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Chapman University's Department of Dance offers rigorous professional training with high-caliber productions, renowned faculty and guest artists, a new state-of-the-art dance center, and all the benefits of a small liberal arts university.

The B.A. and BFA degrees focus on equitable and varied training in ballet, jazz, and modern technique supported by tap, hip hop, ballroom, and other forms. Additional curricular strengths include choreography (with more than 100 student works produced annually in four performance venues), and dance science and wellness (with courses in somatics, Pilates, yoga, anatomy, and kinesiology). The department is accredited by the National Association of Schools of Dance and ranked as a Best College Dance Program by Dance.org.

Faculty are experts in their fields and include world renowned artists Dwight Rhoden and Ido Tadmor. Located in beautiful Orange, California, Chapman frequently hosts master classes, performances, and auditions with L.A.’s top artists and talent agencies.

Chapman Dance Programs

You can choose from a pre-professional BFA in Dance Performance or a more broad-based B.A. in Dance. Both degrees provide excellent preparation for entering the professional dance world or graduate school. We also offer a Minor in Dance.

EXPLORE DANCE PROGRAMS »

Learn and Perform in Professional-Grade Spaces

Chapman Dance students have learning and performance advantages that include a range of cutting-edge spaces, including:

Sandi Simon Center for Dance

Anticipated to open fall 2022, our new home for dance will include:

Five dance studios, including a performance studio.
A dedicated health clinic.
Student lounge.
Classrooms, rehearsal studios and all the other facilities a top dance program needs and deserves.

Learn more about our new Sandi Simon Center for Dance >>

Versatile Performance Spaces

Musco Center for the Arts—a world-class, 88,000 sq. ft. performance space; seats up to 1044 patrons across three levels.
Waltmar Theatre—an intimate 240-seat theatre.
Chapman Auditorium—a 905-seat performance space located inside the historic Memorial Hall, built in 1921.
Simon Center black box theatre—a 100-seat, informal performance space.

Learn from the Best

You’ll develop your skills alongside faculty, who are expert teachers and accomplished artists in their own right, and guest artists from around the world.

Faculty Expertise

Our highly accomplished faculty specialize in both traditional and contemporary techniques in many genres; in dance science and somatic practices; in choreography, production, and artistic directorship; and in pedagogy, history and aesthetics.

For a complete list of our dance faculty, visit the faculty directory.

Guest Artists

Chapman dance students have worked closely with an impressive roster of guest artists and companies in residencies, or multi-day intensives, that cover topics like setting up company repertory, choreography mentorship, auditions, performances by the companies and students, lectures, workshops masterclasses. Previous key artists include:

Cirque du Soleil^®
Complexions Contemporary Ballet Company
Rennie Harris, choreographer, founder, Rennie Harris Puremovement, American Street Dance Theatre
Peridance Contemporary Dance Company
Pilobolus
Fatima Robinson, choreographer, director, creative director
Monika Felice Smith, choreographer, movement director
Lula Washington, founder, Lula Washington Dance Theatre

And master classes with:

BODYTRAFFIC
Chloe Arnold & Syncopated Ladies
Tyce Diorio, choreographer, So You Think You Can Dance
Bret Easterling, gaga technique
Justin Giles, SoulEscape
Channing Cook Holmes, tap dancer for The Gregory Hines Show and A Showtime Original: Bojangles
Bojangles
Rina Mehta, Kathak master teacher, SPEAK artistic director
Matthew Rushing, rehearsal director, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater
Kurtis Sprung, The Bad Boys of Dance

Student Clubs and Organizations

Joining a student club is a great way to expand your interests and community. You can join any of the hundreds of Chapman clubs and student organizations, but the following section lists the ones Dance students enjoy most:

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Chapman Dance Alliance: student-run organization dedicated to bringing together dancers on campus
Chapman Dance Team: 14-time champions at the USA Collegiate Championship Nationals
Heels Club: coming soon
Tap Ensemble: all about the art of tap
Team Shaka: sharing enthusiasm for hip-hop
Twilight: K-pop dance team

Other dance-related clubs:

Chapman Dance Film Club: for students interested in cultivating Dance in Film
Floor 13: sharing love for dance with the Chapman community

View All Student Clubs and Organizations »

Our performance season begins in fall semester of each academic year. Watch this space for dance event and ticketing information as it becomes available!