Catalogue 2013/14

The newly established USC Glorya Kaufman School of Dance is the sixth arts school at USC and the first school to be established through an endowment in nearly 40 years. The transformational gift from Ms. Kaufman will “have a profound impact on the art of dance — not only at USC, but throughout the world,” said USC President C. L. Max Nikias.

The USC Kaufman School of Dance is the newest school to debut at the University of Southern California. Founded in 2012 by a transformational gift from Glorya Kaufman, a visionary Los Angeles philanthropist whose commitment to dance is celebrated nationwide, the Kaufman School offers a wide variety of classes in a multitude of dance styles from hip hop to ballroom to ballet. These classes are open to all USC students. The school also offers a minor in dance.

Beginning in the fall of 2015, the Kaufman School will offer a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree to a very select number of undergraduates who wish to pursue dance as their major. This four-year degree will be housed in the Glorya Kaufman International Dance Center, which is now under construction. Applications for the BFA will be accepted in the fall of 2014.

Administration

Robert A. Cutietta, D.Ed., Dean

Jodie Gates, Vice Dean and Director

Faculty

Professor: Jodie Gates

Associate Professor: Margo Apostolos, Ph.D.

Adjunct Faculty: Jesus Fuentes; Rafael Garcia; Miranda Garrison; Alexander Greschenko; Nikolaos Lagousakos; Joey Letteri; Victoria Looseleaf; Angeliki Papadakis; Jacqueline Pavlich; Bradley Rapier; Kenji Yamaguchi

General Information

Degree Program

The USC Kaufman School of Dance will offer an undergraduate Bachelor of Fine Arts degree. This is a professional degree program for students preparing for careers in dance. Applicants to the school will need to meet USC’s rigorous academic standards while also demonstrating an advanced level of achievement in dance. The inaugural class will enter the school in fall 2015.

Minor in Dance

The dance minor is designed to present undergraduate students with a focus on the discipline of dance as an educational tool for study and research. The dance program offers a variety of courses in dance technique; dance history and philosophy; choreography; production; and performance.

This minor offers students an interdisciplinary experience compatible with a variety of majors. Student choreography, performances and productions include work with international dances as well as dances in the Southern California/Los Angeles region.

The minor in dance is open to all undergraduates, and 27–28 units are required to complete the program. Students applying to this minor must have a minimum GPA of 2.0 (A = 4.0).