UNCG offers students in our BA, BFA, MA, and MFA programs in Dance the option to pursue K-12 licensure with their degree. Curriculum and course requirements for licensure degrees are slightly different.
If you are interested in teaching others and sharing your love of dance with students young and old, then the BA or BFA in dance education degree is the one for you. The Dance Education licensure program at UNCG is designed to prepare prospective dance teachers to be highly skilled dancers and choreographers, as well as scholarly reflective educators, able to meet the varied needs of students of all grades and ages. Our approach to dance education emphasizes creative and critical thinking abilities, artistry, kinesthetic expression, and connection to community.
The BA or BFA with K-12 teacher licensure program focuses on the development of knowledge and skills that prepare university students to design and implement innovative dance education programs in the public schools, private schools and dance studios, that promote dance literacy; knowledge of the role of the dance in diverse cultures; artistic and technical development; collaborative practice; and interdisciplinary learning. The four-year degree program includes coursework in dance pedagogy, choreography, improvisation, technique, history, stagecraft and technology. Attention is placed on the acquisition of knowledge and skills that enable the pre-service teacher to develop and implement innovative dance education programs that meet the North Carolina Teaching Standards. Upon successful completion of the UNCG undergraduate coursework dance education students will be eligible for initial certification as a teacher of dance in all grades.
Students pursuing a BA or BFA with K-12 licensure have many opportunities to work with and to perform in faculty, graduate student and guest artist choreography. Students are also encouraged to participate in the Dancers Connect community school and other community arts initiatives including movement analysis workshops, intergenerational dance with senior citizens, and creating and performing lecture demonstrations in schools and community centers.
Dance education students often elect to take a semester study abroad, in the second semester of their sophomore year. There are several UNCG exchange programs that offer strong dance programs, such as the Western Australia Academy of Performing Arts and the University of Cape Town in South Africa. Closer to home, we regularly bring in guest artists from the professional world teach across the curriculum and UNCG annually attends the American College Dance Festival (ACDF), The National Dance Education Organization (NDEO) national conference and the dance and the Child international (daCi) conference where our students present their research projects, teaching methods, original curricula, and choreography.
NOTICE:
The U.S. Department of Education requires that all higher education institutions advise students as to whether their curriculum provides them with the eligibility to apply for a professional license and/or certification in the state for which they plan to practice.
As such, please review the Dance K-12 Teaching Licensure Concentration. You should note whether the program either “meets”, “does not meet”, or if there “has not been a determination” of the program’s status in the state for which you plan to practice. You should contact the UNCG School of Dance at [email protected] with any questions regarding this data.