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 14, 2026
Dance Major Journal 14
Articles
- The choreography of apology
Feedback is a necessary part of learning dance--how do individual dancers respond? Can both teachers and dancers change the hidden culture of shaming?
- Who gets to be fluid in dance?
Taking a risk artistically can become hard if the version of yourself that shows up in the studio doesn't fit the gender expectations already built into the room.
- If dance starts to feel self-centered, consider this
One dance major reflects on how The Sacred Veil moved audiences so deeply, it renewed her sense of empathy and purpose in dancing.
- "Decyphering" the importance of artistic play
When the pressure of looking "right" makes you insecure about freestyling, consider what the creativity of hip hop's cypher can do for your artistry.
- Full-time college dance major + commercial dancer=choices only you can make
How do you navigate being a full-time dance major and wanting a career in the commercial dance industry? Can you do both at the same time?
- Honoring the original intentions of jazz
How studying the history of jazz dance can make you a more self-aware dancer and a better teacher.
- Grad school: a survival guide
Thinking about an MFA? Here's why puppy yoga, drag queens, and your best friends may become an integral part of the process.
- Both sides now....dancing through life
One graduate student from Taiwan, now living in the U.S., describes how a shifting identity has informed her dancing in this storytelling excerpt from her MFA thesis.