Alma College Dance

Dance At Alma


Motion is an intrinsic part of all of our lives. By becoming aware of your body and of movement, you’ll develop self-confidence and kinetic awareness.


Dance involves the whole person and employs not only moving, but also creative exploration, communication and expression. Dance fosters intuitive thinking, problem solving and collaborative contact. It includes a personal commitment and responsibility and allows the individual to pursue and achieve personal growth.

The Alma College Dance Program offers training in dance as a performance art in a liberal arts setting.

Course offerings include Ballet, Pointe, Modern, Jazz, Tap, Choreography, Highland Dance, Dance History, Theatrical Production, Dance Experience, Dance Criticism and Creative Movement for Children.

Alma’s Spring Term Dance Theatre Course offers trips to New York and London where students attend major theatrical and dance productions such as London’s West End, New York City Ballet and the Royal Ballet.

Advanced students are asked to audition for entry into the Alma College Dance Company and perform in three concerts a year.

Senior dance students may plan and present their own production.

The Dance Department stresses the liberal arts philosophy. All students are provided with a carefully structured experience in dance. Thirty-six credits complete the Dance major, with 24 credits fulfilling the minor program requirements.

Dance courses are open to all Alma College students, regardless of their academic major. Technique classes benefit the beginner to the advanced student.

 

Frank Knox’s accomplishments are extraordinary: From fighting alongside Teddy Roosevelt and the Rough Riders and publishing the Chicago Daily News vice presidential candidate in 1936 to Secretary of the Navy under Franklin D. Roosevelt. Through it all, the 1912 graduate stayed true to his Alma College roots. His portrait adorns the conference room in the Reid-Knox Administration Building.

 

Student Profile

Cassie Haley

Cassie Haley
Graduation: 2015
Major: Psychology and Dance

For classically trained ballerina Cassie Haley, Alma College is as comfortable as a pair of worn-in pointe shoes.

“I love small schools, and Alma really fits,” she says. “When I met with the dance department and the other professors, it felt so inclusive. I could tell I belonged with the dance company from the start. We all love each other, and that makes dancing a lot of fun.”