Study Dance Abroad

UCSB’s Dance Program in the Department of Theater and Dance is committed to contributing to an artistically and intellectually vibrant global society. What better way to enhance your ability to make such a contribution than to participate in the UC Education Abroad Program? Living and studying abroad will offer new perspectives, fresh challenges, and will better prepare you for life in the global community. Since all courses taken through UCEAP are accepted as UC courses, with careful planning you can spend a time at a foreign university with no loss of progress towards graduation.

Studying abroad is a great opportunity for dancers to explore different cultures and approaches to dance education that enhances the dance experience at UCSB. Students may engage with and learn different styles and methods of dance that further their development as dancers, offering contrasting approaches and an expanded range of artistic reference.

Studying abroad is often the most rewarding and memorable experience of your undergraduate career. 

If you are interested in fulfilling upper-division major requirements abroad, you should study abroad during your junior or senior year, after you have completed the pre-major. Students interested in fulfilling General Education requirements can participate as early as their sophomore year. Students can even study abroad in a fifth year.

Regardless of when you plan to study abroad, start planning NOW!

UCEAP offers a variety of short-term and year-long programs around the world. All course units earned abroad through UCEAP are automatically credited toward your degree requirements. 
Because dance is often taught in conservatories rather than universities in much of the world, the number of options for pursuing the dance major is more limited than with most academic majors.  Some dance students maintain their performance training through community dance studios such as The Place in London. There are some UCEAP partner universities where dancers can engage in courses that will build on their studies at UCSB or advance their knowledge of dance in other cultures. Programs in classical and modern dance, taught in the language specified, can be found at: 

English

• University of Melbourne, Australia
• University of the West Indies, Barbados
• University of Auckland, New Zealand
• University of Cape Town, South Africa

Spanish
• University of Chile, Santiago, Chile

Italian
• University of Bologna, Italy

French
• University of Bordeaux, France

Dance majors can expand their artistic boundaries by studying African dance at the University of Ghana or the University of the West Indies in Barbados. 

Another option for dance majors is to study for a semester or summer in a location where you can fulfill general education requirements or advance your study of a language.

Depending on your course selection, you may fulfill major and/or GE requirements with your study abroad courses. Upper division dance courses taken abroad may be applied to the elective requirements in the major. Technique and creative courses may be more difficult to get approved by the department as substitutions for major requirements but given similar content and sufficient documentation, such as a course syllabus, such courses can be successfully substituted.

The department Undergraduate Advisor and the advisors in the College of Letters and Science are available to help you select the courses that are right for your education and interests. Application of credit to major requirements will be subject to the discretion of the Department and approval of the College.

Use Gaucho Credit Abroad to search for the types of credit (i.e. major, minor, GE areas, or electives towards graduation) that UCSB students received for courses taken on UCEAP. You can find more UCEAP courses in the UCEAP Course Catalog and additional course listings on UCEAP partner university/program websites.

• Explore program options
• Attend info meetings
• Contact the UCSB EAP Office
• Contact the Department of Theater and Dance