<p>My son has decided to pursue a professional career in ballet, and he's looking for a BFA with emphasis in ballet at an institution that has a strong pre-professional program. He is a junior in HS right now, but we have begun planning visits. This January we plan to visit</p>
<p>Univ of North Carolina School for the Arts
Univ of Cincinnati - CCM
and possibly Indiana University Bloomington (though the ballet degree they offer is a BS)</p>
<p>He is a wonderful, committed dancer with fine test scores, but the catch is that his GPA is not competitive.</p>
<p>We will go to visit East Coast places in April, but for now, has anyone any suggestions for schools/programs to visit within driving distance of the programs mentioned above?</p>
<p>How near will you be to Elon? They have a BFA program, but I don’t know how strong the ballet portion is, I’ve only researched modern. I know a bit more about the northeast. (Point Park in Philadelphia has an excellent ballet program, and very lenient academic requirements.) Nevertheless, I’m thrilled to hear your son wants to pursue dance. The more boys in dance, the better. (Pick up a copy of Dance Magazine’s College issue for a good overview.)</p>
<p>Butler may be a good place to look. Point Park is in Pittsburgh (not Philie) and an easy drive from Cincinnati. If you are at all interested in West of listed, DD auditioned for U of Iowa and University of Missouri - Kansas City.</p>
<p>My daughter is a ballet-emphasis BFA-Dance major at the University of Arizona (see separate thread), which offers a fabulous triple-track program (ballet, jazz, modern… great to have well-rounded dance training in this competitive field!). She LOVES everything about the program, and because students get such a great “college experience” along with fabulous dance training, the program has one of the highest percentages of men-to-women of any in the country. My daughter loves the fact that there are many great guys to partner with. I cannot begin to express how much she loves this program, the facilities, the faculty, the school, the weather, loads of performing opportunities, the ability to double major/minor, etc. etc. It is a great place for a male ballet dancer. I have met many of the guys and they are really a great bunch, talented, fun, well-rounded. My daughter feels very challenged, and everyone in the program is like family (faculty included). Lots of mentoring going on. Recent male grads are at Joffrey & ABT in NYC; Giordano, River North and Hubbard Street in Chicago, one male is on the Oasis performing in Hairspray, and the list goes on. Try to take him to see “Carmina Burana” in February, he will see the ballet program first-hand!! Best of luck and let me know if you have any questions!</p>