Dance

The tutorial program of the Dance Division offers an individualized course of study for exceptionally talented and motivated students. Working within the daily routine of studio classwork necessary for all dance majors in a professional training program, the tutorial plan aims to provide the outstanding and disciplined student with maximum freedom for independent academic and creative tutorial work. The prospective student, working with the Dance Division Director of Tutorial Studies, designs a curriculum around his or her particular interests and talents, with breadth of experience, depth in selected areas, and challenge for superior achievement as the goals. The Dance Division Director of Tutorial Studies will function as curriculum advisor and coordinator of tutorials for the duration of the student's time in the program. Examples of emphasis might be, but would not be limited to, one or a combination of the following: performance, choreography, teaching, dance kinesiology, dance history, dance criticism, or movement analysis.

Program Overview

A tutorial student assumes responsibility for at least one tutorial course each semester, working with that semester's particular tutor for the equivalent of at least one hour per week, scheduled over the semester according to the needs of the student and the material. Preparation for this meeting might take four or more hours per week; therefore, a tutorial course normally carries two to five credits. A tutorial in performance or choreography, for example, might require a different schedule of meetings from an academic tutorial, but each tutorial course assures the student of his or her full share of faculty/student time and a written evaluation of the work.

The Dance Division Director of Studies consults with tutors about the progress, strengths, and weaknesses of individual students so that subsequent tutorials can address problems and build on strengths. A description of the content of each tutorial is filed by the tutor in the college office at the close of the semester. The student and the Director of Studies meet at least once each semester for course review and curriculum advising.

Evaluation

The full faculty and Director of the Dance Division must approve the original curriculum plan drawn up by the student and the Director of Tutorial Studies. Subsequent faculty review and evaluation is as follows: the student and the involved dance faculty meet for evaluation at the end of the first semester of work, at the end of the first complete year of work, and at the end of the second semester of the second year. Tutorial students may request or be required to meet with the full faculty for evaluation and professional advice at the end of any semester. Also, individual assistance and exchange of ideas between faculty and students are regularly available for all majors and are typical of the teaching style within the school.

Under exceptional circumstances, and with the approval of the dance faculty, it may be possible to complete the program in fewer than four years. This must be planned early in the course of study, and a review by the full faculty will be necessary at the beginning of the final year. HTC dance majors will complete a thesis, which may be a written or video documentation of the independent choreography and production projects which serve as a culmination of the undergraduate training program for all dance majors. Faculty members advise and evaluate these performances and encourage additional productions and teaching projects in the university community and Athens area.

Students in the HTC Dance Studies program are expected to maintain a GPA of 3.5 overall. Students are also expected to complete an internship in industry lasting at least two quarters and to complete research resulting in a senior thesis. A single-authored paper accepted for publication will be taken in lieu of a thesis.

To read the course requirements for the HTC Dance program, read the current Ohio University catalog description.

Eligibility

Admission and placement for both incoming freshmen and transfer students is through audition, interview and screening of academic credentials. Applicants must also submit a written essay on the significance of dance to their career objectives. Applicants must also submit a writing sample from their academic course of study (history, English, literature, science).

Electives should include literature, history, anthropology or sociology, psychology, studio art, art history, music history, music performance, acting, theater history, and film or video. The student must satisfy the Ohio University English composition requirement.

Applications and Auditions

The deadline for applications for admission and scholarships is November 15th. Audition is required and should be arranged as early as possible. To arrange for an audition, or to find out more about the Tutorial Program in Dance, contact:

Director of Studies

Associate Professor, Dr. Tresa Randall
(740) 593-1826
Putnam 102
randall@ohio.edu

Education

Ph.D.: Temple University

Scholarly Interests

Dr. Randall's current scholarly work focuses on the cultural transfer of dance modernism in the 1920s and 1930s, particularly in the work of modern dance pioneer Hanya Holm. Dr. Randall teaches dance history and critical viewing/writing about dance as well as studio courses such as modern dance technique, composition, ballet, and yoga.

Selected Publications

She has published articles and book reviews in Dance Research Journal, Theatre Journal, and the Jahrbuch der Gesellschaft für Tanzforschung (Yearbook of the Society of Dance Research). Such publications include "Hanya Holm and an American Tanzegemeinschaft" (2012) in the New German Dance Studies, "Enlivening dance history pedagogy through archival projects" (2008) in Journal of Dance Education, and "Throwing Myself Back to That Time: Dancing in the Archive" (2008) in Looking Back, Moving Forward.

Additional information can be found on the Dance Division website.