<p>Hi everyone,</p>
<p>My name is Ethan Andersen and I’m a senior Music Theatre major at Elon University. I just wanted to start this thread in case anyone has questions about the program or auditions or wants to know more information! Let me know and I’ll do my best to help and get you answers! Thanks!</p>
<p>Ethan A.</p>
<p>Hi Ethan,
Thanks so much for being willing to answer questions! I was wondering if you could tell me something about dance at Elon for MTs. S wants a very strong voice and acting program, which Elon obviously offers, but he also wants to be able to keep up his dance skills. He knows he probably won’t be able to dance as much in college as he is now, and he is OK with that, but he would like to know he could continue to be challenged and improve. Would Elon be a good choice for someone who is already a pretty strong dancer? Are the dance classes leveled, and can MT students take dance class with dance majors if they can audition into the classes? How many dance classes can a student take each semester, while still having time for all the other MT and Gen Ed classes? Thanks so much for the info!</p>
<p>As a two-time Elon parent, I might be able to help with this one. Neither of my sons were dancers going into the program, and so started on the bottom, but for those that are, Elon offers plenty to advance their skills. Since Elon offers a dance BFA, there are lots of different dance classes and MT students routinely take classes with dance majors. MT majors are placed in dance classes their freshman year based on their skill level, and are required to take at least a semester each of ballet, jazz, tap and modern, although most take much more, usually 2 a semester. In addition, each year they also take a class called dance for the musical stage which focuses on other dance styles and routines they might encounter. Freshman year, for example, they cover a lot of the social dances such as waltz, polka, etc. And there are also specialty classes offered like men’s technique or Fosse.</p>
<p>How much acting do they take and how many different professors? Thanks.</p>
<p>All MT majors are required to take three acting courses that mostly focus on Meisner and Stanislavski technique. There are 3 or 4 professors and the MT students are mixed in with the BFA acting majors. These are not easy courses and involve a lot of preparation outside the classroom. And acting is something MTs work on in every performance course. In addition, there are also elective hours in the major so you can choose to take more. My own sons have used some of their elective hours for MT scene study, voice and speech and Shakespeare.</p>
<p>Thanks for the info Georgia30720! The dance part of the MT program sounds great and we will definitely check it out. Are your sons still at Elon or out in the working world? Do they feel that their training prepared them well for their careers, and gave them good contacts in the industry?</p>
<p>S1 graduated 2012 and is out in the world, scraping by as many young artists do. S2 is currently a sophomore at Elon, and will be helping out with this year’s auditions. Neither were dancers going into the program, and while S1 definitely improved and can tap quite well now, he is still a stronger actor-singer. </p>
<p>If you are a strong dancer, it greatly improves your chances for getting work right out of school, as most of these kids, because they are young, are cast more for ensemble work at the beginning of their careers, and shows are heavily dance oriented now. S1 has several classmates who have done national tours, cruise lines, worked regional theater, and one is on Broadway. He is currently an acting intern at a regional theater, and hoping to go to graduate school. </p>
<p>The path to success varies greatly. Rather than do a NY showcase, Elon “brings the mountain to Mohammed” and casting people come to the school in the spring to check out the senior class. A NY showcase is no guarantee of a job offer or an agent, and sometimes timing is everything, as is networking. And you must have a support job, because there are going to be times when you are not working, you can count on it.</p>
<p>S2 had some reservations about attending the same school as his brother, having already had THAT experience in high school. But when he started school this fall, he said Elon was the right place for him. We agonized about it at the time, but he was attracted by Elon’s strong sense of family. The kids in the program really support each other.</p>
<p>Hi! I’m interested in musical theater at Elon, but I haven’t been able to visit yet so I still have a few questions. If I consider myself to be strong at singing and acting, but consider myself to be more of a “mover” than a dancer due to lack of experience, how much will that impact my acceptance? I know many schools only expect for you to be strong in two components as long as they see potential in the third.</p>
<p>Hi ylimecole, </p>
<p>Elon does not expect any perspective student to be a triple threat! That’s what the 4 years of college training is for. Elon “assesses” you in the three areas but in determining your audition score will only use the top 2 scores. So if you’re stronger in singing and acting (but not too confident in dance), Elon will use your singing and acting scores!</p>
<p>Wow! That is a really interesting way to audition people. I really like that, actually! Does that basically mean that your weak skill doesn’t count against against you but your strong skills are the two deciding factors in your acceptance? I just want to make sure it is as good of a deal as it sounds like it is! I know that typically there are other factors that control your acceptance: type, what type the college needs that year, etc. (in addition to far more specific and subjective factors) Keeping this in mind, do you know how much your score controls your acceptance compared to factors that go beyond basic talent? I understand if you don’t know this as a student, but Elon’s way of evaluating prospective students is just really interesting to me based on how you described it!</p>
<p>I don’t think that’s unusual in any way, is it? From my understanding of this process it sounds pretty typical. Many kids get into many programs without being true triple threats.</p>
<p>Thanks for helping clarify things for us, Ethan. My daughter is currently freaking out because she didn’t get a ballet call today. She has had quite a bit of ballet training, but it has been geared towards figure skaters. She didn’t feel confident enough to put it on her resume, even though she has been a competitive figure skater for 13 years and is very fit and capable. Mom is there trying to calm her down, and maybe this will help. This is her first audition, so the nerves are raw.</p>
<p>What do you mean by a ballet call?</p>
<p>She said that she didn’t get called in for a ballet session, but later got called for a jazz session. She has very little experience with jazz, so it didn’t go very well. She’s much more comfortable with ballet, so in hindsight she wishes that she had listed it specifically on her resume. I’m waiting for the full report when her and my wife get back.</p>
<p>Two quick questions:
<p>Hi Ethan. Loved your performance in Wild Party. Kudos. Elon has been my daughter’s #1 pick for 3 years. Waiting to hear this week about EA (Acting). Great program, beautiful school. Here’s hoping her wishes come true.</p>
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