The Program in Theater, Dance and Performance Studies supports a wide-ranging program in dance studies to majors and non majors. The curriculum consists of studio and seminar courses that cover the history, theory, and practice of dance forms spanning time and geography, from contemporary West African dance to The Twist.
Dance Studies
Le Sacre du Printemps (Rite of Spring).
The dance studies curriculum emphasizes the study of movement as a window into larger cultural processes and historical frameworks. In keeping with the mission of Theater and Performance Studies, the courses combine practical and theoretical approaches to deepening students’ understanding. In the studio courses, practical execution in the form of mastering diverse dance techniques, canonical repertory and choreographic methods is treated as an invaluable component of research and writing. The curriculum further investigates the fluid and fraught relationship between movement and language. Students develop a shared critical vocabulary for reading, interpreting, and writing about dance, even as many will learn to communicate their ideas through the creation of original choreography.
Courses vary in format and prerequisites, from sit-down seminars open to all interested students to studio courses designed to challenge those with prior dance training. Students who have enrolled in one or more dance courses may choose to do independent study projects in dance studies. Majors in Theater, Dance, and Performance Studies may propose senior projects in dance.
Cross-listed with a number of other departments—including Art, African Studies, African American Studies, American Studies, Film Studies, and Physics–Dance Studies at Yale promotes the interdisciplinary study of dance as an integral and vital element of human societies.
Dance courses focus on diverse subjects, including traditional and contemporary West African dance, Balanchine ballet, American modern and postmodern dance, dance in musical theater, dance composition, and theories of the body drawn from cultural, dance, and performance studies. Courses foster interdisciplinary discourse between dance and other artistic disciplines (music, visual art, film) and disciplines within the humanities and sciences. Many courses are cross listed in departments and programs such as American Studies, African Studies, African American Studies, Film Studies, and Physics.
Students who wish to pursue dance studies major in Theater, Dance, and Performance Studies, concentrating in dance studies. Other students major in other disciplines while passing through the total of dance courses. Upon completing one or more courses in dance studies, it is possible to undertake an independent study or senior thesis related to dance, either within or outside of Theater, Dance, and Performance Studies. Interested non-Theater, Dance, and Performance Studies majors should explore this option in conversation with their DUS, as regulations vary between departments.
Spring 2025 Dance Studies (All Domains)
| Number | Instructor(s) | Title | Domains |
|---|---|---|---|
| THST 085 | Robinson | Anatomy and Movement | FYS, AP, IA, E |
| THST 287 | Phuon | Dance in Cambodia | AP, H |
| THST 289 | Seibert | Broadway to Beyonce: Dance in American Popular Culture | H, IA |
| THST 386 | Robinson | Advanced Dance Repertory | AP, H |
| THST 396/ART 396 | Hultman | Moving Sites and Structures | IA, PT |
Yale Dance Lab
The Yale Dance Lab is a major co-curricular initiative that supports cross-disciplinary research, experimentation, and advocacy through dance. The Dance Lab augments and extends the work of the dance studies courses and works in partnership with programs and departments across the university.
Contact Information
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Emily Coates
Professor in The Practice of TDPS and Directing at the David Geffen School of DramaDirector of Dance Studies
