Jordan College of Fine Arts

About Dance

Since 1992, the National Association of Schools of Dance (NASD) is the accrediting agent of the department of dance. The organization is composed of schools and individuals representing the highest traditions and aims in the education of dance students. The association is established to develop a closer relationship among schools and programs of dance for the purpose of examining and improving practices and professional standards in dance education and training. The department of dance of Butler University , Jordan College of Fine Arts highly values its membership to NASD.

NASD Self Study - 1996

I. OPERATIONS

A. MISSION , GOALS, AND OBJECTIVES

1. Mission , Goals, and Objectives

Vision Statement

The vision of the Department of Dance of the Jordan College of Fine Arts at Butler University is to provide excellence and national leadership in the training of students for future professions in dance and in the education of well-rounded individuals. It seeks to develop young people capable of specialization and versatility, technical mastery and artistic expression, as well as to foster an understanding of dance in a global context, and leadership in both its traditions and its changes.

Mission

The mission of the Department of Dance is to seek committed and promising students of dance, to develop in them a foundation of a broadly-based dance training with a central but non-exclusive focus on classical ballet, and to integrate this training with a liberal arts education, in order to prepare students for future professions in dance and to contribute to their wider communities. Additionally, it is our mission to provide excellent quality dance to Butler University , to Indianapolis , and to the region.

Goals

To encourage and foster the educational development of students in many facets of the art of dance, while promoting the development of well-rounded, highly educated individuals of academic and artistic excellence.

To prepare dancers for future professions in many dance endeavors: as performers, choreographers, teachers, administrators, and scholars.

To provide high quality technical training to serious dance students with a central focus on classical ballet technique and integrating significant additional study in other dance forms, while providing a broad exposure to essential theoretical areas of dance and to liberal arts, so as to encourage well-rounded, thinking dancers who have much to contribute to their profession.

To serve the college, the University, and the community at large through a variety of outreach programs and through collaborations with educational and professional arts organizations.

Objectives

1. To present students majoring in dance with a clear choice of professional tracks by offering distinct degree plans: B.F.A. in Dance Performance; B.A. in Dance/Pedagogy Concentration; B.S. in Dance/Arts Administration Concentration; B.A. in Dance/ Performing Arts Concentration.

2. To develop dancers with versatile and competitive technical skills, centered on the strength of classical ballet technique and supported by other important traditional and contemporary dance styles and techniques.

3. To develop dancers who can express themselves as performers, teachers, choreographers, and writers.

4. To develop teachers who understand dance techniques and the basic principles of human development and movement, and can apply this knowledge to the teaching of dance.

5. To develop dancers with a broad understanding of the art and craft of choreography through intensive theoretical and practical study of choreography, as well as through exposure to and performance of traditional and contemporary repertory.

6. To provide students with significant performance opportunities, while contributing to the cultural life of Butler University , Indianapolis , and the region.

7. To develop dancers who are literate and can demonstrate a broad understanding of the impact of dance in history, society, and the other arts.

8. To develop dancers who have an understanding of the impact of other arts in dance though studies in music, theatre and other fine arts.

9. To provide a solid background in dance to students who wish to enter other areas of the performing arts.

10. To serve the general student population of the university by providing excellent quality dance training to non-majors who wish to pursue dance as part of their education.

11. To foster the development of pre-college-age dancers through specific instructional and scholarship award programs.

12. To foster the understanding of the art of dance in the community through participation in and/or hosting of special seminars on dance-related topics.

13. To serve the cause of dance as a profession through collaborations with various educational and professional performing arts organizations in the city.

14. To provide students with exposure to master teachers, choreographers, and other professionals outside our institution.

15. To foster living/learning activities of the dancers by supporting student organizations whose goals are social interaction and mutual support, and service to the department, the university, and the wider community.

NASD Self Study - 1990

I. OPERATIONS

A. OBJECTIVES
1. What are the objectives of the dance unit and how are these stated to the public? How are they related to the overall institutional objectives?

Mission Statement
Continuing a 40-year tradition of excellence in ballet, the mission of the Department of Dance of Jordan College of Fine Arts at Butler University is to be a national center of excellence in dance, training serious and talented dance students in the foundation of traditional dance techniques with a central, but non-exclusive focus on ballet; combining professional proficiency and artistic depth with a broad liberal arts education; and preparing students for future endeavors in many areas of the art of dance.

Goals

To prepare dancers for future professions in many dance endeavors: as performers, choreographers, teachers, administrators, and scholars.

To serve the college, the University, and the community at large through a variety of outreach programs and through collaborations with educational and professional arts organizations.

Objectives

1. To present students majoring in dance with a clear choice of professional tracks by offering distinct degree plans: B.F.A. in dance performance; B.A. in Dance/Pedagogy Concentration; B.A. in Performing Arts/Dance Concentration; M.A. in Dance.

2. To develop dancers with versatile and competitive technical skills, centered on the strength of classical ballet technique and supported by important other traditional and contemporary dance styles and techniques.

3. To develop dancers with a broad understanding of the art and craft of choreography through intensive theoretical and practical study of choreography, as well as through exposure to and performance of traditional and contemporary repertoire.

4. To provide students with significant performance opportunities, while contributing to the cultural life of the University and the community at large.

5. To develop dancers who are literate and can demonstrate a broad understanding of the impact of dance in history, society, and the other arts in general.

6. To develop dancers with a basic understanding of the impact of other arts in dance through studies in music, theatre, and other fine arts.

7. To develop dancers who can express themselves as performers, choreographers, teachers, and writers.

8. To develop teachers who understand the basic principles of human motion in general and can apply them in dance technique.

9. To provide a solid background in dance to students who wish to enter other areas of the performing arts.

10. To serve the general student population of the University by providing quality dance training to non-majors who wish to pursue dance as part of their education at Butler University .

11. To foster the artistic development of pre-college age dancers through specific instructional programs and scholarship award programs designed specifically for the pre-professionals.

12. To foster the understanding of the art of dance in the community through participation in and/or hosting of specialized colloquia on dance-related subjects.

13. To serve the cause of dance as a profession through collaborations with various educational and professional performing arts organizations in the city.

While Butler has a long history of excellence in the training and educating of dancers, dance teachers, directors, and administrators, it became evident as we are entering the last decade of this millennium that the survival of dance as an art form and dancers as professionals will hinge on the relevance as well as the artistic depth of future dancers, directors, and choreographers. Dance, as the most dynamic of all arts, must constantly evolve and institutions responsible for the education and training of the dancers of the future must change as well. The philosophy of this department is that good dance is good dance, regardless of style, preference, or technique; but excellence can only come through the mastery of the most demanding techniques as well as the awareness of the multi-faceted nature of dance. Hence the programs offered by the Department of Dance at Butler differ from other university programs in that they are intended for dancers at an advanced level of training, particularly in ballet, but attempt to offer a very global approach to the technique and the art of dancing. The goal is to produce dancers that can demonstrate excellence and versatility in technical training, artistic and intellectual depth, and a sense of contextuality in a rapidly changing world. This is what Butler has been about all this time, as evidenced by the variety of outstanding professionals in numerous fields produced by this department over the years. We welcome this opportunity to re-define and re-state our mission, our programs, and the means to achieve them through the process of this self-study.