Department of Dance

Technique portion with various styles and forms, including ballet, modern, African dance and improvisation. This segment is designed to assess your technical and creative abilities.

She has been teaching dance in public schools for over twenty years including Ballet, Tap, Musical Theater Jazz, Modern, Improvisation, and Composition. She has performed her original choreography in Europe and across the United States.

She has trained in a variety of dance forms from modern, contemporary, and ballet to jazz, improvisation, street, and community dance forms, both nationally and internationally. She also has a background in somatic studies such as Pilates, yoga, and Alexander technique. Ty has taught dance/movement for 12 years and strives to cultivate spaces for her students to utilize dance as a form of expression, physical engagement, and meaning-making.

Introduces basic yoga asanas (postures) and overview of the 8-limb system of yoga. Focus will be on physical understanding, correct alignment and inner awareness in the major basic poses. Weekly home practice, ongoing journal, and a research paper about an area of yoga philosophy are required.

Introduces students to black dance aesthetics and its interconnectedness with American popular culture. Offered online and/or live. This course satisfies the General Education Criteria for Humanities – Hist & Phil and Cultural Studies – US Minority.

Online only. In-depth study of musical form, history, culture, and styles, taught from a physical learning, i.e., dance, perspective. This course satisfies the General Education Criteria for Humanities – Lit & Arts.

An umbrella course for non-majors to explore all beginning dancing technique courses offered in the Department. Courses are offered from a range of cultural origins and traditions, which may include techniques such as Ballet, Capoeira, Contemporary Modern, Hip Hop, House, Improvisation, Jazz, Tap, Umfundalai, West African, etc. Specific dance forms for each semester will be listed in the class schedule. These introductory courses provide students with the physical study of various dance techniques, and an introduction to the cultural contest of their creation and practice.

Overview of major works, figures, and trends responsible for shaping dance as an evolving contemporary art form. The course has lecture, viewing, discussion and experiential (studio participation) components. Online and/or live. This course satisfies the General Education criteria for Humanities – Lit and Arts and Cultural Studies – Western.

Introduction to basic choreographic elements. Course work will include dancing, dance making, viewing dance, in-class discussions and short writing assignments. This course satisfies the General Education criteria for Humanities – Lit and Arts and Cultural Studies – Western.

Dance at Illinois offers a global spectrum of dance aesthetics and dance forms such as African- Caribbean, Ballet, Capoeira, Contemporary, Hip-hop, House, Jazz, Modern, Musical Theater Dance, Tap, Umfundalai and Vogue in light-filled studios. These courses can be found under the Danc 116/216 umbrella. The department also offers Pilates, Yoga, Feldenkrais and Tai Chi. These in-demand electives have no waiting lists.

Explore contemporary artists and artistic movements from the fields of dance, theatre, and performance art that address issues of gender and sexuality. Students analyze artistic work and scholarship from multiple fields including performance studies, gender and sexuality studies, theatre history, dance studies, and art history. This course is online and asynchronous, though attendance to one live, in-person, performance is mandatory.

An umbrella course for non-dance majors to explore all intermediate dancing technique courses offered in the department. Courses are offered from a range of cultural origins and traditions, which may include techniques such as Ballet, Capoeira, Contemporary Modern, Hip Hop, House, Improvisation, Jazz, Tap, Umfundalai, West African, etc. Specific dance forms for each semester will be listed in the class schedule. These courses provide students with prior study in the techniques, a physical experience of various dance techniques and an intermediate study of the cultural context of their creation and practice.

Immerse yourself in the Katherine Dunham Technique with Master Teacher, April Berry. Learn from master teachers in a supportive and welcoming environment, establish meaningful connections with other professionals in the field, and build upon your community.

Immerse yourself in a one-week, college-level program and become part of a community of talented and serious artists from diverse backgrounds. The Summer Intensive at the College of Fine and Applied Arts at Illinois provides a perfect platform for high school students to prepare for success in auditions, work with professional choreographers, learn about careers in the arts, make new friends, and get a taste of college life. Current Dance at Illinois faculty, graduate students, and recent alumni teach classes during the day, and fun evening activities are planned throughout the week.

Immerse yourself in a one-week, college-level program and become part of a community of talented and serious artists from diverse backgrounds. The Summer Intensive at the College of Fine and Applied Arts at Illinois provides a perfect platform for high school students to prepare for success in auditions, work with professional choreographers, learn about careers in the arts, make new friends, and get a taste of college life. Current Dance at Illinois faculty, graduate students, and recent alumni teach classes during the day, and fun evening activities are planned throughout the week.

Immerse yourself in a one-week, college-level program and become part of a community of talented and serious artists from diverse backgrounds. The Summer Intensive at the College of Fine and Applied Arts at Illinois provides a perfect platform for high school students to prepare for success in auditions, work with professional choreographers, learn about careers in the arts, make new friends, and get a taste of college life. Current Dance at Illinois faculty, graduate students, and recent alumni teach classes during the day, and fun evening activities are planned throughout the week.

Immerse yourself in a one-week, college-level program and become part of a community of talented and serious artists from diverse backgrounds. The Summer Intensive at the College of Fine and Applied Arts at Illinois provides a perfect platform for high school students to prepare for success in auditions, work with professional choreographers, learn about careers in the arts, make new friends, and get a taste of college life. Current Dance at Illinois faculty, graduate students, and recent alumni teach classes during the day, and fun evening activities are planned throughout the week.

Immerse yourself in a one-week, college-level program and become part of a community of talented and serious artists from diverse backgrounds. The Summer Intensive at the College of Fine and Applied Arts at Illinois provides a perfect platform for high school students to prepare for success in auditions, work with professional choreographers, learn about careers in the arts, make new friends, and get a taste of college life. Current Dance at Illinois faculty, graduate students, and recent alumni teach classes during the day, and fun evening activities are planned throughout the week.