<p>Hi. My daughter wants to get out of the northeast and the horrible winters. She want to major in dance performance. She wants jazz/modern but with good ballet. Anyone know of any good ones? We were going to look at U of GA, East Carolina. Thanks.</p>
<p>UNC Greensboro is pretty well known for dance…and obviously, UNCSA, though that’s kind of a different set-up I think. (PS - I’m a Californian, so I see NC as the South. I don’t know if it really is ‘the south’…)</p>
<p>I agree with CaliforniaDancer…UNCSA is one of the best dance programs anywhere and UNCG is good as well. Elon also has a good dance program from what I hear.</p>
<p>I can vouch for Elon. Daughter is just finishing her sophomore year as a music theatre major, but is also a dancer and has had wonderful experience there so far. She takes four dance classes each semester, with dance majors, and has loved them all. They offer ballet, jazz, modern and tap. No pointe until you reach level 5 or 6 in ballet I think, although some girls do barre on pointe even in the lower levels. There are also several dance electives every semester, as well as the dance majors take some academic subjects in the dance department such as dance history, and there are yoga classes, worship in dance, etc. In the fall D will be taking a 4 credit Fosse class and a 4 credit Hip Hop class (many dance classes are one credit, but the 4 credit ones require much outside work with research papers etc). There is a fall dance concert, a spring dance concert, senior dance recital that students in all grades can audition or be asked by seniors to be in, a spring tap show, etc. Lots of opportunities to perform, as well as profs that are genuinely nice, talented, interested in their students, and my D says “kick her butt” which she loves. If you are interested in more info, send me a PM or email.
PS we are from Syracuse NY so we clearly understand wanting to get out of the cold. LOL. My D loves the weather at Elon and we love visiting her!</p>
<p>After years of reading CC (this blog), my S is ready to fly and when he considered everything he choose Elon (but not for dance). So he follows whats going on at campus. You might want to check out this weekends dance performance at Elon.</p>
<p>“Elon University’s Department of Performing Arts brings to the stage this week a dance arrangement from award-winning choreographer Laura Dean as part of VIBE, which opens May 7 with four shows scheduled through Saturday evening.”</p>
<p>I see they also have a dance blog. Good luck… And laughing, yes NC is in the South (but 75% of Elon’s students are from outside NC)</p>
<p>[E-net</a>! News and Information](<a href=“http://www.elon.edu/e-net/]E-net”>http://www.elon.edu/e-net/)</p>
<p>How about New World School of the Arts in Miami? Ds has 2 friends there who are a couple of years older than he is and each spring he has seen a step change in them as to technique and performance quality. Also who wouldn’t want to live in Miami over the winter?</p>
<p>I think that the dance program at University of South Carolina looks really interesting. If your daughter is a very serious dancer (that is, wants to become a concert dancer) and loves the warm weather, a truly fantastic dance program is the one at the College of Fine Arts at the University of Arizona. My daughter thought that the dancers she saw there were the strongest of all (and she looked at a lot of programs).</p>
<p>I agree with maltmom. My dd will be attending U of Arizona in the dance program beginning in the fall, and she fell in love with it from day one. The faculty, facilities (studios overlooking the mountains), calibre of dancers, and overall professionalism of the program made it her first choice of the many top programs she looked at. She loves the fact that it is a triple-emphasis program (ballet, modern, and jazz) and when we went to visit the spring of her junior year, we were blown away by the performance they gave (Premium Blend) in their beautiful multi-million dollar venue. It was as good or better than many professional performances we have seen, and had a great cross-section of many dance genres, from classical ballet (Balanchine’s Serenade) to musical theatre dance, tap, modern and more, all flawless. I don’t know what year your daughter is, but I highly recommend (if you are interested) taking her there her junior year for a performance (that’s another thing dd loves, over 30 performances a year) and to take classes. Then, go to the September audition (I know it’s early) and again, take classes the day before if you can get there early. Over 450 students audition for this program each year and they accept about 25, so being a “familiar face” doesn’t hurt. </p>
<p>I am glad because dd is an excellent student and will also get a well-rounded college experience with academics, etc. at U of A. She will most likely either double major or get a business-related minor. She received a generous merit scholarship which was icing on the cake. U of A is known for being a great value, even for out-of-state. And there are cactus and palm trees everywhere, the campus is beautiful!</p>
<p>Other programs I have heard good things about (not first hand) in the South are SMU and TCU, but from what I understand they are mostly ballet emphasis. There are some in Florida and California as well. We didn’t look at any of these seriously but know girls there that love them. The Ballet Talk forum will give you loads of great information on these and many other programs.</p>
<p>The best advice I could give is to start early and give yourself plenty of options. Several girls we know (all very talented dancers) limited themselves to a few selective programs and didn’t get accepted anywhere, which is heartbreaking for a dancer. If they will let you take classes, meet faculty, etc., do it!! </p>
<p>Best of luck to you and your dancer!</p>
<p>Definitely look at Oklahoma City University.</p>
<p>I can provide more information on the University of South Carolina dance program. It is definitely one that is growing and the university values it, committing the resources for a beautiful newly constructed dance facility, and naming the head of the program Susan Anderson as Professor of the year. </p>
<p>In our search for college options for our DD, we found a wonderful fit for her desire to pursue academics in college but continue dancing in a meaningful way, the University of South Carolina. Even though she is not interested in pursuing a professional career, she wanted a credible ballet based program that would afford her performing opportunities and the option to continue to dance during college. The University of South Carolina dance program turned out to be her program of first choice.</p>
<p>University of South Carolina has had a dance program for years, but its dance major is relatively new – 3 or 4 years. Their program is growing by leaps and bounds in popularity. Department Chair is Susan Anderson and faculty members include former NYCB soloist Stacey Calvert and former Boston Ballet principal Kyra Strasberg. Program is very ballet based but also has a marvelous Martha Graham based modern component led by Miriam Barbosa.</p>
<p>Tons of performing opportunities at USC and dancers are cast on ability, not class standing. Our freshman D was cast in a couple pieces her first semester. Current group of USC dancers were extremely welcoming and encouraging on both of our visits – they look happy and healthy – and are enthusiastic about the program. Performances are held in the gorgeous and relatively new Koger Center of the Arts. The community in Columbia supports the university dancers in a huge way - we attended what has become an annual benefit performance that features current dancers from the NYCB accompanied by USC dancers as corps and were amazed that so many from the community turned out in support.</p>
<p>There are a number of scholarship opportunities for dancers admitted to the program, and the best is that even a relatively small scholarship carriers with it, for out of state students, a significant reduction to almost in-state levels Susan Anderson is very supportive of her dancers and works to ensure they are accorded similar preferences extended to collegiate athletes. All and all, a program that has many options and possibilities.</p>
<p>Our D started as a dance/bio double major – but has sinced dropped those in favor of nursing. She has come to a point in her life where she wants to experience other activities, something that her demanding training scheduled during high school did not permit. She still thinks the USC program is a winner and one that dancers should consider.</p>
<p>Thank you so much for your input everyone. I never thought of Elon. We will check it out. U.South Carollina is too ballet for my dd. but thanks and good luck everyone.</p>