<p>My daughter is a rising junior and we've just begun to discuss college. She will not be a MT major but has always danced and is not ready to give it up. She particularly likes tap and I was just wondering if anyone can recommend any schools where she would be able to continue dance ( but not major) in courses, performances, clubs, especially tap. Ithaca and Skidmore have come up as has Elon. (We're from the northeast but d thinks she'd prefer warmer weather!) I hope you don't mind me posting here but you all seem so well informed and I've enjoyed reading through various posts. Thanks. Spmom</p>
<p>I have a friend in Arizona's dance program and loves everything about it. She also considered Florida State because she, too, wanted warmer weather. I just don't know if either program have extensive Tap classes.</p>
<p>It seems like your daughter is looking for a liberal arts college where she can take some dance classes and participate in dance clubs/groups and have opportunities to continue with tap dance. She likely is better off at a school that doesn't ALSO have a BFA in Dance which may not open its courses to those not in the programs, whereas a BA dance department likely will allow non majors to take dance classes. I also think this may be the same at schools with a BFA in Musical Theater (though you'd have to check with each college to be sure). </p>
<p>So, with that in mind.....what you want to do is to find a school that has a BA Dance Department for one thing, in order to keep taking dance classes. However, many of these departments do not have tap dance classes. However, your daughter should look for schools that have dance CLUBS/ORGANIZATIONS and contact the leader of that club and ask if they have any tap dance opportunities. My older daughter who is not pursuing musical theater or dance in college but who danced her whole life and is particularly skilled at tap dance, inquired at all her schools about dance clubs and some schools even have clubs just for tap dance. So, look up the clubs at all the schools your D is considering. </p>
<p>At Skidmore, there is a great dance department and your D could take classes there as a non major. As well, there is a dance club just for tap dance called Stompin' Soles. The Dance Dept. classes do not include Tap, however. </p>
<p>At Ithaca, there is a tap class in the musical theater program in the Theater Department (no dance department there). I am not sure if that course is open to non theater majors and you would have to check. Also, look if there are any dance clubs. Ithaca is not particularly strong in dance. Schools that have dance departments tend to have more dance clubs and organizations. </p>
<p>Your D may wish to look at Connecticut College. They have a strong dance program and many courses, but no tap classes. There are many dance clubs but you have to inquire if any do tap, as I am unsure. </p>
<p>Goucher is another small liberal arts college that is strong in dance and anyone can take the dance classes but no classes are offered in tap, which again is fairly typical of a dance department. Goucher makes it so a student can arrange to take tap at nearby Towson University. There are also many dance clubs at Goucher.</p>
<p>Your daughter really ought to look at Muhlenberg College. Their dance department is strong and opens its courses up to nonmajors and they actually have several levels of tap classes!</p>
<p>You gave no other college criteria, but I'll put out there that Brown Univ, my D's school, has a tap dance club.</p>
<p>So, examine liberal arts colleges that have dance majors/minors and their courses are likely open to non majors. Then look up the campus clubs and organizations and see if there are dance clubs and contact the leaders of those clubs to see if there are tap opportunities and also some schools have actual tap dance clubs (and some may have courses, though tap is not as common in a dance department).</p>
<p>PS....I don't have the time to examine each dance department and campus clubs at all these schools but colleges along these lines that you may wish to research further (in ADDITION TO the ones mentioned above):
Sarah Lawrence
Bennington College
Mt. Holyoke
Barnard
Smith
Amherst
Bard
Bates
Chapman
Wesleyan
American
Scripps
Colorado College
Hobart/William Smith Colleges</p>
<p>Wow! Thank you so much for some great information!</p>
<p>I second Muhlenberg - they even have a professional tap performance group for which students can audition! Tap is definitely not "looked down" on. And lots of jazz as well as ballet & modern. Muhlenberg also has a community dance school on campus, and they train interested dance majors to teach, so that by the time they're juniors, they have their own classes. If your d has ever thought about teaching, that might be a route to go.</p>
<p>And classes are open to non-majors as well - anyone can dance.</p>
<p>(When my d visited Skidmore, she asked someone from the dance department about tap. From the reaction, she might as well have asked about the plague - "Why would you want to study that?" Tap is not held in the same regard as the other dance disciplines there.</p>
<p>Yeah, Muhlenberg is a really good option for the OP's daughter. Most dance departments (regular dance, not musical theater) tend not to have tap dance classes. However, a school like Skidmore would still be good for this girl as she can continue to take dance classes (not tap) and there is a tap dance club that puts on tap dance performances. I would not rule Skidmore out. Muhlenberg, however, has tap classes and so definitely is one up in that way and should surely be explored.</p>
<p>At schools like Skidmore with strong dance, you are going to find kids who have studied tap and want to keep doing it. For instance, a girl from our dance studio whom my younger D danced with for years and did LOTS of tap and was also in their tap repertory troop with my girls, is majoring in dance at Skidmore. I would imagine she still enjoys continuing her tap dancing. I don't know if she is in Stompin' Soles, however.</p>
<p>I just want to add that I noticed that Sarah Lawrence's dance department has a course in tap dance.</p>
<p>Also.....American's dance department (which is a minor) offers different levels of tap dance!</p>
<p>I will third Muhlenberg's dance program that is highly respected for their tap classes. My daughter will begin her freshman year there this fall and really does not have any tap experience; thus she's making twice-weekly trips 45 minutes away to take some tap classes from the Giordano Dance Studio so she won't look like such an obvious amateur when she begins!</p>
<p>By the way, I think Allentown could be considered a tad bit warmer than Ithaca, or at least its annual snow accumulation would be less!</p>
<p>AND....where did Peggy Sawyer, the tap dancer in 42nd Street, get her start??? Allentown! :D</p>
<p>I am in the middle of researching schools for a client and came across a really good possibility for the OP's daughter. You ought to look into Otterbein. Otterbein offers a dance minor designed specifically for students like your daughter. </p>
<p>Several years ago, Otterbein discontinued their BA Dance major in order to concentrate resources on the dance minors and the BFA Musical Theatre/Dance majors. This coming fall, Otterbein will have 9 Musical Theater/Dance majors and 33 Dance Minors. The dance minors are majoring in every sort of major, many totally unrelated to the arts. Dance is taught five days/week at three different levels, with a different technique on each day. Tap is included. Your daughter could attend this liberal arts college and major in whatever she wishes and then keep up with dance by doing the minor in dance. The fact that it includes tap is a real plus. </p>
<p>Here's a link with more information:
<a href="http://www.otterbein.edu/theatre/brochure.htm#Dance%5B/url%5D">http://www.otterbein.edu/theatre/brochure.htm#Dance</a></p>
<p>Thanks again for all the great posts!</p>
<p>spmom - You are correct that Elon has great tap dance classes and a teacher that is apparently awesome. OCU is another place that offers multiple levels of tap. </p>
<p>In addition, I've seen some really great tap dancing this summer out of students from Syracuse, NYU CAP 21, and Hartt.</p>
<p>The main thing to check, though, is whether the tap classes are available to non-majors at these schools.</p>
<p>Kent State also offers a minor in dance to students who want to major in something else. Not sure how much tap they have. Does she know what she wants to major in? Here's a link! :)
<a href="http://www.theatre.kent.edu/dance_minor.htm%5B/url%5D">http://www.theatre.kent.edu/dance_minor.htm</a></p>
<p>She's talking about majoring in education at this point.</p>