Since 2007 DanceAbroad has offered an intensive dance program held in the city of Buenos Aires, Argentina.  We were the first study abroad program in Buenos Aires that was designed specifically for dancers.  Today we offer excellent dance programs to provide dancers with the opportunity to study dance, learn Spanish, and to explore the rich and exciting culture of Argentina. 

DanceAbroad Argentina and Dean College Collaboration

The DanceAbroad Argentina-Dean College collaboration offers advantages not found in simple college-level language study abroad programs.  Uniting dance study with foreign language study while earning college credit is the key. 

We believe that training the complete dancer extends well beyond technique classes.  Toward that end, each class in the DanceAbroad curriculum complements the other classes, creating a unified experience.  For instance, immediate connections fall into place between attending Spanish language classes at the University of Buenos Aires and taking dance classes in Spanish.  One informs the other.  Likewise, we couple tango history classroom sessions and historic site visits with the experiences of actually dancing tango in technique class and in the Milongas around the city.  This integration of multiple types of learning cultivates deeper understanding and absorption.   

Furthermore, entering the culture and meeting native speakers through dance reinforces language learning.  Dance offers our study abroad students a comfortable and natural way to meet and interact with native speakers, often extending beyond the classroom and studio. This expands the opportunities and learning commonly associated with study abroad.        

Through class experience, guest lecturers, instructor collaboration, and cultural exchange we strive to instill an intimate knowledge of dance, culture, art, and the connections among them.   Ultimately our students learn to make connections by themselves between lived experience and dance technique as well as between their own cultural knowledge and the changing world around them.

In a dynamic combination of classroom learning and on-site experiential exploration in Buenos Aires -- the cradle of tango – this course traces the birth and evolution of tango dance, music, and culture from their beginnings in the late 1800’s to the present.  The course presents Argentinian history and culture as context for the origins and evolution of tango dance, music, and related art forms.  The class considers, (and meets some of) the significant people in the story of tango.  Living and learning in the very place that birthed and sustained tango, class members make guided visits to historic and contemporary sites in Buenos Aires.  Students can expect onsite discovery and experiential learning in Buenos Aires, classroom lecture, music in the classroom and in the field, visual aids, assigned reading, original research using primary sources, and reflective writing. 

DAN 399 (3 credits)

46.5 Contact Hours

DanceAbroad places an emphasis on learning the language of Argentina. During the first month of the spring semester, students will take a 60-hour University Spanish course.  Living and dancing in Buenos Aires provides deep and inspiring immersion in the lively Spanish language and culture of Argentina.

SPN 111, 112, 151 or 152 (4 credits):  Introductory Spanish I, Introductory Spanish II, Intermediate Spanish I, Intermediate Spanish II (depending on final placement)

60 Contact Hours

DanceAbroad's mission is to provide dancers with the opportunity to travel while continuing to study dance. We provide the experience of an intensive dance program and immersion in the language and culture of Argentina. DanceAbroad unites dancers and teachers so that they may share in an international dance experience.