A performance career is built on the stage, not just in the studio. Florida Southern’s BFA in Dance Performance and Choreography combines conservatory-level technical training with creative exploration, artistic expression, and performance, preparing you for a career in dance as an artist, educator, and scholar.
Dance is an intellectual endeavor that requires both the strength of the body and the agility of the mind.
Florida Southern College's BFA in Dance Performance and Choreography prepares students for professional performance and creative careers in dance through a 21st-century curriculum that blends intensive physical training with artistic exploration, choreographic development, and academic study. Grounded in FSC's commitment to engaged learning, the program emphasizes your interaction with the world as a whole person, not just as an artist. You will develop impeccable technique in ballet, jazz, and modern dance while cultivating your own distinctive artistic voice, learning to care for your physical well-being through anatomical and somatic study, and building the professional connections that open doors in the field.
From your first semester to national festival stages, here's what training as a dancer at FSC looks like.
Perform in Fall into Dance, the Spring Dance Concert, and two student-choreographed concerts that showcase BFA students' original work.
Build strong technique in ballet, contemporary modern, and jazz, supported by anatomical and somatic study that helps you train smart and stay healthy.
Performance opportunities begin in your first semester, so you'll build stage experience from the start.
The Wynee Warden Dance Studio was designed specifically for FSC's dance program, with studio space, dressing rooms, and faculty offices under one roof.
Prepare for a rigorous schedule of technique and choreography classes, long evenings in rehearsal, and a full load of academic coursework. Dance Performance and Choreography majors challenge their bodies and minds through one of the most demanding art forms there is, supported every step of the way by experienced artist-faculty and world-class guest artists. The BFA in Dance Performance and Coreography gives you the rigor of a conservatory program with the breadth of a liberal arts education.
Acceptance into FSC's BFA in Dance Performance and Choreography is competitive and requires an audition in addition to the standard FSC application. Auditions are also required for the Minor in Dance.
Learn More About Dance AuditionsAll freshman applicants to Florida Southern Colleges full-time degree programs must submit the following information:
Applying to Florida Southern as a transfer student is easy. Submit:
If transferring fewer than 24 credits, also include your official high school transcript and SAT/ACT scores.
Learn More about transfer admissionsStudents must audition and be accepted into the BFA program.
Learn More about dance audition requirementsFSC's BFA in Dance Performance and Choreography provides intensive study in technique, composition, and theory, intended for students who wish to pursue a professional performance or creative career in dance. The degree also prepares graduates to pursue an MFA, the terminal creative degree in the field.
Coursework covers ballet, jazz, and modern dance technique alongside choreography, improvisation, dance history, and theoretical studies. Crucially, the curriculum also includes anatomical and somatic study, giving you the tools and knowledge to care for your personal well-being and build a long, healthy career in dance.
Combining a liberal arts curriculum with intense physical practice, the program develops both impeccable technique and the intellectual grounding to understand dance as an art form with deep historical, cultural, and expressive dimensions.
Major Requirements (79 hours)
*Must take a minimum of three credit hours at level IV
**Must take a minimum of four credit hours (four semesters)
Additional requirements:
Dance Electives:
Choose four credit hours from:
Electives (11 hours)
Total: 124 hours
Dance Performance and Choreography students at FSC are part of a tight-knit artistic community. Get involved with FSC Student Dance Organization and connect with fellow students who share your passion for performance and creative expression.
Master classes, guest residencies, and guest repertoire enhance the rigorous program and provide connections to the professional field. Previous guest artists include Carolyn Dorfman Dance, Jon Lehrer Dance Company, Melissa Rector, Hannah Weinmaster, Earl Mosley, Gregory Dolbashian, and Jackie Nowicki.
From your first semester, you'll perform, create, and connect with the professional dance world. The department stages four productions each year: Fall into Dance, featuring experimental faculty and guest artist choreography; the Spring Dance Concert, featuring historical ballet alongside faculty and guest works; and two student-choreographed concerts where BFA students present their own work.
Beyond campus, FSC dancers have performed at the Your Move New Jersey Modern Dance Festival, the American College Dance Association Southeast Festival, and the Jacob's Pillow Inside/Out Performance Series, sharing original choreography with industry professionals.
FSC's BFA in Dance Performance and Choreography prepares graduates for professional careers as performers, choreographers, educators, and scholars. Within six months of graduating, 98.6% of FSC students are employed or in graduate school.
The most direct path from an FSC BFA, performing with dance companies, touring productions, and festival ensembles. FSC's intensive technique training and national performance experience, including appearances at Jacob's Pillow and the American College Dance Association Southeast Festival, put you in front of the industry professionals who make those opportunities happen.
FSC's emphasis on developing your artistic voice, combined with four annual performance opportunities and guest artist mentorship, prepares you to create original work from the earliest stages of your training. Student choreographers present at the Emerging Artists Showcase and the BFA Concert, building a portfolio and professional reputation before graduation.
Many BFA graduates go on to teach at the studio, secondary, or university level. FSC's interdisciplinary curriculum, which combines physical training with dance history, theory, and anatomical study, gives you the intellectual and pedagogical foundation to teach dance at the highest level.
The BFA in Dance Performance and Choreography is specifically designed to prepare students for the MFA, the terminal creative degree in the field. FSC's rigorous training, faculty mentorship, and festival experience make graduates competitive candidates for leading MFA programs across the country.
Not all careers in dance happen on the stage. Festival coordinators, company managers, dance critics, and arts administrators are essential to the field, and FSC's combination of practical experience, theoretical study, and professional connections prepares graduates for these roles as well.
"I graduated from the FSC Dance program feeling fully prepared to enter the professional dance world. My professors pushed me both technically and artistically. My Ballet, Modern, and Jazz technique improved every semester thanks to the knowledge and caring faculty. I am thankful for all the performance experiences I had at Florida Southern, including working with guest artists every semester, dancing in faculty Modern pieces and student choreography, performing classical ballets, and dancing at the Gala at ACDA. Every year, the faculty prepared us to graduate as full-option, employable dancers. I left the program with a complete portfolio, audition experience, grant writing practice, and a clear vision of who I was as a performer, teacher, and choreographer. Working now as a dance educator, I aim to be as impactful and caring as my professors were at Florida Southern. I am proud to be a graduate of FSC Dance, a program that, even as an alumna, will always feel like home."
"My time in the FSC Dance Program has been incredibly fulfilling for me as an artist entering the professional dance world. During my time here, I feel I have been well prepared to take on many different aspects of the field, particularly performance, as I was fortunate enough to have had the opportunity to perform all eight semesters of my college career. Something I believe is truly unique about the program is the fact that we have the chance to engage with so many different creative processes and experience being a part of a wide range of work, from student pieces to faculty and guest artist choreography. All of these experiences have contributed significantly to my own creative development, shaping me into the artist I am as I exit the program. The program holds students to a high standard of professionalism and accountability while always fostering a safe and supportive environment in which to learn and grow."
From the FSC stage to national and international dance festivals, every performance, workshop, and master class builds the technique, artistry, and professional network you will need for a career in dance.
"Our work in the Dance Program is about preparing the next generation of dance artists and continuing to elevate the program's presence on a national level."
Four productions a year means plenty of time in the spotlight. Here's a look at our dancers in action.
FSC dancers perform in Branscomb Auditorium during one of the department's annual concerts, which draw families, friends, and the Lakeland community each year.
Partnering and lifts build the strength, trust, and technique that professional performance demands.
FSC dancers deepen their understanding of dance history through the study and performance of historical ballets.
You'll train every day in the Wynee Warden Dance Studio, a 4,700-square-foot facility designed specifically for FSC's dance program. Named for a dancer and longtime supporter of the arts, the studio brings together rehearsal space, dressing rooms, and faculty offices, so your mentors are always close by.
Get an inside look into the Florida Southern College experience with on-campus tours and events designed to show you what it will be like to live, study, and play at FSC.
Spend a day and discover what it's like to be a part of our amazing campus community!
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Meet FSC Mocs before a fun-filled experience at Southern Select! You can enjoy light refreshments...
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Much more than a traditional campus visit, Southern Select includes team building activities, a...
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Read the latest from FSC's Department of Theatre and Dance, from festival performances and guest artist residencies to student achievements and faculty recognition.
Ready to audition? Have questions about the BFA in Dance Performance and Choreography or the Minor in Dance? We would love to hear from you.
A professional career in dance starts with finding your artistic voice. Take your next step toward a BFA in Dance Performance and Choreography at Florida Southern College.
