I found that CoC had a dance program on here. I was originally under the impression that no audition was required, but they did request one and formally admit my D to the program, so I’m not sure that’s true anymore. But… I have a few questions, if anyone has info. In searching for videos of the program output, we’ve seen girls dancing en pointe, but there are no pointe classes offered- and ballet only twice a week. I was also told from the mother of a kid in the program on fb that they only require a single technique class per semester. Can that be true? My daughter has emailed to ask how many hours per weeks of technique and rehearsals are typical but she hasn’t gotten an answer. I’m trying to decide if I should still take her for her scheduled visit or save the $$ and time (its a looong drive each way). Does anyone have input into this program? She does like the school overall, so I don’t want to dismiss it if I’m reading things wrong.
Ok, I got some answers elsewhere and I thought I would share, because it’s important info.
Their majors only take 1-2 technique classes per semester, averaging 5 hours of dance training per week. They can join a dance club to bump it a couple more hours. Many girls look to private studios to compliment their training, at their own cost. All or nearly all dancers double major. No pointe. Ballet twice a week, max.
That’s all I got. It’s very clearly not the place for my D at this point, but I figure this might help someone in the future.
Can you clarify what/where is CoC?
College of Charleston, Charleston SC.
I wonder if there is any major that has a bigger range of requirements for the same area of study. You really do have to look closely and even then it can be hard to get a clear answer! We’ve found that even between BFA programs there is a HUGE difference in the amount of technique classes students take. I assume this is a BA program, but only one technique class a semester seems really low…
@threegirlpileup that is actually for the more intensive performance concentration in the major. I was shocked too- I think it’s possibly even wrong of them to call it that, personally. Their program is more theory based, with more classes in a classroom than a studio. I’ve spoken to parents (3) of recent graduates or current students, and my daughter has spoken to admissions. It’s really a very dance-light program.
@milgyfam it reminds me a little of when (much earlier in the process) we were setting up a visit to Sarah Lawrence when we were in the area. They have some amazing faculty and one of my dd’s favorite teachers got her MFA there. When it got close to setting up her schedule for the day, it turned out that there were no technique classes on the day we were going to visit, and in fact there were only technique classes offered 3 days a week. Well, my dd decided then that there was no point in visiting since she didn’t want to dance only 3 days a week in college. The person we had been communicating with was really put off and very defensive about the program!! I mean, I’m sure it’s a great program in many ways–but not the right fit for my dd. No reason to get salty with us because of that!
Yes, a couple of the parents I spoke to were very defensive as well. I am sure CoC is perfect for many students, even a number of dancers, but not for my D. Plenty of people are looking to scale back on their activities in college, I just didn’t expect that they would also want to major in it. My D finds 15-20 ish hours of dance per week to be her sweet spot. That eliminated conservatories, but most BA and BFA programs would be right there- at least with rehearsals. She is also not willing to give up pointe training already- she’s only be in pointe shoes for 16 months- so that is fairly non-negotiable for her. Not paying for outside studios is 100% non-negotiable for me.
Not to go totally off-topic, but one of the things I really liked about Towson is that they were really clear about what they do, why they do it, and not in the least bit defensive or trying to oversell the program. (They are on the lower end of dance hours for a BFA program, but they’ve also clearly thought it out well.) My dd had a similar experience at UNC-G. The schools that seemed more impressed with themselves and needed to “sell” us on how amazing they were (even to go so far as to say they were better than other specific programs!) really rubbed us the wrong way.
College is expensive and dance programs are so different! Just because a school isn’t right for your dd or mine doesn’t mean you’re saying it’s BAD. Just the wrong fit.