Dance, BA (NYC)

Located in Manhattan, the heart of New York City, Northeastern’s Dance major draws upon the highest standards of the profession, is versatile, and prepares you for various careers in dance. Your personal growth, on stage and off, is at the heart of our mission.  Unlike other dance programs, our Dance major encourages you to pursue a minor or a double major in other areas of the College’s curriculum, providing you with additional skills and knowledge and expanding opportunities for personal growth. You will be prepared to become a citizen of the world and a true advocate for the arts. Our interest is in you as a whole person, an artist who balances a trained body with an active, capable mind. Our faculty consists of some of the finest professors and dance professionals in New York City. Under their guidance, you’ll develop the discipline, self-confidence, and self-motivation valuable in any field, but essential to dance. Studying dance at Northeastern (NYC) gives you the foundation to combine discipline with artistry and creativity — just what you’ll need for a seamless transition to the professional dance world.

New York Co-ops/Internships

Internships and independent studies create a bridge from college to the professional world. Our BA in Dance students have studied with a number of prestigious companies and organizations, including Martha Graham, David Parsons, Stephen Petronio, American Ballet Theater, The Ailey School, New York City Ballet, and many more.

Performance Opportunities

We hold a year-long competitive “residency,” cast by audition only, in which students work closely with some of today’s most important choreographers. Additionally, biannual Mainstage productions and Dancers At Work programs provide performance opportunities for Northeastern dance majors.

Study Abroad

Northeastern dancers have studied around the world, including at the prestigious Academy of Theatre and Dance in Amsterdam, the Jerusalem Academy of Music and Dance in Israel, London Contemporary Dance School in the United Kingdom, and the Lorenzo de’Medici Institute in Italy. Additionally, Northeastern offers a vast array of study abroad and experiential opportunities (182 global options) as part of its curriculum, including Semester-long experiences, Dialogue of Civilizations (DOC), and Global Co-op, all with academic alignment. Northeastern routinely sends thousands of students abroad to more than 90 countries. Over 80% of study abroad alumni state that their international experience allowed them to acquire valuable skills that influenced their career paths.

Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of the BA in Dance major, you’ll be able to:

1. You will engage with and develop substantial kinesthetic and performance skills from diverse technical and experiential practices.
2. Demonstrate a critical engagement with the histories, theoretical frameworks, and cultural contexts of dance through kinesthetic, written, and/or verbal work.
3. Develop a thorough understanding of selected theoretical debates and issues that are pertinent to the study of dance. This knowledge will provide you with creative, compositional, and performance strategies for the production, analysis, and documentation of dance
4. Develop aesthetic awareness that illuminates multicultural, intersectional, and artistic innovations, and also examines stylistic traditions, historical and cultural perspectives within a global context.