Pictured | Colton Graffa | B.F.A., Theatre / Minor in Dance | Columbus, Indiana (hometown)
Photo provided by the Ernestine M. Raclin School of The Arts

Bachelor of Fine Arts in Theatre/Dance

The Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) in Theatre Concentration in Dance is designed to prepare students for the professional theatre or dance world and/or additional training at the graduate level. It features a focus on dance technique and performance grounded in the theatre core. Students are required to fulfill their production experience by way of auditioning for the dance company and participating if accepted and/or fulfilling participation through the theatre production season.

Academic Advising

College policy on advising requires that students meet with their academic advisors at least once each year, and in some departments, prior to each semester’s to enrollment. Advising holds are placed on all Ernestine M. Raclin School of the Arts students prior to advance registration and are released following advising appointments. Students with a declared major are advised in their academic units. To determine who your advisor is and how to contact them, see One.IU.

Theatre Upper-Divisional Review

All students are considered pre-Bachelor of Arts and pre-Bachelor of Fine Arts students until they pass an upper-divisional review or entrance audition.

Students are expected to successfully complete this review at the earliest possible point in their academic careers.  Once students earn between 50 and 60 credit hours they are scheduled for their upper-divisional review, which must be undertaken at this time.

Students undertaking this review are expected to perform the following:

• Dance concentration students are expected to perform a 2-3 minute dance piece of your choice. This can be your original choreography or the choreography of another. You can bring music; or dance without music. Students are encouraged to bring their own means of playing music (ipod, CD player, etc…) Please include a copy of your resume for each faculty member at the review.
• Students will also be asked to demonstrate their dance technique by learning and performing a dance combination.
• All students will participate in an interview.
• The audition should show breadth (work in all the areas that a student has studied) and quality (a careful selection of the best work in the student’s area of concentration). The faculty expects to see work that demonstrates ability and improvement.
• The faculty expects students to present their work in good condition and in a manner that expresses their personal development, course of study, or academic goals. For the interview, students are expected to have outlined their achievements so far and goals for the future, as well as to address any faculty questions.
• At the conclusion of the review, the faculty may choose to accept a student into the appropriate degree programs, Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Fine Arts with, or without, provisions outlined by the faculty. The faculty may also decide to rehear students if work in some areas requires improvement.
• In certain cases, the faculty may decline to accept a student into the degree programs, if the quality of either their classroom or studio work is deemed insufficient. A student may attempt to pass upper-divisional review only two times. Each hearing counts as one attempt; failure to meet provisions within a specified time counts as one attempt. Failure to attend a scheduled review counts as one attempt.
• A student can elect to attempt to audition into a program prior to their upper-divisional.  This must be communicated by the seventh week of the semester to the student’s academic advisor. Please remember that you may audition for an academic program up to two times throughout your course of study.
• One bonus entrance audition (not counted as part of your two) attempt is included in the first semester of matriculation in the pre-theatre programs. This opportunity will be held in the October entrance auditions. If you are interested in auditioning early, we encourage contacting your academic advisor to find out more details.

For further questions about this review process, please see academic advisor or reference the Theatre and Dance Student Handbook.

Degree Requirements (125 cr.)

Degree Map >>

Students receiving the Bachelor of Fine Arts in Theatre, concentration in Musical Theatre Performance degree must complete 125 total credit hours including:

• IU South Bend Campuswide General Education Curriculum (36 cr.) to include:
  • Successful accomplishment of computer literacy placement examination (0 cr.) OR
    Computer Litracy Course (counts as 3 credit elective)
  • THTR-A 190 Art, Aesthetic, and Creativity OR
    THTR-A 399 Art, Aesthetics, and Creativity
  • THTR-T 190 Literary and Intellectual Traditions
  • THTR-T 228 Design for the Theatre (Visual Literacy)
  • Successful accomplishment of THTR-D course in Performance Concentration (Health and Wellness)
• Major Requirements (75 cr.)
  • Theatre Core (31 cr.)
  • Dance Concentration (44 cr.)
• Additional Requirements (5 cr.)
• Free Electives (4 cr.)

• At least 30 credit hours must be at the 300– or 400–level.
• Courses required for the major must be completed with a grade of C- or higher.
• Successful participation in major season productions each semester as directed by the Practicum Instructor in coordination with the Chair of the Theatre and Dance Department.
• All courses are 3 credit hours, unless otherwise noted.

Major Requirements (75 cr.)

Theatre Core (31 cr.)

• THTR-D 280 Dance Practicum I (1 cr.)
• THTR-D 281 Dance Practicum II (1 cr.)
• THTR-D 282 Dance Practicum III (1 cr.)
• THTR-T 120 Acting I: Fundamentals of Acting
• THTR-T 225 Stagecraft 1
• THTR-T 230 Costume Design and Technology I
• THTR-T 340 Directing I: Fundamentals of Directing
• THTR-T 405 Stage Management
• THTR-T 470 History of the Theatre 1
• THTR-T 471 History of the Theatre 2
• THTR-T 483 Topics in theatre and Drama
• THTR-T 485 Capstone Project (1 cr.)
  Note | Recital of six pieces (see student handbook for specific details)

Select one from the following

• THTR-T 326 Introduction to Scenic Design
• THTR-T 335 Stage Lighting Design
• THTR-T 339 Introduction to Costume Design

Performance-Dance Concentration (44 cr.)

• THTR-D 115 Modern Dance I (2 cr.)
• THTR-D 120 Ballet I (2 cr.)
• THTR-D 140 Jazz Dance I (2 cr.)
• THTR-D 170 Tap I (2 cr.)
• THTR-D 205 Choreography
• THTR-D 215 Modern Dance II (2 cr.)
• THTR-D 220 Ballet II (2 cr.)
• THTR-D 240 Jazz Dance II (2 cr.)
• THTR-D 270 Tap II (2 cr.)
• THTR-D 275 Current Trends in Dance (1 cr.)
• THTR-T 220 Acting II: Scene Study
• THTR-T 223 Vocal and Physical Preparation I
• THTR-T 224 Vocal and Physical Preparation II
• THTR-T 290 History and Design of Stage Makeup
• THTR-T 300 Musical Theatre Workshop
• THTR-T 320 Acting III: Shakespeare
• THTR-T 392 Theatre Internship
• THTR-T 420 Acting IV: Realism

Additional Requirements (5 cr.)

• THTR-D 110 Social Dance (2 cr.)
• THTR-D 300 Dance History: An American Perspective

Free Electives (9 cr.)

• If student takes the Computer Literacy course above (Fundamental Literacy), only 6 credits of electives are required

Photo credit | Rebecca Stutzman