<p>I just went on a tour of amherst, and loved it, but I’m worried about the dance opportuities there (not for the usual reasons). </p>
<p>I’ve dance through high school, but I’m not a serious dancer by any standards. However, I would like to dance and take dance classes in college. I know there is a dance major, so I’m assuming most dancers at amherst are going to be much more serious than I am. Will I be able to find classes for my level? Also, I don’t want to have to travel around to the other 5 colleges a lot to take classes, but it doesn’t look like Amherst offers many dance classes on its campus.
[Five</a> College Dance Department Course Schedule](<a href=“http://www.fivecolleges.edu/dance/schedule2.html]Five”>http://www.fivecolleges.edu/dance/schedule2.html)</p>
<p>Ideally, I’d love to take a few classes a week and be with people my level (which would probably be advanced beginner) but I don’t want to spend lots of time traveling to do this. I know the colleges are close, but traveling 2-3 times a week for 4 years adds up. </p>
<p>Also, if I don’t play any sports at Amherst, will I really really left out?</p>
<p>There are several options for dance lessons outside of the theater and dance department. One is DASAC, a student hip hop dance organization. Another one is the Swing and Ballroom Dance Club. And I’m pretty sure the South Asian Students Association has its own dance team as well (anyone is welcome to join).</p>
<p>And you by no means have to play a sport to feel like you fit in. Everyone finds their niche here. Most of my friends either just play an intramural sport occasionally or don’t play a sport at all, but I have a few friends who are varsity and club athletes as well. I have a bunch of friends, both athletes and non athletes, who spend a lot of time together playing video games and who lived in the same dorm their freshman year. So there are many things like where you live and what other interests you have, not just sports, that will help you find the right friends.</p>
<p>thanks so much!
So would you say that to be a non major, the best opportunities would be outside the department? I’m generally dance modern/ballet, so hip hop might be a stretch :)</p>
<p>I’m not a dance major, so I would not be able to answer that question, but in general students here are encouraged to take a wide range of classes, not just ones in their major. It might not hurt to call up the Theater and Dance department and ask them about their classes. You can also check out the course catalog here: <a href=“https://www.amherst.edu/course_scheduler[/url]”>https://www.amherst.edu/course_scheduler</a></p>
<p>Amherst Dance is another dance organization on campus; it is student run and student choreographed. At the beginning of the semester, low pressure auditions are held and then dances are put together in a number of different styles–ballet, modern, tap, hip hop, lyrical. It attracts both novice and experienced dancers, and sounds like it would be the closest fit to your interests and experience. </p>
<p>Each group meets at least once a week for an hour or so and performances take place in the theater at the end of each semester. I believe there are some videos on YouTube of last year’s performances–search “Amherst Dance.” </p>
<p>If you have any particular questions about Amherst Dance, let me know!</p>
<p>That sounds exactly like something I would be interested in! Thanks so much. Do people tend to be only in one group, or many? (I would like to do more than 1hr of dance a week)…I’ll definitely look dances up on youtube and would love to hear any more specifics about the group.</p>
<p>You can sign up for as many dances as you like! I chose to only be in one dance last semester due to my schedule, but I would say the majority of dancers are involved with more than one of the Amherst Dance groups. I believe that the number of dances and types of dances are based on interest/availability of choreographers. That’s something to keep in mind too—if you’re interested in choreographing, Amherst Dance is a great place to do just that!</p>
<p>When I visited a different college and went to a dance practice of the audition dance team there, they seemed to look down upon the dancers in the normal dance group. Are there other groups at Amherst that might have that attitude? That college seemed to have a dance hierarchy (majors vs. non etc.)</p>
<p>That wasn’t my experience with Amherst Dance at all. My piece had a range of experience levels, and some students who were more “advanced” in one style were “less advanced” for a different style. There may be other clubs on campus that have a hierarchy that privileges older or more experienced students, but in my experience most groups are really excited to have new members regardless of skill level and are really good about getting them up to speed.</p>
<p>Also, I may be jaded, but at my high school, the dance program is certainly looked down upon by athletes and other students. Would not being involved with athletics be a problem at Amherst?</p>
<p>Being an athlete at Amherst certainly does not mean that you’re looked down upon. In my experience, everyone at Amherst pretty much gets into their own thing, be it music, dance, debate, sports, or anything in between. I’m friends with people who do a little bit of everything, and some of my closest friends at school happen to be varsity athletes. In fact, being a non-athlete has been great. I’m able to meet and become friends with people who “do” all sorts of things at school because I’m not tied to a practice schedule or set amount of time with a certain, small group of teammates. Furthermore, I’m sure you’ll find a lot of varsity athletes in your other clubs on campus. I can think of many, many dancers in Amherst Dance last semester who also play squash, tennis, soccer, lacrosse or swim.</p>