Welcome to the SF Dance Program at Santa Fe College. Our program is designed to help each individual dancer discover the artist within yourselves and make decisions about what kind of role dance will play in your future.
Though there is no formal selection process for the program, and all who are interested may participate, you should know that this program is a serious conservatory approach to dance training. Though all participating may not aspire to be performers, the classes are taught with the focus on the goal of performing. Those who wish to participate in dance classes for aerobic, social or entertaining purposes, should seek out other SF Student Government Club Activities, or a local studio or business that focuses their energies in those directions.
I came to SF just looking for a place to take class and get in shape while in graduate school at UF. After three years of training, support, and encouragement from an exceptional faculty, I left with scholarships to modern dance festivals, a contract to a ballet company, and the confidence to finally pursue my dream to dance."
- Joanna Levine, PH.D. Astronomy,
University of Florida
Taking Dance Classes at SF
Preparations and Expectations
In preparation for attending a dance class at SF, you need to know the standard expectations of the dance classroom etiquette. Another word used to describe this etiquette is "professionalism." You will note that in some of your dance course syllabi, you are being graded in a category listed as - "Attendance and presence of professional attitude."
To insure that you are working "professionally", you should prepare yourself in the following ways:
- Before attending class, pull back your hair neatly out of your face and in a bun. If your hair is short, you should still pull back the hair from your face.
- Pre-dress with your leotard and tights under your street clothes, especially if you have a short time lapse between classes.
- Be sure to have your dance bag packed with the essentials for taking dance classes: hair pins, brush, hair gel, dance belt, leotard, tights, any personal hygiene products that you may need. ** (Leaving any of these items at home is NOT an excuse to miss class)
- Arrive for your class at least 15 minutes early and find a space to stretch and prepare yourself mentally and physically for class.
Arriving late consistently is not only poor class preparation, but also suggests:- You may be unaware of how to properly train.
- You may arrogantly feel that you do not need to warm up
- You may lack respect for your teacher, your classmates, your class and the dance profession itself, and you do not care about your grade.
The presence of a lack of professionalism in ANY profession is OBVIOUS. This does not mean that the student caught behaving in this manner is "in trouble", and that all of your energies be consumed by avoiding contact with your authority figures. It simply means that, once you adopt a professional attitude, success will come in whatever you are working on quite naturally and easily. An atmosphere of a higher understanding of what it takes to be successful will permeate the class if all participants share this common goal. - Absence Policy - It is a policy of the SF Dance program that missing more than three classes in a semester constitutes a letter grade lowering. Especially in the Level II, III and IV classes, a dancer cannot afford to miss even one class. In the dance profession, Dancers train 5-6 days a week for 4-6 sometimes 8 hours a day. Maintaining your attendance is the only way to properly prepare for any performing or serious dance work. Missing even one class can throw the mind and the body off.
