Dance
Bachelor of Arts
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Curriculum and Delivery
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Did You Know?We offer a dual degree Dance/Pre-PT to DPT |
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Upcoming EventsSunday, October 22, 2023 at 9 a.m. - 2 p.m. |
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The Dance major and minor programs at Springfield College are challenging, dynamic, diverse, and consistently on the edge of contemporary trends in dance. Our emphasis is on educating the whole person in spirit, mind, and body.
In our dance major, you’ll develop your individuality, creativity, dance knowledge, and technique while preparing for a career in dance, a related field, or graduate programs in dance education, dance/movement therapy, somatics, or similar studies.
Springfield College Partnership with Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival
Through the College partnership with Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival, dance students have year-round, complete access to live performances, the festival dance archives, lectures, workshops, interviews, and in-person networking with international artists in residence. Dance students also have the opportunity to attend summer workshops and/or obtain internships at Jacob’s Pillow for college credit.
Auditions
Auditions are required. Auditions take place in the dance studio on the Springfield College campus, they may also coincide with an undergraduate open house.
Audition Dates:*
October 22:
- 1 - 2:30 p.m. Dance Major auditions (FACS dance studio)
- 2:30 - 3 p.m. Observe guest artist residency: Monica Bill Barnes; Q and A with current dance students and alumni
October 29:
- 1 - 2:30 p.m. Dance Auditions (FACS dance studio)
- 2:30 - 3 p.m. Observe guest artist residency: Gallim Dance (Wellness 210 dance studio)
Spring Auditions will be in February. More details soon!
What to expect at auditions? Prepare to wear clothes that clearly show your alignment; dance pants are recommended over tights or shorts. You will dance barefoot, and the audition style will be contemporary forms.
Please email admissions@springfieldcollege.edu to register for an audition.
*Contact Sarah Zehnder at szehnder@springfield.edu to arrange an alternative in-person audition. For anyone unable to attend an in-person audition, video auditions also may be submitted.
Instructions for video submissions:
- 30-second introduction (tell us a little bit about yourself)
- 2-3 minute solo in any style that best showcases you as a dancer (all styles welcomed and encouraged)
- Create an unlisted or private Vimeo or YouTube link (if private, please include password) and send to Sarah Zehnder, director of dance, at szehnder@springfield.edu by the deadline listed above.
Meet the Dance Faculty
Sarah
Zehnder
Director of Dance
Sarah Zehnder is an NYC-based dance artist. Her company, Zehnder Dance, was established in 2010 and is known for commanding physicality, boldness, and architectural precision. It has been produced nationwide, performing in such prestigious festivals as Jacob’s Pillow Inside/Out, Reverb International Dance Festival, Pasadena Dance Festival, DUMBO Dance Festival, the MAD Festival, Midwest RAD Festival, and the Women in Dance Project (NYC and Chicago). Her work has been presented at Dixon Place, Ailey Citigroup Theatre, Manhattan Movement and Arts Center, Gowanus Arts, Triskelion Arts Center, 92nd Y, Greenspace, and the Center for Performance Research.
Tatiana
Desardouin
Tatiana Desardouin is of Haitian origin, born and raised in Switzerland, and a professional dancer, dance instructor, dance consultant, choreographer, organizer, curator, and culture bearer with a Master's degree as an adult educator from the University of Geneva. Tatiana is very involved in the growth of the Swiss hip-hop scene and has been teaching and mentoring since 2005. She is the director and choreographer of Passion Fruit Dance Company, a street dance theater and educational company which she founded in 2016. The company's mission is to explore the human experience, address social issues such as racism, and strive to inspire young artists to share their voices.
Iddi
Saaka
Iddi Saaka is an award-winning West African dance and music performance artist and teacher who specializes in Ghanaian dance and music as well as contemporary dance. Saaka holds a Diploma (with distinction) from the University of Ghana and an MFA in Dance from the University of California, Los Angeles. He has performed and taught nationally and internationally in several venues including Los Angeles, New York, Connecticut, North Carolina, Florida, Israel, Ghana, Burkina Faso, and Guinea. In 2003, he performed for the president of Israel. He has created original multifaceted works that address the HIV/AIDS epidemic in Ghana and Malawi and has worked with youths in detention centers across Connecticut as well as with physically challenged youth in Israel, using dance and music to equip them with lifelong skills such as anger management, respect for cultural diversity, and self-dignity.
Maureen
Shea
Maureen Shea is a dance artist, researcher, and Pilates instructor. Originally from Canada, Maureen graduated from the Professional Performance program in Contemporary Dance in 2001 at The School of Dance (Ottawa) and danced for choreographers Sylvie Desrosiers, Yvonne Coutts, and Marc Boivin. Maureen founded the Grasshoppa Dance Exchange in 2002 to create and perform dance works in public spaces for unsuspecting audiences. In 2007 she moved to Massachusetts and continued to develop her choreographer’s voice, primarily by teaching creative contemporary dance for children and by creating dozens of dances that were performed in local community settings. In 2018, she began the Master of Arts program in the dance department at the Université du Québec à Montréal (UQÀM) where she is currently completing her thesis on the subject of Movement-observation analysis (MOA) as an observation tool for Pilates instructors.
Kodee
Van Nort
Kodee Van Nort began her dance experience on the plains of Western Nebraska with Vaudeville veteran, Iris Besaw. Kodee has an extensive background in dance including a Bachor of Arts in Theater and Dance from the University of Wyoming and a Master of Fine Arts in dance performance, choreography, and pedagogy from Sam Houston State University. During her performing career, she was able to explore a variety of roles from ballet to musicals and theater. Kodee has shared her passion for dance with students at the University of Wyoming, Western Nebraska Community College, Western Oregon University, Sam Houston State University, Austin Dance Company, University of Kentucky, Contemporary Dance Theater, Cincinnati Ballet, Miami Valley Ballet Theatre, and St. Xavier High School. Kodee serves on the Ohio Dance board, is an active member of the National Dance Education Organization, and is a Language of Dance Master Practitioner.
Angela
Vital-Martowski
Angela Vital-Martowski was a University of Massachusetts Amherst Chancellor’s Award recipient and received her certificate in ballet Pedagogy from the Hartt School at the University of Hartford. She is trained in the Vaganova technique. Combining dance and fitness has become a passion and she is certified in all forms of Zumba, Barre Method, and Hoop fitness. Angela has been teaching for over 20 years all over New England, including in her own studio, The Dance Studio of Wilbraham, where she has been the artistic director for 18 years. Vital-Martowski is a member of The National Dance Education Organization, National Dance Week and Corp de Ballet (an organization for ballet in higher education). She has been a part of the Springfield College faculty for 13 years teaching ballet and mentoring and hosting interns from the College dance program.
