• <a href="/live/image/gid/664/width/650/87150_Dance_main_image.jpg" class="lw_preview_image lw_disable_preview" tabindex="-1"><picture class="lw_image lw_image87150"> <source type="image/jpeg" media="(max-width: 500px)" srcset="/live/image/gid/664/width/500/height/479/crop/1/87150_Dance_main_image.rev.1613000755.jpg 1x, /live/image/scale/2x/gid/664/width/500/height/479/crop/1/87150_Dance_main_image.rev.1613000755.jpg 2x, /live/image/scale/3x/gid/664/width/500/height/479/crop/1/87150_Dance_main_image.rev.1613000755.jpg 3x"/> <source type="image/jpeg" media="(min-width: 501px)" srcset="/live/image/gid/664/width/720/height/690/crop/1/87150_Dance_main_image.rev.1613000755.jpg 1x, /live/image/scale/2x/gid/664/width/720/height/690/crop/1/87150_Dance_main_image.rev.1613000755.jpg 2x, /live/image/scale/3x/gid/664/width/720/height/690/crop/1/87150_Dance_main_image.rev.1613000755.jpg 3x"/> <img src="/live/image/gid/664/width/720/height/690/crop/1/87150_Dance_main_image.rev.1613000755.jpg" alt="Students performing at Dance X, the fall dance show featuring Lewis & Clark dancers and choreographers. " width="720" height="690" srcset="/live/image/scale/2x/gid/664/width/720/height/690/crop/1/87150_Dance_main_image.rev.1613000755.jpg 2x, /live/image/scale/3x/gid/664/width/720/height/690/crop/1/87150_Dance_main_image.rev.1613000755.jpg 3x" data-max-w="3200" data-max-h="2136" loading="lazy"/> </picture> </a><div class="hero-split_image_caption collapsable-caption"> Students performing at Dance X, the fall dance show featuring Lewis & Clark dancers and choreographers. </div>

Why Choose a Minor in Dance?

Dance is one of the most diverse and inclusive programs on campus. You are encouraged to experiment with new ideas and to investigate and invent authentic movement vocabulary. You will incorporate an understanding of kinesthetic functioning of the body and a consideration of the significance of body/mind integration to your learning. Our dance students graduate with the ability to think creatively and critically and a drive for a life enriched by the performing arts.

What You’ll Study

Our students develop technical and performance skills and study the aesthetics, history, and criticism of dance. From improvisational techniques to classical ballet, from modern and postmodern dance forms to sound body mechanics, strength, and flexibility, you will receive a thorough education in the physical arts. Participants in our classes and performances include students who have a range of experience, from years of formal training to no prior exposure to dance.

Many of our students earn course credit while on an overseas or domestic off-campus program. In addition to general cultural programs that are open to all students, the England and New York City programs incorporate dance study as part of the curriculum.

Outside the classroom, Dance Extravaganza and Dance Y offers students the opportunity to have their choreography fully staged for large audiences. Every spring students attend the Northwest Regional American College Dance Conference where they take classes and perform work for adjudication. Local choreographers or guest artists will sometimes invite students to intern or work closely with their companies as assistants or performers. We also sponsor numerous opportunities for students to engage with professional artists throughout the year, and we invite professionals from the community and around the globe to teach master classes each semester.

Curriculum

Complement Your Education With One of These Majors

The most popular majors for our dance minors are English, rhetoric and media studies, and theatre.


What Students Are Saying About Lewis & Clark

  • LC Dance Company is a community I am currently part of. It’s very welcoming and fun. Surrounding yourself with other choreographers and dancers and being given space to collaborate is incredibly rewarding.

    Katrina Kuzmina BA ’23
    Rhetoric and media studies | Entrepreneurial leadership and innovation, dance | Moscow, Russia
    More about Katrina
  • I love that by minoring in dance I get a different type of learning, something kinetic and in the body. It helps break up the day, giving me energy to continue tackling my workload. It’s another outlet for creativity and communication which is so fulfilling.

    Venus Edlin BA ’23
    Rhetoric and Media Studies | Dance | San Jose, California
    More about Venus

What Can You Do With a Minor in Dance?

Our alumni use their minor in dance to pursue a wide range of careers within academia, nonprofits, arts production and administration, and beyond. While some students pursue a studio practice, others apply their critical thinking, research and writing skills, creativity, and performing arts skills to many areas other than dance.

Dedicated Faculty

Our expert professors are your expert mentors. You will learn directly from faculty (no graduate assistants here!) that are nationally recognized in their fields of study and who love to work with and learn from their students. Your professors will inspire you to be a thoughtful and passionate participant in a diverse world. Your small classes will support you as you explore new ideas, find your voice, and speak your truth.

Meet the Professors

Invest in Yourself

A private liberal arts education is often more affordable than you think. Last year, Lewis & Clark distributed over $74 million in assistance from institutional, federal, state, and private sources. Additionally, we’re so confident that our first-year students will graduate with their bachelor of arts degree in four years that if you don’t, we’ll cover the extra semester of tuition.

Find Your People

The LC Dance Company is an entirely student-run organization that creates a safe space for students of all skill levels to move, create, and commune with other dancers. This includes contact jams, the Dance Y production, choreographic workshops, and access to the Portland dance community. Incoming students can take advantage of our Creative PDX New Student Trip, which gives them the opportunity to get to know the Portland arts scene and connect with the vibrant arts programs at L&C, all before classes start.


Where Lewis & Clark Will Take You

  • L&C prepared me for my graduate studies by offering multiple opportunities to conduct research and develop enriching relationships with faculty.

    Sydney Owada BA ’19
    English | Fresno, California
    More about Sydney

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