About the BFA Program | Department of Dance

Suzan Bradford-Kounta’s African Movement Practice class in Sullivant Hall. Photo by Jodi Miller.

Dance Denmark student group rehearsing for an upcoming performance. Photo by Logan Wallace.

"CANNONBALL," by Abby Zbikowski; Photo credit: Gregory R.R. Crosby, 2023 ACDA National College Dance Festival.

"Convergence," by Tanya Calamoneri in collaboration with the dancers

Spring Informance 2023, photo by Damian Bowerman

"Voice of the Forest," by Donald Isom

Donald Isom and the Dxngeon dance battle

Brazil Tour Group showing, photo by Damian Bowerman

This film highlights the student experiences, faculty, program courses and performance opportunities, study abroad programs, spaces and more.

The Bachelors of Fine Arts (BFA) in Dance program is committed to cultivating a rigorous curriculum that draws upon multiple disciplinary and artistic approaches while encouraging students to position their own work and development within broad social contexts. Our curriculum is designed to develop concrete skills in performance, choreography, and pedagogy and to instill an intellectually broad and deep appreciation of the role that dance plays in human culture around the world while ensuring our students are competitive in the current marketplace. We are committed to academic excellence, diversity, freedom of expression, activism, social transformation and civic responsibility. Our BFA program’s priority is to cultivate artist-citizens committed to leadership, community, equity and social justice.

Our program encourages integration of the curricular areas, supports an interdisciplinary approach, promotes the education of the whole person, values cultural and curricular diversity, and responds to the individual needs of students, faculty, the dance field, and our broader culture. Students leave the program with the skills, perspective and imagination to be visionaries, advocates, and leaders in the field of dance and in their communities.

The mission of the BFA is to be an exciting and diversified dance program. Defined by a varied and dynamic blend of physical practice, creative practice and embodied theory, The BFA trains students to:

Both deepen and broaden physical training;
Develop choreographic skills, explore experimental technologies (IM, Video, Dance Theatre), in service to becoming sophisticated and nuanced artists in general;
Cultivate an understanding between performance and culturally inclusive and critically rigorous pedagogy;
Deepen and expand one’s understanding of the art and practice of performance (via formal and informal performances, in-progress showings, scholarly lectures etc.);
Become an arts activist, arts educator and advocate;
And to develop scholarly expertise and sophistication in culture and the arts in general.

Video of brief interviews with alumni of the BFA in Dance from The Ohio State University describing their experience of the program and how it prepared them for their careers.

An audition is required for the BFA; see Apply to BFA program for dates and information. Be sure to take a look at our Majors and their work.

No audition is required for the Dance Minor. Please email for an advising appointment to declare the Minor; see Minor program for more information.

All students are welcome to take our elective classes; see Elective courses for more information.

Please see our BFA Dance Checklist that students use to track their course progress to graduation, alongside other university resources, advising staff, and faculty mentors.

GENERAL EDUCATION (GE) FOUNDATION COURSES (32-39 credit hours)
Minimum GE grade for graduation is D or better

GE Launch Seminar - GenEd 1201 (during 1st 3 semesters) - 1 Credit
Foundations: Writing and Info Literacy - 3 Credits
Foundations: Math & Quantitative Reason/Data Analysis - 3-5 Credits
Foundations: Literary, Visual and Performing Arts - 3 Credits
Foundations: Historical & Cultural Studies - 3 Credits
Foundations: Natural Science - 4-5 Credits
Foundations: Social & Behavioral Sciences - 3 Credits
Foundations: Race, Ethnic and Gender Diversity - 3 Credits
Theme: Citizenship for a Diverse & Just World - 4-6 Credits
Theme of Choice (choose one): - 4-6 Credits
- Lived Environments
- Health and Well Being
- Sustainability
- Migration, Mobility, and Immobility
- Number, Nature, Mind
- Traditions, Cultures, and Transformation
GE Reflection Seminar - GenEd 4001 - 1 Credit

UNIVERSITY ELECTIVES (4-11 credit hours)
World languages, minor, double major/dual degree, graduate/professional program prerequisites

MOVEMENT PRACTICE (MP) COURSES (30 credit hours)

Contemporary (16 credit hours all 4 years)

3101/2 (majors only) - Autumn 1st Year - 2 Credits
3101/2 (majors only) - Spring 1st Year - 2 Credits
4101/2 or 5101/2 (majors only) - Autumn 2nd Year - 2 Credits
4101/2 or 5101/2 (majors only) - Spring 2nd Year - 2 Credits
4101/2 or 5101/2 (majors only) - Autumn 3rd Year - 2 Credits
4101/2 or 5101/2 (majors only) - Spring 3rd Year - 2 Credits
4101/2 or 5101/2 (majors only) - Autumn 4th Year - 2 Credits
4101/2 or 5101/2 (majors only) - Spring 4th Year - 2 Credits

Africanist (6 credit hours)

3003 (majors only) - Autumn 1st Year - 1 Credit
3003 (majors only) - Spring 1st Year - 1 Credit
4003, 5003, or 5004 (majors only) - Autumn 2nd Year - 1 Credit
4003, 5003, or 5004 (majors only) - Spring 2nd Year - 1 Credit
4003, 5003, or 5004 (majors only) - 1 Credit
4003, 5003, or 5004 (majors only) - 1 Credit

Ballet (6 credit hours)

3111/2 (majors only) - Autumn 1st Year - 1 Credit
3111/2 (majors only) - Spring 1st Year - 1 Credit
4111/2 or 5111/2 (majors only) - Autumn 2nd Year - 1 Credit
4111/2 or 5111/2 (majors only) - Spring 2nd Year - 1 Credit
4111/2 or 5111/2 (majors only) - 1 Credit
4111/2 or 5111/2 (majors only) - 1 Credit

Somatic (2 credit hours any year, recommend in 1st/2nd years)

5173 Pilates
5175 Yoga
5176 Bartenieff Fundamentals
5177 Alexander
5178 Floorwork

FOUNDATION COURSES (32 credit hours)

2601 Production - 2 Credits
- 1 credit for lecture - Autumn 1st Year
- 1 credit for crew - Autumn 1st Year OR Spring 1st or 2nd Year
2701 Music Skills for Dance - Spring 1st Year - 2 Credits
2702 Creative Technologies for Dance - Autumn 1st Year - 2 Credits
2801 Introductory Seminar I (or XXX 1100 for major change/ transfers) - Autumn 1st Year - 1 Credit
2802 Introductory Seminar II - Autumn 2nd Year - 1 Credit
3201 Composition I - Spring 1st Year - 3 Credits
3202 Composition II - Autumn 2nd Year - 3 Credits
3301 Analysis - Autumn 2nd or 3rd Year - 3 Credits
3412 History/Theory/Literature II - Autumn 2nd or 3rd Year - 3 Credits
3501 Education - Autumn 2nd or 3rd Year - 3 Credits
3490 / 4490 HTL Special Topics* - Autumn or Spring 2nd-4th Years - 3 Credits
- OR 3411 HTL I*
- OR 3401 Pop Culture*
- OR 3402 Global Contexts*
3801 Kinesiology - Spring 1st or 2nd Year - 3 Credits
4700 Repertory* - Spring 1st Year or Autumn 2nd Year - 2 Credits
5602 Lighting Design (SP)* - Autumn or Spring 2nd-4th Years - 1 Credit
- OR 5614 Sound (AU)*
- OR 5615 Costume (AU/SP)*
- OR 5611 Isadora (SP)*

*additional enrollments part of Focus Electives

FOCUS COURSES (22 credit hours)

4801 Senior Seminar I - Autumn 3rd Year - 1 Credit
4802 Senior Seminar II - Autumn 4th Year - 1 Credit
4998/H Senior Project - Autumn & Spring 4th Year - 2-4 Credits
- OR 4999/H Distinction Project
Focus Electives (select from list) Spring 2nd-4th Years -18 Credits

FOCUS ELECTIVES LIST (select at least 18 credit hours)

Composition

4200 Choreographic Workshop
4202 Music in Dance Composition
4203 Group Forms
4290 Composition: Special Topics
5121 Improvisation
5191 Eurhythmics
5211 Dance Film I
5212 Dance Film II
5213 Intermedia Performance
5505S Citizen Artist

History/Theory/Literature (HTL) (beyond Foundation)

2500 Anti-Racism in Performing Arts (if not GE)
3401 Dance in Popular Culture (if not GE)
3402 Dance in Global Contexts (if not GE)
3490/4490 HTL: Special Topics (beyond Foundation)
5500 Anti-Racism in the Performing Arts

Education

4500 Directed Teaching
4501 Dance for Children
4502 Methods and Materials
4590 Education: Special Topics
5191 Eurhythmics

Production/Technology (beyond Foundation)
also see theatre.osu.edu and accad.osu.edu

5601 Production: Practicum
5603 Costume: Practicum
5611 Technology: Practicum
5612 Digital Video Editing: Practicum
5614 Sound Design for Dance
5615 Costume Design for Dance

Repertory and Performance Repertory
beyond the Foundation requirement and/or Somatics and Elective Movement Practice beyond the Movement Practice requirements

4700 Repertory (beyond Foundation)
4701 Performance - 2nd or 3rd Year
4790 Repertory: Special Topics - 3rd or 4th Year
5200 Concert Workshop (student works)
2103 Contemporary III
2113 Ballet III
2143 Jazz III
2152 Hip Hop II
2162 Tap II
2181 Social Dance
2190/ 5190 Movement Practice: Special Topics
5115/6 Ballet Practice
5105/6 Contemporary Practice
5173 Pilates Reformer
5175 Yoga
5176 Bartenieff Fundamentals
5177 Alexander Technique
5178 Floorwork

Additional Options

3999H Research Creativity in Dance
4189 Field Experience (2 credit limit)
4193/4193H Independent Study (2 credit limit)
4804 Interdisciplinary Workshop
4990 Research: Special Topics
4194/5194 Group Studies
5798 Study Abroad

External Course(s) (upon Dance USC approval by petition)

TOTAL CREDIT HOURS - 127
Transfer students need to complete at least 42 credit hours at OSU for BFA and at least 60 for Honors/Distinction.

Minimum Overall GPA - 2.0

Minimum GPA in Major - 3.0

Minimum Dance grade for graduation - C-

Video of interview with Ohio State University alum Mimi Lamantia who describes her experience of integrating dance and medicine at Ohio State.

Video of places in Columbus to introduce prospective students to the benefits of living in this city while gong to school at The Ohio State University.