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Prepare for a career as a performer, choreographer, teacher, or arts administrator in a wide variety of professional settings. Become part of a close-knit and supportive dance community with regular advisement by both dance and academic advisors.
RECOGNIZED AS
One of “The Top 30 College Dance Programs for 2019-2020”
by OnStageBlog.com!
About the Dance Program
We offer ...
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An easy commute to New York City for auditions, performances, internships, and additional training.
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Participation in the American College Dance Association and the National Dance Education Organization conferences.
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State-of-the-art teaching spaces, including four beautiful dance studios and a multipurpose space for rehearsals and dance courses such as Kinesiology, Dance History, Teaching Methods, etc.
Degrees & Programs
The Dance program offers three degrees: the BA in Dance, which gives students the opportunity to major or minor in an additional area of interest; the BFA in Dance (by audition), which focuses on a more rigorous training program in performance and choreography; and the BS in Dance Education, which teaches students how to design and implement creative and comprehensive dance programs in Pre-K-12 schools.
Also available:
Minor in Dance, which is completed by taking three required courses: Dance Appreciation, Dance History, and Choreography – for a total of 9 credits. The remaining credits may be chosen from offerings including ballet, modern, tap, jazz, African dance, Irish dance, and hip-hop.
Minor in Musical Theater (by audition) includes a selection of classes from the departments of Dance and Music. To participate, the student must be enrolled in voice lessons each semester through the Music Department.
BA in Dance
The BA in Dance complements the University’s liberal arts program and allows students to pursue a second major or minor in an additional area of interest. Students are provided with a rigorous program of dance training, as well as the same opportunities as the other dance degrees to audition for all faculty and student performances.
BFA in Dance
The BFA in Dance Performance is for students who want to immerse themselves in a more intensive program, leading to careers in performance and choreography. The focus is on developing technical proficiency in traditional and contemporary styles of dance. An audition is required for admission, as well as a personal interview with dance faculty.
BS in Dance Education
The BS in Education: Dance Education is designed to prepare students to become creative and skilled dance instructors at the K-12 education level. Upon successful completion of the program, students will be eligible for New York state initial certification as a teacher of dance in all grades.
Performance Opportunities
On Stage
In fall and spring concerts, students perform choreography by faculty and guest artists like Doug Varone, Sean Curran, Larry Keigwin, Earl Mosley, Adam Barruch, Liz Gerring, Trisha Brown, and Martha Clarke, and legends like Martha Graham and José Limón.
Students also audition for the drama program's annual musical and present original choreography at the American College Dance Festival, the New York City Choreography Seminar, and at club presentations.
More on the Student Experience
Dance students have ample opportunities to enrich their education with experiences both on and off campus.
During their first year, students travel into New York City to see dance performances as part of the First-Year Connections cluster, which are sets of two or three classes linked by a common theme that fulfill general education requirements.
Dance Education students can work with children enrolled in Hofstra’s Diane Lindner-Goldberg Child Care Institute. They also enjoy volunteering their time to lead creative dance workshops in partnership with AHRC of Long Island, a nonprofit organization that supports people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
Campus performances take place at the John Cranford Adams Playhouse, a large proscenium theater that seats more than 1,100, as well as the more intimate Joan and Donald Schaeffer Black Box Theater.
Dance Clubs
Many organizations and clubs on campus support and promote dance. Dance majors are required to be active members of MoVoM, a student-administered Hofstra dance program performance group. Other groups include Danceworks Productions; Imani, which unites hip-hop, Afro-Caribbean, jazz, and house styles; and Rhythmix, a tap dance club.
Internships
Students are encouraged to do one or more internships during their time at Hofstra. Examples of dance companies, festivals, or organizations where students have recently completed internships include Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, American Ballet Theatre, David Dorfman Dance Company, New York City Ballet, Bates Dance Festival, Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival, Boston Early Music Festival, Urbanity Dance, Mark Morris Dance Center, and Peridance Capezio Center.
In the Classroom
Learn from the Experts
Hofstra professors are connected to New York City's dance scene and to national and international opportunities. Under their guidance, you will:
- Become proficient in multiple dance disciplines
- Broaden your understanding of dance as an art form
- Obtain technical expertise and understanding in exercise systems and somatic practices
- Develop skills to evaluate dancing and dance experiences
- Mature as a choreographer and performer
Grants and Scholarships
The Dance program awards more than $130,000 every year in grants and scholarships available only to dance majors.
More about the program
Keigwin Returns to Choreograph Online Performance
When Dance Director Rachel List realized the Covid health crisis would mean the 2020 fall dance concert would have to be performed virtually, she issued a challenge to Larry Keigwin, one of the program’s most successful alums: Would he choreograph a dance via Zoom, showcasing the talents of all 70+ Hofstra dance majors?
It took him no time to say yes.
Leaping from the Stage Into Science
For a decade after his graduation, Gregory Youdan performed with some of New York City’s top dance companies, including Heidi Latsky Dance (HLD), the city’s largest physically-integrated, contemporary dance company, which uses performers with and without disabilities and other unique attributes to create provocative, diverse dance pieces. Dancing with HLD sparked an interest in the biomechanics of dance, which led him from the stage to science. Today, he is a scientist of human movement with two master’s degrees from Columbia University. Photo: Dave Sarrafian
Can't Stop Hofstra Dance
Kristina DiCarlo, a dance major from Huntington, NY, had planned to finish her senior project at an elite program in Barcelona. When the coronavirus crisis interrupted her final semester and canceled those spring plans abroad, DiCarlo found she needed not only a new senior project, but a way to lift her spirits and those of her classmates. The result is a video she conceived with the help of Adjunct Professor Cathi Murphy.
Dance Debut in Bryant Park
Julia Neto '15 began dance lessons when she was three, launching an obsession she never outgrew.
Her talent and drive – combined with professional connections she forged at Hofstra – have led to a career performing with some of NYC’s most prestigious dance companies. Audiences will next see Neto at Bryant Park’s Picnic Performance Series, when she performs as a member of Limón 2, a new company founded to nurture the careers of promising young artists.
Preserving a Dance Classic
Eleo Pomare’s masterpiece, Las Desenamoradas, was performed as part of the 2018 Spring Dance Concert presented by Hofstra University’s Dance Program. The dance was reconstructed by Professors Dyane Harvey-Salaam (winner of a 2017 Bessie Award) and Robin Becker, longtime members of the Eleo Pomare Dance Company, who performed the piece themselves over the course of more than a decade.
Dance Ed Senior Awarded State Scholarship
Amber Richetelli ’20, a dance education major from Hamden, CT, was awarded the 2019 Undergraduate Student Scholarship from the New York State Dance Education Association. Richetelli was honored at the annual conference of the National Dance Education Organization in Miami, FL. In addition to her studies, Richetelli served as vice president of Rhythmix, Hofstra’s tap dance club, and was past-president of Teaching Dance as Art club (TDAA).
Hofstra Dance Springs Back to the Stage
For the Spring 2021 Dance Concert, Hofstra Dance performed the works of faculty and guest choreographers at the Toni and Martin Sosnoff Theater at the John Cranford Adams Playhouse. Guest choreographers Jesse Obremski and David Parker were brought in to work on new compositions with the students, alongside Hofstra faculty members Adam Barruch, Robbie Cook, Claire Porter and Alexandra Williamson.
Alum Soars in Finding Neverland
Matthew Tiberi ’11, a vacation swing for the hit Broadway musical Finding Neverland, initially didn’t think he had enough talent to be a dance major at Hofstra. But after only a month into his freshman year, now-retired dance professor Lance Westergard recognized his talent and offered him a scholarship to reconsider. The rest is history. (Photo: © Carol Rosegg)
Dance Alum Headlines Tour of Flashdance
Hofstra University dance alum Julia Macchio ’14 completed a seven-month tour of “Flashdance the Musical,” the stage adaptation of the 1983 iconic movie. Macchio held the lead role of Alex, an 18-year-old aspiring classical dancer from Pittsburgh who is a welder by day and an exotic club dancer by night.
Alum Lands Role in B'way Revival of Fiddler
While Hofstra’s Department of Drama and Dance presented a lavish 50th anniversary production of Fiddler on the Roof on campus at the John Cranford Adams Playhouse, one of its graduates, Sarah Parker ’11 was in rehearsal for same classic musical on the Great White Way. (Photo: Joan Marcus, courtesy of Jeffrey Richards Associates)
Living Her Dream as a Rockette
Since the first Radio City Christmas Spectacular in 1933, both the show and the Rockettes have become inseparable from New York’s holiday season and the cultural landscape. Being a part of this famous tradition is a dream come true for Hofstra dance alumna Tara Dunleavy-Tubridy ’04, who has been a Rockette for 14 years.
The Outlook
Hofstra graduates are currently working in professional dance companies, musical theater and commercial productions, public and private dance schools, and nationally recognized arts organizations. Others have gone on to complete higher degrees in areas such as Dance/Movement Therapy and Physical Therapy. Read what our alumni say about the program
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Where our alumni are employed
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American Ballet Theatre School
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BLOC Talent Agency
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Camille A. Brown & Dancers
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Forces of Nature Dance Co.
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The Joyce Theater
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The Mark Morris Dance Center
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New York Baroque Dance Co.
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New York Theatre Ballet
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Paul Taylor Dance Co.
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Pentacle Arts Management
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Radio City Rockettes
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School of American Ballet
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STEPS on Broadway
Dance education outcomes
Dance Education majors have found employment at schools and studios throughout the New York metropolitan area, including Brooklyn, the Bronx, Connecticut, Long Island, Manhattan, and Queens.
Where our alumni are pursuing advanced degrees
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Antioch University
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Columbia University
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CUNY Hunter College
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Hofstra University
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Lesley University
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Naropa University
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New York University
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Pratt Institute
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Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance (UK)
Contact Us
DEPARTMENT CHAIR
Professor Royston Coppenger
516-463-6540
Room 202 Emily Lowe Hall
Email
OFFICE INFORMATION
Room 102 Emily Lowe Hall
516-463-5444
Office Hours: Monday-Friday, 9 a.m.-5 p.m.
Department Secretary: Angela Visco
Dance concert photography by Johan Elbers.