<p>My friend's daughter (a HS junior) is starting her college search. She is looking for a school with an emphasis on jazz/modern dance -- preferably one affiliated with a dance company. Does anyone have suggestions/recommendations for her?</p>
<p>I teach in the School of Theatre and Dance at James Madison University in the Musical Theatre Concentration -- Dance Concentrators at JMU are in the Virginia Repertory Company in their senior year... frequent guests choreographers are brought to campus, and students often go on to work in those companies after graduation I believe. May be worth a look...</p>
<p>SUNY Purchase has an excellent dance conservatory which has sent graduates to major companies.</p>
<p>connecticut college is awesome for modern dance.</p>
<p>I'm attending the university of wisconsin-madison for dance and I really like the style modern they use, it is definatly worth it to check it out. Also University of Illinois has a very strong modern program.</p>
<p>my daughter is interested in wisconisn-madison for modern dance-how's the program and how competitive is the audition? Also, do they offer the opprotunity to double major?</p>
<p>Try Point Park University and University of the Arts in Philly. You can choose Jazz or Modern</p>
<p>My D is at NYU Tisch. They don't really have "Jazz", but have an awesome modern program. The third year (3 year program), the students are members of the Second Ave. Dance Company and have major choreographers stage works on them.</p>
<p>university of michigan- ann arbor.</p>
<p>UC-Irvine has it all, including four levels of Jazz and Modern technique (and five levels of ballet) and a great interdisciplinary relationship with other departments in the Trevor School of the Arts. Donald McKayle and Loretta Livingston (Lars Lubovitch) are amazing teachers! Sheron Wray (London Contemporary Dance and founder of JazzXChange) just joined the faculty. The faculty and graduate choreographers (and a select group of BFA choreography majors) set new works on advanced undergrads--freshmen if they're good enough. The faculty does most of the teaching--there aren't many grad students--but the MFA students are an asset For instance, a current MFA student, who danced ten years with Paul Taylor, is offering a "Liquid Body" elective.</p>
<p>University of Utah Modern Dance department. Absolutely fabulous.</p>
<p>Be sure to check out the University of Arizona. Great program and facilities. Equal emphasis on Modern-Jazz-Ballet. Difficult to get into, however.</p>
<p>Sarah Lawrence College (in Bronxville, just outside of NYC - only about 20 min by train to get to mid-town Manhattan), is also another good place for modern dance. Also an intellectual place for dance and academics. School has very small, intense-style classes, and is modeled on Oxford U’s seminar-style of education, with students required to research and write a sr thesis.</p>
<p>Bit of trivia - Obama’s chief of staff Rahm Emanuel was a former modern dancer and graduate of Sarah Lawrence.</p>
<p>Goucher (with a new this year audition for dance performance major and non-audition dance is also available) is an excellent combo of academic opportunity plus strong dance. Many/most dancers are double-majoring. My daughter is able to take ballet and modern technique daily (and point 2x week), they are generous with auditing. Lot’s of performance opportunity (No jazz technique courses that I know of, but I may just be uninformed.)</p>
<p>Extraordinary modern faculty. First generation knowlege of Limon & Graham technique.
Horton also emphasized as well as terrific exposure to cutting edge thinking.
Daughter is a freshman there and in pig heaven. All her classmates seem to be equally enthusiastic. Ballet faculty is outstanding as well. Major is called “Contemporary Dance” with about 1/3 emphasis on classical ballet and the rest on modern and contemporary training. New studios and theatre being built starting this summer to be completed for the fall of 2010. It is a small program with a lot of individual attention and respect for each kid.
Worth a look.</p>
<p>No Jazz at Michigan two years ago, and no plans to add it.</p>