Dance (BFA)

Department Website

Program Description

The B.F.A. training program offers a comprehensive, organic approach to dance. The B.F.A. degree is earned in an intensive three-year plus two-summer curriculum. Transfer students are expected to complete all department requirements. Technique classes emphasize alignment principles that lead to the most efficient use of the body. Somatics and yoga support these same principles and are part of the weekly technique schedule. Other first-year courses include dance composition, kinesthetics of anatomy, and music theory. The second year further develops these principles and adds courses in dance history, acting, improvisation, music literature, and advanced dance composition, where the skills acquired in music and composition classes in the first year are integrated. The third year, in the Second Avenue Dance Company, continues to integrate the information that has been acquired, with an emphasis on performance and choreography. Optional courses are available to students who have developed specific areas of interest. In addition to departmental work, students are expected to take required academic courses.

A student matriculating in the Tisch School of the Arts must be admitted at two levels: as a student within a department of specialization or major, and as a student of New York University. An undergraduate candidate must apply via Common Application. After the application is submitted, NYU Undergraduate Admissions will send an email with instructions for auditioning for the Department of Dance. 

For more information, please see the Tisch Dance webpage

Study Abroad

The Tisch Department of Dance hosts an immersive and exciting three-week contemporary, improvisation, and performance intensive training in Berlin. Dance majors may apply to attend this program in the summer semester of their second year. Additional details can be found on our webpage here

Admissions

New York University's Office of Undergraduate Admissions supports the application process for all undergraduate programs at NYU.  For additional information about undergraduate admissions, including application requirements, see How to Apply