About
Dance Major Journal was founded in 2010 in the dance department of the University of California, Irvine. It features writing focused on the interests, issues, experiences, and concerns of dance majors, aimed at sharing information, research, advice, and points of view.
DMJ welcomes conversational writing style, personal essays, new formats, humor, stories, and “answers for dance majors” (ways to explain to the outside world the value and facts of a dance education), as well as academically sound essays using clear language and lively prose.
Volume 10, 2022
Dance Major Journal 10
Dance Major Journal 10
21st Century Ballet, 20th Century Racism
One incident startled a young dancer in class and causes her to wonder: Why can’t the ballet world move forward? What can we do to incite change?
Abby Lee Miller Wasn’t the First Dance Teacher Who Yelled at Students
Is the bullying of young dancers exaggerated for TV? Or is it just “dance business as usual”?
Notes from a Recovering Perfectionist
Striving for excellence and being overly self-critical are not the same thing
Building Cultural Bridges through Dance
A dance major finds out how her dad followed the music to add meaning to his life
A Dancer Who Misses Pandemic Lockdown?
Believe it or not, there was a lot to learn at Zoom University
Can young dancers bounce back after too much Zoom university?
When the social aspect of dance was gone, motivation was hard to come by
A Different Land of Sweets
When Nutcracker season was forced onto video during the pandemic, it might have taught the dance world more about issues of accessibility
Late pandemic-era snapshot
On a day in January, 2022, dance majors, a few guest professors. and one world-famous choreographer (Alonzo King) were asked to finish three sentences about how they were thinking and feeling.
The Dad as Social Dancer
A dance major finds out how her dad followed the music to add meaning to his life
Why Dance Conventions Helped Me Become a Better Dancer
It turns out you can reframe competitive dance experiences, from being something toxic to valuable
Letter of appreciation—do you have a parent like this?
Asked to write to someone she was grateful for in a writing course, one dance major zeroed in on Dad. Is there someone in YOUR life you’d like to thank?
How is the Ballet World Including Non-Binary Dancers?
A few pioneers have shown the way, but who will follow?
If you want a dance career, why pick one style?
How training in different kinds of dance makes you a better—and more employable—dancer