Oklahoma City University introduces a unique pedagogy degree.

When John Bedford and Jo Rowan founded the dance program at Oklahoma City University, their goal was to train performers, managers, and teachers. "Oklahoma City University has already had a major impact on dance performance," says Bedford, dean of the Ann Lacy School of American Dance and Arts Management. "We have graduates performing in Las Vegas, on cruise ships, and in Broadway musicals. We also have graduates in the front office of entertainment organizations. But it has been our intention to also prepare teachers in American dance."

This fall, that intention becomes a reality with the debut of a four-year American Dance Master Teacher Program. Not only will the program train students to teach ballet, jazz, and tap dance, it will equip them with practical skills necessary to run a not-for-profit or commercial dance studio. Graduates earn a bachelor of science in dance pedagogy.

OCU has brought in Mary Price Boday, with more than 30 years of teaching experience, as coordinator of the program. Boday danced professionally in both ballet and modern companies, from Zurich Ballet in Switzerland to Pearl Lang Dance Company in New York City. Most recently, she was the artistic director of the Illinois Ballet and Central Illinois Dance School. Boday will be assisted by Kay Sandal, a former dancer with Tulsa Ballet and National Ballet in Washington, D.C.

Boday plans to individually tailor learning to benefit both young dancers continuing their training and older dancers making a transition from performing to teaching. Technique classes are not required, which may sound odd for a dance program, Boday admits. "Someone coming from a professional career may not want to take technique classes anymore or they may be unable to because of an injury," she says. "As long as the student shows a certain level of knowledge, they can receive a degree without taking technique classes."

While most dance programs include a module on pedagogy, a much more in-depth approach is necessary to prepare a student for a teaching career. At OCU, students will be required to take five credit hours each of tap, jazz, and ballet pedagogy. In addition, they must complete three courses of dance history, one of which focuses on the history of teaching dance.

Key to the program are the analysis sessions that immediately follow jazz, tap, and ballet technique classes, where the teacher breaks down the students' activity.

What makes this program truly unique, however, is its focus on the administrative side of owning a studio. All participants must take business classes, including marketing, economics, and accounting. In mass communications they'll learn advertising strategies, and in public relations will write press releases. In addition, they'll study dance health, anatomy, physiology, and dance studio management. What do you need to know about purchasing floors and mirrors? What should you consider when you're setting up a waiting room?

OCU also has a masters program in the works for those hoping to teach at a university level. "It will be intensive," says Boday. "Sixty credits that can be completed in two to three years." For more information, contact Mary Price Boday at [phone] or [e-mail].