Becoming a Dance Major

<p>churchmusicmom,
I have/had two kids who are/were at Tisch, one who just graduated with a BFA in Film with a minor in Philosophy. He could have double-majored in Philosophy, but chose to take the minor instead, because he wanted to take other courses in other subject areas, plus attending two NYU study abroad programs and taking internships. He was able to receive a well-rounded education from Tisch by doing the following: he entered NYU with 12 college credits (8 from NYU and 4 from another school), he attended both NYU summer sessions either via study abroad or taking courses at NYU in NYC, he took a full-load of course credits during the school year - it's the same rate whether it's 12 or 18 credits, so he averaged 16 credits. He had the option of graduating in 3 years, but elected to stay the extra year (the 4th/senior year), because he wanted to take more courses and also made his senior thesis film. During the senior year, he was able to drop down to part-time status as far as the credits were concerned, since he had taken so many courses that he had extra credits - and many of these courses were in CAS and Steinhardt - he could have probably put them towards obtaining a Master's degree. He was able to take advantage of all the resources that NYU offers in terms of courses, study abroad programs, internships, etc. If a student is motivated, has direction and is persistent, it is certainly possible to obtain a very well-rounded education from Tisch.</p>

<p>NYUMOM:: Absolutely! Tisch is a wonderful school for many obviously talented and motivated students such as your two kids. My point was that it was my d's impression that it just would be more problematic for a dancer to do what she really thought she wanted in that environment, and while pursuing a BFA (and she really wanted a BA).</p>

<p>Your kids obviously ended up in a WONDERFUL place and it's great that there are so many choices and opportunities out there for talented kids like yours.</p>

<p>kidzadancer,
I sent you a pm with regard to the UArts info.</p>

<p>nyumom,
Do you/did you have a d at NYU in dance? We just saw a (1st & 2nd yr)student production there. We were all very impressed!</p>

<p>jasmom,
I sent you a pm with regard to your above post.</p>

<p>We had a visit to Skidmore. Lovely, charming town, relatively small campus. The dance studios were well kept and spacious and the performance space was terrific. D took two classes, int/adv tap and modern II, but did not feel challenged enough at that level to study there for four years. One of the students did say that when the instructors know you want to be a performer they will work with you and push you. In any event D would like a bigger school. Skidmore has about 2600 students. We'll head to the cities next. How are your visits going?</p>

<p>Hi Kidzadancer,
Butler is in Indiana. They have a wonderful program according to my DD's pointe instructor, who graduated from Butler and then went on to join a professional company in California before getting married and starting a family. </p>

<p>I know your situation well. For my DD's whole dance life she has focused on and competed in tap, clog, lyrical, and jazz. She is 12 now but in last few years it became more and more apparent that she needed the technique that a strict ballet program would provide. So this past year she enrolled in 4 hours a week in an RAD certified school of ballet that has a close affiliation with a local professional dance company (the school director also is founder and creative director of the dance co). Needless to say she has flourished beyond any of our wildest dreams. One of the aspects of this studio that I love the most is that a google search of the studio name or owner name will give you a lot of results showing a good number of her students that have gone on to professional dance careers.</p>

<p>Anyway, I digress. What are your daughter's career intentions after college?
Does she intend to open a studio and teach? If so, a minor in business and accounting may be better suited for her. (She could still continue Spanish courses in college)</p>

<p>If she plans to turn professional, it should be considered that there are far more (taken with a grain of salt) jobs out there for ballet dancers than for tap and jazz dancers. Needless to say any professional tap and jazz gigs often require a certain amount of singing and acting so formal training in those aspects may be helpful. </p>

<p>So, if tap, jazz, and modern are indeed what she is looking for I would definitely suggest SUNY Purchase. It has a close enough proximity to NYC so that she could visit ofand is a very artsy school. Also might want to check out Adelphi and Long Island University CW Post Campus. Both are located on Long Island. I have a friend who's daughter is at Adelphi and she loves it there. She is an MT major but there are so many opportunities to perform. </p>

<p>If proximity to NYC is not a factor for you then I do believe that University of Vermont has and excellent reputation for the fine arts. Mercyhurst College in PA and Kent State in Ohio are also excellent fine arts schools. </p>

<p>Hope this helps. My DD is only 12 but was serious from the day she stepped out of the womb and has pretty much known since she could talk that she wanted to be a dancer. Here is hoping she changes her mind!!! JKJK</p>

<p>
[quote]
University of Vermont has and excellent reputation for the fine arts.

[/quote]
</p>

<p>As far as I can tell, UVM doesn't have a dance program. It only has a dance team and an extra-curricular company.</p>

<p>Sorry, my bad. Got it confused due to the music major factor. My oldest DD (who is a Junior in HS) has been glancing at UVM bc of the music ed major and that program comes highly recommended. Too many arts majors in this family and I can't keep track of all the info anymore!!!</p>

<p>BUMP, BUMP,BUMP for Jane</p>

<p>thanks you !</p>

<p>There are a few programs that I know of that offer a concentration in jazz, along with modern and ballet. As mentioned, Point Park and Marymount Manhattan, University of Buffalo, Oklahoma City University (seems to be much more musical theatre oriented), University of Arizona, UNLV, UC Irvine.
I would suggest talking to the dance departments to inquire about double majors. The large universities will probably have more to offer in the way of academics.</p>

<p>Thank you, Happy Days. It seems we keep coming back to Pt PK, Marymount Mahattan, Fordham, UArts and BOCO. I've heard no insight about MMt's program only read about it. We'll be visiting all of them, including Purcahse, on our route, though it doesn't offer Jazz. I think we'll also stop by Muhlenberg on the way home. They have a dance performance while we're going through and though it's a non-audition program, it might be interesting to look at. Any advice on these schools? Uarts today said they've been waitlisting for months and their last audition was last week. So, I guess it's never too early to figure out where you want to audition and do it early.</p>

<p>D wants to stay in the East, so some of the really good schools she won't even consider.</p>

<p>
[quote]
Uarts today said they've been waitlisting for months and their last audition was last week. So, I guess it's never too early to figure out where you want to audition and do it early.

[/quote]
</p>

<p>Most auditions for performing arts programs are held pretty early. It is unusual for a school to be holding an audition in mid-April. I would suggest that your D have her applications completed by December. The most common audition dates are January through March. Some schools hold their first round(s) of auditions in the fall. Do not count on being able to audition for your favorite school(s) in mid-April!!</p>

<p>dancersmom,
Yes, I agree and so we will make the most of this trip. Finding a school and then getting in, now there's the hard part. I'm retiring in Oct. after 25 years as an air traffic controller and driving around to auditions is something I'll definitely be looking forward to...wherever they may be. :0)</p>

<p>I do not want to say anything negative about any programs as of course it would all be second hand and some one else's opinion. There is no school that is one size fits all! My s has been impressed with dancers he has met from PP. But if a student is looking for stong academics it might not be the best fit. I don't know much about Fordham, but I'm not sure that most of the schools on your list are known for academics.</p>

<p>Fordham and Muhlenberg both have strong academics in addition to strong dance departments.</p>

<p>Academics is not high on D's list. Although she does well in school, especially math and science, she does not enjoy any aspect of English. Her goal is to be part of the 'working' dance community and would like a school that can help her on her way to becoming the best performer/choreographer she can be. </p>

<p>She'd also love to continue learning Spanish. If that's possible that would be fine, but it's not necessary. Which is why Muhlenberg is interesting.</p>

<p>happy days, feel free to PM me with anything we should be looking out for- postive or negative- if you think of anything. thanks. Off we go...</p>

<p>Kidzadancer,</p>

<p>Has your D considered Florida State? They have one of the top rated dance departments in the nation. Suzanne Farrell, George Balanchine's great muse, is on the faculty.</p>

<p>You mentioned that your D would like to continue learning Spanish. FSU has a large percentage of Hispanic students. D could take Spanish classes and possibly make friends with some of the bilingual students on campus.</p>

<p>I know that FSU is quite a hike from VT, so the school may be geographically out of the question. If you are interested, I'd be happy to tell you what I know about the campus.</p>

<p>My d has a lot of overlap in schools with kidzadancer's d. We're hoping to check out FSU and So. FL.</p>