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.
Five College Dance is excited to announce the Fall 26 Five College Dance Repertory Project will be Garth Fagan’s “From Before.” Every year Five College Dance invites a professional choreographer to set a work on students from all five colleges. The Fall repertory project will be staged by Natalie Rogers-Cropper, executive director of Garth Fagan Dance. Jointly appointed Five College lecturer Dr. Neri Torres directs the project, based at Amherst College’s Department of Theater and Dance. The dance will be performed in November and December. Have a look at these excerpts from the Alvin Ailey Company performing the work! More information on the FCD Repertory Project webpage and the Auditions webpage.
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.
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
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
Links to Campus Dance Programs
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.
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Full Fall 26 FCD Combined Course Listings here.
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Find the Fall 26 Travel Packages by campus.
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See the Featured Fall 26 Courses coming soon.
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Meet the New Dance Faculty at Five College Dance.
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 2026 Dance Courses
Fall 2026 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DANCE | 133 | 01 | Introduction to Breakin' | Andres Ramirez | Mount Holyoke College | MW 01:45PM-03:00PM |
| DANCE | 134 | 01 | Dance and Drumming | Michael Ofori | Mount Holyoke College | TTH 01:45PM-03:00PM |
| DANCE | 232 | 01 | Intermediate Hip Hop | Shakia Barron | Mount Holyoke College | MW 12:00PM-01:15PM |
| DANCE | 233 | 01 | Intermediate Breakin' | Andres Ramirez | Mount Holyoke College | MW 03:15PM-04:30PM |
| DAN | 130 | 01 | Beginning Jazz Dance | Smith College | M 3:05 PM - 4:20 PM; W 2:45 PM - 4:00 PM | |
| DAN | 142bc | 01 | Beginning AfroCuban | Felipa Neri Torres | Smith College | TU TH 10:50 AM - 12:05 PM |
| DAN | 146 | 01 | Beginner Hip Hop Dance | Daniel Guzman | Smith College | M W 10:50 AM - 12:05 PM |
| DAN | 246 | 01 | Intermediate Hip Hop | Miss Angelica Polk | Smith College | TU TH 7:00 PM - 8:30 PM |
| DANCE | 130 | 01 | Jazz Dance I | Lauren Cox | UMass Amherst | TU TH 1:00PM 2:15PM |
| DANCE | 232 | 01 | Jazz Dance III | Lauren Cox | UMass Amherst | M W 10:10AM 11:25AM |
Fall 2026 Dance Courses: Technique - Ballet
| Subject | Course # | Sect # | Course Title | Instructor(s) | Institution | Meeting Times |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DANCE | 107 | 01 | Intro to Ballet & Modern | Eleanor Goudie-Averill | Mount Holyoke College | MW 09:00AM-10:15AM |
| DANCE | 222 | 01 | Intermediate Ballet | Eleanor Goudie-Averill | Mount Holyoke College | MW 10:30AM-11:45AM |
| DAN | 120 | 01 | Beginning Ballet 1 | Smith College | M W 9:25 AM - 10:40 AM | |
| DAN | 121 | 01 | Beginning Ballet 2 | Smith College | M 3:05 PM - 4:20 PM; W 2:45 PM - 4:00 PM | |
| DAN | 222 | 01 | Intermediate Ballet 1 | Rodger Fleming Blum | Smith College | TU TH 1:10 PM - 2:35 PM |
| DAN | 324 | 01 | Advanced Ballet 1 | Rodger Fleming Blum | Smith College | M W 5:00 PM - 6:30 PM |
| DANCE | 120 | 01 | Ballet I | Thomas Vacanti | UMass Amherst | M W 10:10AM 11:25AM |
| DANCE | 222 | 01 | Ballet III | Thomas Vacanti | UMass Amherst | M W F 1:25PM 2:15PM |
Fall 2026 Dance Courses: Technique - Modern/Contemporary
| Subject | Course # | Sect # | Course Title | Instructor(s) | Institution | Meeting Times |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DANCE | 244 | 01 | Contemporary Payatt Technique | Chavi Bansal | Mount Holyoke College | MW 01:45PM-03:00PM |
| DANCE | 318 | 01 | Advanced Modern | Eleanor Goudie-Averill | Mount Holyoke College | TTH 01:45PM-03:00PM |
| DAN | 215 | 01 | Intermed Contemporary Dance 1 | Smith College | TU TH 1:10 PM - 2:35 PM | |
| DAN | 317 | X01 | Adv Contemp Dance 1 | Angie Hauser | Smith College | M W 10:50 AM - 12:15 PM |
| DANCE | 113 | 01 | Modern Dance I | Duane Holland, Jr | UMass Amherst | TU TH 4:00PM 5:15PM |
| DANCE | 215 | 01 | Modern Dance III | Duane Holland, Jr | UMass Amherst | TU TH 10:00AM 11:15AM |
Fall 2026 Dance Courses: Technique - Additional Technique Offerings
| Subject | Course # | Sect # | Course Title | Instructor(s) | Institution | Meeting Times |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DANCE | 147 | 01 | Bollywood Dance | Chavi Bansal | Mount Holyoke College | MW 03:15PM-04:30PM |
| DAN | 133 | 01 | Dance for Every Body | Michael Figueroa | Smith College | W 1:20 PM - 2:35 PM; M 1:40 PM - 2:55 PM |
| DAN | 141bw | 01 | T-Bollywood | Chavi Bansal | Smith College | TU TH 9:25 AM - 10:40 AM |
| DAN | 237 | 01 | Intermediate Tap | Smith College | M 1:40 PM - 2:55 PM; W 1:20 PM - 2:35 PM |
Fall 2026 Dance Courses: Creative Studies: Choreography, Composition, and Improvisation
| Subject | Course # | Sect # | Course Title | Instructor(s) | Institution | Meeting Times |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DANCE | 151 | 01 | Composition I | Barbie Diewald | Mount Holyoke College | TTH 10:30AM-11:45AM |
| DANCE | 305CR | 01 | Repertory: Contemporary | Peter Jones | Mount Holyoke College | T 07:15PM-10:05PM |
| DANCE | 305CR | 02 | Repertory: Contemporary | Eleanor Goudie-Averill | Mount Holyoke College | TTH 03:15PM-04:30PM |
| DANCE | 305RB | 01 | Repertory: Ballet | Barbie Diewald | Mount Holyoke College | MWF 12:00PM-01:15PM |
| DANCE | 305ST | 01 | Repertory: Street Styles | Shakia Barron | Mount Holyoke College | F 01:30PM-04:20PM |
| DAN | 207 | 01 | Intermediate Repertory | Smith College | F 1:20 PM - 4:00 PM | |
| DAN | 207 | 02 | Intermediate Repertory | Smith College | TU TH 7:00 PM - 9:00 PM | |
| DAN | 252 | 01 | Intermediate Dance Composition | Angie Hauser | Smith College | TU TH 2:45 PM - 4:45 PM |
| DAN | 309 | 01 | Advanced Repertory | Angie Hauser | Smith College | TU TH 5:00 PM - 6:50 PM |
| DAN | 309 | 02 | Advanced Repertory | Rodger Fleming Blum | Smith College | M W 7:00 PM - 9:00 PM |
Fall 2026 Dance Core Courses: Seminars on Culture, History, Music & Science as it relates to Dance
| Subject | Course # | Sect # | Course Title | Instructor(s) | Institution | Meeting Times |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DANCE | 390 | 01 | Advanced Seminar | Barbie Diewald | Mount Holyoke College | F 10:30AM-11:45AM |
| DAN | 171 | 01 | Dance History: Politicl Bodies | Smith College | TU TH 9:25 AM - 10:40 AM | |
| DAN | 200 | 01 | Dance Production | Smith College | ||
| DAN | 200 | 02 | Dance Production | Smith College | ||
| DANCE | 272 | 01 | Dance And Culture | Michele Byrd-McPhee | UMass Amherst | M W F 12:20PM 1:10PM |
| DANCE | 365 | 01 | Dance Production | UMass Amherst | TU TH 8:30AM 9:45AM | |
| DANCE | 495A | 01 | Sem-Senior Project | Molly Lynch | UMass Amherst | TU TH 2:30PM 3:45PM |
Fall 2026 Dance Courses: Graduate Courses
| Subject | Course # | Sect # | Course Title | Instructor(s) | Institution | Meeting Times |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DAN | 505 | 01 | First Year Performance | Angie Hauser | Smith College | |
| DAN | 507 | 01 | Production & Management | Angie Hauser | Smith College | |
| DAN | 553 | 01 | Choreography By Design | Chris Aiken | Smith College | TU TH 10:00 AM - 12:05 PM |
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