History

Established over 65 years ago, and offering a professional dance major for more than 40 of those years, FSU dance continues to be a pioneer and leader among college dance programs. The School has a reputation as a center for the creation, reconstruction and production of outstanding dance repertory, ranging from traditional classical choreography to contemporary original works.

The core mission of the School of Dance is to combine exceptional artistic training with a liberal arts education. This dual dedication to art and learning has yielded graduates who are dancers, teachers, scholars, and leaders in companies, schools universities, and art organizations in the United States and abroad. In addition to classes for dance majors, approximately 350 students are instructed each semester through the general studies in dance classes open to community dancers.

The completion of a 17 million dollar renovation in 2004 has transformed Montgomery Hall into a state of the art dance facility with seven studio spaces, a conditioning studio, costume shop, centers for music and technology, a black box theatre, as well as the fully equipped proscenium Nancy Smith Fichter Dance Theatre which seats 380. Three major productions are presented annually as well as the “Master Thesis Concert Series” and Dance Repertory Theatre (DRT) a performing and touring unit open to dance majors.

The Maggie Allesee National Center for Choreography (MANCC) is housed in Montgomery Hall. The mission of this unique and visionary center is to funnel creative activity capturing the interest in the dance field and encouraging the creation, dissemination and documentation of new knowledge in dance and choreography. FSU dance majors have the opportunity to observe professional artists as they engage in projects while in residence at MANCC.