Information on the Bates Dance Program

Dear prospective student:

Bates College offers many levels of participation in Dance from first encounters to serious dedication.

The Bates Dance program offers a wide variety of opportunities to all students on campus. In accord with Bates College’s culture of diversity, the Dance program supports the idea that all people can benefit from the experience and understanding of dance. In this environment of inclusiveness, no audition is necessary most of the activities that are offered in the Bates Dance program and all students are encouraged to risk learning and growing though their understanding and participation in this integrated art form regardless of level and experience.

Bates College currently offers a minor in Dance that includes both the theory and practice of dance. The Dance program integrates dance into the mainstream of a liberal arts education emphasizing an inclusive approach to dance training and production that develops a deep understanding of art and culture. Within this program, the Bates College Modern Dance Company participates in up to five dance concerts a year in the theaters on campus and also takes performances and lecture demonstrations to local elementary schools. In addition to the minor, students can also incorporate dance into an interdisciplinary studies program with other departments on campus or include a performance component in thesis projects housed in other disciplines.

Dance at Bates is approached through a balance of physical practice, creative development and theoretical understanding. To this effect we offer a variety of courses in all three areas. The theory and understanding of the art form are investigated through academic courses in dance history, current issues in dance and aesthetics, as well as through the experience of participating in the art form itself through technique classes and performances. Composition and performance skills are developed both in the setting of academic courses and through the Bates College Modern Dance Company, which is made up of the students who are currently participating in the academic dance courses and performances in any given semester. While Modern dance is the central focus of our program, a variety of different dance techniques are regularly taught at Bates including hip hop, ballet, jazz and ballroom as well as alternative studio practices such as yoga and pilates.  We also provide regular workshops and masterclasses in a variety of dance practices from contact improvisation to Bharatanatyam to Capoeira.

Guest choreographers are an integral part of the Dance program providing a variety of experiences both in dance styles and ways of working. Four to ten guest choreographers with national and international reputations come to work with the Dance program each year. Artist such as Tere O’Conner, Alexandra Beller and Doug Elkins come to Bates to teach or create a repertory piece on the Bates College Modern Dance Company, which is then performed in a variety of concerts during the year. Student choreography is also encouraged both through the Composition class and subsequent opportunities to include works in concerts. There are many opportunities for creating dance, both within the Dance program within the larger Bates Community and Curriculum.

During the summers, students at Bates have the option of participating in the internationally renowned Bates Dance Festival. Participants of the Festival have the chance to work with some of today's most exciting dance artists and musicians. The Festival offers three weeks of total immersion into the world of currently working artists and future artists, creating an atmosphere of community and adventure that is unique to the Bates Dance Festival.

If you are applying for admissions to Bates College please print and fill in the attached questionnaire to submit with your materials and a DVD of your work. For more information please visit our website at: http://www.bates.edu/acad/depts/dance or contact me at cdilley@bates.edu 

Carol Dilley
Director of Dance