1306 S. Michigan Ave - Dance Center

The Dance Center houses spaces dedicated to our Dance Department, including the Dance Center Stage, eight studios, and the Sound Lab.

Media Gallery

Dance

Facilities

⭐ Dance

As a Dance major at Columbia, you’ll learn choreography, technique, and improvisation across a wide range of styles. You’ll receive a first-rate liberal arts education with opportunities for cross-training in theatre, digital technology, and arts management. Our faculty of professional performers, choreographers, and dance scholars will help you hone your artistic voice and plan a career in the arts.

Dance (BA | BFA)

In the Dance bachelor’s degree program at Columbia College Chicago, you’ll learn how to communicate your ideas through dance and academia while developing your unique point of view as an artist. We embrace a variety of dance techniques and styles and welcome students with diverse experiences in body movement. As a Dance major, you’ll take technique courses in modern/contemporary, West African, ballet, and hip-hop and related street dance styles. You’ll also take dance studies courses that will teach you to think critically about choreography and performance. This comprehensive approach will prepare you to enter a dynamic contemporary dance community that celebrates innovative and diverse styles and aesthetics.

⭐ Facilities

Learn more about the facilities in this building.

Dance Center Stage

The hub of the Dance Department is the professional stage where the Dance Center presents companies from around the world each year. All of our students also take courses, do workshops, and perform in this state-of-the-art space. It’s a 268-seat theater with full projection capabilities, LED lighting systems, and excellent sound. There’s not a bad seat in the house—and you’ll have access to discounted tickets year-round.

Dance Studios

All eight of our studios are used for classes, but they’re also offered through reservation so you can rehearse and create your own work. We use professional musician accompanists in our classes—think live piano and drums—but many of our studios are also outfitted with a computer and sound board so you can bring in your own music. Our biggest space has a light grid as well. Most of the studios have large windows that bring in tons of natural light, and they all have sprung wood flooring with marley. Our smallest studio—Studio 102—has a wood floor and is primarily used for yoga and rehearsals.

Sound Lab

We have nine computer stations with all the software you’ll need (like ProTools, Qlab, Isadora, and Final Cut) to create videos of your work and your own soundscapes. You’ll also have access to equipment like computers, cameras, and audio recorders after taking a Dance Technology course