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.

A dancer dances in a middle of a circle of people squatting. Their arms are outstretched. The lighting is dark but the dancers exhibit lots of energy.

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
A group of dancers in colorful clothing are arranged in a clump on stage. They are mid jump with their heads and arms towards the right side of the image.

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

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.

vibrant red yellow blue and green human-like cartoon figures on a white backdrop

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!

Fall 2025 Dance Courses

Dance

Fall 2025 Dance Courses: Technique - The Continuum of Black American Dance Forms - West African/Jazz/Hip Hop

Subject Course # Sect # Course Title Instructor(s) Institution Meeting Times
THDA 122H 01 Beg./Int. Hip Hop Dance Amherst College TU/TH | 1:05 PM - 2:20 PM
THDA 126H 01 Dance: Afro-Cuban Dance Neri Torres Amherst College M/W | 11:35 AM - 12:50 PM
DANCE 132 01 Introduction to Hip Hop Shakia Barron Mount Holyoke College TTH 01:45PM-03:00PM
DANCE 232 01 Intermediate Hip Hop Shakia Barron Mount Holyoke College MW 11:30AM-12:45PM
DAN 146 01 Beginner Hip Hop Dance Daniel Guzman Smith College M W 10:50 AM - 12:05 PM
DAN 245 01 Intermediate Afro-Modern Felipa Neri Torres Smith College TU TH 1:10 PM - 2:35 PM
DAN 246 01 Intermediate Hip Hop Miss Angelica Polk Smith College M W 7:00 PM - 8:30 PM
DANCE 130 01 Jazz Dance I Lauren Cox UMass Amherst TU TH 1:00PM 2:15PM
DANCE 191R 01 S-Intro to Club & Street Dance Michele Byrd-McPhee UMass Amherst M W 2:30PM 3:45PM
DANCE 232 01 Jazz Dance III Lauren Cox UMass Amherst TU TH 11:30AM 12:45PM

Fall 2025 Dance Courses: Technique - Ballet

Subject Course # Sect # Course Title Instructor(s) Institution Meeting Times
THDA 120H 01 Dance: Beg./Int. Ballet Amherst College M/W | 10:05 AM - 11:20 AM
DANCE 107 01 Intro to Ballet & Modern Eleanor Goudie-Averill Mount Holyoke College TTH 03:15PM-04:30PM
DANCE 222 01 Intermediate Ballet Eleanor Goudie-Averill Mount Holyoke College TTH 01:45PM-03:00PM
DAN 120 01 Beginning Ballet 1 Smith College M W 9:25 AM - 10:40 AM
DAN 222 01 Intermediate Ballet 1 Rodger Fleming Blum Smith College M 3:05 PM - 4:20 PM; W 2:45 PM - 4:00 PM
DAN 324 01 Advanced Ballet 1 Rodger Fleming Blum Smith College TU TH 5:00 PM - 6:30 PM
DANCE 120 01 Ballet I Thomas Vacanti UMass Amherst W F 9:05AM 10:35AM
DANCE 222 01 Ballet III Thomas Vacanti UMass Amherst TU TH 2:30PM 4:00PM
DANCE 391D 01 S-Ballet Pointe/Variations Thomas Vacanti UMass Amherst TU TH 4:00PM 5:15PM

Fall 2025 Dance Courses: Technique - Modern/Contemporary

Subject Course # Sect # Course Title Instructor(s) Institution Meeting Times
THDA 315H 01 Dance: Adv. Contemporary Jenna Riegel Amherst College M/W | 4:05 PM - 5:20 PM
HACU 0145 1 Moving, Making, Meaning Lailye Weidman Hampshire College 02:30PM-03:50PM TU;02:30PM-03:50PM TH
DANCE 107 01 Intro to Ballet & Modern Eleanor Goudie-Averill Mount Holyoke College TTH 03:15PM-04:30PM
DANCE 318 01 Advanced Modern Barbie Diewald Mount Holyoke College MW 10:00AM-11:15AM
DAN 113fn 01 Contemporary:T-Fundamentals Smith College TU TH 2:45 PM - 4:00 PM
DAN 215 01 Intermed Contemporary Dance 1 Smith College TU TH 2:45 PM - 4:15 PM
DANCE 215 01 Modern Dance III Duane Holland, Jr UMass Amherst M W 4:00PM 5:15PM

Fall 2025 Dance Courses: Technique - Additional Technique Offerings

Subject Course # Sect # Course Title Instructor(s) Institution Meeting Times
THDA 129H 01 Dance: Contemp Floorwork Amherst College TH | 1:05 PM - 2:20 PM
DANCE 269 01 Dance & Storytelling Michael Ofori Mount Holyoke College MW 01:45PM-03:00PM
DAN 119 01 Beginning Contact Improv Sarah Young Smith College TU TH 1:20 PM - 2:35 PM
DAN 133 01 Dance for Every Body Hannah Littman Smith College M 3:05 PM - 4:20 PM; W 2:45 PM - 4:00 PM
DAN 219 01 Intermediate Contact Improv Chris Aiken Smith College M W 10:50 AM - 12:15 PM

Fall 2025 Dance Courses: Creative Studies: Choreography, Composition, and Improvisation

Subject Course # Sect # Course Title Instructor(s) Institution Meeting Times
THDA 111 01 Language of Movement Angelica Monteiro Amherst College TU/TH | 2:35 PM - 4:25 PM
THDA 218 01 Dance Technique and Rep. Angelica Monteiro Amherst College
THDA 218H 01 Dance Technique and Rep. Jenna Riegel Amherst College
THDA 218H 02 Dance Technique and Rep. Angelica Monteiro Amherst College
HACU 0291 1 Movement As Research Lailye Weidman Hampshire College 10:30AM-11:50AM TU;10:30AM-11:50AM TH
DANCE 151 01 Composition I Barbie Diewald Mount Holyoke College TTH 09:00AM-10:15AM
DANCE 305CR 01 Repertory: Contemporary Mustapha Braimah Mount Holyoke College TTH 07:00PM-09:45PM
DANCE 305RM 01 Repertory: Modern Barbie Diewald Mount Holyoke College MWF 11:30AM-12:45PM;MWF 11:30AM-12:45PM
DANCE 305RT 01 Repertory: Tap Ian Berg Mount Holyoke College T 07:00PM-09:45PM
DANCE 305ST 01 Repertory: Street Styles Shakia Barron Mount Holyoke College F 01:30PM-04:20PM
DAN 207 01 Intermediate Repertory Eleanor Goudie-Averill Smith College TU TH 7:00 PM - 8:30 PM
DAN 207 02 Intermediate Repertory Smith College TU TH 5:00 PM - 6:30 PM
DAN 252 01 Intermediate Dance Composition Rodger Fleming Blum Smith College W 1:10 PM - 2:35 PM; M 1:30 PM - 2:55 PM
DAN 309 01 Advanced Repertory Angie Hauser Smith College F 1:10 PM - 2:35 PM; W 1:10 PM - 2:35 PM
DAN 309 02 Advanced Repertory Felipa Neri Torres Smith College TU TH 2:45 PM - 4:45 PM
DANCE 192D 01 S-Improv & Mvmnt Exploration Lauren Cox UMass Amherst M W 12:20PM 1:35PM
DANCE 252 01 Intermed Composition UMass Amherst W F 11:15AM 12:45PM
DANCE 305 01 Advanced Dance in Repertory Michele Byrd-McPhee UMass Amherst M W 4:00PM 5:15PM
DANCE 309 01 Advanced Dance in Repertory Duane Holland, Jr UMass Amherst M W 5:30PM 6:45PM

Fall 2025 Dance Courses: Scientific Aspects of Dance

Subject Course # Sect # Course Title Instructor(s) Institution Meeting Times
DAN 241 01 Scientific Foundation of Dance Chris Aiken Smith College TU TH 10:50 AM - 12:05 PM

Fall 2025 Dance Courses: Music, Movement, and Rhythmic Analysis

Subject Course # Sect # Course Title Instructor(s) Institution Meeting Times
DANCE 287 01 Rhythmic Analysis Peter Jones Mount Holyoke College TTH 03:15PM-04:30PM
DAN 137 01 Beginning Tap Smith College W 1:20 PM - 2:35 PM; M 1:40 PM - 2:55 PM

Fall 2025 Dance Courses: Related Topics and Seminars

Subject Course # Sect # Course Title Instructor(s) Institution Meeting Times
THDA 255 01 Global Dance Neri Torres Amherst College M/W | 1:30 PM - 3:20 PM
DANCE 390 01 Advanced Seminar Shakia Barron Mount Holyoke College F 11:30AM-12:45PM
DAN 171 01 Dance History: Politicl Bodies Lester Tomé Smith College M W 9:25 AM - 10:40 AM
DANCE 261 01 Dance Education Introduction Ann Biddle UMass Amherst W F 9:05AM 11:00AM
DANCE 272 01 Dance And Culture Michele Byrd-McPhee UMass Amherst M W 12:20PM 1:35PM
DANCE 368 01 Writing About Dance Ann Biddle UMass Amherst M W F 11:15AM 12:05PM
DANCE 495A 01 Sem-Senior Project Duane Holland, Jr,Molly Lynch UMass Amherst TU TH 1:00PM 2:15PM

Fall 2025 Dance Courses: Graduate Courses

Subject Course # Sect # Course Title Instructor(s) Institution Meeting Times
DAN 521 01 Choreography/Creative Process Angie Hauser Smith College TU TH 10:00 AM - 12:05 PM
DAN 540 01 History & Literature of Dance Lester Tomé Smith College M 7:00 PM - 9:30 PM

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Contact Us

Melinda Buckwalter

Melinda Buckwalter

Managing Director of Five College Dance