Creative Dance for Children introduces students to the structure and vocabulary of creative movement. Through poetry, stories, visual arts, drama and music, students learn to use exploration and problem-solving skills to help children develop their movement potential and capacity for creative work. Methods in Modern Dance and Ballet analyzes instructional methods for teaching modern dance and ballet. Students plan and present lessons in technique, improvisation and composition to a group of beginning level dancers. Students examine the National Standards for Dance Education and apply these standards to curriculum planning and evaluation strategies in order to refine lessons and courses.
Students also develop resource materials in music, visual aids and bibliographies.
Many of the students who graduate from the Maggie Allesee Department of Dance move into dance-related careers. Some graduates continue in dance performance and choreography in regional and national companies. Others work with movement as kinesiologists, dance therapists, physical therapists and Laban movement analysts. Still others choose teaching. These graduates begin their own successful dance studios, opt to obtain the State of Michigan K-12 certification in dance education on order to teach in secondary schools or choose to continue their professional education in order to teach at the university level.