If anyone has a son or daughter who has recently been at Elon as a Dance BFA student, I would love to hear about their experience and their dance and academic background before starting at Elon. My daughter has it as her top choice right now, but also has been accepted to SMU, Chapman, and others. She has danced since she was three, but her studio is not especially strong in ballet. I wouldn’t say she is weak, just not as strong as those who have had more ballet or stronger programs. She goes for her Elon audition next week, so I would hope we will know in the next weeks if she is accepted as a dance major. She is a strong academic student who has been offered a Presidential Scholarship and she hopes to double major in dance and pre-med or biology. Again, any insight into the program is appreciated.
I can’t really help much @memcass since I am in the same boat as you (my S is a high school senior like your D), so I’d love to hear more from people currently there too. But i can tell you that from what S saw at his audition back in November, they seem to have quite a good program. Their alumni seem to be getting work in the field, and S thought that the level of class instruction and of the students was good (part of the audition day includes observing some classes). Double majoring is definitely doable there (although they said it is easier with some majors than others), and that was definitely very appealing to S. Ballet is part of the audition, but Modern is just as important–it isn’t like a Butler or South Carolina where they are almost completely ballet focused-- so I think it is fine if your D is more of a modern dancer. People all seemed very nice and very happy, which is a good sign. I am not sure if S will end up there (he has a few other schools to hear back from and wants to wait to see what his options are before really thinking about things too much), but there were a lot of things he liked about the program and the school. Good luck to your D at her audition!
Thank you! Good luck to your son as well.
My daughter is a recent graduate of Elon’s BFA in Dance program. I’ll start by stating that she had a transformative experience in attending Elon and being a member of the Elon dance major. There are many superlatives I can say about the program but I’ll start first with the faculty. The program leader Dr. Lauren Kearns is an outstanding professor who takes an active interest in the development of her students. She inspires her students to excel in their development as dancers and challenges them intellectually to both think about and find new expressions of the art form. Dr. Kearns has also inspired her faculty and dance instructors to do the same. The program is both challenging while at the same time nurturing. The dance major is a community within the larger context of the university. Dance majors socialize and form tight-knit bonds as a result of all the time they spend together in studio and on the stage. After performance cast parties are a common feature of the major providing opportunity to develop enduring friendships. Elon’s dance program has terrific facilities, and many opportunities to be cast in performance during the year. The dance program is joined at the hip with the musical theater department which is regarded as being one of the best in the country. If your daughter is auditioning she better bring her game, it is highly competitive and only a few make it in each year. In all other respects, Elon was a great experience for my daughter. She loved her four years there, made a ton of friends, received a terrific liberal arts education outside of dance and loved every aspect of being on its beautiful campus. Today, she is working in her intended field and was cast in a dance company in New York.
Great information - thank you for responding. Sounds wonderful and is what she is looking for.
Thank you so much @IvyTower for sharing your daughter’s overall experience with the BFA in dance! It is SO wonderful to hear!!! My daughter attended the fall audition and was accepted into the program. 
She wept tears of joy when she got the news. She is SO excited to be part of the Elon dance family next year! She had nothing but great things to say about the whole audition process, the current students, the dean and instructors. We both really appreciated when the senior dancers spoke and answered questions about their experiences with the school, dance, and having a social life…if you could have a balance and really be able to do it all. We were very impressed with all the young women who spoke! So friendly, professional, intelligent, confident and down to earth. A major factor for my daughter in selecting a college and a dance program was if she would be nurtured and educated as a whole person and not just as a dancer. She wants to have the whole college experience. So Elon was the perfect fit for her! My daughter plans to double major in dance and psychology and would like to possibly participate in Greek life. She was happy to hear that almost the whole panel of seniors were double majors and half of them were part of a sorority. Looking forward to the Elon journey and visiting for the Spring orientation in
April!
Thank you Rookie22 for your kind words and congratulations on your daughter’s acceptance! A terrific accomplishment and much to celebrate with your family. My daughter was also a double major and sorority member. A word of encouragement… all of the sororities make way to recruit the dance majors. Why? During Greek Week each sorority puts on a dance show as a part of the Greek Week battle of the sororities. A lot goes into the productions and there is a lot on the line. The dance majors bring the creativity, choreographic skills and training and apply that in conceiving a dance performance. You can see the videos on past performances on youtube. It’s a big deal and tremendous fun. Also… in terms of dorm selection, you want to shoot for a space in Mill Point (only after the first year), the brand new residences across the train tracks and walking distance to the dance center. The Mill Point is the best housing on campus. Mind-blowing in fact… all singles with private bath, full island kitchens, clubhouse and swimming pool. Elon operates a reward system with housing. The better your grades the better the dorm. Dorm selection is tied to your GPA, so there is a system in place to incentivize students to get good grades. Best wishes to your daughter and get ready for a great four years!
Thank you so much! @IvyTower
I really appreciate you sharing your daughter’s experiences, insight on Greek life and the great housing at Mill Point for her future years. It’s very helpful to know the inside scoop on things! I believe my daughter has watched some of the Greek dances online and was really impressed by a few of them. She will be excited to read your post and to hear that being a dancer might give her an edge in the Greek recruitment process! LOL! Oh, and thanks for the inside tip regarding how the GPA effects housing assignments. I think that is a really great idea and agree that it is a great incentive. Very clever! Thanks again! Take Care
Has anyone heard if any dance scholarships have been given out yet? D was told they were waiting until after last audition date.
My D is accepted and loves the school and the program. I asked on Friday and was advised that some financial aid packages were still about 2 weeks out.
Are there dance scholarships potentially available? Or were you referring to general financial aid? I didn’t realize that there might be some possibility of scholarships through the dance department.
Yes, there are dance scholarships available… but… generally reserved for males. Why? every dance department in America needs males. Talented male dancers are coveted and in short supply. Other than that Elon will provide academically based grants and scholarship if your academic achievements are sufficiently high or if you come from an underrepresented group on campus.
Thanks @IvyTower! S is male and has been accepted to the dance department and did receive some merit money, but no one has mentioned any dance scholarship money. It sounds like info might be coming in a week or two? Perhaps S should ask!
D was wait listed for acceptance in dance program. Any idea if anyone on wait list actually gets accepted? Has anyone been accepted and will not be attending?
From what I’ve read and heard the dance scholarships are “nominal” . I recall reading that they are around $500-2,000.
My daughter is very excited about auditioning for the Dance Major at Elon this Friday, and I was wondering if anyone could tell me if parents attend any portion of the day. I noticed there is an information session at the beginning of the schedule, but I was unsure if this was for students only or for any family in attendance. Also, does anyone know how intense the interview portion is? My daughter is not super outgoing and is anxious about that part of the experience. I would appreciate any information or advice about the audition process! Thank you!
No information for you @eherrin, but “merde” to your daughter! Hoping that you come back with a review because my junior daughter is interested in auditioning/applying next year. Would love to hear your thoughts on the day and how the process runs, if you have time.