Ours is the only department in the valley that houses theater and dance in the same curriculum. We emphasize the theoretical and aesthetic similarities between theater and dance, and we encourage exploration in the use of text, movement and design. A wide range of additional dance offerings and performance opportunities are available through Five College Dance. Dance courses at Amherst include contemporary, language of movement, improvisation, composition, choreography, dance history/philosophy, and performance art.
Students receive considerable individual attention in the program and are encouraged to explore and expand their personal movement vocabularies, techniques and interests in the context of developing original choreography and performance. In addition, there is a strong emphasis on relating performance studies to other disciplines within the liberal arts tradition.
There are numerous performing opportunities on the Amherst campus in both informal studio presentations and in our theater spaces. Our production team consists of faculty, staff and students, all of whom are jointly responsible for the Theater and Dance season. There are a plethora of other performance opportunities available at the other campuses of the Five College Community.
Amherst College also has many student-run groups on campus, all with their own unique styles, including Amherst Dance, African and Caribbean Student Union Dance (ACSU), Intersections, and Dancing & Stepping at Amherst College (DASAC).
The department has five full-time faculty members, four adjunct faculty and numerous guest artists. Recent visitors have included Annie Wang, Gierre Godley and Project 44, Marion Spencer, Maree ReMalia, Sydney Mosley, Kayla Hamilton, Idan Cohen, Sean Curan, Tere O'Connor, Bill T. Jones, Yanira Castro and Company, and Karinne Keithley.