance, AU/AA, AD and WID 2. Perfa 185, Dance Pedagogy, CE* 3. 4. Technique (.25 x 2) Perfa 175-01, 176-02; Dance Production 194 and/or 192 (.25) TOTAL: 4.75

Fall 2022 1. 2. 3. 4. Technique (.25 x 2) Perfa 175-01, 176-02, Dance Production 194 (.25) TOTAL: 4.0-4.75

Spring 2023 1. Asian Dance, Perfa 181, AU/AA/CP/GP* 2. 3. 4. Technique (.25 x 2) Perfa 175-01, 176-02; Dance Production 194 and/or 192 (.25). TOTAL: 4.0-4.75

*This course satisfies a core requirement but is not required of the minor. Students have to option to combine .25 courses to equal a full credit course.

Flow Chart for Dance Major: Choreography and Performance emphasis

Fall 2018 1. Perfa 80, Dance Science 2. English 4 3. Core – SCH #1 4. TRS 97 Technique (.25 x 2) Perfa 75-01, 75-02; (.25) FYAC TOTAL: 4.75

Spring 2019 1. Seminar 1 2. English 5 3. Elective 4. Technique (.25 x 2), Perfa 75-01, 75-02; (.25) Perfa 194, Crew; (.25) FYAC TOTAL: 4.0

Fall 2019 1. Seminar 2 2. Perfa 90, Choreography I and lab 3. Core- Math or Science 4. Core- SCH #2 Technique (.25 x 2) Perfa 75-03, 176-01 TOTAL: 4.50

Spring 2020 1. Perfa 182, Dance History I 2. Core- Math or Science 3. elective 4. Technique (.25 x 2) Perfa 75-03, 176-01; (.25 x.2) Perfa 192 and/or crew TOTAL: 4.0

Fall 2020 1. Seminar 103 2. Perfa 183, Dance History II 3. Technique (.25 x 3) Perfa 175-01, 176-02, Perfa 177; (.25) Perfa 194, rehearsal optional 4. Elective TOTAL: 4.0

Spring 2021 1. Perfa 185, Dance Pedagogy, also CE 2. Perfa 184, Dance in Performance, also AD and WID 3. Perfa 190, Choreography II (.25), Technique (.25 x 3) same as Fall 4. Elective (.25) Perfa 192 optional TOTAL: 4.0-4.25

Fall 2021 1. Seminar 104 or TRS UD 2. Laban and Bartenieff Movement Studies, Perfa 180-01 & Lab 3. Senior Project, Perfa 198 4. Technique (.25 x 2) Perfa 175-02, 176-02; Perfa 177 optional; Perfa 194, Rehearsal Optional TOTAL: 3.5-4.0

Spring 2022 1. Perfa 181, Asian Dance also GP 2. elective

3. Seminar 104 or TRS UD 4. Technique (.25 x 2) Perfa 175-02, 176-02; Perfa 177 optional; Perfa 194, Rehearsal Optional TOTAL: 3.5-4.0