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University of Montana Catalog 2024-2025

Dance (DANC)

DANC 100A - Introduction to Modern Dance. 3 Credits.

(R-6) Offered autumn and spring. Introduction to basic modern dance vocabulary through exercises for alignment, strength and flexibility and combinations across the floor.

Gen Ed Attributes: Expressive Arts

DANC 108A - Dance Forms. 1-8 Credits.

(R-8) Offered autumn and spring. Introduction to basic dance vocabulary and technique in a particular style.

Gen Ed Attributes: Expressive Arts

DANC 110A - Introduction to Ballet. 3 Credits.

(R-6) Offered autumn and spring. Introduction to basic ballet positions and steps.

Gen Ed Attributes: Expressive Arts

DANC 115A - Introduction to Jazz Dance. 3 Credits.

(R-6) Offered autumn and spring. Introduction to basic strengthening and stretching exercises and stylistic characteristics of jazz.

Gen Ed Attributes: Expressive Arts

DANC 129A - Dance Performance Lab I. 1 Credit.

(R-7) Credit for rehearsing and performing in approved Theatre & Dance productions.

Gen Ed Attributes: Expressive Arts

DANC 130A - Introduction to Dance. 3 Credits.

Offered autumn and spring. The various elements of dance and basic artistic principles underlying dance and all of the arts. Introduces the student to beginning-level dance vocabulary and dance skills as well as the creative process through direct experience.

Gen Ed Attributes: Expressive Arts

DANC 160A - Dance Forms: Irish. 2 Credits.

(R-8) Introduction to basic Irish dance vocabulary and technique.

Gen Ed Attributes: Expressive Arts

DANC 165A - Dance Forms: African. 3 Credits.

(R-6) Offered autumn. Introduction to basic African dance vocabulary and technique.

Gen Ed Attributes: Expressive Arts

DANC 191 - Special Topics. 1-6 Credits.

(R-6) Experimental offerings of visiting professors, experimental offerings of new courses, or one-time offerings of current topics.

DANC 194 - Seminar: First Year. 1 Credit.

Introduces incoming first-year students to the world of university dance and contemporary dance as a profession. 

DANC 195 - Studio/Practicum. 1-6 Credits.

(R-12) Offered intermittently. Studio-based course, emphasizing one-on-one faculty instruction. Students meet during regularly scheduled times with faculty or in small groups throughout the semester to discuss the development of their individual work. Mountain Campus. Face to face.

DANC 200A - Contemporary Modern II. 2 Credits.

(R-12) Offered autumn and spring. Prereq., consent of instructor. Continuation of the modern dance vocabulary at an advanced-beginner level.

Gen Ed Attributes: Expressive Arts

DANC 201 - Intermediate Contemporary Modern II. 2 Credits.

(R-8) Offered Spring. Prereq., DANC 200A and consent of instructor. Continuation of the modern dance vocabulary at an intermediate level.

DANC 205 - Improvisation. 2 Credits.

(R-6) Exploration of stimulus, structure and performance of improvised movement. Elements such as space, shape, motion, time, quality, form and awareness emphasized. Instructor-designed structures, transitioning to student-designed scores, culminating in improvised performance.

DANC 210A - Ballet II. 2 Credits.

(R-12) Offered autumn and spring. Prereq., consent of instructor. Continuation of the ballet vocabulary at an advanced-beginner level.

Gen Ed Attributes: Expressive Arts

DANC 215A - Jazz Dance II. 2 Credits.

(R-12) Offered autumn and spring. Prereq., consent of instructor. Continuation of the jazz vocabulary at an advanced-beginner level.

Gen Ed Attributes: Expressive Arts

DANC 217 - Musical Theatre Styles. 2 Credits.

(R-4) Offered spring. Prereq., DANC 100A and DANC 110A and DANC 115A. A foundational course in techniques and styles of dance and choreography for musical theatre.

DANC 220 - Creative Practice I. 2 Credits.

(R-4) Offered autumn. Prereq., DANC 201 and consent of instructor. Exploration of stimulus, structure, and performance of both composed and improvised movement. Elements such as space, shape, energy, motion, time, quality, form and awareness emphasized. Instructor-designed structures, transitioning to student-designed scores, culminating in originally created/improvised performance.

DANC 225 - Rehearsal & Performance. 1-4 Credits.

(R-24) Offered autumn and spring. Open to students who are choreographing a dance for a concert or to those who have been selected through audition to perform.

DANC 227 - Community Dance Initiatives. 1 Credit.

(R-8) This course formalizes program activities students practice each semester, ranging from national and regional to local dance initiatives. Introduces methods, philosophies, and approaches to assist in students' success in utilizing dance as a tool to conduct community engagement.

DANC 229A - Dance Performance Lab II. 1 Credit.

(R-7) Credit for rehearsing and performing in approved Theatre & Dance productions.

Gen Ed Attributes: Expressive Arts

DANC 234L - Dance in Popular Movies. 3 Credits.

Survey of the history of dance and movement on film, with specific focus on the use of and reasons for choreography in popular movies of specific decades.

Gen Ed Attributes: Literary & Artistic Studies

DANC 291 - Special Topics. 1-3 Credits.

(R-12) Experimental offerings of visiting professors, experimental offerings of new courses, or one-time offerings of current topics.

DANC 294 - Seminar/Workshop. 1 Credit.

One-time offerings of current topics.

DANC 295 - Student Teaching: Children's Dance. 1 Credit.

Offered autumn and spring. Students participate and gain beginning-level teaching experience in two of four dance classes for children ranging in ages from 3.5 to 12 years old.

DANC 298 - Cooperative Education/Internship. 1 Credit.

Offered intermittently. Prereq., consent of instr. Extended classroom experience which provides practical application of classroom learning during placements off campus. Prior approval must be obtained from the faculty supervisor and the Internship Services office. A maximum of 6 credits of Internship (398, 498) may count toward graduation.

DANC 300 - Contemporary Modern III. 3 Credits.

(R-12) Offered autumn and spring. Prereq., DANC 201 and consent of instructor. Extension of the modern dance vocabulary through lengthier combinations of movement.

DANC 305 - Contact Improvisation. 2 Credits.

(R-6) The art of moving with one or more partners while using a shifting point of contact and supporting each other's weight. Skills such as rolling, suspending, falling and recovering together explored through physical sensations that use weight, counter-balance and yielding.

DANC 310 - Ballet III. 2 Credits.

(R-8) Offered autumn and spring. Prereq., DANC 210A and consent of instructor. Development of ability to combine steps; carriage of head and arms.

DANC 315 - Jazz III. 2 Credits.

(R-6) Prereq., DANC 215A and consent of instructor. Continuation of DANC 215A.

DANC 320 - Creative Practice II. 2 Credits.

(R-6) Offered spring odd-numbered years. Prereq., DANC 220 and consent of instructor. Explores ways to manipulate several dancers in space, through repetition of shapes, through related rhythms. May include choreography for videotape.

DANC 322 - Dance Touring. 1-4 Credits.

(R-24) Prereq., audition. Rehearsal and touring to the community.

DANC 325 - Spirit Squad. 1 Credit.

(R-10) Offered autumn and spring. UM cheer and dance team selected during audition process each spring; students perform routines at the intermediate jazz level. Development of current dance performance, leadership, communication and organizational skills.

DANC 327 - Advanced Rehearsal and Performance. 1-4 Credits.

(R-24) Offered autumn and spring. Prereq., DANC 225 and class level of JR/SR. Open to junior/senior dance majors and minors who are choreographing a dance for a university dance concert or who have been selected through audition to perform. Enrolled students engage in creative practices to enhance overall artistry, personal voice and nuance in choreography and performance.

DANC 329 - Dance Stage Management Practicum. 1-3 Credits.

(R-18) Offered autumn and spring. Stage management practicum involving stage managing or assistant stage managing a dance production. Involves evening and weekend work.

DANC 334 - Dance History. 3 Credits.

Discussion of primary movements and major figures in American modern dance, including global influences and its relationship to cultural trends of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries.

DANC 345 - New Visions Dance. 1 Credit.

(R-4) Offered autumn and spring. Students interact with adults with developmental disabilities in an adaptive dance class where movement is used as a therapeutic modality for people with cognitive and physical impairments. Students interact with the participants, engage as role models and gain beginning teaching experience.

DANC 360L - World Dance. 3 Credits.

(R-6) Offered spring even-numbered years. Investigation of dances of diverse cultures. Study of dance as: an emblem of cultural identity, social order, power and gender-specific behavior; an expression of religion and/or ritual; a classical art form; and as a medium for personal expression in Western and non-Western world cultures.

Gen Ed Attributes: Literary & Artistic Studies, Cultural & International Diversity

DANC 380 - Science of Dance Movement. 3 Credits.

Offered intermittently. Study of the skeletal system and how it relates to dance movement. Basic kinesthetic principles, conditioning for dancers, and injury recognition and prevention.

DANC 391 - Special Topics. 1-24 Credits.

(R-24) Experimental offerings of visiting professors, experimental offerings of new courses, or one-time offerings of current topics.

DANC 392 - Independent Study. 1-3 Credits.

(R-24) Offered autumn and spring. Course material appropriate to the needs and objectives of the individual student.

DANC 394 - Seminar/Workshop. 1 Credit.

(R-2) One-time offerings of current topics.

DANC 395 - Studio/Practicum. 1-6 Credits.

(R-12) Offered intermittently. Studio-based course, emphasizing one-on-one faculty instruction. Students meet during regularly scheduled times with faculty or in small groups throughout the semester to discuss the development of their individual work.

DANC 399 - Junior Creative Research Project. 1 Credit.

(R-6) Offered autumn and spring. Independent study in choreography or a research paper which could be on such subjects as teaching styles, multiple intelligence theory, dance historical topics, dance injuries, etc. An initial proposal, a journal, and a paper are required.

DANC 400 - Contemporary Modern IV. 3 Credits.

(R-12) Offered autumn and spring. Prereq., DANC 300 and consent of instructor. Performance of exercises and combinations that are technically demanding in strength, balance, weight, agility and line. Level: Undergraduate-Graduate

DANC 406 - Dance as a Healing Art. 2 Credits.

(R-6) Study of body movement as a reflection of inner emotional states. How changes in movement lead to changes in the psyche, promoting health and growth. Exploration of techniques for experiencing the inter-connection between movement and emotional expression. Level: Undergraduate-Graduate

DANC 410 - Ballet IV. 2 Credits.

(R-8) Offered autumn and spring. Prereq., DANC 310 and consent of instructor. Continues to build on skills developed in DANC 310; emphasis on developing advanced petite allegro, grand allegro, turns, and artistry. Level: Undergraduate-Graduate

DANC 440 - Dance Pedagogy. 2 Credits.

(R-6) Methods and experiences in teaching modern dance, ballet and jazz. Level: Undergraduate

DANC 446 - Teaching Projects. 1-6 Credits.

(R-24) Independent study that may involve either assisting in the teaching of a dance technique class or actually planning and teaching it. Level: Undergraduate

DANC 491 - Special Topics. 1-24 Credits.

(R-24) Experimental offerings of visiting professors, experimental offerings of new courses, or one-time offerings of current topics. Level: Undergraduate

DANC 492 - Independent Study. 1-6 Credits.

(R-9) Offered autumn and spring. Prereq., consent of instr. Course material appropriate to the needs and objectives of the individual student. Level: Undergraduate

DANC 494 - Junior/Senior Seminar. 3 Credits.

(R-6)  Prereq., WRIT 101 or equivalent. Seminar to discuss both practical and philosophical issues confronting dance students about to enter the "real" world. Level: Undergraduate

Gen Ed Attributes: Writing in the Disciplines

DANC 495 - Practicum/Field Work. 1-6 Credits.

(R-6) Studio-based course, emphasizing one-on-one faculty instruction. Students meet during regularly scheduled times with faculty or in small groups throughout the semester to discuss the development of their individual work. Level: Undergraduate

DANC 497 - Methods: Teaching Movement in Schools. 2 Credits.

Experience in planning, observing and directing creative movement as a teaching tool in K-5. Level: Undergraduate

DANC 498 - Internship. 1-6 Credits.

(R-6) Offered autumn and spring. Prereq., dance major. Level: Undergraduate

DANC 499 - Senior Thesis/Creative Project. 1 Credit.

(R-2) Offered autumn and spring. Prereq., DANC 399. Independent study in choreography or teaching. The student is responsible for setting up the project. An initial proposal, a journal, and a paper are required. Level: Undergraduate

DANC 591 - Special Topics. 1-6 Credits.

(R-6) Experimental offerings of visiting professors, experimental offerings of new courses, or one-time offerings of current topics. Level: Graduate

DANC 595 - Studio/Practicum. 1-6 Credits.

(R-12) Offered intermittently. Studio-based course, emphasizing one-on-one faculty instruction. Students meet during regularly scheduled times with faculty or in small groups throughout the semester to discuss the development of their individual work. Mountain Campus. Face to face.

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