The Department of Dance Performance is dedicated to nurturing creative dancers who are well-versed in a diverse range of movements. Our core philosophy revolves around learning and experimentation, providing students with specialized knowledge and a curriculum designed to meet the demands of artistic professions. We offer a comprehensive education that includes art history and aesthetics, fostering a humanistic approach that encourages students to explore their imaginative potential. Our performance programs are meticulously tailored to individual strengths, encompassing areas such as music, stagecraft, arts administration, and directing.
Remaining true to the fundamental principles of dance education, the Department also serves as a vital hub for interaction with leading figures in contemporary art. We offer a variety of training programs that bridge the gap between artistic practice and academic learning. Our unique Performance Workshop experiences are instrumental in building a strong foundation for students aspiring to become dancers and leaders within the art world.
Mastering Diverse Dance Techniques: From Korean Dance to Contemporary Forms
To hone dance techniques, our Department of Dance Performance offers a structured approach to major courses, categorized into Korean Dance, ballet, contemporary dance, and dance music. These courses are further divided into Intermediate and Advanced levels to ensure progressive skill development. We are proud to host a faculty of diverse artists actively engaged in the Korean and international dance scene, who employ broad, engaging, and dynamic teaching methods.
Beyond intensive practical training, our curriculum extends to courses designed to cultivate artistic creativity and imagination, such as dance choreography and repertoire training. We also offer dance science courses covering anatomy, therapy, and injury prevention, providing a holistic understanding of the dancer’s body and well-being. Through this comprehensive curriculum, students gain exposure to varied movements and develop essential on-site abilities, empowering them to become artists with innovative thinking and creative vision.
Cultivating Creativity Through Movement Exploration
Our creative courses, particularly dance improvisation and creative activities, are designed to deepen students’ understanding of fundamental principles like time, space, weight, flow, and energy. These courses are instrumental in enhancing students’ ability to move expressively and dynamically, utilizing their bodies as primary instruments of communication.
We delve into movements essential for dance and explore effective methods for acquiring them, promoting a more efficient approach to motion creation. This process fosters a choreographic system that encompasses development, composition, creation, and dance studies. This comprehensive approach enables students to engage deeply with the principles of artistic creation. Furthermore, we encourage students to expand their creativity by integrating dance norms and concepts, experimenting with movements that facilitate collaboration, and broadening aesthetic functions through multi-layered intelligence and intellectual convergence. This provides the necessary structural support for cross-pollination with other artistic genres.
The Performance Workshop: Nurturing Individuality and Artistic Growth
The Performance Workshop is a cornerstone of our program, specifically designed to cultivate each student’s individuality through performance-based education. This program is crucial for enhancing imagination and creativity, embracing the practical performance processes necessary to develop a dancer’s fluency, frequency, originality, and imaginative scope. Students are encouraged to engage in continuous experimentation to achieve personal artistic maturity and fulfill their artistic aspirations, boosting their sense of accomplishment through the embodiment of technique and expressive capabilities.
The performance workshops foster synergy and encourage a macroscopic perspective on dance, providing a stepping stone towards professional excellence. Students gain invaluable experience in dance and its significance across artistic, aesthetic, and cultural dimensions.
Dance Music Program: Exploring the Sonic Landscape of Dance (Graduate Level)
Our Dance Music program, offered at the graduate level within Dance Performance, comprehensively covers all facets of music relevant to dance. It encompasses improvised piano performances for dance classes, music production for performances, music design in diverse formats, and music play. Course offerings range from introductory music programs to research and development in interdisciplinary areas bridging dance and music, including accessible instrumental performance opportunities. The detailed curriculum features improvised piano performance, teaching methodology seminars, music composition, percussion performance, and dance practice for accompanists.
Advanced Dance Performance Education (Graduate Program)
The Graduate Program in Dance Performance provides students with rigorous and in-depth education and training through a proven teaching methodology – the eight-year Vaganova method curriculum – specifically designed to cultivate highly specialized dancers. This intensive program ensures that graduates are exceptionally skilled and prepared for professional careers in dance.
