The NHSDA Collegiate Program is dance honor society for college students. It is designed to honor the accomplishments of outstanding undergraduate or graduate students studying dance as a dance major, minor, or elective. This honors the fact that many young professionals have varying interests and abilities in dance that cover a spectrum from the pursuit of dance for personal fulfillment and joy, through career preparation, to life-long learning. The NHSDA can be implemented in any postsecondary institution that supports accredited dance coursework though it may not be a dance degree granting institution. The institution is required to maintain an NDEO Institutional Membership for as long as the institution conducts an NHSDA Collegiate Program.

The NHSDA Collegiate Program offers two levels of accomplishment:

• Level 1: NHSDA Induction

• Level 2: Graduation with Honors
   
  

For more information on these two levels of achievement please review the Eligibility Criteria.

For information on the NHSDA Secondary Program for middle and high school students ages 11-18, click here.

NHSDA Vision

We envision a nation in which all students have equal opportunity and access to quality dance arts education and are recognized for their outstanding artistic merit, leadership, and academic achievement in the field of dance.

Mission:

1. To recognize outstanding artistic merit, leadership, and academic achievement in students studying dance in public and private schools in K-12 education, dance studios, cultural/community centers, performing arts organizations, and post-secondary education.
2. To foster an appreciation for dance as a true art form and one worthy of recognition and prestige.

Current Collegiate Chapters

Student Induction and Graduation Eligibility Criteria

NHSDA Collegiate Program Goals:

1. To encourage exploration of dance education pedagogy, choreography, performance, research, community outreach, and advocacy in the context of a broad dance program.
2. To stimulate dialogue and networking between students, faculty, and experts in the field.
3. To promote the use of standards in dance education curriculum and teaching methods.
4. To develop future leaders in the field of dance arts education and performance.

Photo by Johan Elbers. Courtesy of Hofstra University.

Benefits for Students

The most significant benefits to students participating in an NHSDA Collegiate Program accrue decidedly to the individual; however, benefits expand to the NHSDA chapter, the field of dance, and the nation.

  
Individually, students form support networks for one another, they share joint activities in a field that bring them individually and collectively great joy and reward, camaraderie, shared learning experiences, and positive outcomes. Colleagues and teachers serve as mentors who often expand the student’s vision and offer guidance that helps shape the young professional’s goals in education, work, and life.

  
More tangible benefits received at Induction occur when students receive the official NHSDA Induction Certificate from the National Dance Education Organization and become eligible to wear the gold honor pin. The same is true at the Graduation of Honors level in which students additionally receive the official Graduation Honors Certificate from the National Dance Education Organization and then become eligible to wear the blue and white honor cords at their graduation ceremony.

  
Both the Induction and Graduation with Honors achievements are recorded in the student’s National Dance Education Organization’s membership records and the honors are recognized at local, national, and state levels in web and media promotions. Students record these honors in their resumes and bios and, heretofore, are recognized as a special group of young professionals having achieved outstanding accomplishments in the arts, leadership and academics. These recognitions remain with the students for life. 

For more information on student induction and graduation with honors, click here.