At Howard, you won’t just earn a degree—you’re part of a legacy in Dance Arts!
Dance
Rooted in cultural power, artistic excellence, and global impact.
"On Horizons" Annual Spring Concert 2025
Dance Program 120 Hours
The Dance Program | Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance
Established by our founder, Dr. Sherrill Berryman Johnson, the Howard University Dance Program is the pioneering Historically Black College/University (HBCU) to offer a four-year BFA degree in Dance Arts. The Department of Theatre Arts offers professional dance training within the context of an extensive liberal arts research education. A legacy that pre-dates our founding 1991 curriculum (through the Department of Physical Education in the College of Arts and Sciences), we hold steadfast to comprehensively preparing our dance students with a holistic education of the art form and industry for endless success throughout their professional careers. This means nurturing the students’ scholastic success as well as artistic excellence.
Whether entering as majors or minors, students are immersed in interdisciplinary studies that prepare them to thrive as performers, educators, critics, advocates, historians, and beyond. With a curriculum spanning both technical movement mastery and theoretical depth, students also take the stage in performance opportunities not limited to productions in Student Choreography, Senior Capstone Performances, The Spring Concert, the Musical Theatre area's professionally directed and produced musicals, The Annual International Conference and Festival of Blacks in Dance, and several other performance opportunities within the D.C. community and abroad!
We are proud of Howard's history of service to a diverse community of talented and promising students. Here, we recognize that the impact of dance extends beyond the stage. Our goal is to cultivate all students' skills, fostering an environment where compassion, creativity, and service to their craft are valued, adjacent to physical prowess.
ENGAGE WITH HU DANCE ARTS
Dance Major (120 credit hours)
The Dance Major is designed to cultivate virtuosic dancers and critical thinkers. Students graduate as versatile, multi-hyphenate artists and future leaders in the dance industry. Spanning 120 credit hours, it blends scholarly research with intensive studio training, rehearsal, and performance contributions. Students engage with a faculty of seasoned professional instructors across 5 disciplines of dance techniques and extrapolate knowledge from historical and ethnological studies, as well as gain hands-on theater technology education. They connect with our extensive network in concert dance that draws on renowned visiting artists for choreography and workshops, internships with leading Black Dance companies, and personalized guidance on level placement for quality dance exposure and individualized career planning. A major emphasis in this program is the completion of the practicum experience in the senior year.
Entry requirements for dance students include auditions and interviews, and matriculation requirements involve passing semi-annual jury examinations. Success in this program is derived from hard work, consistency, a passion for dance, and an open mind.
Dance Minor (18 credit hours)
The Dance Minor offers undergraduate students a unique opportunity to explore and deepen their passion for dance. The primary purpose is to satisfy the general interest of undergraduate students in Dance Arts, and supplement throughout the University.
With 18 credit hours of both academic and practical coursework, students engage in all three core dance disciplines while gaining contextual insight from African diasporic trends in dance history.
In addition to developing their technique, minors participate in a selection of performance opportunities within the production season. Students are expected to meet all program requirements, including auditions, interviews, prerequisites, and academic standards.
Student Expansion
Take 6, for example!
Take 6, a student-run production company of six Howard Dance majors, brought their short film Who’s Next? to life—an homage to Chadwick A. Boseman and the future of Black artistry. Funded by the inaugural Disney Storyteller’s Fund, the project celebrates “what it means to be young, gifted and Black to artists nationwide who may not understand their important cultural role in society,” according to the group’s founder, Thalia Norwood, ‘26.
Photography of Take 6 Productions Members, courtesy of Tyler Giles.
Program Information:
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Dance Major Studies
- 5 Core Disciplines of Study
- Dance Composition I-IV
- Dance Sciences
- Dance History
- Theater Technology
- Arts Administration
- Musical Theater Studies, Character Development
- Foreign Language
- English Writing
- Psychology
- Theater Practicum
Dance Minor Studies
- 3 Core Disciplines of Study
- Dance History
Core Disciplines of Technique
Trained for Excellence!
Our curriculum is grounded in African Diasporic tradition, empowering our emerging artists with a deep connection to their ancestral roots and the versatility to thrive on any stage. You’ll train with world-class instructors in techniques across disciplines, covering:
- Classical & Contemporary Ballet
- Modern Dance
- African Dance
- Jazz
- Tap
Programmatic Internships Opportunities
Launch your career with real-world experience at the Mecca of the global dance community! As a Dance major, you’ll access exclusive internships through select courses led by renowned visiting artists and our vibrant community network—connecting you with top names in the industry, including:
- Deeply Rooted Dance Theater
- Alvin Ailey Dance Foundation
- Complexions Contemporary Ballet
- Philadanco!
- The International Association of Blacks in Dance (IABD)
- Jones Haywood School of Dance
- Hope Boykin Arts Collective Inc (HBAC)
- A.I.M by Kyle Abraham
- Liz Cherry Jones Memorial
- 92NY Dance Education Laboratory (DEL)
- Arnhold Summer Fellows Program
...and many more!
Gallery
Dance Program Course Curriculum Scheme
FRESHMAN YEAR
FALL SEMESTER
2- THDN-076 DANCE TECH I BAL/MOD/AFR & SEM
1- FRSM-001 FRESHMAN SEMINAR
3- THDN-067 KINES CHARACT DEV & STORYTEL
3- THFD-201 IND STUD RESEARCH: NUTR FOR DNC or
NUTR-106 NUTRITION FOR NON-MAJORS
3- ENGW-101 RHETORIC, INQUIRY & CRIT WRIT or
ENGW-102 *EXP. WRITING & LIT
3 FOREIGN LANGUAGE I
TOTAL CREDITS- 15
SPRING SEMESTER
2- THDN-077 DANCE TECH II BAL/MOD/AFR&SEM
3- MATH-006 COLLEGE ALGEBRA I
3- ENGW-103 PERSUASIVE WRIT & RESEARCH
3- THTT-057 STAGE MAKE-UP/LAB
2- THDN-021 DANCE COMPOSITION I
1- HHPL-002 BEGINNING SWIMMING
3- FOREIGN LANGUAGE II
TOTAL CREDITS- 18
SOPHOMORE YEAR
FALL SEMESTER
2- THDN-007 *BALLET I
2- THDN-001 *MODERN I
2- THDN-015 AFRICAN DANCE I
3- THDN-031 ANATOMY/KINESIOLOGY
2- THDN-022 DANCE COMPOSITION II
3- THDN-029 DANCE HISTORY I
3- THTT-051 BSC STAGE LTG: LTG THE DANCE
TOTAL CREDITS - 17
SPRING SEMESTER
2- THDN-008 *BALLET II
2- THDN-002 *MODERN II
2- THDN-016 AFRICAN DANCE II
3- PSYCH-050 INTRO TO PSYCHOLOGY or
SOCI-020 INTRO TO SOCIAL PSYCH
2- THDN-023 DANCE COMPOSITION III
3- THDN-037 METHODS OF TEACHING DANCE
3- THDN-030 DANCE HISTORY II
1- THDN-201 DANCE TECH PRODUCTION
TOTAL CREDITS - 18
*Based on placement
JUNIOR YEAR
FALL SEMESTER
2- THDN-009 *BALLET III
2- THDN-003 *MODERN III
2- THDN-116 AFRICAN DANCE III
2- THDN-024 DANCE COMPOSITION IV
3- THMT-107 SINGING FOR THE PERFORMER or
THMT-041 INTRO TO THEORY FOR MUSCL THE
2- THDN-062 CONTEMP TRENDS IN DANCE I
3- ARTH-161 ART APPRECIATION or
ARTH-164 SURVEY OF VISUAL ART
TOTAL CREDITS- 16
SPRING SEMESTER
2- THDN-010 *BALLET IV
2- THDN-004 *MODERN IV
2- THDN-046 MAJ AFRICAN PERF WORKSHOP
2- THDN-071 DANCE MAJ MOVEMENT TECH
2- THDN-085 CONTEMP TRENDS IN DANCE II
1- THDN-200 DANCE TECH PRODUCTION I
1- HHPL-011 WEIGHT TRAINING OR HHPL-061 PILATES
TOTAL CREDITS- 12
SENIOR YEAR
FALL SEMESTER
2- THDN-036 DANCE SENIOR SEMINAR W/LAB
3- THAT-191 FUNDRAISING FOR THE ARTS
2- THMT-065 TAP I
2- THMT-067 JAZZ DANCE 2
3- FREE ELECTIVE 1
TOTAL CREDITS- 12
SPRING SEMESTER
2- THDN-061 DANCE SENIOR SEMINAR II
3- THAT-156 STAGE MANAGEMENT
3- THTT-053 COSTUME FOR THEATRE
1- THDN-225 DANCE TECH PRODUCTION II
3- FREE ELECTIVE 2
TOTAL CREDITS- 12
Junior Composition Showcase Auditions
The Department of Theater Arts, Dance Area, invites all Dance and Musical Theatre majors and minors to audition for the Junior Composition Showcase—a signature event highlighting original choreography and performance. Taking place on Saturday, November 15, 2025 at the Ira Aldridge Theater, the showcase is an essential milestone in academic progression and a powerful platform for emerging artists to share their voices. Auditions will be held on Wednesday, September 10, 2025 in the Dance Studio, with registration beginning at 7:30 PM. This is where artistry meets discipline, and the next generation of creative leaders step into the spotlight.
Register Here
Master Class Series
Step into the studio with one of the most celebrated dancers of our time. Howard University’s Chadwick A. Boseman College of Fine Arts welcomes Desmond Richardson, Co-Founder and Artistic Director of Complexions Contemporary Ballet, for an exclusive Master Class Series. Dance students will immerse themselves in Complexions’ signature Nique Technique, engage in a dynamic Q&A with Richardson, and expand their artistry through a Hip Hop Master Class. This rare opportunity connects students directly to a visionary who has transformed the global landscape of contemporary ballet.
Get To Know Chadwick A. Boseman Dance Program Alumni
The Dance Program proudly celebrates the Class of 2025 and all of our Alumni who have gone on to create and live meaningful careers and impact in the Arts as performers, choreographers, educators, arts ambassadors, and more!
Learn More