Music for Dance

At Belhaven University, music and dance exist in constant collaboration—within the studio, on the stage, and throughout the creative process. Because of this close artistic relationship, the Dance Department places a strong emphasis on providing students with opportunities to work alongside professional musicians in a variety of settings. 

Students encounter live music in many technique classes, choreographic projects, improvisation sessions, and guest lectures throughout the curriculum. These experiences deepen musical understanding, strengthen artistic responsiveness, and prepare students for professional collaborative environments. 

Under the leadership of Dr. Owen Rockwell, Director of Music for the Department of Dance, Belhaven’s accompanists bring decades of experience in ballet, modern, jazz, and tap accompaniment, as well as composition for dance. Musicians accompany nearly all technique classes, assist students with music editing and licensing for choreography projects, participate in improvisation sessions, and frequently compose original scores for dance productions. 

Belhaven’s dance musicians are active members of the International Guild of Musicians in Dance, an international organization dedicated to supporting and advancing the specialized field of dance musicianship. Through this professional network, Belhaven faculty remain connected to current practices and perspectives from artists around the world. 

Collaboration between the Dance and Music Departments also creates unique opportunities for music students to train as dance accompanists—an increasingly valuable professional skill for graduate study and careers in the performing arts. 

International Center for Musicianship in Dance 

In 2023, Dr. Rockwell founded the International Center for Musicianship in Dance (ICMD), housed within Belhaven’s Warren A. Hood Library. The ICMD collection serves as a growing repository for research, history, and resources related to music in dance training and performance. 

One of the few collections of its kind, the ICMD preserves rare and out-of-print recordings, publications, and archival materials for dance musicians. The collection’s cornerstone is the archive of the International Guild of Musicians in Dance, the leading organization supporting musicians in the field of dance since 1990. 

35th Anniversary IGMD Conference 

In September 2025, Belhaven University hosted the 35th Anniversary International Guild of Musicians in Dance Conference. The event brought together students, faculty, and internationally recognized dance musicians for a weekend of presentations, workshops, technique classes, and collaborative performances exploring the relationship between music and movement. 

The conference concluded with a special improvisation jam session in the Bitsy Irby Studio Theatre, celebrating the creativity and spontaneity at the heart of live music and dance collaboration.