The Dance Department is committed to artistic and scholarly excellence through fostering a creative, reflective and inclusive learning environment. Through embodied practice, the Dance Faculty and students seek to honor traditions while exploring new ways of knowing dance. In recognition that we experience through the body, the programs encourage students to consider how bodies in motion contribute to knowledge, transform our social world and facilitate community engagement.
The first Dance program at Temple University was founded in 1968. Today, the Dance Department holds national accreditation for all of its degree programs and enjoys an impressive international reputation.
Performance, choreography, scholarship and education are of the highest caliber at Boyer College, and the community is comprised of exceptionally talented and collaborative individuals. In addition to an intensive training in studio practice and a rigorous program of academic study, students have the opportunity to collaborate with professional dance artists, engage in our REFLECTION:RESPONSE Speaker Series and participate in dance outreach work.
Graduates from Boyer’s Dance programs have danced in companies such as Streb, Philadanco, Urban Bush Women, Ballet X, Rennie Harris Puremovement, Dance Theater X, and many others, but also have gone on to become leading choreographers, artistic directors, dance therapists, studio owners, dance administrators, dance writers, researchers, and dance advocates.
Dance faculty are leaders in the field with extensive professional backgrounds. They have performed with Martha Graham Dance Company, Doris Humphrey Repertory Company, Pearl Lang Dance Company, the Metropolitan Opera Ballet, and others. They are writers and editors for leading dance journals and represent the field through international scholarly organizations. They have received National Endowment for the Arts, Pew Foundation, and Guggenheim fellowships; National Dance Education Organization and “Bessie” awards; and numerous Fulbright scholarships.
Conwell Dance Theater
The Conwell Dance Theater is a fully equipped 175 seat “black box” theater that produces professional quality concerts featuring work by students, faculty and guest artists. The stage floor is 40’ wide by 30’ deep with black and white reversible marley flooring over a wood floor. There are four wings per side with ample backstage space. Upstage is a white scrim to be used as a cyc or projection surface and a black velour traveler curtain in front of it. The theater boasts an up-to-date lighting system with an ETC Ion console and a house light plot equipped with source-four instruments and LED cyc lights. Video playback is available on a Panasonic projector controlled through Qlab. The audio system utilizes a digital mixer, a Yamaha amplifier and 4 full range two-way speakers with minimal back-line support for live music.
Philadelphia has a vibrant arts scene that includes dance companies such as Pennsylvania Ballet, Philadanco and Rennie Harris Puremovement, and is home to a rich community of independent artists. Its also hosts the Philadelphia Orchestra, the Philadelphia Museum of Art, the annual Philadelphia International Festival of the Arts, and the Philly Fringe festival, and is located only 90 minutes from New York City and 2 hours from Washington, DC.