Butler University Bulletin

Department of Dance

Larry Attaway, BM, Department Chair

The program continues a 50-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 10 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
Butler Chamber Dance performs experimental, often non-proscenium, multidisciplinary, highly contemporary choreographic work
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

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

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

Jordan College of the Arts