Dance

Associate of Arts

The Associate of Arts in Dance will prepare students to develop the necessary academic, technical and analytical skills that will provide them with a measurable foundation in the basics of sound dance practices. As with any liberal arts degree, salaries vary according to the career path chosen by the degree holder. With an Associate of Arts in Dance from STC, students will have attained the pre-professional foundation skills necessary to compete for beginning positions as dance instructors and/or performers.

In addition to career options in the field of Dance, students with an Associate of Arts in Dance may also choose to pursue advanced degrees in related fields such as education, history and criticism, choreography, arts management, directing or performance. After receiving their associate degree, students who desire a career as dance educators and who earn a bachelor's degree in this field would be eligible for employment in most public school districts, providing they obtain the necessary teaching certification. Students who earn a Bachelor of Arts or a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance can also expect to be marketable in other areas of business and the arts requiring a combination of verbal, visual and leadership skills. The associate and bachelor’s degrees would serve as the foundation for specialized studies in dance such as scene and lighting design, costume design, choreography, directing, performance arts management and dramaturgy. Curriculum: The Associate of Art in Dance would require students to complete 60 semester credit hours (SCH) of transferable course work from the Academic Course Guide Manual. Admissions Requirements: The admissions requirements for this program would follow the general admissions policies set forth in the South Texas College catalog.

Program Learning Outcomes

1. Students will articulate and examine movement vocabulary and practices of Ballet dance technique. Exemplify an understanding of dance technique, process and classroom etiquette.
2. Demonstrate the ability to read, understand and critically analyze the ideas of world cultures’ belief systems and practices presented in our dance textbooks and resources.
3. Demonstrate the ability to present information, clearly, logically through dance performance. Discuss and recognize the roles of the dancer as soloist and as a member of an ensemble.
4. Demonstrate both an understanding and practical application of the strategies, games and scores implicit in dance composition.
5. Demonstrate intermediate level movement skills, concentration, awareness and physical control while performing movement for artistic expression.

TSI Liable

¹

Dance majors must take DANC 1151 Freshman Dance Performance and DANC 2151 Sophomore Dance Performance twice to meet the Field of Study 18 credit hours. 

²

In addition to the courses in the Field of Study, the student is required to take 42 hours from the STC Core Curriculum. Dance majors must take DANC 1305 World Dance - World Dance to fulfill the Creative Arts component of the Core Curriculum.

TSI Liable

Recommended Course Sequence

¹

Dance majors must take DANC 1151 Freshman Dance Performance and DANC 2151 Sophomore Dance Performance twice to meet the Field of Study 18 credit hours.