The Dance Program at Theatre/Dance ISU
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Introduction
The ISU Theatre and Dance Department provides a well-rounded curriculum that is both basic and innovative. Theatrical productions range from classics to contemporary, from intimate to large-scale, and from student-directed to faculty produced. Dance productions range from jazz to ballet to hip-hop to modern. The program is structured to provide a rich mixture of academic, design, and performance courses, coupled with a broad array of electives, enabling ISU students to pursue theatre and dance as a profession or an avocation.
Mission Statement
The goal of the ISU Theatre and Dance Department is to help students obtain a level of achievment appropriate to entry-level professionals in their specialty areas, or to use the confidence, expressiveness, and cooperative skills gained through their theatre and dance studies at ISU to succeed in a diverse range of non-performance related careers. Students may choose to focus on performance (acting, directing, dance, and choreography), technical theatre, dance education, or achieve an Education degree with certification to teach theatre. All ISU Theatre and Dance students are expected to gain a broad-based knowledge of all major aspects of production, and a solid grounding in the history, theory, and literature of their art.
Students selecting a performance emphasis will focus on their own physical, vocal, and intellectual abilities, as well as, gain an aesthetic, analytical, social, and cultural understanding of theatre and dance. Students focusing on technical theatre may further specialize in costume, lighting, and scenic design. Students pursuing an Education major with Theatre teaching certification or a dance education emphasis should emerge confident in their abilities with all general aspects of theatre and dance. Internships with professional theatre and/or dance companies are strongly encouraged. In addition to specific knowledge and skills, all ISU theatre and dance students should acquire the communication and interpersonal skills to work collaboratively within an ensemble art.
Dance Program Information
The Idaho Moving Project (I-Move) was established in Fall 2004 as ISU’s professional touring dance company. This company, which enjoys co-artistic direction by faculty members Melanie Kloetzel, Lauralee Zimmerly, and Shawn Bible, is a modern dance company that performs both on-campus as part of Theatre/Dance ISU and further afield. The company presents modern pieces choreographed by the artistic directors and by guest choreographers from around the country. Auditions for I-Move are held annually and are open to students, faculty, and community members.
Danson is an honorary Dance Fraternity. Danson now acts as a student club/company that produces student-choreographed works. Two of these productions take place every year consisting of an informal spring performance and a more formal fall performance. Student choreographers that are members of Danson hold auditions at the beginning of every se mester to choose students for their own pieces and for the company.
Dance students at ISU have access to multiple performing opportunities. In addition to the Idaho Moving Project and Danson, students may join any number of dance clubs. These clubs include the Folk Dance Club, Latin Dance Club, Swing Club, Chinese Dance Club, and Hip Hop Club. Clubs typically meet twice a week and often bring in guest artists for workshops. They also present informal performances throughout the year.
Careers in Dance
A background in dance can open many doors in the professional world. Dance students who graduate from ISU may enter careers as choreographers, and performers for professional modern dance companies, jazz and ballet troupes, and musical theatre productions. In addition, they may teach dance in schools, dance studios, and community art centers.
Dance students possess the skills necessary to succeed in the business world, non-profit organizations, and arts agencies. Due to their training in a multitude of areas including choreography, performance, dance history and theory, production, public relations, education, and management. Gleaning an understanding of the relationship between world events, social and cultural issues, and the arts, students of dance have an excellent background for various fields in the humanities and social sciences, in particular anthropology, history, and sociology. In addition, dance students, due to their investment in the physical self, often tend towards the medical profession in areas ranging from physical therapy to nursing to dance therapy. As dance students gain technical, collaborative, analytical, and creative skills, they discover that a wide range of career possibilities awaits them.
Degree Program in Dance
Minor in Dance The Dance minor may be taken by any university student. Courses are especially designed to meet needs of students in Physical Education, Elementary Education, Theatre, and other arts as well as private dance studio teachers.
Financial Assistance
The Theatre Program has monetary awards, scholarships, and graduate assistantships available each semester. Scholarship auditions/portfolio reviews are held annually in early March. After that time, some scholarships may be awarded on an availability basis.
Other financial aid options, including general scholarships, grants, and loans, are available through the Idaho State University Financial Aid Office.