The Dance Department offers students ways to investigate embodied knowledge and to develop multiple perspectives by studying individuals and communities. Our courses support close study of physical practices, histories, cultural context and musical understanding and interpretation. Through techniques, research, and creative inquiry, students deepen capacity for interdisciplinary discovery.
The department curriculum offers complementary study in the disciplines of Theater, Visual Art, Africana Studies, American Studies, Asian-American Studies, Global Studies, Gender Studies, Music, and Performance Studies. Dance technique courses include ballet, modern, and African Dance.
As part of a fall 2023 course, dance professor Munjulika Tarah and her students will be spending time at the Williams College Museum of Art (WCMA), studying an exhibition of works curated specifically for them. Read full story
Currently students seeking to anchor their academic and creative study in dance may pursue the Contract Major option. Designated courses are offered for full academic and/or PE credit; you must register for PE courses through the Physical Education department.
All students are welcome to audition for membership in the Department’s performing companies which include: CoDa, whose members train in and perform works created in the vocabularies of modern dance and ballet; Kusika, an African Dance and percussion ensemble which accepts members as dancers, musicians, and storytellers; Sankofa, the college’s step team, whose members present this percussive dance form with both respect to tradition and an energetic exploration of new ideas; and the Zambezi Marimba Band, which performs music from Zambia and Zimbabwe, as well as from around the world. Membership is also possible through invitation by the company directors. Company members study with faculty, guest artists and peers. Student choreographers are also supported.