As the university’s sixth art school, the Glorya Kaufman School of Dance completes USC’s signature reputation as a world-class academic institution with a deep commitment to the arts. With its innovative vision for arts education, USC Kaufman is at the forefront of developing dance thoughts leaders.
BFA in Dance students Eugene Bois (Class of 2023) and Haily Foster (Class of 2023). Photo by Rose Eichenbaum.
Founded in 2015, the USC Glorya Kaufman School of Dance embodies excellence in the interdisciplinary study of dance. Dance in the twenty-first century is a dynamic art form, and the professionals who will shape the future of the field will need to move seamlessly throughout this changing landscape. These thought leaders will embrace innovation alongside tradition, study classical genres as well as emerging dance forms, and engage with the latest technologies while exploring the historical origins of dance. USC Kaufman is creating a unique model in which intersecting dance techniques create hybrid art forms expressed through performance, choreography, media, scholarship, and beyond. We call this vision The New Movement.
The state-of-the-art Glorya Kaufman International Dance Center is the school’s vision realized in brick and mortar. The largest facility dedicated to dance at any private university, it includes six studios, a performance venue, four classrooms and a collaborative workspace for students.
The Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance provides a rigorous conservatory experience at one of the world’s leading private research universities. The BFA curriculum includes world-class training in a multitude of dance forms including ballet, hip-hop, jazz, African and contemporary dance. Students are exposed to world-renowned practicing artists, provided opportunities to pursue interdisciplinary projects, and studies in dance science, history, new media, and entrepreneurship - all the while providing an expansive liberal arts education. A robust performance repertory includes works by current faculty as well as other influential artists in dance such as George Balanchine, Alejandro Cerrudo, Merce Cunningham, Martha Graham, Francesca Harper, Jiří Kylián, Matthew Neenan, Crystal Pite, Paul Taylor, Rauf “RubberLegz” Yasit, and many more.
USC Kaufman faculty are unparalleled in their depth and diversity of experience. Full-time and part-time faculty have highly-regarded careers in the field. Faculty Artists in Residence include leading dance innovators such as Hope Boykin, Michael Breeden, Tessandra Chavez, Marjani Forté-Saunders, Zippora Karz, Fiona Lummis,Victor Quijada, Dwight Rhoden, Desmond Richardson, Jermaine Spivey, Toyin Sogunro, Micaela Taylor, and Doug Varone. Students have also worked with guest artists from all over the world, including Kyle Abraham, Patricia Delgado, Bill T. Jones, Akram Khan, Alonzo King, Justin Peck, Sonya Tayeh, Diana Vishneva, Wendy Whelan and Andrew Winghart – to name a few.
Established relationships with Glorya Kaufman Presents Dance at The Music Center and the USC Thornton School of Music afford significant opportunities to collaborate with acclaimed artists. Joint efforts with the USC Division of Biokinesiology and Physical Therapy and USC Counseling and Mental Health put student wellness front and center. Through its partnership with the USC School of Dramatic Arts, USC Kaufman provides dance training to students pursuing the BFA in Musical Theatre. USC Kaufman’s location in Los Angeles, a global center for the arts and entertainment, provides students with easy access to rich artistic and professional opportunities.
In addition to the Bachelor of Fine Arts, USC Kaufman offers a wide variety of classes open to all USC students. It has studio courses in African Dance, Afro-Cuban Dance, Bollywood Dance, Ballet, Choreography, Commercial Dance, Contemporary Dance, Gaga, Hip-Hop Dance, International Ballroom Dance, Jazz Dance, Mat Pilates, and Tap Dance. General Education courses on the history and culture of dance, including African American Dance, Hip-Hop Don’t Stop, and Dancing on the Screen provide a rewarding introduction to the field. A wide range of other electives such as Dance and New Media and World Perspectives on Dance Performance provide specialized studies of the art form.
USC students may also pursue minors that complement other areas of study. These 16- to 20-unit offerings include Choreography for Stage and Screen; Dance; Hip-Hop, Street and Social Dance Forms; and Dance in Entertainment.
USC Glorya Kaufman School of Dance
Glorya Kaufman International Dance Center
849 West 34th Street
Los Angeles, CA 90089-3521
213-740-9327
Email: uscdance@usc.edu
Leadership
Julia M. Ritter, PhD, Dean (effective July 1, 2022)
Jackie Kopcsak, MFA, Assistant Dean of Faculty
Anne Aubert-Santelli, Associate Dean of Academic and Student Life
Faculty
Claude and Alfred Mann Professor of Dance: Kyle Abraham, MFA
Professor of Dance: Margo Apostolos, PhD
Associate Professors of Practice: Patrick Corbin, MFA; E. Moncell Durden; d. Sabela grimes, MFA; Jackie Kopcsak, MFA; Bruce McCormick, MFA; Dawn Stoppiello, MFA
Assistant Professors of Practice: Tiffany Bong; Alison D’Amato, PhD; Shannon Grayson; Saleemah E. Knight, MFA; Jennifer McQuiston Lott, MFA
Adjunct Assistant Professor in Dance: Bonnie Oda Homsey, MFA
Lecturers: Molly Bogunivic; Kathryn Dunn; Bret Easterling; Gillian Finley; Jesus Fuentes; Ebony Haswell Frazier; Grasan Kingsberry; Anindo Marshall; Achinta S. McDaniel; Amy O’Neal; Jason Rodgers; Danté Rose
Instructor of Clinical Physical Therapy and Instructor of Dance: Marisa Hentis, PT, DPT, OCS, CSCS
Artists in Residence: Hope Boykin; Michael Breeden; Tessandra Chavez; Marjani Forté-Saunders; Zippora Karz; Fiona Lummis; Victor Quijada; Desmond Richardson; Dwight Rhoden; Penny Saunders; Toyin Sogunro; Jermaine Spivey; Micaela Taylor; Doug Varone
Bachelor’s Degree
Minor
Dance
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