Dance
Five College Dance comprises the dance departments of our member campuses, with each offering its own distinctive program while collaborating as a uniquely rich inter-campus consortium with abundant possibilities for dance students.
Rennie Harris masterclass & "Popsicles can do so much" by Jungeun Kim, photos by Derek Fowles. Rehearsal of "Dance 1" (1979) by Lucinda Childs, photo by nikki lee.
On This Page
Mission
Five College Dance advances embodied practice as a critical mode of inquiry, expression, and civic engagement across cultural and historical contexts. We cultivate new generations of artists, scholars, and practitioners to shape the field of dance and dance studies.
Historical
Established in 1978, Five College Dance (FCD) is a creative and intellectual collaboration organized between the dance departments and programs at Amherst, Hampshire, Smith, Mount Holyoke Colleges and University of Massachusetts Amherst. A community of undergraduate and graduate students, faculty, musical accompanists, visiting scholars and artists, we create and amplify access to rich, varied artistic and academic opportunities in dance.
Our House, choreographed by Shakia Barron, 2018 Mount Holyoke Fall Faculty Concert. Photo by Charles Flachs.
Our member dance departments and programs collaborate by:
- Coordinating a shared undergraduate dance curriculum with diversely trained faculty and varied course offerings in dance technique, performance, composition and theory
- Producing at least one major repertory project most years, open to all five college students
- Providing performance opportunities on each campus for all five college students
- Opening the great majority of campuses’ events, workshops, professionalization opportunities, masterclasses, residencies, symposia, and field trips to all five college students
Reflect/Respond: A Limón Dance Legacy Concert at UMass Amherst, 2019. Photo by Derek Fowles.
Five College Dance Provides
- Production management and technical supervision for all FCD concerts, events, and auditions, as well as for any FCD contributions to the annual American College Dance Association conference.
- Annual production workshop for students producing their own shows, plus additional production-related learning opportunities
- Annual lecture by a major scholar and/or artist in the field
- Annual concert with a faculty- and guest-choreographed work submitted from each school, featuring students from all campuses
- News from the departments, FCD, and alumni
- Masterclasses from professional dance artists on the UMass Center for Fine Arts season
- Centralized communication hub (social media, listserv, website) to share with students and faculty dance-related events, professional opportunities, news, and programs from the campuses, FCD, the local community, and beyond
- Coordination and facilitation of musician accompanists for most campuses’ technique classes
- Photographing and archiving professional photos of FCD performances and events
- Collaborations with non-dance departments/units and external arts organizations
- Support for the work of individual departments, students, and faculty that benefit the consortium
Links to Campus Dance Programs
Dance Course Grid & New Classes
Please Note: If you don't see classes from all campuses currently listed, they will appear as the campuses release their course schedules for the semester. The five campuses release their schedules on different dates. Visit this page for specific dates. These course listings are meant for advising periods. During the corresponding semester, please check the college course websites for the most up to date listings.
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Spring 25 Travel Packages for Dance Classes by Campus.
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Meet the New Dance Faculty at Five College Dance.
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Approved Courses for the Dance Major / Minor for Spring 25.
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Featured Dance Classes
Courses Offerings by Neri Torres
Mt. Holyoke College
DAN 136 Intro to Afro Cuban, MW 1:45-3:00 PM Kendall Hall, Mt. Hoyloke College
DAN 137 Latin Social Dances, MW 3:15-4:30 PM Kendall Hall, Mt. Holyoke College
Smith College
DAN 142bc Beginning Afro Cuban, TTH 2:45-4 PM in Scott Dance Studio, Smith College
DAN 245 Intermediate Afro-Modern, TTH 1:10-2:35 PM in Scott Dance Studio, Smith College
Confused about how to register for an FCD course?
Look no further! Five Colleges, Inc. wants to make your registration process as seamless as possible so they have made this cross-registration How To for you. Follow these steps and be sure to email the instructor to tell them of your interest. Happy Dancing!
Spring 2025 Dance Courses
Spring 2025 Dance Courses: Technique - Ballet
| Subject | Course # | Sect # | Course Title | Instructor(s) | Institution | Meeting Times |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| THDA | 220H | 01 | Int./Adv. Ballet | Kate Martel | Amherst College | TU/TH | 10:00 AM - 11:20 AM |
| DANCE | 120 | 01 | Beginning Ballet | Barbie Diewald | Mount Holyoke College | TTH 09:00AM-10:15AM |
| DANCE | 325 | 01 | Advanced Ballet | Barbie Diewald | Mount Holyoke College | MW 10:00AM-11:15AM |
| DAN | 121 | 01 | Beginning Ballet 2 | Gabriella Jae Carmichael | Smith College | M W 9:25 AM - 10:40 AM |
| DAN | 223 | 01 | Intermed Ballet 2 | Rodger Fleming Blum | Smith College | W 2:45 PM - 4:00 PM; M 3:05 PM - 4:20 PM |
| DAN | 227 | 01 | Intermediate Pointe Technique | Kate Martel | Smith College | TH 7:00 PM - 8:15 PM |
| DAN | 325 | 01 | Advanced Ballet 2 | Rodger Fleming Blum | Smith College | TU TH 5:00 PM - 6:30 PM |
| DAN | 327 | 01 | Advanced Pointe Technique | Kate Martel | Smith College | TH 7:00 PM - 8:15 PM |
| DANCE | 121 | 01 | Ballet II | Thomas Vacanti | UMass Amherst | M W 2:30PM 3:45PM |
| DANCE | 223 | 01 | Ballet IV | Thomas Vacanti | UMass Amherst | M W 11:15AM 12:45PM |
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