Dance Program
Dance Program
Our mission in the Patti and Rusty Rueff School of Design, Art, & Performance Dance Program is to provide students with a comprehensive understanding of the art of dance, and in doing so, to give them the opportunity to develop their individual expressive voice within this form. In collaboration with their students, faculty in this program conduct research in choreography, performance and related interdisciplinary and somatic arts. Students may choose to pursue a minor in modern dance, or may select courses to fulfill University Core Curriculum requirements. In addition to contributing to the diversity of learning for the Purdue community, we enhance cultural life in the Greater Lafayette region.
The Dance Program offers courses in dance technique, choreography, history, film making, intermedia technology, improvisation, and performance. Classes are taught in two 2400 sq. ft. dance studios with sprung wood floors, and all modern technique classes feature live musical accompaniment. One studio converts into a 100-seat black box theater, which houses a variety of productions, including the student-produced XSeries concerts as well as the choreography, intermedia technology, and film performances each semester. The Dance Program puts on numerous exhibits and performances, including experimental dance concerts featuring our faculty's research. These concerts highlight special areas of emphasis in dance for the camera, interactive technology, and improvisational performance in choreography and performance.