The Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) is a professional program in dance designed for the student who plans to pursue a career in dance performance and/or choreography.
Choreography by Francisco Martinez, Photo by Rosalie O'Connor
The BFA Dance program emphasizes the nurturing and further development of each student’s technical skills and artistry. Students study both ballet, modern and/or jazz daily. Courses in music, choreography, anatomy, production and dance history round out the dance curriculum. Each semester students further their performance experience while rehearsing and studying all aspects of dance production.
Of the total 120 credits required for graduation 62 credits are in dance, 40 are in liberal arts shared curriculum and 18 are open electives. Acceptance into the BFA program is competitive; prospective students must not only satisfy the academic requirement for acceptance into the College, but also give strong evidence of professional promise as demonstrated through auditions and interviews.
The BFA in Dance requires a two-year residency. The high caliber of the BFA program necessitates the need for constant student evaluation. Continuation in the program is based on the dance faculty’s analysis of each student’s progress and potential. After the freshman year, all BFA students will be evaluated annually by the following criteria:
- Maintenance of a 3.0 average or better in academic and dance courses
- Evaluation of performance in workshops/productions
- Evaluation of class work, technical progress and juries
- Attendance
To best facilitate the interest and needs of the student, the BFA has set requirements that all candidates must fulfill as well as four areas of concentration that have their own designated courses for credit:
*Students must complete one of the following four concentrations along with the core BFA requirements:
“I have learned so much about myself … to never
stop investigating and exploring everything. My passion for dance on and off the stage has grown exponentially since coming to Marymount. Thank you for
steering my career in the right direction.”
- Holly Jones, BFA ’12