Becoming a Dance Major

<p>I hope this isn't off topic but I'm wondering if anyone here can point me in the right direction. I'm currently an undergraduate dance major and I'm trying to investigate some options for graduate dance study.
I'm looking for some programs that offer a balance between strong technical training as well as instruction in pedagogy and choreography. I'm more interested in a balance of jazz, tap and ballet rather than a strictly modern, contemporary or ballet program.
My goal is to (after my performing career) become a musical theatre choreographer and/or teach dance at the university level.
Does anyone have any input?</p>

<p>I just finished reading all of this wonderful information. How I wish this thread was up when my D and I were searching for dance colleges and options. The whole dance thing can be a very confusing process since there are so many different variables involved. However, she is in her second year at NYU Tisch and loves it. I would be happy to answer any questions regarding this program and the other schools in NYC. (She confined her search there). To add to the list of programs Hunter College in Manhattan offers a BA in dance. We had a friend who attended and graduated with a double major. I believe Hunter is part of the SUNY system and the cost is much more reasonable than NYU - The best advice I can give anyone looking for a dance program is to watch a student performance. That will give you the best look at the program and what is actually offered. Watching classes helps as well. We found that the tour rhetoric was often at odds with the actual level of training etc. Best wishes to all who are dance parents and beginning this process. Another bit of advice - have back-ups. My daughter had at least four - thankfully she didn't need them.</p>

<p>I also started another thread at <a href="http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/showthread.php?p=4405510#post4405510%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/showthread.php?p=4405510#post4405510&lt;/a>
which may have some additional info.</p>

<p>Hi
I'm interested in continguing with my ballet and contemporary dance classes in college, and also want to study physics do you know any college that is really good in dance and in sciences??? Is there a way for studying in two different colleges at the same time, I mean, do colleges associate together so that you can take some classes in one college and others in the other?</p>

<p>Hey
We did not research double majors. However, my D has several friends at Tisch who are doing the double major thing - one is even pre-med. One thing to keep in mind is the a BFA in dance will be performance oriented. That means lots of extra time rehearsing. You may wish to check into dance programs with a BA instead of the BFA. We had a friend who did double major at Hunter College in dance and econ. Another option might be to mjaor in the sciences and get a minor in dance. There are tons of options out there for that. Most college programs are geared toward ballet, contemporary, and modern so there would be no problem there. Good luck.</p>

<p>Maneromerito: Take a serious look at Smith College. I don't know that a double major in Dance and Science would be possible, but you could certainly do a major and a minor in either. Smith has a wonderful Dance department and their Picker Engineering Program is terrific. Visit the Smith thread under Liberal Arts Colleges and you will find a number of parents posting with science oriented dancer children at Smith. The Picker Engineering program has agreements with a number of other schools that guarantee your admittance to grad programs when a 3.5 gpa is maintained. These include Dartmouth, Johns Hopkins, and the University of Michigan.</p>

<p><a href="http://www.science.smith.edu/departments/Engin/about.php%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.science.smith.edu/departments/Engin/about.php&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>Maneromerito,
As I read my e-mail on your post, I immediately thought of both Mount Holyoke and Smith. They are both members of the Five College Consortium of the Pioneer Valley, Massachusetts and both have excellent science programs. I see that unsoccer-mom has given you a link for Smith. Here's one for Mount Holyoke:</p>

<p><a href="http://www.mtholyoke.edu/acad/phys/students/index.shtml%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.mtholyoke.edu/acad/phys/students/index.shtml&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>and one for the dance program, which includes a link for the five college program:</p>

<p><a href="http://www.mtholyoke.edu/acad/dance/%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.mtholyoke.edu/acad/dance/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>Maneromerito, also check out Barnard College in NYC. My d is a junior there who continues her dance training and is a neuroscience major. Physics would, of course, be available and classes could be taken at either Barnard or Columbia. A double major would be an option or you could continue dancing as intensively as you want (six levels offered in Ballet and contemp. plus other dance styles) while majoring in your desired area of study (as my d does).</p>

<p>Good luck in your search!</p>

<p>My daughter visited U Arts as one of her college possibilities and while the people were friendly and open and she loved the area, the acedemics were next to nothing.
hope this helps</p>

<p>Another thought...SUNY Buffalo. My older D is in her senior year there, double majoring in dance and poli sci, with a journalism minor. She is working her bun off (ballet pun intended) and has overloaded every semester except her first, but it looks like she'll finish in four years!</p>

<p>icesk8, My d auditioned/was accepted into the BFA. It sounds like your d has liked the school/program(?). I'd be interested in hearing of your d's experiences there (pros & cons).</p>

<p>Also, take a look at the programs (science/dance) at Skidmore College.</p>

<p>I just want to insert a congrats message to Jasmom's D!</p>

<p>Thanks. I'd love to hear about others' good news as it becomes available.</p>

<p>Congratulations Jasmom! Wonderful news!</p>

<p>My daughter has thrived at Buffalo. It felt "right" when we went up for the audition and truly was the right fit for her. Being in a small program gave her personal attention while being in a big university satisfied the environment she craved.</p>

<p>From my perspective, the dance program has served her well. She has developed as a dancer and as a person. When she needed some guidance and understanding because she was injured in an auto accident, the dance adviser and teachers were willing to work with her.</p>

<p>Wednesdays and Thursdays are her ultra busy days, but the next time I chat with her I will ask for her input and will get back to you.</p>

<p>I've been reading the entries & am curious if anyone knows of a good private Christian school for a double degree in dance & journalism in Southern California. Most of the schools you've been mentioning are on the East Coast. My daughter is a senior & we are really frustrated with the search.</p>

<p>this place has been inactive for a few years…so I’ll see if we could get some new stuff going.</p>

<p>D2 is a hs jr. She has been in a magnet public school dance program since 4th grade. She has been at her studio since 2nd grade. She does ballet, tap, modern, jazz and hip hop. Her academics are presently 3.2 unweighted. She is also a soccer player and might lay Div III soccer.</p>

<p>She wants a liberal arts setting where she could major or minor in dance and major in another area also. We visited SUNY Fredonia this weekend which is only a 3 yr old major program. Had a great long converation with a faculty member who is a SUNY Purchase grad. Their single grad this year was accepted at UC Long Beach for dance grad program. We stopped by SUNY Brockport campus on a Sat when no one was around but the dance bldg was open. Very impressive. We also stopped by the campus of Lake Erie College in Painesville, OH which is a small liberal arts college near us with two very accomplished faculty members. Place was closed, but the campus was gorgeous.</p>

<p>We live in NE OH. Other schools that are on the list for consideration and possible visits are Muhlenberg, Slippery Rock, Univ of Buffalo(SUNY), Shenandoah, Hope, Alma and Ohio U. These are clearly not the East coast bent that this thread had 2 yrs ago. Right now I am very impressed with the Hope program with Shenandoah hinting at a similar quality. Not sure about the others yet. </p>

<p>Anyone around want to talk about these things.</p>

<p>Is Mercyhurst College in Erie of interest to your d? They have a strong dance major - my d knows several students there. It’s a BA (not BFA) program with the choice of a performance or pedagogy concentration, among others. It’s generous with talent-based merit aid (d knew several students who were awarded $10K annual scholarships). One of my d’s friends, a strong ballet dancer, improved greatly over her first year there. And she loves the school as well as the program.</p>

<p>Another acquaintance of my d’s auditioned in the spring of her junior year and was accepted with a talent scholarship. (Talk about Early Action.) She’ll be a freshman there this fall. I don’t know about the academic aspect of admissions - it may very well be separate from the dance program. This student struggled academically in hs, though she is a good writer - I’m not sure she had a 3.0 at a good private school in our area. I think your d would be academically qualified for admission with a 3.2.</p>

<p>We looked at Muhlenberg and loved it a few years ago. My d was very pleased with the dance program - she did a tour and an advanced ballet class, and was happy that she’d have been allowed to be a full participant in classes and performances, even as a minor. She felt that the quality of the pointe class was high. The teacher was nurturing and professional, and the other students were very welcoming and informative. Great theater facility there!</p>

<p>A friend of my d’s from her home ballet studio was not pleased with the dance offerings at Brockport, which she felt weren’t challenging enough. She’s now a happy double major, dance/something else, at SUNY Buffalo.</p>

<p>We are at the opposite end of Ohio and D is also interested instaying in dance but being about to pursue other studies. She too had been at a public PA since 4th grade as a dance major. Places she is looking at, in addition to some of the above, are Otterbein which has a dance minor attached to it’s MT program. D took an advanced ballet class there last year and really enjoyed it. The class was small enough for the teacher to challenge indviduals. SHe is also very interested in Un. of Iowa, which is a pretty balanced modern and ballet program and has a BFA, BA and minor. She loved the College of Charleston which currently has a dance minor but they are expanding it and there are opportunities for more dance in walking distance.
Other places she is applying to but significantly less excited by are Wright State and Ohio U.
We are waiting on information from Shenandoah but have not heard back from them.
D is a senior and looking at how to negotiate auditions, school performance requirements, and academics so is feeling a little stressed.</p>

<p>Thanks frazled and KC. The Otterbein program is more MT than my D is interested in. We had thought Mercyhurst was more ballet than it now looks like it is from its web site. She does ballet, but is looking for a sufficient amount of modern. She did not continue with pointe at her studio so she is looking for a setting that won’t require pointe.</p>

<p>Where did you get the info on College of Charleton? Their web site didn’t have the info that it was going to a major program. </p>

<p>What was it about Ohio U that she didn’t like? My D without having visited yet is high on it at this point.</p>

<p>The reason we are starting to look at programs now at the beginning of the jr year is so she could make decisions about applications and auditions by the beginning of her sr yr.</p>