<p>I am currently a junior in high school seeking help for college. I am a modern dancer with a strong background in ballet and experience in a diverse amount of styles. Nevertheless, my focus remains modern, but I prefer colleges that still acknowledge the necessity of ballet technique in dance. I managed to create a short list and was wondering if you had any advice on these colleges. Audition info and opinions are also appreciated.
-University of Michigan
-James Madison
-Shenandoah
-University of Long Island
-Pace
-Texas Christian University</p>
<p>SUNY Purchase is probably one of the best places for a modern focus with strong ballet in the program. Also, you may want to check out the Boston Conservatory and Juilliard.</p>
<p>Hi. My dd goes to Shenandoah and they have a very good modern teacher. My dd went to a studio that was very well known for ballet and she is happy with the ballet. You do take jazz too. My dd is a contemporary/jazz dancer and is very happy with her choice. A plus is that they are very generous with scholarship money. Something to think about.</p>
<p>It looks like you are not looking into conservatories like SUNY Purchase, BoCo or Juilliard. Is that right?</p>
<p>Dance Magazine has a great college guide, that has charts specifying whether the school offers ballet, modern and/or jazz, what degrees are offered and so on. There is also a great book, “Creative Colleges,” that has detailed info on schools that have good programs in music, dance, art, writing and theater. Goucher, Skidmore, Connecticut College and Hobard/William Smith might be good schools that would fit for you.</p>
<p>I don’t mean to add to a list that you are already satisfied with!</p>
<p>Have you looked at websites of the schools on your list? Have you visited any yet? Going to performances would be helpful, if you are able to in the next year. End of term is a good time to visit for that reason.</p>
<p>Purchase is truly a step above when it comes to modern dance. My niece is a graduate from that program an until recently getting injured was working often as a professional dancer.</p>
<p>I teach at James Madison in Musical Theatre and Theatre which is in the same department. I would be happy to try to put you in touch with a current dance student, or try to answer questions for you. :)</p>
<p>You have mainly liberal arts schools with dance programs - you aren’t looking at conservatories? Like other posters said, SUNY Purchase is pretty awesome - they have a nice mix of liberal arts and performing arts. Are you looking to become a professional dancer after college?</p>
<p>Pace University has a “Commercial Dance” major so I think it has more of a jazz/tap/hip hop focus than modern.</p>