Do you have a daughter or son who is involved in the commercial dance program? If so what are your thoughts?
No. We were just applicants. Daughter didnāt get an artistic offer, much to her huge disappointment.
Sorry to hear of her disappointment. I hope she found a happy place and good fit for her. My two older boys turned down their first choices because of the costs and they both were able to graduate with minimal debt. It was a difficult choice for both, and now we find ourselves in the same situation with the youngest 
He just needs to figure out how much debt heās willing to take on after our support.
I will say the costs of these conservatory-type programs have been somewhat of a shock to us. Fortunately, heās getting good scholarship offers, but proportionately itās not the same as non-dance tracks. And the irony, is I see how much more work has gone into getting him to this point. I guess thatās why I used the term ādisheartening.ā He dreams of a future where dance can be more affordable for all. Anyhow, heās got great choices and I would support any of them for him.
1 Like
I will say that any debt at all is a terrible idea if he wants to make a career in dance. D is graduating this spring and weāve been surprised to find that many dance companies no longer pay trainees and instead expect you to pay them anything from $5000 to $14000 pa for the privilege of a yearās postgraduate training (and living expenses may be another $20000, which is hard to offset with a job when you are in the studio all day and may have evening and weekend performances). So the costs often donāt stop after college.
Itās hardly surprising that at least two thirds of her class are giving up on dance (and thatās after a third of the original group dropped dance during college). Most simply canāt afford to continue.
Wow! That seems crazy - not at all what we have heard about the BFA commercial dance programs where my DS applied - we were told that these schools actually feed straight into the working industry through many channels and actually allow you to (if necessary) pause education track in order to accept contract to work (Broadway shows, etc). Dance is his passion and he knows itās not usually very lucrative but wants long term career in dance, most likely in choreography after his performance career. I canāt talk him out of his major choice, even if I wanted to.
Maybe different in commercial dance (D is looking at ballet). But I would look closely at the structure (eg is it a full time job or audition based where you compete each time and donāt get paid unless you are in a production) and pay levels for new graduates. Debt can be very limiting in terms of some opportunities. Thatās why doing a second major as a backup career is generally advised.
2 Likes
So to close the loop on my sonās journey, he has chosen Boston Conservatory. He loved the audition there and felt at home. BoCo is starting a commercial dance BFA program and his will be the first class through there. While as pricey as Paceāand this was a strong contender for him, actually all the schools were great optionsāthe BoCo program runs three years, so in the long run will be less. The choice was not easy. He was also looking at OCU and Point Park. He let the other schools know of his decision so they could take from waitlist. Thanks for all of the input you all have given in this thread and I hope every one of you or your sons/daughters ultimately are thriled with their choices.
1 Like
Congratulations to your son!!
We just visited Boco also for Commercial dance and we still havenāt been able to get a curriculum. Weāre you able to find one? Iām feeling not super confident about paying a deposit without even a PDF listing the courses offered and structure of the program.
Hi, congrats to your daughter. Did she like it? Such a cool area and school. Anyhow my son had a really good meeting with an admissions counselor on what to expect. It appears there are basic courses that thread throughout the program no matter what track the cd student selects but the program is designed to be tailored to the studentsā selections. The program is designed to prepare students for a commercial career from the get go but has a focus on well being. There is a study away element. If she chooses to go or has further questions let me know through dm. Iām sure heād be happy to share what heās learned. I can tell you he has heard such nice things from other schools that decision wasnāt easy.