BA in Theatre Arts: Dance and Inclusive Performance Concentration

About this program

California State University, East Bay offers the BA in Theatre Arts with a Dance and Inclusive Performance Concentration through the Department of Theatre and Dance in the College of Letters, Arts, and Social Sciences. CSUEB's campus is the most diverse in the entire CSU system, and the department's approach to dance and theatre is explicitly inclusive, interdisciplinary, and experimental — centered on social justice, community engagement, and the celebration of diverse cultures, body types, abilities and disabilities, ages, and neurodiversity. Every faculty member is a working Bay Area professional artist who provides students with personal mentoring. The department produces approximately 5–8 plays and dance concerts each year, and 16 department productions have toured to four European countries. The Dance and Inclusive Performance Concentration (20–21 units) focuses on dance techniques, composition, and the applications of dance for diverse fields, including professional dance performance, inclusive dance, physically integrated dance, choreography, teaching, cultural performance forms, and community-based work. The concentration includes two tracks within it: a Dance Track and an Inclusive Performance Track, each with its own 4-year roadmap. Shared BA Core (16 units required of all Theatre Arts majors): Discover Acting, Modern Dance I, Dance Partnering I, Inclusive Interdisciplinary Ensemble, History of Black Theatre, Scenery/Lighting/Sound Design, and Costume and Makeup Design. Shared Core Production and Performance (minimum 8 units, selecting from repeatable courses): Inclusive Interdisciplinary Ensemble Performance, Dance Ensemble Performance, Theatre Performance, Musical Theater Performance, Production Support: Stage/Lights/Sound Shop or Crew, and Production Support: Costume/Makeup Shop or Crew. Capstone (1 unit): Dance Capstone or Theatre Capstone, taken by senior-level students. Dance and Inclusive Performance Concentration Coursework: Three first-level dance technique courses (3 units) from Contemporary Ballet I, Hip Hop Dance I, Jazz Dance I, Modern Dance I, or Dance Partnering I; three second-level dance technique courses (3 units) from Contemporary Ballet II, Hip Hop Dance II, African Dance, Jazz Dance II, Modern Dance II, Dance Partnering II, or Musical Theater Dance; three applied dance elective courses (8–9 units) from Wellness through Taiko/Tango/Tai Chi and Beyond, Street to Stage: History of Hip Hop Dance, Tap and Musical Theatre Dance on Stage and Screen, Sex/Race/and Body Politics in Dance, Healing Our World through Ancestral Performance Practices, Dance for Children, or The Expressive Body; and six units of ensemble courses from Inclusive Interdisciplinary Ensemble Performance, Inclusive Interdisciplinary Ensemble, Dance Ensemble Performance, Dance Stage and Screen Ensemble, or Dance Creative Process Ensemble (repeating the same class multiple times is permitted). The department's signature ensemble is the Inclusive Interdisciplinary Ensemble (IIE), directed by Professor Eric Kupers, which brings together rigorous experimentation in inclusive dance, music, and theater with people from highly diverse life experiences and abilities. IIE creates performances, dance films, and original music each year. It is made up of three components: the IIE Afternoon Class, the DanceSing Drum Company for more experienced performers, and the Creativity Lab for Autistic artists and their allies. The department also produces main stage dance concerts and offers dance technique classes in Contemporary Ballet, Hip Hop, Jazz, Modern Dance, Dance Partnering, African Dance, Musical Theater Dance, and more.

Audition & application overview

• Requires a live or recorded audition

None for admission; casting for productions and ensemble placement occurs within the department after enrollment

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