Commercial Dance

DANCE: Commercial Dance

Certificate of Achievement

The Commercial Dance Certificate is a comprehensive mix of technique, composition, and performance classes designed to provide extensive pre-professional performance experience and prepare dancers with the entry level skills and competencies for a career in the field of commercial dance.  Employment opportunities exist in a variety of areas: dance companies; dancer for commercial stage, television, and film; choreographer/performer in music videos; and production choreographer. Students must complete the required courses with a minimum grade of a “C”. At least 50% of all course work must be completed at Cerritos College.

Commercial Dance Certification (Transcripted) Units

Prerequisite: Dance Foundations

DANC 106B Intermediate Ballet 2

DANC 108B Intermediate Modern Dance 2

DANC 112 Contemporary Dance 2

DANC 123 African Dance 2

DANC 124 Hip Hop Dance I 2

DANC 126 Hip Hop Dance II 2     

DANC 130B Intermediate Choreography OR

DANC 132 Dance and Technology 2

DANC 141 Intermediate Jazz Dance 2

DANC 144 Dance for Musical Theatre 2

Electives from Performance List 4

Electives from Recommended List 2

Total 24

Performance List of Electives

DANC 134 Dance Performance 2

DANC 135 Dance Workshop 2

DANC 136 Dance Repertory 2

DANC 150 Rehearsal for Formal Dance Concerts 2

DANC 151 Rehearsal for Informal Dance Showcases 2

Recommended List of Electives

DANC 50 Individualized Dance Development 1

DANC 101 History of Dance 3

DANC 107 Ballet Variations 2

DANC 108C Advanced Modern Dance 2

DANC 120 Partnering for Dance 2

DANC 121 Latin Social Dance 2

DANC 122 Middle Eastern Dance 2

DANC 125 Ballroom Dance 2

DANC 130B Intermediate Choreography 2

DANC 131 Dance Movement Analysis 2

DANC 132 Dance and Technology 2

DANC 133 Dance Production 2

DANC 142 Beginning Tap Dance 2

DANC 143 Intermediate Tap Dance 2

PEX 151 Yoga 1

PEX 155 Piyo Introduction to Pilates and Yoga 1

PEX 156 Pilates Conditioning 1

PEX 157 Conditioning for Dance 1

TH 108 Improvisation for Acting/Theatre 3.5

TH 110 Fundamentals of Acting 3.5

TH 115 Stage Movement and Combat 3

Prerequisite Skills and Limitations:

Students must have completed the Dance Foundations Certificate, in order to complete this certificate program.

Estimate is for 4-8 students to earn this certificate within an academic year. Program growth continues to develop as more students become aware of our program. We project 2 cohorts (2 years) will see reliable data for future projections.

The goal of the Commercial Dance Certification is to prepare the student for the professional commercial dance field. Building on the skills, etiquette, and ethics built in the Dance Foundations Certificate, the Commercial Dance Certification aims to ready dancers for the physical, creative, technical, and technological demands involved in auditioning, rehearsing, and performing in the professional world of commercial dance on stage or screen. Prerequisite Skills and Limitations: Successful Completion of the Dance Foundations Certificate

The goals of the program are to provide students with:

1. Course work aligned with the needs of an aspiring professional dancer and/or choreographer in the commercial dance field
2. The opportunity to train for specific commercial classes, auditions, live shows, and filmed events
3. Knowledge and skills necessary to prepare for commercial dance employment as a dancer, choreographer, or rehearsal director
4. An awareness of the current challenges that they will face entering the commercial dance industry, and a realistic assessment of both the daily rigor and long term career strategies needed to get them in the door of professional classes, auditions, and screenings
5. The critical thinking and problem solving skills to continue to navigate any obstacles that may arise, with working solutions and visions of achievable stepping stones to success.

Program Objectives:

1. To build the work ethic and habits required for steady technical and artistic progress in the dance field
2. To achieve intermediate level or beyond in all available technique classes.
3. To gain experience auditioning for dance events
4. To gain experience in rehearsals for dance events
5. To gain experience performing in dance events
6. To gain experience choreographing and/or editing dance works
7. Practice the ability to problem solve regarding challenges that arise to people pursuing jobs in the commercial dance field

At Cerritos College, we as dance faculty, can see and feel a palpable hunger in our students to achieve and experience the dance accomplishments seen on stage and screen, but generally, a lack of knowledge regarding how to get there. Los Angeles, California is the hub of the national and international entertainment industry. Cerritos College in Norwalk, as a part of the greater Los Angeles County, is ideally positioned to be a feeder school for that industry.  Producing movies, television, music videos, online content, and additionally the linked local entertainment theme parks, and cruise ships, this industry provides jobs for dancers, choreographers, and rehearsal directors in the artistic and technical dance arenas. The proposed Certification for Commercial Dance has the primary goal of helping students to gain the necessary knowledge, skills, and awareness to help them succeed in this industry. To achieve this goal, this Certification is organized to assist students in obtaining the necessary artistic, technical, and technological competencies that will propel them forward in this profession. Because there is a lack of similar Certification programming in nearby Community Colleges, we believe that we can fulfill the tangible need our students have for programming like this, with the excellent faculty, facilities, and course programming we already have here at Cerritos College.

The goals of the program are to provide students with:

1. Course work aligned with the needs of an aspiring professional dancer and/or choreographer in the commercial dance field
2. The opportunity to train for specific commercial classes, auditions, live shows, and filmed events
3. Knowledge and skills necessary to prepare for commercial dance employment as a dancer, choreographer, or rehearsal director
4. An awareness of the current challanges that they will face entering the commercial dance industry, and a realistic assesment of both the daily rigor and long term career strategies needed to get them in the door of professional classes, auditions, and screenings
5. The critical thinking and problem solving skills to continue to navigate any obstacles that may arise, with working solutions and visions of achievable stepping stones to success.

Program Objectives:

1. To build the work ethic and habits required for steady technical and artistic progress in the dance field
2. To achieve intermediate level or beyond in all available technique classes.
3. To gain experience auditioning for dance events
4. To gain experience in rehearsals for dance events
5. To gain experience performing in dance events
6. To gain experience choreographing and/or editing dance works
7. Practice the ability to problem solve regarding challenges that arise to people pursuing jobs in the commercial dance field

Course	Title	Units	Year/Semester (Y1 or S1)

Certificate of Achievement: Commercial Dance   

Requirements	Dept. Name/#	Name	Units	Sequence
Required Core (24 units)	DANC 106B DANC 108B DANC 112 DANC 123 DANC 124 DANC 126 DANC 130B DANC 132 DANC 141 DANC 144	Intermediate Ballet Intermediate Modern Dance Contemporary Dance African Dance Hip Hop Dance I Hip Hop Dance II Intermediate Choreography OR Dance and Technology Intermediate Jazz Dance Dance For Musical Theatre	2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2	Yr 1, Fall Yr 1, Spring Yr 1, Fall Yr 1, Fall Yr 1, Fall Yr 1, Spring Yr 1, Spring Yr 1, Spring Yr 1, Fall Yr 1, Fall
Electives (4 units)	DANC 50 DANC 101 DANC 107 DANC 108C DANC 120 DANC 121 DANC 122 DANC 125 DANC 130B DANC 131 DANC 132 DANC 133 DANC 134 DANC 135 DANC 136 DANC 142 DANC 143 DANC 150 DANC 151 PEX 151 PEX 155 PEX 156 PEX 157 TH 108 TH 110 TH 115	Individualized Dance Development History of Dance Ballet Variations Advanced Modern Dance Partnering for Dance Latin Social Dance Middle Eastern Dance Ballroom Dance Intermediate Choreography Dance Movement Analysis Dance and Technology Dance Production Dance Performance Dance Workshop Dance Repertory Beginning Tap Dance Intermediate Tap Dance Rehearsal for Formal Dance Concerts Rehearsal for Informal Dance Showcases Yoga Piyo Introduction to Pilates and Yoga Pilates Conditioning Conditioning for Dance Improvisation for Acting/the Theatre Fundamentals of Acting Stage Movement and Combat	1 3 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 1 1 1 1 3.5 3.5 3

Required Core Total: 20 units

TOTAL UNITS:   24 units

Dance

Certificate in Dance at Citrus College, Choreographic Studies and Dance Techniques Certificate at Glendale Community College, Mt. San Antonio, Certificate of Achievement in Dance at Irvine Valley College

Estimate is for 4-8 students to earn this certificate within an academic year. Program growth continues to develop as more students become aware of our program. We project 2 cohorts (2 years) will see reliable data for future projections.