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Female student dancing on stage.

Our Dance Major is a rigorous and comprehensive program designed to stretch our students’ creativity and critical thinking, enabling them to accelerate in their development as both dancers and scholars.

Dance students at BAA are prepared for the next step in their career through foundational classes in classical ballet and modern dance. Though these are our primary focuses, we believe in a holistic education, offering Pilates and yoga right alongside jazz dance and West African dance.

These technique and dance classes are supported with lessons on composition, dance history, healthful living, and dance production and technologies. This extensive study in the arts is balanced by a strong academic base in the Humanities, STEAM, and Literary Arts, preparing students for whatever path they choose to pursue. (Linked to these dept. pages)

We also offer multiple opportunities for our Dance students to connect with professionals in the field as well as participate in nationally competitive summer programs. Recent guest choreographers have included Sean Curran and Pedro Ruiz and former master classes have been taught by the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre and Raphael Xavier.

Ninth Grade

English (Language and Literary Arts) · Introductory Physics · Geometry · Humanities I · World Language or Learning Center · Orientation · Body Conditioning · Ballet Technique Level I · Modern Technique Level I · Jazz Dance · Orientation to Dance I · Yoga & Mindfulness Movement Exploration

By Audition | Not Required
Repertory & Choreography I · Pointe Styles Class · Men’s Ballet

Additional Academic Opportunities
Open Honors · Dual Enrollment at Roxbury Community College (RCC)

Additional Arts Electives
Musical Theatre · Entrepreneurship · Art Connections · Photography

Juries and Assessments
All students will perform one jury at the end of each term. Students will be assessed according to participation, dress code, skill, and effort.

Tenth Grade

English (Language and Literary Arts) · Biology · Algebra · Humanities II · World Language or Learning Center · Pilates · Contemporary Dance · Progressing Ballet · Musical Theatre Dance · Ballet Technique Level II · Modern Technique Level II · Orientation to Dance II · Improvisation · Yoga & Mindfulness Movement Exploration

By Audition | Not Required
Repertory & Choreography I · Pointe · Men’s Ballet · Styles Class

Additional Academic Opportunities
Open Honors · Dual Enrollment at Roxbury Community College (RCC)

Additional Arts Electives
Musical Theatre · Entrepreneurship · Art Connections · Photography

Juries and Assessments
A comprehensive review consisting of three major parts will take place at the end of sophomore year: assessment of the student’s seriousness of purpose, assessment of grades (maintaining the minimum grade of ‘C’ in all dance courses), and assessment of the student’s technical dance skills through a jury.

Eleventh Grade

English (Language and Literary Arts) · Chemistry · Advanced Algebra · Humanities III · Elective or Learning Center · Ballet Technique Level III · Modern Technique Level III · Contemporary Dance · Elements of Choreography I · Collaborative Improvisation · Dance History · Yoga & Mindfulness · Progressing Ballet

By Audition | Not Required
Pointe · Men’s Ballet · Repertory & Choreography II · Honor’s Dance · Contemporary Floor Work

Additional Academic Opportunities Open Honors · Spanish III · AP Biology

Additional Arts Electives
Musical Theatre · Entrepreneurship · Art Connections · Photography

ProArts Dual Enrollment
Berklee & Boston Conservatory · Boston Architectural Center (BAC) · Emerson · Mass Art

BPS Dual Enrollment
Ben Franklin Institute of Technology · Bunker Hill · Roxbury Community College (RCC) · Suffolk University

Partnership
Vertex Science Summer Internship

Juries and Assessments
All students will perform one jury at the end of each term. Students will be assessed according to participation, dress code, skill, and effort.

Twelfth Grade

Twelfth Grade

English (Language and Literary Arts) · Environmental Engineering · Probability & Statistics or AP Statistics or Dual Enrollment Calculus or Other College Math · Humanities IV · Elective or Learning Center · Ballet Technique Level IV · Modern Technique Level IV · Senior Project Dance (capstone | required) · Elements of Choreography II · Collaborative Improvisation · Contemporary Dance · Yoga & Mindfulness · Pilates · Progressing Ballet

By Audition | Not Required
Pointe · Men’s Ballet · Contemporary · Floor Work · Repertory & Choreography II

Additional Academic Opportunities Open Honors · AP Biology (elective) · AP Statistics · Seal of Biliteracy

Additional Arts Electives
Musical Theatre · Entrepreneurship · Art Connections · Photography

ProArts Dual Enrollment
Berklee & Boston Conservatory · Boston Architectural Center (BAC) · Emerson · Mass Art

BPS Dual Enrollment
Ben Franklin Institute of Technology · Bunker Hill · Roxbury Community College (RCC) · Suffolk University · Cambridge College

Partnership
Vertex Summer and School-Year Internships

Juries and Assessments
All students must successfully complete a Senior Dance Project. To graduate with honors, students must have a GPA of 3.5 in their dance courses junior and senior year, achieve an average of 3.5 in Junior Choreography and Senior Dance Project, participate in at least one main state production, and have achieved a level of “proficient” during the Sophomore Review.

More information on our benchmarks and requirements for the Dance Major can be found in our BAA Student Handbook HERE.

A picture of 5 BAA dance majors all in the same pose with an arm gracefully arched over their head while working on a ballet barre.
Dancing is a perpendicular expression of a horizontal desire.

George Bernard Shaw

Filmed live at the Strand Theatre in Dorchester on January 27th, 2018. Clip contains "Heatwave" and "Please Mr. Postman."

Our graduates go on to college and pre-professional programs that benefit from our multi-disciplinary approach as well as careers in dance.

A black and white image of Kirvin in a cardigan.

Kirven Douthit-Boyd

Class of 2002 | Dance

Co-Artistic Director of Dance at the Center of Creative Arts (COCA)

Learn More
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