"Without the opportunity to take class at Saint Mary’s, I never would have known this joy that dancing brings me."
Program in Dance
Feed your passion
You’ve grown up dancing from a young age, wearing leotards and tights, slippers and tap shoes. Dance has been a familiar and important part of your life. And as you prepare for college, the question becomes, is it time to leave it behind? Is there value in continuing to dance? What are my options?
At Saint Mary’s we encourage all students to feed their passion for dance. Whether you’ve been in the studio for years or never stepped foot on a sprung wood floor, there are plenty of options for you here.
- 7 genres of dance techniques to explore
- 100%of students in program perform locally
- 51% of Saint Mary’s students study abroad
Where your dance shoes might take you
A minor in dance is very manageable and adds a lot of flexibility to your future career paths. Requiring only 16 credit hours, the program is easy to work around while providing significant balance and health benefits to your daily school life. The program is designed to help prepare students for further involvement in the dance profession as artists, educators, researchers, or leaders. All students in our program also participate each year in one of our multiple, on-campus performances, giving you valuable on-stage experience as well.
Beginners welcome
Whether you have a mild curiosity or deep yearning for dance, we have options that will help you get started. Offering classes in a wide variety of dance techniques, you can take anything from ballet, modern, tap, jazz, improv, and more. Each class will help you build skills, condition your body and prepare you to fully understand the history, etiquette, and techniques needed to assimilate into ANY dance class. Read on to learn how alumna Kate Ortigara ’10 took her first class at Saint Mary’s and has gone on to learn pointe in Chicago and has volunteered backstage for the esteemed Joffrey Ballet.
"Without the opportunity to take class at Saint Mary’s, I never would have known this joy that dancing brings me."
— Kate Ortigara '10
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