Dance Classes

Jazz Dance Technique I - T/Th - 1:00-1:50 (Potter Hall, Room 106, the Black Box) 2 credit hours
Brief catalog description: Beginning level introducing the techniques of jazz dance. Proper dance attire required.

MUS 197 CRN 22454
THR 197 CRN 22455

Beginning Tap Dance - T/TH 12:00-12:50 (Potter Hall, Room 106, the Black Box) 2 credit hours
Beginning level, steps and methods of tap including dance terminology and rhythmic awareness, movement coordination, and tap styles. Tap shoes required.

MUS 198 CRN 22456
THR 198 CRN 22457

Beginning Dance - T/TH 11:00-11:50 (Potter Hall, Room 106, the Black Box) 2 credit hours
A beginning movement course in dance techniques and styles including elements of ballet and modern dance techniques. Emphasis is on body alignment, basic movement vocabulary and creativity. The course includes beginning instruction in theory and technique. Designed for students with little or no dance experience. Variable content course

MUS 199 CRN 22458
THR 199 CRN 22459

Frequently Asked Questions

Is an audition required? No. Auditions for a dance minor is not required.

Can I enroll in a dance course more than once? Yes.

Do I have to have dance training before I take a classes? No. Courses are open to students with or without a background in dance. Some courses have prerequisites or require permission of the instructor.

What do I wear to dance class? Each class syllabus has guidelines for dance attire and shoes. Attire varies from dance clothes to pedestrian/street clothes you can move in depending on the course content. Ballet and Tap shoes are required for for Basic Tap and Ballet courses.

Suzanne Ryan Strati, Adjunct Professor of Dance (B.F.A. University of New Mexico, M.F.A. University of Iowa), studied ballet under Todd Bolender at the Kansas City Ballet and Tap under Betty Tillotson at the KC Tap and Musical Comedy Company. Her professional career began at the age of 19 under Neil Hess, Director of the Lone Star Ballet (Ret.), in Texas. Due to injury and desiring a longer performance career, she studied contemporary dance (Limon and Evans) at the University of New Mexico. Suzanne toured with the Bill Evans Dance Company and represented the U.S.A. in the International College Dance Festival in Kobe, Japan. In Kansas City she performed at Starlight, choreographed West Side Story at Shawnee Mission Theater in the Park and The Music Man at Mid-America Nazarene University. She was a member of aha! dance theater for 5 years before being appointed Artistic Director of Reach…a movement collective, The Potter’s Clay and later Ryanstrati & Co which featured dancers with and without disabilities. She studied from Bill Evans, Armando Duarte, George de la Pena, Alan Sener, David Dorfman, Tyrone Aiken, Nora Reynolds, Skip Randall and Bella Lewitsky. Her choreography has been performed across the United States including New York City. Most recently she tap danced with Bill Evans, choreographed in London and Texas, and collaborated with NYC Composer Robert Voisey.