<p>My daughter is a junior dancer at a performing arts high school and it's time to begin looking at colleges. Within the last year, she has moved her focus (and interest) from ballet to modern, and my knowledge of modern-focused college level (BFA) programs is so much less rounded out than is my knowledge of ballet intensive majors. </p>
<p>We know about Fordham/Ailey, but would appreciate any other suggestions. Ideally, the program would live within a good liberal arts college or university.</p>
<p>This site is a good place to start:
<a href=“http://www.cyberdance.org%5B/url%5D”>www.cyberdance.org</a>
We were not looking for BFA programs, but I was impressed by everything I read about Elon’s BFA.</p>
<p>Hello,
I found some colleges that have modern dance major and fine arts in dance bachelor
Department of Modern Dance of the University of Utah: “The Department of Modern Dance offers a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree, a Master of Fine Arts Degree, and a Minor in Modern Dance. Courses within the Ballet curriculum are available to students enrolled in the Modern Dance program. The Department of Modern Dance resides within the College of Fine Arts and has close association with the Departments of Art and Art History, Music, Theater, and Film Studies.” You can find more information about it here: [Department</a> of Modern Dance](<a href=“http://www.dance.utah.edu/]Department”>http://www.dance.utah.edu/)
You can see a video of the Department of Modern Dance of the University of Utah here: [UUModernDance’s</a> Channel - YouTube](<a href=“http://www.youtube.com/user/UUModernDance]UUModernDance’s”>http://www.youtube.com/user/UUModernDance)
School of Dance of the University of Arizona: They have a Bachelors of Fine Arts “In the junior year, majors may select a track or combination of tracks which emphasizes ballet, modern, or jazz dance. The senior project may be in the areas of performing, choreography, teaching or production.” You can find more information about it here: [Undergraduate</a> Degree Programs](<a href=“http://cfa.arizona.edu/dance/degrees-undergrad]Undergraduate”>http://cfa.arizona.edu/dance/degrees-undergrad)
The TISCH has a department of Dance, they have a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance: “The B.F.A. degree is earned in an intensive three-year plus two-summer curriculum. First-year course work focuses on learning to dance in the most efficient and healthy way. The second year further develops these principles and adds courses in dance history, acting, improvisation, music literature, and advanced dance composition where the basic tools acquired in music and composition classes in the first year are now integrated in a course involving phrase manipulation as it applies to choreography.The third year focuses on integrating the information that has been acquired with an emphasis on performance and choreography.” You can look for more information here: [Dance:</a> Tisch School of the Arts at NYU](<a href=“http://dance.tisch.nyu.edu/page/home.html]Dance:”>http://dance.tisch.nyu.edu/page/home.html)
<p>I just wrote a little bit of the information I found in their websites, there you can see a lot of information about their courses, what they offer to the students and opportunities the students can have professionally.
I do hope it helps you and your daughter,
Good Luck!
BrunaHarvard.</p>
<p>My D moved from a classical ballet program to a modern at college two years ago. I can tell you a little about the schools she appplied to. She was looking for mixed programs that would let her keep in ballet but not have to do pointe. She also wanted some possibility of staying with some MT which makes her choices a little different.
point park - where she is and loves it
University of Iowa which she really liked but we could not afford. If money was not an issue, that is probably where she would have gone.
UMKC - which was really more of a ballet program, but they gave her lots of money so I was pushing that hard (would have been cheaper than her attending the local university).
Shenandoah - we liked some of the academic options but she hated the style of modern
Otterbein - loved the school decided the dance program was not strong enough
Ohio University - other than the full ride academic she hated everything about it (this was her forced safety)
College of Charleston- loved the school, setting … no money, not a very strong dance program (it was just moving from a minor to a major)</p>
<p>We also looked hard at Wright State which has a good modern program attached with a local company, but it was too close to home and some of the teachers she had had in HS and she really wanted to get a fresh start</p>
<p>There were other programs that I raised but for 18 year old reasons she would not consider FSU and Ok. City University. Many of the appraisals of the schools above seemed to be based on non-logical reasons, but she had to live with and at her choice.</p>
<p>Thanks, all. My daughter is Asian and so one component of the program needs to be that she is not the only (or almost the only) non-white person. I wonder if there is much diversity at Utah. Anyone look at, or know much about, Michigan?</p>
<p>My dd is at Shenandoah University and loves the modern. The instructor is from Taiwan and is taking the kids on a tour there next summer for 3 weeks. It is not traditional modern but a fusion of all styles with an asian flair. My dd is what I would say is a contemporary dancer and she is fitting right in. It is small but a beautiful little campus and all of the staff are very nice. It is in Winchester Va. Let me know if would like any other info. Good Luck! FYI: they are very generous with scholarships so dont rule them out because of cost!</p>
<p>Thanks, everyone. That’s good to know about Shenandoah. I think of that more as a conservatory than as a dance program within a strong liberal arts college, but maybe we should look again. D’s sister is at NYU Tisch as an actor, so we will of course look at NYU, too.</p>
<p>Another one to investigate might be Alonzo King’s Lines Ballet program: [Lines</a> Ballet : BFA Program](<a href=“http://www.linesballet.org/bfa/]Lines”>http://www.linesballet.org/bfa/)
I don’t know anything about the college, so you will have to do some research to see if it meets your needs. But I can relay that my daughter greatly enjoyed the summer intensive that she did with Lines a number of years ago.</p>
<p>Oh, and just one positive about Fordham. A friend of my daughter’s went there and recently was hired into Hubbard Street which is a great modern company.</p>
<p>If you’re looking to combine an excellent liberal arts education program with a quality modern dance program, look at Connecticut College.</p>
<p>Bard College in the Hudson Valley (about 2 hours north of NYC) is another excellent choice – again, if looking to combine superb academics with modern dance.</p>
<p>And Barnard in NY – they have a very good ballet program, but willing to bet their modern program is good too (with the added benefit of cross-registering for classes at Columbia across the street).</p>
<p>My daughter has her BFA in dance from NYU Tisch. You may want to check out DANCE magazine’s college guide. They list all the schools, what they offer and what the requirements are. My daughter also was a strong ballet focus and switched to modern and was a grad of a P.A. high school as a dance major as well as attended a prestigious ballet academy. Her first choice was always Tisch. She did look at Ailey/Fordham program along with Juilliard (poor academics) and Marymount Manhattan (her safety school) but applied early decision to Tisch and was accepted. You might want to check out SUNY Purchase too. There are many more schools that are modern/contemporary focus than there are ballet focus schools although they all have ballet as a major portion of their training for obvious reasons. Those schools are in NYC or close by (SUNY Purchase.) You should plan a visit to them, see a showing and meet with the department head to see if she is a good fit. Good luck.
*Going to a school in an area that has a strong dance presence like NYC or Philly can be helpful for getting work after graduation. Your daughter would make some strong dance ties and might get work in her senior year showing. Many important people came to my daughter’s showing at Tisch in her last year and were hired right from the school.</p>
<p>I second the suggestion of Dance Magazine’s college guide, and also a book entitled “Creative Colleges,” which covers dance, music, visual arts, theater and writing.</p>
<p>NYU is expensive, but is a three year program so that helps.</p>
<p>James Madison has a strong modern auditioned BA program, with strong training both in dance and choreography. Many guest artists come to campus each year and work with the student dancers, setting pieces. The juniors and seniors have the opportunity to audition for the pre-professional company – VA Rep --which performs on campus and travels to perform around the mid-Atlantic region. </p>
<p>I have heard good things about Connecticut College and Skidmore College, as well.</p>
<p>A great place to begin is with Dance Magazine’s Guide to College Dance. I believe a new edition is just out. They have profiles of the schools (written by the school departments) as well as a chart of criteria. It would be really wise to contact several dance professionals or current dance majors at various schools for firsthand information and advice. It is a special field about which most high school guidance counselors don’t know.</p>
<p>Southern Methodist University-GREAT modern emphasis
SUNY Purchase
Florida State University
Boston Conservatory-if your looking for a conservatory, also very traditional like SMU
Fordham/Ailey- as mentioned very classical, specific modern techniques, great feeder into the Ailey Company
(NYU is very contemporary for those that have mentioned it.)</p>
<p>Based on your criteria, I agree with MAG325’s suggestion of looking into SMU’s program. I was very impressed with their curriculum, facility, faculty, and general student population when I auditioned there. I almost chose SMU…can’t say enough good things about that school!</p>
<p>Thanks, all. Many of the kids graduating from my kid’s performing arts high school go to Purchase, Indiana, Butler, Fordham, Dominican, Arizona, NCSA and so on. I have not heard of anyone going to SMU and we will look into it. Anyone know if the program is at all racially diverse? My daughter is Asian and is accustomed to an environment with about 65% non-white people. The racial composition of the class isn’t <em>the</em> premiere concern (the quality and fit for her, is, obviously) but I also don’t think it would be beneficial to attend an almost all white school.</p>