Bachelor of Fine Arts, Dance

The Dance program at UMKC focuses on dance technique and theory, and we are committed to advancing creativity. You’ll create a strong foundation for your career in dance, rooted in ballet, modern dance and choreography. We champion the traditions of the past while preparing for the future through innovation, enterprise and arts advocacy. You’ll experience the mission of UMKC in the Dance program as we seek to promote diversity by fostering an inclusive learning environment.

Our program is equal-emphasis between ballet and modern dance, and your learning experience will mirror the current programming of national dance companies. Through our Great Works Projects, our students have the opportunity to dance in masterpieces like George Balanchine's Serenade, Robert Battle's Battlefield, Twyla Tharp's Torelli, Petipa's Paquita, Philip Jerry's Our Town and Paul Taylor's Aureole.

We want to provide you with as many professional opportunities as possible, so you are granted two weeks leave per semester to dance professionally. Students have performed the Kansas City Ballet's The Nutcracker, Romeo and Juliet and Firebird, The Nutcracker tour with Albany Berkshire Ballet, Setting the Stage with Friends of Alvin Ailey and with the Wylliams/Henry Contemporary Dance Company.

We are a vital partner in Kansas City's rich cultural environment, providing the highest level of professional instruction and an extensive array of performances. As a community, we collaborate to balance tradition and innovation with diversity and unity, as we seek to serve art and humanity. For more than a century, UMKC Conservatory has been a leader in creating the city's cultural riches and in extending UMKC's reach nationally and internationally. Focused upon creativity, performance, scholarship and learning in the arts, UMKC Conservatory is, at heart, a community of warm and fiercely dedicated people.