After three years of the dance program being a concentration, Lang now offers a BA in Contemporary Dance.
Danielle Goldman, the Contemporary Dance Program Director, said she hopes the new major will be “appealing to students seeking a rigorous dance program within a liberal arts context.”
“A number of Lang students opt to take dance practice courses, or get involved in performance opportunities, or explore choreographic research, even if they are majoring in another discipline,” said Goldman.
“We are hopeful that the major will increase interest in the program, and that this will lead to an even more robust and diverse suite of course offerings.”
Dance is not the only new major within the Arts Department at Lang. In the past few years, Contemporary Music and Theater have also both become majors.
In order for Contemporary Dance to become a major, the proposal had to be vetted by the Lang’s Academic Curriculum Committee, the Dean of Lang, the University Curriculum Committee, and the Provost’s Office. Once approved by those apart of the university, the proposal had to be sent to the New York State Education Department for their approval as well.
As for students who are already a part of the dance program, the change is more subtle. Their requirements have not been alternated drastically; but majors will have fewer requirements overall. As part of the requirements, the dance program is focused around four areas: movement practice, choreographic research, history and theory, and performance. Examples of classes include Choreographic Research, Capoeira, and Politics of Improvisation.
Katy Pyle, a choreographer and dance professor, is anticipating positive changes from Contemporary Dance becoming a major.
“I see the trend of Eugene Lang attracting more thoughtful, devoted and talented dancers over the past few years; and that can only bring more passion and power to the program’s future,” Pyle said.
Rebecca Stenn, a dancer and choreographer who teaches in the program said, “It’s just great. It has this kind of clarity, direction, and focus. We’re going to allow a student, for instance, who is interested in choreography to follow that line.”
Emily Ruiz, a fourth year student in the dance program and a co-captain of the dance collective, an organization at The New School that provides a space for dancers to collaborate, is thrilled about the change.
“I was overjoyed when I found out Contemporary Dance became a major,” Ruiz said. “The title just made it feel much more real,” Ruiz said. “It is a subject that should have always been able to stand alongside philosophy, economics, and all the other major areas of study.”
Kendra Ing, 20, a student in the dance program says that the new shifted requirements has given students more space. “They just made it more flexible. We have more of a choice.” She is a combination of both excited and relieved. For Ing, the major change has given her more of an opportunity to explore Lang and all of its classes. Most of the dance students she knows are studying something else besides dance. Ing is, for example, minoring in interdisciplinary science.
Lauren Queen, 20, is another student in the dance program. Like Ing, Queen says it is not a huge change for her personally, but she does feel like the requirements are more open now, allowing students to focus on what they want.
Both Ing and Queen found out about the program change from the @eugenelang Instagram page.
“One of the dance program’s greatest strengths is that it is not set apart from the rest of the college,” said Goldman, the Contemporary Dance Program Director.
Photo by Orlando Mendiola
