Musical Theater Schools with good dance programs

College Majors Musical Theater Major
21

<p>My D is a BFA-MT with a Dance Minor at PACE University in NYC. As you can imagine, being in NYC gives the students the opportunity to work with amazing dance teachers and choreographers. Check it out! My D was accepted in many MT programs but is so pleased with her choice.</p>

22

<p>The University of New Hampshire in Durham has a BA in Theatre with an emphasis in Musical Theatre or Dance Option. One can also minor in either/or. It’s a great Lib/Arts school with very strong performing arts.</p>

<p>The 2013-2014 season includes AIN’T MISBEHAVING and NEXT TO NORMAL for musical productions and the UNH Dance Company will perform ALICE IN WONDERLAND (jazz, tap & aerial dance) and PETER AND THE WOLF (ballet corps)</p>

<p>We have just begun an audition requirement to enter the undergraduate program. Details about the program, the season and the audition requirements can be found d at [University</a> of New Hampshire - Department of Theatre and Dance - Theatre and Dance Home](<a href=“http://www.unh.edu/theatre-dance]University”>http://www.unh.edu/theatre-dance).</p>

23

<p>My D will be at Ball State, and she has said it was the hardest dance audition she had last year. Really strong faculty and they have a BFA Dance program as well as MT.</p>

24

<p>Coastal Carolina University has 2 terrific new dance faculty coming on board this year. I know the current students are super excited!!
<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/coastal-carolina-university/1512574-ccu-welcomes-two-new-dance-faculty.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/coastal-carolina-university/1512574-ccu-welcomes-two-new-dance-faculty.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

25

<p>This year Roosevelt/CCPA has added a BFA MT Dance emphasis to their programs. Check it out!</p>

26

<p>Adding [Ball</a> State Theatre and Dance](<a href=“http://cms.bsu.edu/academics/collegesanddepartments/theatredance/programsstudy/musicaltheatre]Ball”>http://cms.bsu.edu/academics/collegesanddepartments/theatredance/programsstudy/musicaltheatre) to this list of training programs. Please continue it and add others that you know of!</p>

<p>[Ball</a> State](<a href=“http://cms.bsu.edu/academics/collegesanddepartments/theatredance/programsstudy/musicaltheatre]Ball”>http://cms.bsu.edu/academics/collegesanddepartments/theatredance/programsstudy/musicaltheatre)
BoCo
CCM
Elon
FSU
UMich
Montclair
NYU
OCU
OU
Otterbein
Point Park
Roosevelt
Syracuse
Texas State
UArts
WMU
Wright State</p>

<p>I’m going to be a Junior musical theatre major and dance minor this coming fall. I knew that dancing would be a very important aspect of my education and I wanted to get the most intense and well rounded training that I possibly could. The dance program and faculty here at BSU are simply incredible and they continually push me everyday. I wanted a place where I could focus on my skill in the classroom, and at the same time be able to apply my training to a production on the stage. I’m able to do that here. Ball State is consistently putting on very large, dance-heavy productions. The staff in our dance department, along side our theatre department, are sincerely interested in each student as an individual and will take time out of class to help a student grow and set personal goals. I have seen so much growth in myself and in my fellow classmates.</p>

27

<p>My D just graduated from the Penn State MT program. She went in as a singer with very average dance skills. She came out as a singer and dancer. The dance program was very challenging and she was able to fit many extra dance classes into her schedule each semester.
Ball State
BoCo
CCM
Elon
FSU
UMich
Montclair
NYU
OCU
OU
Otterbein
Penn State
Point Park
Roosevelt
Syracuse
Texas State
UArts
WMU
Wright State</p>

28

<p>I think there are 2 different discussions evolving here to reflect different needs. My D already was a very strong dancer, so she insisted on a program that had advanced, leveled dance classes where she could still be challenged. The list of schools that would meet her needs would likely look different than a list of schools that are great at turning a non-dancer into a dancer. Some schools would be on both lists, but not all. FYI she chose Montclair, which has many levels of dance, and where MT students can minor in dance and even take dance classes with BFA dance students.</p>

29

<p>Agreed. And then there are also schools that take dance into heavy consideration when building a class. That could also vary from year to year, however.</p>

30

<p>Agree with Calliene as well. When my D applied to BFA in MT programs, she had been studying dance her entire life. One plus of her MT program at Tisch at the time was that for every year of the program, there were leveled classes and so those with a lot of dance experience were not taking the same classes as those who were just starting out. So, the needs of someone coming in with very little dance training and looking at programs is not going to be the same as someone who wants to be challenged with dance after having studied it for years prior to college.</p>

31

<p>The new head of the MT Dept at U of Utah, Denny Berry, comes from a choreography background. She is very new (1 year) and the program is only 3 yrs old. She is changing the dance curriculum from Ballet & Jazz in their renown Dance Dept to in-house MT Core Dance (with varying levels). She will be teaching some of those classes, and they hired faculty from the dance department. I can say that the Freshmen are scheduled to take MT Core Dance M-F from 8-9:30 and daily dance is required all 4 years. My D starts there in the Fall. I hope Utah will end up on this list in a year or two, but it is too soon to tell.</p>

32

<p>That is interesting! We visited Tisch this past summer when d was doing Rockette intensive, and they told us everyone starts at square one. At that point, d scratched Tisch off her list. Any others who recently visited learn different???</p>

33

Anyone want to make a 2016 list of Musical Theatre Schools with good dance programs for strong dancers?

34

I have been told there are two options for strong dancers.

  1. the program with advanced dance curriculum options
  2. the program with the option to dance with dance BFA majors

this list might include:

Pace U
U of Arizona
Texas Christian U ( BFA in ballet)
Texas State U
Cincinnati Conserv
Rider U
Roosevelt ( dance focus)
U Arts
PPU
Otterbein ( choreography minor)

35

Keeping her dance up at a high level was a huge factor in my daughter’s decision (she actually had a few pure dance programs on her list). In addition to @Notmath1 list about (and vouching for UArts, Roosevelt/Dance Emphasis and Point Park) I can add a few we were excited about last year:

Hartt (leveled and option to take with dance majors)
University of Buffalo (can graduate with a BFA in MT and BA in Dance if auditioned acceptance to both)

Caution on some programs that have an auditioned Dance BFA - depending on the school you may need to audition and petition to be let into the dance major classes. Sometimes they are not able or conflicts make it impractical.

And some schools have clubs, workshops and nearby dance studios for afterclass noncredit opportunity.

36

I would definitely add the Ann Lacy School of Dance & Entertainment at Oklahoma City University to that list. It has one of the top theatre dance programs in the country. Each different dance discipline has 10 different levels and you are leveled each semester. Graduates have great success in the industry appearing on Broadway in shows such as Hamilton, on national tours, regional productions, Rockettes, Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders, etc… You also get excellent training in physiology, business management, arts administration, event planning, etc… If you are an MT major at OCU, you level for dance classes along with dance majors and are placed in classes according to your skill level. So if you are an advanced dancer you will be able to take more challenging classes. For more info you can go to:

http://okcu.edu/dance/

37

I forgot the Boston Conservatory

38

Thanks, All! D’s list is narrowing. @Notmath1- what put Texas State on your list?

39

Montclair has a VERY strong dance program. The head of the program is a dancer. Many levels and you can take classes with the dance majors. It is one of the reasons my (strong dancer) daughter chose it.

40

Western Michigan has a great emphasis on dance. At WMU, MTP’s take dance with the BFA Dance majors in an NASD-accredited program. The BFA in MT includes 20+ hours of dance. It is quite challenging to move up to the higher-level classes. You can repeat any level for credit.

Mikey Winslow, a WMU MTP, was dance captain for On the Town on Broadway and the National Tour.