Why Study at USF
Where students thrive and the stage comes alive.
The University of South Florida School of Theatre & Dance offers programs exclusively for undergraduates. Students gain artistic, intellectual and professional growth through a comprehensive curriculum and practical experience.
USF Dance provides technical study in ballet and modern dance with equal emphasis on performance artistry and choreography. Students develop their own choreography and perform in works by faculty and guest artists at regular concerts and showcases open to the university and Tampa Bay communities.
USF Theatre offers concentrations in design, performance, and theatre arts within an expansive theatre studies curriculum. Students work with faculty and guest artists to produce, design and perform in a range of works from classic to contemporary, including adapted and original works.
Community and Mentorship
Here you will become part of a close-knit community of fellow artists and scholars. We learn, work, design, rehearse, perform, and grow together in a supportive environment that challenges you to fulfill your potential. You will be mentored by our experienced faculty and work with noteworthy guest artists in a variety of areas, including performance, choreography, directing, and design. Be exposed to diverse approaches that will help you explore techniques and perspectives. Courses in special topics enable you to pursue areas of particular interest to enhance your education.
The school is housed within the USF College of Design, Art & Performance, which hosts a full calendar of events in architecture, music, visual arts, and—of course—theatre and dance. All year round you can experience the creativity and hard work of students, faculty and guest artists/scholars.
Dance at USF
Perform Works by Acclaimed Guest Artists & Choreograph Your Own Dances
Students perform throughout the year. Opportunities include the annual Fall and Spring Dance Concerts, BFA showings, student dance concerts, musicals and more. Senior dance majors choreograph and present solo and group dances. National and international Dance Guest Artists set original or existing works and share their expertise with students.
Endowment support for programming and scholarship is made available through the Holloway Endowed Chair Fund and the rotating Macy's Visiting Artist Endowment. Recent guest artists include: Bill T. Jones, Doug Varone, Trisha Brown, Jennifer Archibald, and Ronald K. Brown.
Students are also given the opportunity to travel and perform abroad in countries such as Mexico, Tunisia and Italy through the international research members of the DanceUSF Faculty.
Expand Your Dance Knowledge
Supplement your technique training with courses that strengthen your understanding of dance and what the body can do. Our comprehensive curriculum provides focused study in dance kinesiology, dance history and theory, improvisation, dance pedagogy, movement analysis, creative research, and more.
Study Dance in Paris, France
The Dance Program at the University of South Florida offers one of the most exciting study abroad opportunities available to university-age dance majors through the USF Dance in Paris Program. Both the Semester and Summer courses of study are one-of-a-kind opportunities for serious dancers to take classes, see performances, live in and experience one of the world’s greatest cities from the point of view of a dancer.
Community at the Dance Center
USF Dance is housed within our very own Dance Center. Three-stories high, it holds studios, observation galleries, a conference room, and dressing rooms. Each studio has spring wood floors with permanent vinyl performance floor coverings to protect dancers from injury. Learn more about our studios and learning spaces.
Dance majors are actively involved in DanceUSF's student organizations: USF Dance Education Organization Chapter and the Student Dance Production Board.
Theatre at USF
Perform and Design Mainstage Productions
Students perform in and/or design for mainstage season productions. Hone your skills in a variety of genres and backgrounds: a musical set in 1960’s New York City, a contemporary comedy, a classic Shakespeare adaptation, the possibilities go on. Emerging student playwrights present staged readings of their original work to the community every semester. The Student Theatre Production Board at USF produces fully realized student-designed, -directed, and -acted shows.
Learn All Aspects of Theatre
The core curriculum for all theatre students includes courses on acting, technical theatre, script analysis, theatre history, and production involvement. Across all theatre concentrations, you will acquire a hands-on understanding of what goes into producing a play behind the scenes and on the stage.
Work with Distinguished Guest Artists
Every year students work with acclaimed theatre professionals on an assortment of productions through the British International Theatre, Holloway Endowment, and Macy’s Visiting Artist Endowment Programs. Students in the Theatre Honors sequence conduct a guest artist practicum and thesis project. Aspiring student playwrights develop their craft in the Lily Dishman Playwriting Program, which also provides funding for a select group to attend the American College Theatre Festival.
Dedicated Theatre Facilities
We have two mainstage theatres – a proscenium theatre with a fully rigged fly house and two orchestra pits, and a large black box theatre with flexible seating. The Theatre Arts Rehearsal building houses a scene shop, a costume shop, a design studio, two blackbox theatre classrooms, a dance studio, and a fully outfitted technology classroom. Learn more about our studios and learning spaces.
Achieve More with USF Resources
As a preeminent university in Florida, USF offers an array of services and resources to help you meet your personal and professional goals. You will find financial aid for conducting research, attending conferences, and/or studying abroad. You can access career advising, community leadership and volunteer opportunities, mental health counseling and wellness support, and academic tutoring and writing help. Get involved with student organizations, use our recreation facilities, and much more.
USF’s Creative Community
As a student, you can produce a play, submit an exhibition proposal, perform on stage, and present your research to your peers. The Arts at USF is the community where students can start building the connections in the art and design world that will propel your careers.
Arts Research at USF
Research in the Arts at USF expands the practice of our students, faculty and community of artists through interdisciplinary work, global explorations of perspectives and local community engagement.
Arts Calendar of Events
Find inspiration and spark your imagination by attending one or more of the over 250 yearly concerts, performances, exhibitions, lectures, symposia and festivals presented by the USF College of Design, Art & Performance.