“That’s the main goal: to enrich the student experience and support dance artistically with the highest standard possible and to give the students the experience of working with professional crew — people who make professional theater for a living,” Tague said.

First-year criminal justice and psychology major Tori Kimball was attracted to UD because of the theatre options available, especially when she learned of the musical theatre minor. 

“I feel passionate about my major, but theatre has always been my escape,” she said. “I don’t know where I would be if I didn’t pursue my love for theatre academically.” 

Adding the minor allows Kimball to become a more well-rounded performer in singing, acting and dance. 

“I’m trying to become the best version of myself I can be,” she said.

Expanding a popular minor

Kimball’s goals fit perfectly with the dance faculty’s philosophy that dance is accessible to all students, with a curriculum that encourages students to grow and build connections. 

The dance minor has been a popular choice since it began in 2009 and currently serves 300 students every semester. It spans the University with students from across colleges and majors continuing to pursue a pastime they may have begun in early childhood.

“I tell my students all the time that you might have been in the most advanced dance class of your studio, but when you continue at the university setting, you’re getting more of a theoretical, philosophical and health practice in addition to more rigor in the technical aspects,” said dance professor Kimberly Schroeder.

Students are encouraged to explore how to integrate their interest in dance with other disciplines in the program’s capstone course, during which students create projects that incorporate their major course of study.

Dancers with psychology or health and behavioral science majors have explored body image and eating disorders through dance, and a recent capstone project involved a biology major who choreographed a dance to illustrate how viruses move through the body.

Denise Murphy-Rohr, director of dance, said she encourages students to develop a deep sense of self in her classes, which they carry with them in other areas. 

“I see the body as a primary place for research and encourage students to think critically about how they want to investigate movement,” she said. “This approach encourages students to consider their identity in studio practice and building relationships with themselves and those they share the space with. This is central to how they learn in any setting.”

“Not many places look at dance through the lens of higher education, so it is really exciting to see what our students come up with,” Schroeder said.

Building on success

The department has exciting plans that will continue to expand the enhanced academic connection to the REP for the performing arts at UD.    

This includes new performance and rehearsal spaces for dance students, including last spring’s “Suite Blackness: Black Dance in Cinema,” a campus-community collaborative performance of  dance, video, music and spoken word in Thompson Theatre in the Roselle Center for the Arts. This marked the first time dance students performed on the REP’s home stage. On March 8 and 9 the annual Dance Minor Concert took place in Thompson for the first time. In addition, the dance studios relocated to renovated spaces in Hartshorn Hall. 

“Hartshorn is now a vessel for the performing arts, and this, along with dance performances in Thompson, provides the opportunity for meaningful and effective collaboration,” said Murphy-Rohr.

In addition to production support of dance concerts and instituting the musical theatre minor, the newly formed department plans on future growth. Tague and staff have submitted plans for a theatre major to begin this fall and are exploring options for launching a dance major the following year. Tague has also had conversations with School of Music faculty on how UD Opera Theatre can benefit from the REP’s structural support, and there are even thoughts of bringing back an MFA program. 

Learn more about the program at www.theatre.udel.edu.