Dance Majors?

College Majors Dance Major
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<p>This is my first post here...kinda nervous, but great site with much info!</p>

<p>Anyone else have a child who is planning to major in dance? My d is a strong student who wanted a strong dance program with great academic opportunities. Not an easy thing! Any others out there?</p>

<p>She is looking at Barnard and at U Mich . Two VERY different programs, but there are things she loves about each. She has been accepted at Michigan (LS&A---she wants to dual-major) and we are waiting on the results of her dance audition there. Also waiting on Barnard. Any others of you been this route? Other program suggestions?</p>

<p>Thanks!</p>

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<p>My D is not a Dance major but access to high-level ballet was one of her criteria and we became familiar with a fair amount of Dance programs as a result.</p>

<p>You should probably re-post this question in the "College Search & Selection" forum.</p>

<p>The main questions are: what kind(s) of Dance is your D interested in, how academically challenging an environment does she want, and does she want regular college courses as part of her education or would she prefer a conservatory-style program focused on Dance?</p>

<p>Finally...welcome to the Board!!!</p>

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<p>I have really enjoyed perusing this site and reading various posts of yours....</p>

<p>My daughter has, in essence, narrowed her dance program choices down to the University of Michigan and Barnard. I sometimes wish she would apply more places (she also has been accepted to the University of GA but we get the impression their dance program is pretty un-exciting...trying to set up an ovservation there...), though, because finances will definitely play a part considering out of state tuition. It REALLY hurts because, as GA residents, she will get a free ride to UGA via the HOPE scholarship. My daughter does NOT want a conservatory-style program (she spent 3 weeks at Tisch this summer and realized that program is not for her). She basically wants the most challenging academics she can get with a high quality dance major. She does NOT want to be a "bun head" (dance-slang for ballerina...haha); she DOES want a variety of styles. She is well-trained in modern, jazz, tap, musical theatre, ballet....and loves them all. </p>

<p>The thing is, U of M and Barnard are two VERY different programs. My primary purpose in posting is to see if anyone out there has experience with either program as a dance major. She doesn't know if she will get into Barnard yet (but we are optimistic), and her audition last week at U of M went VERY well, so we are anticipating her having to make a choice.</p>

<p>I will re-post (or try to if I can figure it out!) as you suggested.</p>

<p>Thanks again!</p>

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<p>SMU has a great dance program, but the academics might not be strong enough for your D.</p>

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<p>CMM, my daughter is one of the bunheads but the single best dance class she took while exploring colleges was with Allegra Kent at Barnard, which does sound as if it's a good fit for your D as the emphasis of the program appears to be on modern (gauging by the performances offered and from what other parents have told me) while offering classes in the other genres. It is no accident that a number of the stronger Dance programs were at womens colleges (Barnard, Smith). </p>

<p>My D had the same reaction to Tisch. She also hated the info session so much that she declined to go on the tour afterwards. Fwiw. I do know parents whos kids are very happy there.</p>

<p>Btw, I slipped up a few times over the years too but for privacy reasons it's probably not a good idea to use your D's name in the posts. </p>

<p>Was the audition at U/Michigan in the context of the MT program or was it a Dance-specific audition? </p>

<p>DANCE magazine has a once a year summary of college Dance programs...many many pages...that might be a lot more useful to you than it was us, simply because ballet programs with more than Beginning and Intermediate were fairly rare. Both U/Utah and Indiana/U are supposed to have good Dance departments but imo their academics in general aren't at the level that your D seems to be seeking.</p>

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<p>Hi! I am the mother of a freshman BFA dance major at UMich, and I went through all of this last year. I'm thrilled to report that D. is ECSTATIC with the program at UMich, which, starting next year, will only offer a BFA, not a choice between a BFA OR a BDA (bachelor of dance arts; not as much dance). However, it still is possible to double major with LS & A. (my daughter is not doing this, but many students are)</p>

<p>We did not look at Barnard, as D. really wanted a BFA, not a BA (or BDA), but the academic quality of the school was extremely important to her. Also, she had heard that Barnard might be more ballet based (?true - don't know), and also, she probably would not have been accepted academically. And, thus, Mich won. She did not want a conservatory or an "arts school" either, though she has dance friends at Point Park and Cal Arts. </p>

<p>The program is heavily modern-based, with lots of ballet for technique. No pointe, and not too many "bun-heads," (though there are a few!) Also, you should know that there is essentially no tap or jazz, though a few of the girls eventually take it in the musical theater department, but there are a lot of conflicts with scheduling the musical theater classes. My D. loved jazz, but realizes that she wants to eventually be in a modern company, not on a cruise ship or on Broadway. She knows she can also pick up jazz again in NYC or wherever she ends up. Some of the dance majors were disappointed in the amount of modern that is required (a LOT!), and have left the program. As far as my D. is concerned, it is perfect for her.</p>

<p>She LOVES her teachers (all of them) and her classmates (and there are 4 guys in her class this year). There are MANY performing opps, though the freshmen are only required to be in one piece in the February Power Center show. D. is in 3 pieces in Power, including the guest artist one; also, she was cast in a senior's BFA project in the Nov. show (it was a wonderful show- the seniors choreograph at least one group piece and an optional solo); and also will be in the April BFA senior show; and also agreed to be in a student's independent show in March, and will also have "Freshmen Touring Company" after the Power Show is done. Whew! This is why she did NOT want to double major. And, it seems to me, that she is performing and rehearsing as much as/ or more than/ some of her dance friends who are at Cal Arts. Not only that, she feels she is already (!) making a ton of contacts -- through professors, fellow students, guest artists, and graduates of the program.</p>

<p>And, she love uMich in general, anyway....has great (non-dance) friends in addition to the dance friends; loves her academic classes for the most part, and is doing very well. And this from a girl who did NOT want such a "huge" school.</p>

<p>I can tell you lots more if you have specific questions; either post here (I still lurk, as I have another D. who is a senior in HS now, not a dancer)..or email me.</p>

<p>Judy...aka wnydancemom :)</p>

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<p>your message was very welcomed! My daughter and I were up there (in Michigan) last weekend for the auditions. Thank God they were not THIS weekend, or we would never get home <grin></grin></p>

<p>My D LOVES the program at Umich...she got really good and encouraging feedback from all of the teachers (she knew some of them from doing their summer intensive last summer), LOVED the classes, and has gotten encouraging e-mails from some of the faculty since then. At this point, she REALLY wants to go to Michigan (and I would love for her to be able to do so).</p>

<p>My biggest question is regarding finances. Of course we don't know about any possible assistance through dance scholarships yet (and I know those are not large, regardless). We are in Georgia, so we are looking at the HUGE out of state costs for Michigan. Are you out of state and, if so (if I may be so rude/bold), how are you affording the costs??? My D has applied for several small scholarships (1-2,000 each), and we are doing the FAFSA, but I don't hold out much hope for tremendous help there. And I am afraid D won't qualify for much in the way of academic scholarships...her grades are wonderful, but SAT's and such are not above the "magic" 1400 number...</p>

<p>The really tough thing is we have the HOPE in GA...all 4 years tuition-free with the grades required. The dance program there, we have heard, is not that wonderful, though. She is going to visit it this week, however, to see for herself... </p>

<p>One other note...several of us "parents" were invited to stick around to talk to Bill DeYoung after he taught the audition class, and we had the chance to talk with a few students as they wandered into the lounge. Each and every one was enthusiastic and seemed very satisfied with their program there. It was quite inspirational, actually.</p>

<p>I would love to e-mail you directly. </p>

<p>Thanks again!!!</p>

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<p>Her audition was for the dance program. She thought she was interested in musical theatre at one time (still loves the style), but realized she does not feel comfortable with the vocal auditions required. </p>

<p>Thanks for the advice re names...didn't mean to do that!</p>

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<p>I edited out the student's name from post #3. As TheDad observes, using student names isn't a good idea for reasons of privacy. Also, if you wish to e-mail someone, please click on their screen name and their profile will come up. If they have elected to accept e-mails from CC posters, you can just click on that option and compose an e-mail. Again, for various reasons, including privacy, we do not allow posting of e-mail addresses on College Confidential.</p>

<p>I'm glad that you're finding CC to be a good resource for your needs and, one hopes, a good community as well. Welcome.</p>

<p>--Moderator Obiwan</p>

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<p>Also take a peek at Goucher. They offer some nice awards and the dance program is supposed to be pretty good. The due date for the app is Feb 1, I believe.</p>

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<p>Hi everyone,
I’m a junior in college, and though not a dance major (my college doesn’t offer a dance major), I’ve studied and performed ballet and modern dance for eight years and I dance with my college ballet company. In high school, I was much more serious about my training and studied with a well-known company. I’m currently looking for merit scholarships that I could apply for. (I am not eligible for need-based financial aid). Do any of you know of any merit scholarships for dancers who are in college/ college students who study dance? I know about the Jessica Karrat scholarship, but that’s about it. What are some others that I could apply for? I would be very grateful if someone could point me in the right direction. (I’ve done lots of Google searches, but so far haven’t found anything very promising.) Thank you so much!</p>

<p>Please feel free to private message me on collegeconfidential with any info you might have. (Or post it. Either would be great.) Thanks!</p>

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<p>Hi to all: my D is trying to make her final decision so any help would be appreciated: she will be a dance major - seeking BFA - please give opinions on Boston Conservatory v. The Hartt School (at U Hartford) v. U Arts? Thanks very much!!!</p>

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<p>exprep: your college does not offer a dance major but has a ballet company! Could you Please say what college that is? I thought that at colleges those two things always came with the other. We are looking for a school with a deep level of ballet offerings, but not necessarily a major. What college is this? Thank you!</p>

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<p>1bie792, I know that Barnard offers both a dance major and has a ballet company (the Columbia Ballet Collective, I believe it’s called) that actually is a very high level group (many former professional dancers in it, I think).</p>

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<p>Also, since I started this thread (my very first post after joining CC years ago!!!), and it’s been recently “resurrected”, I felt I should possibly update:</p>

<p>My D did indeed attend Barnard. She ended up discovering a love for neuroscience there and also danced professionally in one summer show at a regional theater while an undergrad. She is currently working on her PhD in neuroscience and still taking dance classes. :)</p>

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<p>1bie792 - there are a number of very selective schools that have ballet companies without having academic programs in dance. My daughter is in the Harvard Ballet Company and they have no majors or minors in dance. It too is a high level group. Graduates from last year are now dancing professionally with ABT, Boston Ballet, and Ballet Austin. Harvard has technique classes that are extracurricular with very accomplished instructors. While I don’t know how strong the ballet companies are, I do know that Princeton and U. of Chicago also have extracurricular ballet companies.</p>

<p>Lalarainy - my daughter has a friend at Boston Conservatory and I understand that she is happy there. I don’t have any details for you though and I don’t know anything about the other two schools. Good luck.</p>

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<p>ok thank you! glad your D is so happy!</p>