Dance, BFA (NYC)

Studying dance at Northeastern 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. You can audition for the Northeastern Dance Company, study abroad or apply for one of countless internships. When you’re a senior, you’ll be assisted in resume preparation, cover letters, and photos to land interviews and auditions. Our priority is to prepare you for life after graduation. 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. From dancing in concert dance companies to Broadway shows and more, from arts administration to writers, teachers, designers, choreographers or physical therapists, NEU dance grads can be found everywhere. If it’s been thought about, our dancers are out there doing it.

NYC Internships

Internships and independent studies create a bridge from college to the professional world. Northeastern NYC’s 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 

The Northeastern Dance Company is 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 BFA in Acting major, you’ll be able to:

1. Demonstrate substantive engagement with diverse dance practices and their intrinsic skill sets from diverse technical and experiential practices; you will engage with and develop substantial kinesthetic and performance skills. Through kinesthetic, written, and/or verbal work, you will demonstrate a critical engagement with the histories, theoretical frameworks, and cultural contexts of dance.
2. Integrate conceptual and kinesthetic skills across dance practices, performances, theories, and/or histories through dancing, reading, and writing across the curriculum you will 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
3. Propose and/or employ strategies for arts advocacy through dance
   You are encouraged to develop aesthetic awareness that illuminates multicultural, intersectional, and artistic innovations, and also examines stylistic traditions, historical and cultural perspectives within a global context. Consider a minor or a double major in other areas of the College’s curriculum, which will provide you with additional skills to use after graduating, expand your opportunities for personal growth, and prepare you to become citizens of the world and true advocates for the arts. Our interest is in you—the dancer—as a whole person, an artist who balances a trained body with an active, capable mind.