CalArts Dance

CalArts Dance The Sharon Disney Lund School of Dance at CalArts is one of the nation’s premiere colleges for the professional training of contemporary dance artists.

Both BFA and MFA programs offered. The Sharon Disney Lund School of Dance is one of the nation’s premiere colleges for the professional training of contemporary dance artists. Technical excellence and innovative artistry are the hallmarks of the undergraduate and graduate programs. Concentrated production seasons of aesthetically diverse work thrive in an atmosphere of creative exchange between pr

ofessionally motivated students and a faculty of practicing artists. Personal creativity combined with mastery of traditional and contemporary styles prepare students for exciting careers in the field of dance.

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BFA Program in Dance

The intensive four-year BFA Program in Dance provides a developmental path to high-level professional skills, allowing dancers and choreographers to combine strong ballet and contemporary technique with creative initiative, self-confidence, resourcefulness, and wide-ranging literacy in the art form. Aso offering comprehensive instruction in dance production - including stagecraft, lighting and costume design, music and video for dance, and dance on camera - the program is grounded in one-on-one mentoring by a faculty of experienced practicing artists.

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MFA Program in Dance

Focused on the art of choreography, this nationally recognized two-year graduate program is designed for experienced dance artists who aim to pursue professional careers as choreographers and educators. The curriculum enables each MFA candidate to develop and refine his or her own personal aesthetic, become conversant in the organizing concepts of choreography and dance theory, meet the practical demands of producing - including multimedia and site-based performances - and identify his or her larger artistic and career goals. Concentration in Integrated Media

The MFA Program in Dance offers a supplemental concentration, via the institute-wide Center for Integrated Media (CIM), for dance artists who wish to combine their study of choreography with an exploration of interdisciplinary practices, participatory media, and interactive technologies.

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Admissions

Prospective students must complete both the Admissions application process and the audition process to be considered for admission. For a link to the application and information about the auditions, visit calarts.edu/admissions/apply. For any other questions about admissions, contact Zari Wigfall, School of Dance Admissions Counselor, at [email protected] or 661.253.7771.

08/27/2026

Next up: Sadiyyah El-Amin-Turner and Daelyn Phelan are both headed on exchange this semester.

That makes 5 of 7 dancers out on exchange ✨ Safe travels, you two and bring it all back to CalArts!

cover photo: Josh S Rose

Next up: Kojiro Forman, headed to Beijing Dance Academy this semester. Not just on exchange, but on our very first excha...
08/20/2026

Next up: Kojiro Forman, headed to Beijing Dance Academy this semester. Not just on exchange, but on our very first exchange with the school. There are no CalArts Dance footsteps to follow over there yet; Koji gets to make them.

Safe travels, Koji. We’ll be cheering from Valencia ✨

08/18/2026

This semester, 7 of our dancers are heading out on exchange! First up: Huitong Li and Megan Tehomilic, leaving it all on the stage before they go abroad.

08/13/2026

Dress rehearsal clips from Intermission last fall. Just a few weeks until we’re back making the next one. ✨

What are you most excited to make this semester?



video clips: s a v a n n a

07/02/2026

Composition 1 final assignment!! Each dancer studied a choreographer and made it their own.

Guess the inspiration behind each piece in the comments 🤍🤍⬇️⬇️

video: BFA 1 composition class with Rosanna Gamson


06/30/2026

Transfer Student Tuesday with Troy: a day in my life as a CalArts dancer. Incoming and future students, drop your questions below! ⬇️



cover photo:

Another year of movement, experimentation, collaboration, risk-taking, and becoming.From thesis performances to studio s...
06/01/2026

Another year of movement, experimentation, collaboration, risk-taking, and becoming.

From thesis performances to studio showings, mainstage productions to emerging choreographic voices — this year reflected the many ways artists at CalArts Dance continue to challenge form, build community, and imagine new futures through performance.

Featuring moments from:

Living Landscape by Zelia Tan
Prayer by Stephanie Zalatel
Open House: 5, 6/7 (8)
WE ARE GOING TO DESTROY WHAT WE HAVE by Gema Galiana
Intermission
Winter Dance Concert 2025
KATHA: THE CHARIOTER’S CODE by Rishi Sharma
BFA 2 Solos
EPIIC THESIS by Friidom Dunn
If We Had a Bounce House by Brian Golden
Emergent Forms by the BFA 4 Class of 2026

Thank you to the artists, collaborators, faculty, production teams, and audiences who shaped this school year.

See you in the Fall.

Photos by:
Julian Shelton, Rafael Hernandez, Cheryl Mann

05/13/2026

Tomorrow, Emergent Forms premieres at .

A glimpse into rehearsal with choreography.

Join us May 13–14 at 8PM as the BFA 4 Class of 2026 takes the stage for their final premiere together.

REDCAT
May 13–14 • 8PM

Tickets in the link in bio!

05/10/2026

Just days away from Emergent Forms at .

Featuring a rehearsal snippet from new work.

Premiering May 13-14 at 8PM.

Get your tickets in the link in bio!

05/06/2026

One word reflections from Dance Film Making Class.

From collaboration to directing movement, hear how students describe the class, their growth, and the process of shaping work through film.

Join us tomorrow at 11AM in The Sharon Disney Lund Theater for a showing of original student dance films.


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24700 McBean Pkwy
Valencia, CA
91355

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