Bachelor of Fine Arts (B.F.A.) Degree in dance

We develop exceptionally talented performers in the dance program at Fordham. We’ve partnered with the world-famous Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater to create a highly innovative Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in dance that nurtures the vanguard of creative expression. We offer the best of both worlds: the artistic preeminence of the official school of the Alvin Ailey Company coupled with an exceptional liberal arts education rooted in the Jesuit tradition of academic excellence. Both institutions are located in New York City's Lincoln Center area—the epicenter of the dance world. To join our prestigious program, you must have superior talent and potential for a dance performance career, good technique training in ballet and modern dance, musicality, energy, creativity, and the ability to communicate through movement. You must also have strong academic credentials, including a competitive GPA, strong writing skills, and community activities. That’s because you’ll learn more than dance here. You’ll also study philosophy, theology, history, mathematics, languages, science, and other performing arts through Fordham’s common core curriculum, the centerpiece of our liberal arts education. We want you to excel in your field—and as a human being. Dance classes take place in the Professional Division at The Ailey School. You will take a rigorous core curriculum of daily classes in classical ballet, Horton, and Graham-based modern dance. You’ll also delve into a variety of other dance techniques and creative courses. Throughout your four years here, you’ll have many opportunities to learn and perform varied repertory with renowned faculty and guest artists. You’ll take academic classes at our Lincoln Center campus, where you’ll study music, social sciences, philosophy, theology, history, foreign languages, and more. Performance Opportunities You can perform both at the Ailey Citigroup Theater and at Fordham University's Pope Auditorium. In your senior year, you may also dance in venues around New York City. We develop exceptionally skilled dancers who are versatile, artistic, and technical. They’re adept creators of dance movement, well educated in the liberal arts, and knowledgeable about the history and interpretation of the performing arts.