Northern Vermont University is one of the best places to study the art of dance. In our program, you will practice in our remodeled dance studio and perform on stage at the Dibden Center for the Arts on campus. As a dance student, you’ll also blend your dance with theater, music, and design so you’ll get more out of your education. Works are often created with all four of these disciplines in the same room with creators wearing multiple hats. As a choreographer, you may also be the director, writer, or video designer. This multi-disciplinary approach will prepare you for a job in the type of dance that is happening in today’s modern world of performance arts.
As you navigate move through your degree program, you will receive training in traditional and classical techniques and apply this training in the creation of new works, never before seen.
Follow Your Direction
Is teaching the direction you want to follow? You can pursue Vermont licensure endorsement to teach dance in grades 7-12 through our education department. Additional career options for dance students include choreographer, studio manager, artistic director, dance/movement therapist, and event planner at arts councils, theaters, dance studios, camps, fitness centers, and other workplaces.
A Hands-On Learning
To help prepare you for your dance career, faculty won’t run your shows — you will. At NVU, students write, direct, and design their own pieces. You will also learn to contact professional venues, pitch your work, and perform on main stage theaters across Vermont. By coordinating every aspect of a theater production, you will enter the world of professional dance with a big advantage.
Your two senior capstone courses will prepare you for your career beyond NVU. In the first capstone, you will build your portfolio by single-handedly designing and completing a project in anyone, or a combination of, our concentrations. In the second, you will master important aspects of the theater profession — including audition preparation, resume and portfolio creation, interview skills, and self-promotion and branding.