My daughter is a serious ballet student but has recently discovered a love of acting and singing. She definitely wants to continue a high level of ballet in college but due to a vulnerable spine is unlikely to achieve a professional ballet career. Are there college musical theater programs that would be interested in a strong dancer with relatively little high school experience in musical theater?
Point Park University
At Wright State University the Dance majors do voice and acting training as part of the program, but students can add to that if they choose and can manage it in the schedule. Dance at WSU is a little more focused on modern, rather than classical, and Dance majors can audition for all musicals. My S’s primary interest has always been MT, but he had extensive previous dance training. As a BFA MT freshman at WSU, he was placed in all upper level MT dance classes. As a freshman he was not allowed to take Dance major dance classes, but as a sophomore he is taking ballet (and maybe jazz??) with Dance majors. I believe pointe class would also be available to girls. MTs at WSU are trained as “triple threats” (actor/singer/dancer) with Acting being the main focus, but a student can add as much dance as they choose and can manage. If your D could audition well, I don’t think her lack of HS MT experience would necessarily be a problem for getting in.
I think Ball State and Arizona are both known to have fabulous ballet training. Boston Conservatory as well.
OCU has great dance training and she may even want to consider the dance performance major there. Many of the dance performance grads have great success in their careers. They do take voice and acting as part of their curriculum but their main focus is dance. Some students prefer this tract if they don’t want to take all the music theory, aural skills, music history, etc… required of MTs at OCU since MT is a Bachelor of Music degree there. If she chooses the MT degree at OCU, all dance is leveled so she could be assured she’d be placed in dance classes appropriate to her skills and experience. OCU offers ten different levels of instruction in each discipline of ballet, tap and jazz. So skill level of each class is very specific.
I would encourage any strong dancer to find programs that level their dance classes. There are many schools that do so to varying degrees. ( Some may have 3 levels while others may have 10) Also be aware there are some programs who have their MT classes go through their entire curriculum as a group. So although the group has varied skill levels in dance, they would all be in the same dance class. Nothing wrong with that at all. Just something to be aware of and to consider how that would appeal to your D as a strong dancer.
Thanks everyone - vvnstar, does OCU refer to Oklahoma City University?
@2wuhanmom - yes! Our D is a junior MT there and adores it. Happy to try to answer any questions you may have. Feel free to PM me.
At James Madison University we have had quite a few students in the Musical Theatre students who have been similar to your daughter. Please feel free to contact me with questions.
Pace has a commercial dance major that includes training in acting, singing, and technical theatre.
http://www.pace.edu/dyson/academic-departments-and-programs/performing-arts/bfa-commercial-dance
Otterbein and Roosevelt have MT w/Dance Concentrations.
SMU has a BFA dance major with an auditioned MT minor (SMU has a very well -regarded dance program).
In addition to the great recommendations above, The University of the Arts MT students also receive solid dance training. The UArts dance program is consistently considered one of the top, and the MT students’ dance classes are taught by the dance program faculty. Classes are leveled, and faculty even personalize instruction within the classes. Emphasis within the dance program can be on classical or modern forms; it’s up to the student.
Also, both Indiana and U of Oklahoma have fabulous ballet programs. I don’t know if they intersect with the MT students’ dance, though (I don’t think they do at Indiana, but I’m not sure), but it’d be worth checking out.
Montclair has a BFA in dance and if the MT’s test into it, they take ballet with the dance majors.
Thanks to all for the great suggestions!
Another thing worth considering is whether you want to select a program based on your child’s current strengths, or one that may best fill gaps in their training. I know MT kids with extremely strong dance skills (some were principal dancers in major ballet companies) who chose colleges to fill desires other than more dance training. Not sure there’s a single “right” answer but this may be food for thought.
Boston Conservatory has a fantastic dance program. My daughter trained for many years in classical ballet as well, knowing she was never going to be a ballet dancer - but the technique base has helped so much. She was able to place into higher level dance classes at BoCo, but there is still a ton for her to learn. Plus…Boston Ballet is close by, and she will often head over there on Saturdays for an extra dance class.
In addition to a strong dance program…they really work with them to become stronger actors and musicians. Freshman take 18.5 credits. Besides just singing, she is learning piano, ear training and conducting. Check it the program…it is amazing.
Thanks, mommabears26!
I would recommend that even if you want to select a program to more “fill in the gaps” in your child’s training, have her apply to programs that at least have leveled dance. No dancer with your daughter’s background will want to be in dance classes with beginners, no matter how stellar the rest of the program.
. CCPA (Chicago College of Performing Arts) has a terrific program for dancers interested in musical theatre/ This is from their website.
“The Dance Emphasis program is a unique blend of Musical Theatre disciplines for the dancer with training in acting, voice and intensive dance studies in Ballet, Jazz, Modern, Tap and Musical Theatre Dance styles. Students in the Dance Emphasis program will receive specialized training in dance pedagogy, kinesiology, and injury prevention. Dance Emphasis students are eligible for casting in musical productions on the mainstage as well as our blackbox productions.”
"Students interested in the Dance Emphasis track should already have a strong dance background and be at an intermediate to advanced level of Ballet and Jazz technique. Applicants to this program should be individuals interested in furthering their Dance training while acquiring training in Acting and Vocal Performance.
This program is the only one of its kind in the Midwest and one of very few in the United States. Students interested in the Dance Emphasis track should already have a strong background in dance training. Acting experience is a plus but not required."
Not an MT Major, but if she has any interest in teaching she should look at the Ballet Pedagogy major at Hartt (University of Hartford). It is a really unique program that gets some top notch talent coming to work with the students (Misty Copeland did a master class last spring) and she could supplement with voice and acting lessons. The downside is that those students typically only perform in a dance capacity and don’t do plays or musicals within the Hartt School. Just figured I’d throw it out there because it is one of the few places in the country with a program like it so it might be worth taking a look if she sees herself in a teaching role at some point.