<p>I've been googling inquisitively the Penn program offerings and course catalog for quite some time now, and I can't find a Dance program anywhere. Not a single tiny minor, not a single class.</p>
<p>Am I just daft and not uncovering some magical program phrasing behind which dance classes could hide (is it Health and Society? Music? Theatre?), or does this world-class learning institution just not offer dance instruction?</p>
<p>Floored. Help?</p>
<p>Never mind! Found Recreation Department courses, apparently non-credit. [University</a> of Pennsylvania, Department of Recreation Programs, Instructional: Dance](<a href=“http://www.upenn.edu/recreation/programs/instr_dance.html]University”>http://www.upenn.edu/recreation/programs/instr_dance.html)</p>
<p>If you are interested in dance and can already do a little, look into the Dance Arts Council, which is part of the Performing Arts Council. There are twelve dance groups which cover everything from modern dance (Penn Dance) to all male Indian dance (Dhamaka) to swing dance (West Philly Swingers) and everything in between. All of these groups are very good and help their members develop their dance skills.</p>
<p>Awesome advice. Thank you, Chris – duly noted. 
Seems like there’s actually a dance community at Penn… I’m guessing each group holds auditions separately?</p>
<p>What bothers me is that credits from Dance classes seem impossible to transfer over… hmm.</p>
<p>One of the things that makes Penn’s performing arts community so unique is that there are more than 40 groups in the Performing Arts Council, of which NONE give you the option of getting credit for your participation. The idea is that your time spent performing is extra curricular and that you do it because you love to do it. As a result, the members of PAC are very dedicated to what they do since there aren’t people just looking for an easy A. The groups are student run, which gives undergraduates the opportunity to do things like run the financials for the groups. Because each group has its own auditions, those auditioning can select what groups they want to join, and the groups get to select who fits the best with them, another element lacking from many schools. The end result is a lot of high quality performance and groups with VERY unique dynamics.</p>
<p>In DAC you will take “classes,” but you will be taking them purely to further your knowledge of dance and choreography, and since you get no Penn credit, you are less likely to be surrounded by people interested in grades than people who are interested in learning.</p>
<p>Hi, I’m a prospective Penn student. I have been dancing and performing Bharatnatyam (an Indian Classical Dance) for thirteen years and am interested in joining a dance troupe at Penn. I wanted to submit a portfolio of my dance along with my application but I’ve heard rumors that adcoms only want performing arts portfolios if you’re into music, not dance. Is this true?</p>
<p>^bumping please</p>
<p>Go to the DAC (Dance Arts Council) website. The twelve groups are listed. As far as I know, you can submit a video (or a link to YouTube), but your best bet is to call the Admissions Office and ask.</p>