Dance - A.A. Degree

PROGRAM OF STUDY DANCE A.A. Degree

The Department of Dance and Folk Dance at Laney College offers an Associate Arts Degree in Dance, and a choice of several Certificates of Achievement (CTA): Modern Dance Teaching Preparation and Performance CTA; Jazz Dance Teaching Preparation and Performance CTA;  World Folkloric Dance Teaching Preparation and Performance CTA; Ballet Dance Teaching Preparation and Performance CTA; Pilates Mat Teacher Training CTA ; Pilates Reformer Teacher Training, and Pilates Comprehensive Apparatus Teacher Training CTA. These comprehensive programs are designed  to prepare students as artists, innovators, and global leaders who can perform, teach, and build careers in Commercial Dance, Pilates industries, and related fields.

Students may choose to study abroad through the departments' multiple global education programs, including a 16-week cultural immersion in Ghana, West Africa, where students collaborate with peers from the University of Cape Coast, National Theater, Village Communities, and local dance companies on projects of interest. The dance program at Laney has a 12-year track record of faculty-led study abroad. Past regions of study include Ghana, Benin, Cuba, and Haiti. New Covid-19 restrictions may impact course offerings and future travel destinations.

The Dance AA Degree program blends an extensive curriculum designed to equip students with 21st century global citizenship and intercultural competencies that extend way beyond the classroom- assets which may be the most valuable of all competencies for employers due to their cross cultural, cross curricular applications. 

For the Associate Arts Dance Degree, students must complete the General Education pattern, courses for the major for a total of 60 units. Students wishing to continue transfer to the CSU or UC system should meet with a counselor to develop a transfer plan which addresses all major and general education transfer requirements.

CTE: The Associate Arts Degree in Dance is related to the following careers and more!*

• Arts Administration: Artistic Directors, Executive Directors, Fund Developers; Festival Directors
• Professional Dance: Choreographers, Performers, Studio Teachers, Broadway, Film & Television Industry, Stage Manager for Dance
  
• Fitness Studios: Dance/fitness studio owners, Pilates/Yoga instructors, studio managers
• Recreation: Youth Instructors; Camp Counselors; Program Coordinators & Directors
• Journalism: Dance critics; Arts editors; Performing arts column writers for newspapers
• Health & Wellness: Personal Trainers, Mindful Body Conditioning
  
• Arts Advocacy: Public Policy in the Arts; Grant making; Grant Writing
• K-Post Secondary Education: Elementary, Middle/High school, College or University Professors*
• Therapeutic Practice: Dance Therapy*

*Some careers require further training plus additional education. Please consult with your Dance AA advisor, Department Chair of Dance for more information on K-Post Secondary Education requirements. For more information about dance at Laney College, visit. https://laney.edu/dance/aa-dance-degree/.

The number of students projected to earn the AA Dance Degree is 5-7 based upon the current number of AA Dance majors in the pipeline scheduled to graduate within the next year.. We expect this number to increase after the program modifications are approved. Our modifications are rooted in student-centered research conducted by the Dance Department via surveys. The information gathered revealed that students desire a globalized program centered in social justice awareness, commercial dance preparation to perform in dance companies, amusement parks, and entertainment industries such as music videos, film, and television. The department is historically known for its ethnically diverse courses and although our program offers a variety of programs representative of Laney's student body, our program was designed 45 years ago when the department was founded. In order to grow with the times, the department needed to make significant changes to the degree in addition to adding more opportunities for students to attain CTA along the way so that they may seek careers and employment sooner. The alignment of our AA Degree with the development of our Certificates of Achievement has been a four-year process in the making and bringing the courses, degrees and CTA together is essential to building and sustaining a cohesive program modification. Our modifications compliment the newly proposed CTA course requirements and programs. All courses are either active, recently updated, approved and/or under present review.

We expect our annual completer numbers to grow as students may be incentivized to pursue their AA degree after attaining CTA program completion. 

In conjunction with our Advisory Board recommendations, the goals of the AA Dance Degree program may be understood as a comprehensive degree designed to:

• Improve employment opportunities by enabling students as future job seekers to affirm that they earned a 2-year college degree.

•  Improve commercial dance performance employment opportunities by enabling students as future job seekers to provide concrete evidence of their diverse dance vocabulary, including but not limited to Modern, Ballet, Jazz, Hip Hop, and various ethnic and folkloric dance styles

• Improve student's job readiness as commercial dance teachers in careers that require the teaching of dance to others which includes choreography for stage, video and film, community arts programs, after-school programs, broadway productions, cruise ships, and live entertainment acts.

• Improve students' leadership and decision-making skills required to be hired as professional artists including artistic directors, dance production managers, make-up, lighting and costume design for dance, principal dancers in dance companies, rehearsal directors, non-profit arts administration, and members of cultural arts commissions.

• Improve student's job readiness as commercial dancers and performing artists in careers that require the performance of dance for stage, video and film, dance companies, broadway shows, local, national and international dance festivals, and other related dance and performance careers.

• Prepare students with the technical acumen and theoretical understanding of dance for entry into four year dance programs with opportunities to seek careers and entry into dance credentialing programs

• Encourage student completion along the way by enabling students to explore area of interest dance pathways through the offering of Certificates of Achievement augmented to align with the Dance AA Degree program requirements. 

• Provide other avenues for student engagement through a robust study abroad program which may lead to further education, employment, skills/training, and internships- especially as it relates to international and global dance industries such as guest artists and choreographers, international performers, and international/folkloric festival presenters.

• Improve on the local level by enabling low income and under resourced students a matriculation pathway into higher education theater and dance programs when completing the AA Dance Degree.

Advisory Board Meeting Minutes:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1X-xakaOXuL0W771JWMKBA3dJP-DkXRl2/view?usp=sharing

Dance Major course requirements to be applied towards the the Associate Arts Degree in Dance can be completed in three semesters with the fourth semester designed for students to complete any missing coursework.. Students may choose to take more or less Dance electives in any given semester along their degree attainment pathway. Recommended course sequence:

Semester One:
Dance 60- Ballet I - 1 unit
Dance 64- Modern Dance I - 1 unit
Jazz Dance I- 1 unit
Dance 100B- Beginning Hip-Hop Dance and Break Dance- 1 unit
Dance 180- Haitian Folkloric Dance I- 2 units
6 units

Semester Two:
Dance 001- History of Dance- 3 units
Dance 8A- Dance Composition and Choreography - 3 units
6 units

Semester Three:
Dance 006- Dance Production- 3 units
5 units of electives
8 units

Semester Four:
Completion of any remaining course requirements for the Associate Arts Degree. For students seeking to transfer into the Dance Performance and Inclusion major at CSUEB, taking the recommended course, THART 40 is advised but not required.

TOTAL 20 UNITS

Core Curriculum- All of the following (9 units): Credit Hours (9 required)

Course	Title	Units	Year/Semester (Y1 or S1)
DANCE 001	History of Dance	3	Y1, S2
DANCE 006	Dance Production, Rehearsal and Performance	3	Y2, S3
DANCE 008A	Dance Composition and Choreography	3	Y1, S2
Required Activity Courses - All of the following (6 units):Credit Hours: (6 Required)
DANCFOLK 010A	Beginning Hip-Hop and Break Dance	1	Y1, S1
DANCFOLK 057F	Haitian Folkloric Dance I	2	Y1, S1
DANCE 060	Ballet I	1	Y1, S1
DANCE 064	Jazz Dance I	1	Y1, S1
DANCE 068	Modern Dance I	1	Y1, S1
Electives - Select a minimum of 5 units from the following (5 units):Credit Hours: (5 Required)
DANCFOLK 002F	Hip Hop Revolution	4	Y2, S3
DANCFOLK 003F	Ballet Folklórico Zapateado I	1	Y2, S3
DANCFOLK 004F	Dance Conditioning I	1	Y2, S3
DANCE 007	Dance Perspectives Abroad	5	Y2, S3
DANCFOLK 009F	Dance Movement Curriculum Integration	3	Y2, S3
DANCFOLK 020F	Survey of Asian Cultural Dance Forms	2	Y2, S3
DANCFOLK 055F	Polynesian Dance	1	Y2, S3
DANCFOLK 056F	Dance, Drums, and African Polyrhythms	2	Y2, S3
DANCFOLK 058F	Haitian Folkloric Dance II	2	Y2, S3
DANCE 061	Ballet II	1	Y2, S3
DANCE 062	Ballet III	1	Y2, S3
DANCE 063	Ballet IV	1	Y2, S3
DANCE 065	Jazz Dance II	2	Y2, S3
DANCE 066	Jazz Dance III	2	Y2, S3
DANCE 067	Jazz Dance IV	2	Y2, S3
DANCE 069	Modern Dance II	2	Y2, S3
DANCE 070	Modern Dance III	2	Y2, S3
DANCE 071	Modern Dance IV	2	Y2, S3
DANCFOLK 072F	Jazz Tap I	1	Y2, S3
DANCFOLK 073F	Jazz Tap II	1	Y2, S3
DANCFOLK 076F	West African Folkloric Dance I	1	Y2, S3
DANCFOLK 077F	West African Folkloric Dance II	1	Y2, S3
DANCFOLK 078F	West African Dance Folkloric III	1	Y2, S3
DANCFOLK 079F	West African Folkloric Dance IV	1	Y2, S3
DANCE 092	Salsa I	1	Y2, S3
Total Major UnitsCredit Hours: (20 Required)
Dance - A.A. Degree

ADVISORY COMMITTEE NOTES: This comprehensive degree improves on the local level by enabling low income students to easily matriculate into higher education theater and dance programs when combined with other certificates or training. It supports progressing through different levels of competition afforded through its progressive/augmented design. It improves employment opportunities by enabling the applicant to affirm that they have had "Some college" education when seeking employment. It provides concrete evidence of completion of "Modern or ballet or jazz dance training required" experience for most dance related job applications and entry into dance credentialing programs. The Department of Dance should also create additional pathways by way of developing Certificates of Achievement to support other avenues for student engagement which may lead to further education, employment, skills/training, and internships- especially teacher training preparation. (See link to Advisory Board Meeting Summary of Notes.. https://drive.google.com/file/d/1X-xakaOXuL0W771JWMKBA3dJP-DkXRl2/view?usp=sharing The Dance Program at Laney houses two disciplines- "Dance" and "Folk Dance." The department aims to prepare students of high quality teaching and performance preparation to support any career, technical education goals in the dance industry. The initial Dance Program is transformed into a CTE Dance Program with the bulk of its program offerings being CTE Certificates of Achievement and one modified CTE AA Dance Degree. Courses may come from either DANCE or FOLK DANCE discipline to fulfill program requirements. NOTE: Laney is converting our original non-CTE program to CTE with modifications to existing courses and creation of new courses and Certificates of Achievement. This decision was made in consultation with Laney Faculty, Division Dean, Curriculum Committee Consultation, Dance Department Advisory, and student input over a course of four years. We were advised to complete the whole revision before bringing it forward to committee. Dance is a highly specialized field that is often misunderstood. The student who chooses a career pathway in dance needs to be afforded with the specified skills to live and enjoy life in their chosen field as opposed to taking various jobs and working as a dancer. The teaching of dance is also a highly specialized field requiring a specific skillset that is not afforded in most collegiate dance programs. The Dance teaching credential program is back after a 40-year hiatus in California. Students need to secure viable employment pathways as the roll-out of credential programs will be slow. In the meantime, students should be able to work as teaching artists, performers, and all aspects of the commercial dance industry should dance education become their chosen pathway. The dance industry has undergone a metamorphosis since Laney's Dance Program was established over 40 years ago. There has been no significant change to the program since its inception and it is outdated. The change from a non CTE into CTE is essential to our sustainability as a department and to ensure that our program evolves with present day dance industry standards. The approval of Laney's Dance AA Degree and Certificates of Achievement as CTE is allowing our students to step towards the future by placing them in a pathway of 21st century dance industry and intercultural competency standards with interdisciplinary extensions (https://laney.edu/dance/semester-in-ghana/) through our global education study abroad programs.

This is a program conversion from a non CTE to a CTE. There are no existing CTE Dance AA Programs in the Bay/East Bay Region.