About the School of Dance
Our School of Dance is located in a vibrant college town where the arts play an integral role in our community. Both undergraduate students as well as graduate students in Community Dance will have many opportunities to interact and collaborate with community partners through the 30 Mile Studio project, Ohio Valley Center for Collaborative Arts, Factory Street Studio – a local non-profit, non-competitive dance school – and other organizations.
Our programs are taught on the historic Ohio University Athens campus, which is consistently ranked among the most picturesque American college campuses. Athens is located in Southeast Ohio, in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains. A number of state and national parks are within easy driving distance, and there are several beautiful hiking trails adjacent to campus. Athens is home to an active live music scene, an extensive local food network, microbreweries, and many arts and cultural institutions such as Passion Works and the Dairy Barn Arts Center. It is also 80 miles from Columbus, Ohio, one of the fastest-growing cities in the United States.
The School of Dance at Ohio University is located in Putnam Hall, which has six studios with sprung floors, a studio-theater, a fully equipped Pilates studio, costume and technical theater shops, and other classrooms, offices, and lobby areas.
Our Accredited B.F.A. Program
Our programs build on the excellence and resources of the Ohio University School of Dance, an accredited institutional member of the National Association of Schools of Dance. Our B.F.A. program provide a rich culture of studio practice, performance, inquiry, and creative activity. And our Community Dance graduate students deepen their artistry while developing competencies as teachers, community arts practitioners, arts administrators, and leaders.
The Nation's First Community Dance M.A. Program
The Master of Arts in Community Dance at Ohio University is the first of its kind in the United States. Unlike MFA or Master of Education programs in dance, our focus is on community engaged research, practice, and dance advocacy, and how the dance artist works in community settings. The Ohio University School of Dance is nationally known for its emphasis on dance composition and the creative process, and the M.A. applies that creative approach to diverse community settings. Community Dance involves communal dance-making processes, in which professionals invite members of a community to work in and through dance to express or experience something that they find significant. Community Dance values inclusion, diversity, and the transformative power of dance and movement.
An Open Invitation to Participate in Dance Courses and Groups
We encourage all students to participate in dance courses. The School of Dance offers non-major studio classes in modern, ballet, jazz, and African dance forms, yoga, and Pilates. We also offer courses in dance appreciation, dance history, and dance cultures, including 1700: The Dance Experience; 2700: Languages of Dance; 2710: Black Dance Forms; 3550: Dance Cultures of the World; and 4711: Dance, Gender, and Sexuality.
Two student-run dance organizations that are supported by the School of Dance:
- The Movement is an organization for Ohio University students interested in the performance and other presentations of dance and artistic collaborations involving movement. A primary aim of the organization is the promotion of dance as a thriving art in both the university and the Athens community. The Movement works closely with the School of Dance using some facilities, equipment, and sharing some goals. It maintains autonomy as a student organization. The Movement presents concerts of student works and offers scholarships for summer study. John Bohuslawsky serves as advisor to The Movement.
- Athens Black Contemporary Dance (ABCD) is a dance organization that presents student choreography that celebrates Black dance forms, themes and aesthetics. Like The Movement, it maintains autonomy as a student organization and uses resources within the School of Dance to help promote its goals.