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3.17. What about studying in a university dance department?




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This article is from the Ballet and Modern Dance FAQ, by Tom Parsons twp@panix.com with numerous contributions by others.

3.17. What about studying in a university dance department?

A. Amy Reusch compiled the following list of things to consider.
Additional comments are from other posters on alt.arts.ballet.

1 - Are you hoping for a professional career as a dancer, choreographer,
teacher, dance therapist, historian, critic, or not sure yet?

2 - Are you interested in ballet or modern particularly?
*Comment* My opinion, which is based only on personal experience,
is for classical ballet; it is by far best to get connected to a
company school. The demographics clearly point towards beginning
your training at an early age, though it must be admitted that men
have a little more room for later starts. Yes, some can first go
to college, but that some make up the small exception to the rule.
I guess I'd say, take an inventory of your talents and prospects.
Ballet's demands are explicit, see if you meet them, then off to
the company school. --jonb@u.washington.edu

3 - Why are you considering college? Are you going to college for the
academics, for conservatory training, or for the experience of "college
life"?
*Comment* I have a daughter who is very interested in a dance
major. Actually she would like to wait on college and audition for
professional programs but I am strongly against that choice. I
feel my college dance degree (TCU) has gotten me much farther than
my performing years (Ft. Worth Ballet) would have on their own. A
college setting which provides performance opportunities seems to
be the best of both worlds. --tiptoa@aol.com

*Comment* I ended up at the University of North Carolina at Chapel
Hill and studied biology. There wasn't (and still isn't) a dance
program there; it's part of the physical education department, but
I was able to take some ballet and dabble in modern. I graduated
with a biology degree and moved to NY to study with Merce. Two
years later I became a member of the company. I would STRONGLY
advise EVERYONE who is interested in becoming a modern dancer to go
to college first. Even if you ARE going to study dance, I think
it's so necessary to have that kind of experience where you can
grow into your own person and get away from the "dancer life" for a
while. College and working in a restaurant (sounds silly, I know,
but so few dancers around me have EVER had a job) were the two
greatest things I could possibly have done to further my under-
standing of and respect for the fabulous career I have chosen. I
know that I was lucky and this road may not be for everyone, but
it worked for me. --banu@aol.com

4 - It's often a good idea to go to a school close to if not in a
metropolitan area where it's possible to get to classes outside the
University, in case you feel the need to supplement the technique
classes offered there or be able to get to auditions.

5 - What kind of performance opportunities exist for students?
*Comment* ...Criteria to consider might be performance opportu-
nities. I have had students attend programs (Akron U. for example)
where they actually get onstage very seldom. Dance is a performing
art! Other programs like Butler and TCU provide many settings in
which to perform often. --tiptoa@aol.com

6 - Does the school audition, or does it accept students based on
their academic grades? It may be an indication of the quality of the
department.

7 - What is the school's track record placing dancers in professional
companies?
*Comment* When you look for a school be sure that you take into
consideration who's teaching and what the level of the students
are at when they graduate. Are ex-students working in the field
and where are they working? A schools track record is very
important. Be sure to check the RECENT track record as schools'
faculty changes and departments can suddenly change direction. A
dance department is only as good as the faculty it currently has.
--jsatinoff@aol.com

8 - How are the various schools rated?
*Comment* My daughter is a serious ballet student and is consid-
ering a dance major in college. We have conducted considerable
research on schools that have dance majors, and I recommend that
you consult a book published in 1994 by ARCO entitled "The
Performing Arts Major's College Guide," compiled by the former
Director of Admissions of the Juilliard School ($20.00 from local
bookseller or check your public library). The book contains a
listing of dance programs and categorizes them as "Most Highly
Recommended Programs," "Recommended Programs," and "Other Note-
worthy Programs" as determined by surveying dance and drama
departments at 700 selective colleges and universities. The "Most
Highly Recommended U.S. Programs" (in alphabetical order) are:
Arizona State University;
Boston Conservatory;
Butler University;
California Institute of the Arts;
Hartford Ballet/University of Hartford/Hartt School;
Indiana University;
Juilliard School;
New World School of the Arts (Fla.);
New York University;
North Carolina School of the Arts;
Ohio State University;
Southern Methodist University;
SUNY, Purchase;
University of California, Irvine;
University of Utah;
Obviously, some of these programs are better at classical ballet
and others are more oriented to modern. There are another 50 or so
schools mentioned as "Recommended Programs." --bond@ix.netcom.com

9 - There is more information on university dance departments available
on the Internet.
You can try the dance links at
http://www.dancer.com/dance-links/
or Peterson's College Guide at
http://www.petersons.com/vpa/select/dancese.html
or do a search on dance+program on Alta Vista, Yahoo, or any of the
other Web Search facilities.

B. Leigh Witchel says: The question is a hard one to answer. What
do you want to do? How old are you? A lot of questions need to be asked.
Here's a brief impersonal checklist.

If you're under the age of fifteen, stop asking this question
altogether (you're too young to be making yourself nuts).

If you seriously want to dance in a major ballet company, you're
not going to college yet. This is really almost a given, though there are
exceptions. You want to go to a good company with a good school attached
which takes dancers from its school as apprentices and full company members
(not all do.) The best schools are like the best colleges--their name
can open doors for you. Having gone to SAB doesn't mean you are a great
dancer, but it does mean that you survived the selection process and have
the physical attributes necessary to do ballet as defined in America.
(This can be argued, but that's the way it is for now.)

If your family resists this idea, or if you yourself feel that
college is more important, consider one of a few colleges which actually
place dancers into company positions or consider going to a good company
school and going to a local college part time, to get some of the required
courses out of the way. If you choose to go to a more competitive college,
you can transfer the credits later.

You are going to have to ask yourself seriously what your career
prospects are when you make this decision. College dance is an entirely
different animal than college ballet. There are quite a few colleges with
modern dance programs whose alumnae regularly work in top modern companies.

You should also ask yourself what you love. Learning of any sort
can only improve your dancing. Exposure to other disciplines makes you a
better dancer. But ballet on the top levels in this country requires a
devotion verging on the monastic.

C. I would add: Remember that there is life after dance, and in
ballet it typically begins in your forties or fifties. (In modern dance,
some people can continue indefinitely.) So start planning early for the
day when you stop dancing, so you don't end up behind the counter in a
fast-food place. (This has been known to happen.)


 

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