USC Kaufman School of Dance

Dancers perform.

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 Brenan Gonzalez (Class of 2025), Ambar Matos Ortiz (Class of 2025), and Alexander Thomas (Class of 2025). Photo by Rose Eichenbaum.

Programs
Courses of Instruction

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 offers a rigorous conservatory experience within a leading private research university. The BFA curriculum includes world-class training in a multitude of dance forms, provided by our dynamic, diverse, and passionate faculty. Additionally, students are exposed to celebrated visiting artists, and provided opportunities to pursue interdisciplinary projects alongside studies in dance science, history, new media, and entrepreneurship - all the while pursuing an expansive liberal arts education. Joint efforts with the USC Division of Biokinesiology and Physical Therapy and USC Counseling and Mental Health put student wellness front and center. 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.

A robust performance repertory includes works by current faculty as well as other influential artists in dance. Recent BFA performances have included repertory and/or new works by Kyle Abraham, Hope Boykin, Tessandra Chavez, Peter Chu, Tyce Diorio, Jiří Kylián, Justin Peck, Max Pham, Caili Quan, Toyin Sogunro, Spenser Theberge, Doug Varone and Christopher Wheeldon, among others. Over the years, BFA students have also had the opportunity to engage with visiting artists and other special guests such as Michael Breeden, Patricia Delgado, William Forsythe, Marjani Forté-Saunders, Bill T. Jones, Marcella Lewis, Victor Quijada, Dwight Rhoden, Desmond Richardson, Garen Scribner, Jermaine Spivey, Sonya Tayeh, Wendy Whelan and Andrew Winghart – to name a few.

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

Alison D’Amato, PhD, Assistant Dean of Academic and Faculty Affairs

Jackie Kopcsak, MFA, Assistant Dean of Programming and Special Projects

Faculty

Claude and Alfred Mann Professor of Dance: Kyle Abraham, MFA

Professor: Margo Apostolos, PhD

Associate Professors of Practice: Patrick Corbin, MFA; Alison D’Amato, PhD; E. Moncell Durden; d. Sabela grimes, MFA; Jackie Kopcsak, MFA; Jennifer McQuiston Lott, MFA; Bruce McCormick, MFA; Dawn Stoppiello, MFA

Assistant Professors of Practice: Tiffany Bong; Holley Farmer, MFA; Thomas Ford, MFA; Shannon Grayson; Saleemah E. Knight, MFA

Lecturers: Kelly Alvarez; Molly Bogunovic; Bret Easterling; Fiona Eddy; Gillian Finley; Nina Flagg; Jesus Fuentes; Ebony Haswell Frazier; Grasan Kingsberry; Achinta S. McDaniel; Amy O’Neal; Jason Rodgers; Danté Rose; Betsy Struxness; Pat Taylor; Josette Wiggan

Instructor of Clinical Physical Therapy and Instructor of Dance: Marisa Hentis, PT, DPT, OCS, CSCS

Programs

Bachelor’s Degree

Dance (BFA)

Minor

Courses

Dance