May 19 to August 10, 2025

Professor: Elizabeth McPherson

Tuition: $550 member / $625 non-member

12 Weeks; 3 NDEO-Endorsed PDCs

Register Here

Embracing dramatic similarities, glaring disjunctions, and formal innovations, this online course will be an immersive experience through the trajectory of dance in the United States from the 1700s to the present day. By the end of the course, you will have developed an organic view of dance in the United States—breaking traditional forms, stretching genres, confronting racist practices, provoking social and political change, driving cultural exchange and collision, treasuring indigenous wellsprings of inspiration and expression, and catapulting into the future. Subjects explored include, but are not limited to, an American take on ballet, the impact of Black women on jazz and tap, Native American dance, the female dancing body, and cultural appropriation in dance.

Book required:  Milestones in Dance in the USA (1st edition) 2023. Edited by Elizabeth McPherson. NY, NY. Routledge.

Questions about this Course?  Email opdi@ndeo.org

"The historical timeline of dance history. I have been using the context of this course in my classes with technique and different improvisational skills. Incorporating different styles and choreographic elements. I never had classes that incorporated this stuff growing up."

"This course offered an overview of American dance history that was inclusive but also accessible for undergraduate or even high school dance courses."

"The course structure and especially the group discussions were beneficial to my teaching practice. I really enjoyed the community, seeing that I'm not alone with my thinking and I loved the text. It had varied voices, perspectives, and insights that will become an essential source going forward."

"I learned concepts of early dance history never before presented like the connection to Native American Pow Wows, White Federal Dance bands and the concept of engaged resistance. Tracing the history of Jazz and tap to africanist aesthetics and the slave trade helped me understand and appreciate resilience and community-engaged expression. As an educator who works for community social justice, I enjoyed reading how this form of movement expression continues to evolve."

"As a teacher, I feel more informed to talk to my students about the history of the dance styles I teach, as well as offer constructive critique to dance styles out of my sphere."

Elizabeth McPherson is a Professor, Dance Division Director, and MFA Dance coordinator at Montclair State University. She is the author of The Contributions of Martha Hill to American Dance and Dance Education, co-author of Broadway, Balanchine and Beyond: A Memoir, and editor/compiler of The Bennington School of the Dance: A History in Writings and Interviews. Her newest book Milestones in Dance in the USA, an edited collection designed for dance history courses, is a 2023 recipient of NDEO’s Ruth Lovell Murray book award. Executive Editor of the journal Dance Education in Practice, she has also written numerous articles and reviews for a variety of publications. Elizabeth received her BFA from Juilliard, an MA from The City College of New York, and a PhD from NYU.