Dance

Make new work.

The making of new work is at the center of dance at Bennington. Technique training—fundamentals, the discipline of movement, an awareness of the dancer’s own body—goes hand in hand with the creative process.

You begin making dances in your first dance class, learning the principles of structuring creative work and the tools to present and perform it. Collaboration with other disciplines (particularly visual arts, drama, and music) is common. At the weekly Dance Workshop, you join other students and faculty in showing work and participating in supportive critiques.

The faculty are professional dancers and choreographers well versed in a number of styles, from ballet to contemporary and contact improvisation. Visiting dance artists are a frequent presence, teaching workshops and movement practice courses from a variety of cultures. Past residents have taught classes in West African, Caribbean, butoh, and other types of dance. Students forge further connections with the professional dance world through Field Work Term, the annual winter internship period.