Ok I would like opinions on what programs you think or have auditioned at or have knowledge of that dance plays a large part in the audition/ acceptance at that school. Like for example the school really stresses dance on their acceptance of you as a freshman etc. not necessarily that the dance call was difficult at the audition but that the school really wants strong dancers from the get go. I believe penn state to be this way perhaps? Any others? I am just trying to give my D more perimeters in eliminating schools to apply to in the fall and we already have of course the financial and geographic boundaries plus curriculum so since my D is not a dance heavy candidate (a singer/ actor who can move would be a better description) I think we should eliminate schools that take few to begin with and where she is likely to be booted for lack of dance from the get go. Thanks!!
I’ve heard Florida State puts a lot of emphasis on dance.
I’d say Point Park is known for putting emphasis on dance, but thats not to say there are no “movers” in the program
My S’s audition coach said Point Park is DANCE HEAVY. I do remember that. Also, at NY Unifieds BOCO had a 90 minute dance call and on campus at Pace, the dance call was about 90 minutes. I am not sure if that means anything but something you can read into if you want…
@dankadon, I talked with a Park Point alum at Unifieds about the school being dance heavy. She explained that there is a dance program that recruits highly trained dancers. But the MT program, she said, was less dance-heavy. They accept students of varying abilities and provide them with excellent dance training. Limited dance experience is not a bar to acceptance. I previously had the same perception and had dismissed Point Park from my son’t list early on, thinking it was too “dancey” for us. After talking with the alum, my son auditioned as a walk-in at Unifieds and the school has quickly become one of his favorites. Keeping our fingers crossed for a good-news email from Point Park tomorrow!
I have known 2 girls at point park MT in the last 2 years- I would say both are “movers” rather than “dancers”
Good to know! 
I think it’s unwise to cross schools off the list based on whether a school has a reputation for caring about (or not) about dance. I think we’ve established in other threads that anything goes in the audition process so there is no point in trying to guess what the auditors will care most about in a given year. Most schools have a dance call and, anecdotally, I would say that most of those who audition for MT are movers and not dancers. Schools want to see you “sell it” out there. They want to see your acting when you do that combo. Are you confident? What is your face showing? Are your intentions clear? Finally, if dancing is a student’s weakest discipline, then I would certainly want a school that values dance training. I know for our D that she feels that acting training is where she needs the most work so she applied to programs with an acting-heavy curriculum. I understand your reason for asking @theaterwork. You are looking for criteria to narrow your list of potential programs. IMHO I would focus on what the program would offer your student rather than trying to guess what an auditor will care about in an audition.
Yes @HappyDancer98 I am just trying to narrow a list and make very good use of our money and resources and time. Going to a zillion auditions is not going to be a reality for us so I am trying to get a feel for what schools just might not be worth the effort if they are known for being dance heavy & are known to have a large emphasis on it in the audition process. on top of the fact that they only accept 6-8 girls a year, etc. However, if this information is not really available then so be it but I figured there would be opinions from others on whether schools are known to want dancers that are already proficient. I know the whole thing is a crap shoot trust me…
Well, I should explain that we saw kids who never took a real dance class make it into programs that seem to care about dance. Then our D was cut from Penn State and she dances 20 hours per week or more. She was also admitted to Ithaca’s acting program and she considers that her weakest link. She wasn’t admitted to MT there. Go figure. So many stories out there like that. If time and budget is limited, I would take ballet and then maybe a private lesson per week where you work on learning new combos (maybe you could find combos on YouTube too) because I think one of the toughest parts of some of the dance calls can be picking up the combos quickly. It’s crazy but simply practicing new combos makes it easier to learn other new combos quickly. I sincerely believe being a confident mover is what matters most to college auditors. Good luck narrowing your list.
I have a daughter that is not a trained dancer, she took this into consideration as well. The only school from her list that she probably should have omitted was Penn State. The panel of auditors was the same for dance, songs and monologues. She lost her focus in a challenging dance call, and the auditors had very clearly dismissed her before the remainder of her audition. If she could have maintained her confidence, she might have been given a closer look. But, with the low # of acceptances, unless it’s your daughter’s dream/reach school, probably not a good use of time/money.
As @HappyDancer98 mentioned, I wouldn’t worry too much about what schools might heavily or equally weigh dance in auditions. But, if your daughter is someone who has difficulty learning choreography on the fly and/or her confidence would be shaken by tough dance calls, then you might want to think twice (as we did) about Pace, Point Park, Syracuse and those already mentioned based on the difficulty of the calls. (Also - great advice from happydancer98 on learning & practicing combos!)
Movers can do well in this process, and my D is fortunate to have some great options so far. We’d like to think that is partially a result of a well-crafted list (and her abilities) so I understand why you are asking. Best of luck with your daughter’s list, and remember…this is just one opinion.
I know it’s hard to say what schools want. I just knew certain schools emphasize dance being as important as singing and acting. My D definitely wants to work on and improve her dance which is really not that bad to begin with. It’s just her least strong area of the three. but I agree that it’s hard to determine to what degree the school would say " well her dance is not as good as others but her vocal is better" etc.
When my D was at SETC a school mentioned on this forum for example was not concerned about dance training for admission. My D asked about dance offered in the program in general and he discussed what classes were required etc & then said " we don’t emphasize dance to the degree of some schools. I am not here to create chorus girls" …
My daughter is at Point Park and dance is not her strongest discipline. I believe that many strong dancers apply for the MT program because they have a great reputation around the world among dancers for their dance major however they greatly appreciate strong singers and actors in the MT program. Everyone in the MT program auditions for dance at the beginning of the year and they are leveled for the dance class appropriate for them. There are students in the beginning ballet class who have had little to no ballet experience. The super strong dancers are able to take classes with the dance majors and there are all sorts of abilities in between.
@theaterwork You mentioned the cost of attending a lot of on-campus auditions and I just have to say that going to Chicago Unifieds was one way we cut costs tremendously. D went to Moonifieds (very helpful) and Chicago Unifieds (9 auditions there including some callbacks). She did just one on-campus audition close to home. So far she has three acceptances, three rejections, and two waitlists. She is still waiting to hear from three schools. She dropped another off the list after an earlier acceptance. Limiting on-campus visits, and doing as many as possible in Chicago, worked for us both in time and money spent. But I will say that our strategy did not afford the opportunity for walk-ins and it seems those can be very valuable. I think some folks may have gone to Unified auditions in two locations. That might be a good strategy for maximizing money and time spent plus it would give you the opportunity to do some walk-ins. I know I’m OT but I see where you’re going with this. Most of us have limited resources and are trying to get the most bang for our buck.
@theaterwork Something else you may want to investigate is , which schools will level dance classes. This allows students with extensive dance experience to not be in the same classes as those with little.
@alwaysamom that’s a great point! Does anyone here have experience to know which schools level their dance classes (I think Wagner does)?
Roosevelt-CCPA levels their dance classes, plus they have a separate dance major for MT. Students can take extra dance included in tuition if their schedule permits (D couldn’t fit in extra until Junior year, but students with usable AP credits had room). There are several well-regarded dance studios near the school (Lou Conte, Joffrey) where students can take extra dance as well.
OCU has 10 different levels of dance for each discipline (ballet, tap and jazz) in addition to a number of other elective dance classes that can be taken. Students level each semester for each discipline. So you could be in a more advance level for tap than you are for ballet. It is all dependent on how you level. MTs and dance majors can be in the same classes if that is what you level into. All dance classes are in the Ann Lacy School of Dance which has a wonderful reputation. You can also get a dance performance major at OCU if you wish. Dance Performance majors do get some voice and acting as part of their curriculum so it is an option you might consider if you are a strong dancer. They have many alums who are working on Broadway, in national tours, regionally, cruise ships, etc… For example, Sasha Hutchings is in Hamilton right now.
Otterbein levels dance classes. There has not been a dance call at Unifieds for the past couple years, but they do have a dance call for on-campus auditions.
UArts levels all dance forms, all MT dance classes are taught by the same teachers their well-reputed dance major program uses, and MTs can be in the same classes as dance majors. Some dance teachers even level within the classes so students work on different levels of skills within the class. The teachers pay close attention to what each student needs. Another example of that (not bragging, just giving a concrete example): D’s tap teacher pulled her aside this week and told her she will skip a level or two (I’m not sure which) next semester in tap and also told her to begin auditing that class this semester on top of the dance classes she already is taking. D also chose on her own to audit an additional jazz class last semester. It’s all individualized…