»Welcome to the Department of Dance!

Welcome to the Department of Dance!

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 BA 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).

Chapman University is an accredited institutional member of the National Association of Schools of Dance, and the department is 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 BA 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 »

Named one of the Best College Dance Programs in the United States five years in a row by DanceUS.org!

Dance at Chapman

Talent, innovation, and artistry come together in every Chapman dance student performance!

Learn and Perform in Professional-Grade Spaces

Sandi Simon Center for Dance

Our recently opened new home for dance features:

Six dance studios, including a performance studio that transforms into a black box theatre.
A dedicated training room for injury prevention.
Student lounge.
Classrooms, rehearsal studios and all the other facilities of a top dance program.
2023 Preservation Design Award for Rehabilitation
2023 SCUP Excellence in Architecture Award

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.

Tour the Department of Dance

Prospective students and their families can register for an in-person or virtual tour of the Department of Dance. The 45-minute tour includes a look at our brand new Sandi Simon Center for Dance, including dance studios, classrooms and performance spaces. Learn more and register below

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 award-winning 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:

Camille Brown, choreographer, educator, artistic director of Camille A. Brown & Dancers
Cirque du Soleil^®
Complexions Contemporary Ballet Company
Rennie Harris, choreographer, founder, Rennie Harris Puremovement, American Street Dance Theatre
Mark Morris, choreographer, founder, Mark Morris Dance Center
MOMIX
Peridance Contemporary Dance Company
Pilobolus
Fatima Robinson, choreographer, director, creative director
Monika Felice Smith, choreographer, movement director
Micaela Taylor and TL Collective
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

Career Connections for Life

Chapman Dance students have career support from our dedicated performing arts career advisor from day one and beyond graduation. A few notable dance alumni are listed below.

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:
Tap Ensemble: all about the art of tap
Team Shaka: sharing enthusiasm for hip-hop
Twilight: K-pop dance team
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 »

»Welcome to the Department of Dance!