For many dancers, a job offer is the end goal of attending a college dance program. But what if you land a coveted contract while you’re still in school? Here’s how two dancers made the tough decision between continuing college or accepting a company contract. Making the Decision Julian Goodwin-Ferris started in the dance program […]
You might be surprised to hear that both Seán Curran, chair of the dance department at the NYU Tisch School of the Arts, and Jodie Gates, the director of the University of Southern California Glorya Kaufman School of Dance, still have mentors. After all, they’re both leading educators at two of the country’s most prestigious […]
When Francisco Villa left his native Argentina to attend the American Musical and Dramatic Academy, he had a specific goal in mind. “I was telling my friends, ‘I am going to New York and I am going to dance with Lady Gaga.’ I was trying to visualize those things that I wanted,” he says. Not […]
At first, visiting your school’s physical therapist is like visiting a foreign country. It sometimes feels as though PTs are speaking a totally different language. (“Wait, what did she just say about my tendonitis?”) With time, you’ll come to understand that physical therapy is one of your school’s most valuable resources, whether or not you’re […]
Few college dance programs can boast as many success stories as Oklahoma City University—in fact it’s hard to go to a Broadway show or national tour and not see an OCU grad. Fewer still can lay claim to as much talent from their male alumni. We asked four male OCU dance grads how their alma […]
The term “dance degree” can be a little misleading—after all, it’s a degree that prepares you for far more than just performing. Classes as varied as composition, pedagogy, dance science, and even grant writing are a part of some dance programs today. “When I was creating our Bachelor of Arts in Dance program, I went […]
If you’re a high school dancer looking at your summer as the chance to do some serious college prep (and no, we’re not talking about another SAT study course), a collegiate summer intensive could be a great option. Dance Spirit spoke to some expert educators about why a summer program offered by a college or […]
Towards the end of your first semester as a dance student, you’ll participate in something that resembles an exam. Whether your school calls it a jury, a placement, an evaluation, an assessment, or an appraisal, the structure remains roughly the same: You take class in front of all of your dance professors, they scribble furiously […]