About the Dance Program

What does dance mean to you? For some it is a movement form practiced in class or with a master teacher. Some of us learn it in the street or from our families, passed down through generations. Maybe we dance on stage, or at a party or in the kitchen when no one is looking. In all of its many forms, dance has functioned throughout time and across many cultures as an important and enduring human activity that has explored and expressed human feeling, inquiry and creativity. We invite students to meet dance in the studio, on the stage, in the seminar room, in the community, and wherever else it exists.

Because dance can be so many things to each of us, our program is designed to meet the needs and interests of the diverse student population of both Bryn Mawr and Haverford Colleges. We welcome the newcomer and support the continued progress of those students with prior training. 

We offer:

• a range of dance technique courses in a variety of styles
• performance/ensemble courses and other opportunities for students to develop their performance skills 
• a sequence of courses in composition and choreography in which students can experience dance as a creative act 
• a slate of dance studies courses designed to introduce students to dance as a vital area of inquiry and research. 

Our professional faculty is drawn from Philadelphia, national, and international companies. Many are recipients of grants and prestigious choreographic fellowships, and many have degrees in dance or related disciplines. In addition, we bring guest artists and lecturers to campus, sponsor special dance events and projects, and support student initiatives.

While it is never easy to juggle dance classes with a academic schedule, we try to provide flexibility within the program so that students can carve out a dance life and a dance schedule that meets their needs and interest. Dance courses can count toward divisional academic requirements and towards fulfilling the PE requirement. You can simply take technique classes because you just love dancing and want to keep doing it beyond any credit needs. Students can minor in dance or do a dance major through the independent major process. Some of our undergraduates go on in the field of dance as performers, choreographers and teachers, or in related fields such as ethnology, therapy, education or criticism, or as researchers or academics. Others decide that they will go on to careers outside of dance but continue to dance intensely while here at Bryn Mawr or Haverford. But, importantly, many of our alumnae have commented on the value that dance had for them as undergraduates and continues to have as they find ways to integrate their interest in dance into their lives beyond the college.

Dance at Bryn Mawr reflects our mission to sustain your development in dance. The Dance Program is characterized not just by its challenging courses, enriching opportunities, and excellent faculty, but by its bright, talented, and enthusiastic students as well. Together, we make Bryn Mawr Dance a full and dynamic program