Dance at Oberlin is characterized by its commitment to experimentation and creation of original work. Student, faculty and visiting artist choreography is presented throughout the year in events ranging from fully produced proscenium concerts to adjudicated student concerts.
Faculty
Our faculty are both scholars and teachers who devote their careers to making important contributions to their disciplines through writing and research. They are committed to undergraduate education and teach everything from first-year seminars to advanced courses.
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The Department of Dance functions within the liberal arts tradition. Though many of the students become successful dancers and choreographers, the emphasis in the department is on encouraging students to create, perform, and think about movement in a manner that is consonant with their experience in the other fine and liberal arts.
The department is characterized by its commitment to experimentation and to the creation of original work. Student, faculty, and guest artist choreography is presented throughout the year in formal concerts, and in a regular series of showcases. Outstanding resources for artistic collaboration with student and faculty directors, designers, composers, musicians, and video artists are readily available in the Conservatory of Music, the Cinema Studies Program, and the Departments of Theater and Art.
Dance majors have opportunities to study off campus in Oberlin affiliated programs in New York that focus on theater and dance. These include the Trinity/La MaMa Performing Arts Program, the GLCA (Great Lakes Colleges Association) Arts Program, and the Tisch School of the Arts, as well as the Laban Centre in London.
Dance Bulletins
Dance Professors awarded OAC Individual Excellence Awards
Ann Cooper Albright named 2019 Guggenheim Fellow
Dance News
Dance Facilities
Eric Baker Nord Performing Arts Annex
The Eric Baker Nord Performing Arts Annex brings together these three theaters to allow the Department of Theater to stage a range of productions—from experimental works to full-scale plays.
Hall Auditorium
This 501-seat theater is used for large-scale opera, drama, and dance productions.
Irene and Alan Wurtzel Theater
The Irene and Alan Wurtzel Theater is part of the Eric Baker Nord Performing Arts Annex. The accessible and highly adaptable theater can accommodate up to 300 seats.