The African and Diaspora Dance Forms Microcredential gives students an opportunity to explore dance traditions rooted in African movement vocabularies and their evolution throughout the diaspora. By studying African Dance, Hip Hop, Tap, Salsa/Merengue/Bachata, and/or Jazz, students develop proficiency in African dance forms while gaining embodied understanding of rhythm, polyrhythms, and musicality within cultural, social, and political contexts.
This program examines how these traditions evolved from African aesthetics, encouraging critical analysis of dance as cultural expression and resistance. Courses are offered regularly throughout the academic year and integrate core African aesthetic principles through multiple dance practices.
The African and Diaspora Dance Forms Microcredential helps to prepare students for careers in performance, choreography, teaching, cultural preservation, curriculum development, and community arts organization.
Credits and Courses
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Required Courses | ||
| DANCE 122 | African Dance & Diaspora Technique I | 3 |
| At least 6 credits from the following: | 6 | |
| Jazz Dance I | ||
| Jazz Dance II | ||
| Tap I | ||
| African Dance & Diaspora Technique II | ||
| Hip-Hop Foundations I | ||
| Hip-Hop II | ||
| Salsa, Merengue, and Bachata I | ||
| Total Credits | 9 | |
African and Diaspora Dance Forms Microcredential Learning Outcomes
Through the completion of the African and Diaspora Dance Forms students will be able to:
- Contextualize dance forms within the cultural, social, and political landscapes of the African diaspora.
- Trace and analyze the connections between dances from Africa and those developed in the African Diaspora.
- Demonstrate embodied understandings of dance forms and the cultures they represent through a multitude of dance practices.
- Examine the historical significance and evolution of African and African Diasporic dances.