Department of Dance

Administration

Larry Attaway, BM, Department Chair

Professors

• Marek Cholewa
• Susan McGuire
• Cynthia Pratt, MFA
• Derek Reid, MA

Associate Professors

• Larry Attaway, BM

Assistant Professor

• Ramon Flowers, MFA
• David Ingram, MFA
• Rosanna Ruffo

Department Website

www.butler.edu/dance

Dance at Butler

• The program continues a 70-year tradition of excellence in ballet, training serious and talented dance students, and preparing them for future careers in the dance arts
• Nationally and internationally renowned undergraduate department that is consistently ranked in the top 5 dance programs in the country
• Strong technical training based on the central focus of classical ballet
• Exposure to a wide range of techniques
• Extensive performance opportunities with Butler Ballet, the department’s pre-professional company
• Broad exposure to academic subjects in dance and other arts
• Opportunities to perform in major productions each year in Clowes Memorial Hall, a 2,200-seat venue, and also in the more intimate setting of the 450-seat Howard L. Schrott Center for the Arts
• Butler Ballet performs full-length classical ballets, commissioned and licensed masterworks, and contemporary repertoire from a variety of stylistic approaches
• Opportunities for students to present their creativity through student choreographic showcases and senior productions
• Highly qualified professors who are artist-scholars combining broad educational backgrounds with professional performing careers, in-depth study, choreography, and teaching in the United States and abroad
• International summer study opportunities

Mission

The Department of Dance of the Jordan College of the Arts at Butler University provides high-quality, conservatory-level training for those students that seek future professions in dance. It maintains a national and international voice in the education of well-rounded artist/citizens. It develops dance artists that are capable of specialization and versatility, and who demonstrate technical mastery and mature artistic expression. The department embodies diversity and inclusivity, and fosters in its students an understanding of dance in a global context. Without apology, we honor the traditions of the art form, while simultaneously encouraging exploration into innovative practices.

Dance Student Learning Outcomes

The course work within each of the three degree plans is designed with the following student learning outcomes:

• Demonstrate an understanding of the intellectual underpinning of the various dance techniques in terms of structure, vocabulary, syntax, and phrasing
• Interpret, compare, and critique the art of choreography and performance through theoretical and practical study in terms of innovation, craft, and sophistication
• Demonstrate an understanding of the physical and intellectual underpinning of the various dance techniques as manifested in execution and pedagogy
• Articulate and apply an understanding of the impact of dance in history, society, and the allied arts, thus becoming advocates for the art form
• Incorporate the impact of other arts on dance through studies in music, theatre, and the fine arts
• Value an ethic of professionalism as manifested through respect for appropriate etiquette and interaction with faculty and fellow students

Degree Programs

• Bachelor of Arts in Dance (Pedagogy) (BA)
• Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance—Performance (BFA)
• Bachelor of Science in Dance (Arts Administration) (BS)
• Minor in Dance

Butler University is a fully accredited institutional member of the National Association of Schools of Dance.