DANCE MAJOR
at Meredith College
As a dance major at Meredith, you’ll have opportunities to perform and choreograph as early as your freshman year, travel to conferences, and study with guest artists. Learn to shape your life in dance based on your unique strengths and talents.
“Meredith College does an exceptional job making sure students learn as much as they can about any field they want to explore. I love dance and I love education. At Meredith, I was able to deeply explore both fields.”
Our Dance Program
As part of Meredith’s dance program, you will be part of a collaborative environment for conducting artistic scholarship, developing technical, creative, and critical skills within a liberal arts curriculum, and exploring personal expression. The program not only offers a major in dance, but you can also pursue a K-12 Licensure to teach dance and a Professional Performance Certificate.
You will be given unique opportunities to study with renowned guest teachers and choreographers each year. As a dance major, you will also have opportunities to perform in productions, where you gain real-world experience that will make you stand out in the field.
Dance Major Programs
Students earning a major in dance are required to complete 47 total credit hours, which include 32 hours of core dance courses and 15 hours of electives. Students must also present a Senior Portfolio showcasing their work during their time as a dance major.
Students earning a major in dance with a concentration in dance education and K-12 license are required to complete 84 total credit hours, which include 32 hours of core dance courses and 52 hours of required courses. Students must be admitted to the teacher education program to enroll.
Students earning a dance major with a concentration in private studio teaching are required to complete 63 total credit hours, which include 32 hours of core dance courses and 22 hours of required courses, and six hours of electives.
Students earning a dance minor are required to complete 19 total credit hours, which include four hours of required courses, three hours in the theory of dance, three hours of choreography and performance in dance, six hours in dance technique, and three hours in electives.
Students currently enrolled in a BA program with a declared major in dance, music, or theatre are eligible to apply for enrollment in the professional performance certificate program. An audition or portfolio review is required. Students are required to complete 10 hours of technique credits and 10 hours of elective credits.
Why study dance at Meredith?
- The dance program offers a major in dance, a K-12 Licensure to teach dance, and a Professional Performance Certificate.
- Meredith’s dance program uses StrongPoints® to help students enter the workforce as dancers who know how to make important financial decisions and plan for their future.
- “Through StrongPoints®, our students are not only thinking about dance but about themselves, the world, and how it relates.” – Carol Finley, Professor of Dance
- Students learn in a number of facilities , including
- Jones Auditorium
- Studio Theatre
- Weatherspoon Gym
- Thanks to Meredith’s location in arts-rich Raleigh, dance students have completed internships with organizations and dance studios such as
- The American Dance Festival, Durham, N.C.
- Apex Performing Arts, Apex, N.C.
- Black Box Dance, Raleigh, N.C.
- NC Dance Institute, Raleigh N.C.
- Wake County Public Schools
- Walt Disney World, Orlando, Fla.
- Dance students participate in the American College Dance Association annually, where they attend master classes and present work for adjudication.
- There are numerous choreography, performance, and dance community opportunities for students. Some of these opportunities include student groups such as
- DanceWorks
- F.I.R.E. (Fierce, International, Rhythmic, Experience)
- Meredith Angels Dance Team (MADT)
- Meredith College Dance Crew (MCDC)
- Meredith Dance Theatre (MDT)
- Meredith Improv
- Meredith Jazz and Tap Company (MJTCo)
- Meredith Dance Association (MDA)
- Examples of student success include Monica Rivera, ’18, who has a passion for dance, education, and social justice. While at Meredith, she spent much of her time dedicated to the dance program, where she volunteered to help at recruitment events, performed, choreographed, and stage-managed dance productions, and helped coordinate Meredith’s High School Day of Dance. She now uses her dance education platform to empower students in the San Francisco Unified School District.
What Can You Do With a Dance Degree?
Students who study dance education or private studio teaching have high placement rates for full-time work in public schools and private studios. Many of our students choose to combine their training in dance with the study of other fields, such as business, communication, and psychology. Such programs of study are excellent preparation for graduate programs, using dance in psychological, community, or medical applications, and starting small businesses.
- Potential jobs for graduates majoring in dance: choreographer, dance teacher, dance therapist, arts administrator, community arts worker, performer, and more.
- Graduates of Meredith perform with regional dance companies, are employed within public school systems, own their own dance studios, and more.
- Meredith graduates have attended graduate school for dance at schools such as East Carolina University, UNC-Greensboro, SUNY Brockport, and The Ohio State University.
Wings student Vaune Blalock, ’20, came to Meredith with over 30 years of dance experience and a host of accolades, to which she has added a Bachelor of Arts with a major in dance from Meredith College.
Attending Meredith College has shaped Monica Rivera, ’18, as a dancer, an educator, and a social advocate.
Sierra Smith, ʼ18, is has developed a career plan that will allow her to use both of her majors: dance and communication.
Videos About Meredith’s Dance Program
Dance News and Events
Meredith College welcomed Tony Award-winning alumna Beth Leavel back to campus on April 4 to receive the 2023 Woman of Achievement Award. A celebration of the award was held at 7 p.m. in Jones Auditorium. Earlier in the day, Leavel also visited with theatre classes and answered questions from students.
Meredith alumna Sydney Potter, ’22, shares her perspective on why she chooses to teach dance in a public school setting.
Contact Information
Carol Finley
Department Head of Dance & Theatre
8 Weatherspoon
(919) 760-8015
finleyc@meredith.edu
For rental inquiries please contact events@meredith.edu
Dance & Theatre Department
School of Arts & Humanities »
