The Department of Dance is a community of diverse individuals trained on a common nexus of inquiry, the rich and complex phenomenon of dance. At the heart of the Ohio State dance experience is the notion of embodied scholarship, embracing the intertwining areas of movement practice, creative activity and theoretical inquiry. 

Why choose dance?

As one of the premiere dance programs in U.S., the Ohio State Department of Dance is at the forefront of contemporary modern dance through choreographic and performance exploration, creative use of technologies and reimagining the documentation of dance traditions. Visiting artists and scholars enrich all dimensions of the program and regularly augment the resident faculty.

What can you do with this degree?

Ohio State has produced graduates of high caliber who have gone on to successful performing careers with the Paul Taylor Dance Company, Twyla Tharp Dance Company, Merce Cunningham Company, Mark Morris Dance Group, Dayton Contemporary Dance Company, Pilobolus, David Parsons, Ron Brown, Stephen Petronio, Sweden’s Cullberg Dance Company and Israel’s Batsheva Dance Company. Others such as Senta Driver, Dianne McIntyre, Lynn Dally, Bebe Miller and Timothy Buckley have built successful careers as choreographers. Ohio State students have also gone on to careers as dance notators, historians, movement analysts or specialists in dance productions.