Welcome to the Dance Program at the University of Kentucky! We are particularly proud that you are interested learning more about this most challenging teaching experience. Students with whom you will be working mature, learn, and explore at different rates, seemingly in different directions during their Dance Experience. As a classroom teacher engaged in working with young people during this time in their life, you will make similar discoveries about better ways to teach, to manage a classroom, to help a child learn.

Professor Rayma Beal is the Chair of the Dance Program faculty.

Our Dance Program Faculty has educators from within the College of Education, faculty from the University community, the Professional Educators from the Bluegrass area, and advanced Dance students.

Interested prospective students are encouraged to apply to UK and indicate their strong interest in the Elementary program. You will note that you apply to UK and to the Teacher Education Program.

The Dance Education Program is approved by the Kentucky Education Professional Standards Board and the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE).

Program Process Information

The Dance Program offers a breadth of dance technique courses and a wealth of field experiences. The combination of these classroom and experiential activities result in graduates who are prepared to deliver the Arts and Humanities Dance curriculum. Student community activities includes the UK Dance Ensemble which conducts creative dance workshops, lecture demonstrations and performances in schools, senior centers as well as the formal concerts presented at the Singletary Center for the Arts Fall and Spring semesters.

The minor in dance is for persons interested in dance who may wish to do graduate work in dance, apply dance principles to teaching in K-12 school settings, or in private studio work in dance. Persons interested in the dance minor should anticipate that it will take between two and a half to three years to complete the full set of courses, as each course is not taught every semesters.

The Dance Certification Program Plan A is designed for those undergraduate students who are completing a teacher education program: elementary, kinesiology, music, etc.

The Dance Certifiation Program Plan B is designed for those who have completed an undergraduate degree and want to become dance educators.

Program students and faculty communicate by frequent classroom contact, advising sessions and the LISTSERV for Dance and by their course LISTSERVs.