All the Right Moves

How to find the perfect college dance program

By Laura De Silva

For today’s teens, finding and getting into the right college is trickier than ever, particularly for dedicated dancers trying to navigate the ever-increasing options among university dance departments. Picking a program and getting accepted takes legwork, research, careful thinking, and a little help from your teachers and friends.

Navigating Choices
“There are a lot of choices today for dance, academically,” says Charlotte Klein, director of Charlotte Klein Dance Centers in Worcester and Westborough, Massachusetts, whose students have gone on to dance at schools across the nation. But how can you begin to approach the selection process when the choices seem too numerous to count? The answer: Look inward. Find a college that fits your personal artistic and academic needs. Don’t be afraid to look beyond schools with recognizable names. These days, the college dance world extends well beyond a few famous universities.

Ask yourself, “What will college bring to the table with my dancing?”recommends Dale Lam, artistic director of Columbia City Jazz Company in South Carolina and a jazz instructor at the University of South Carolina. Are you looking to broaden your stylistic range, or zero in on a specific genre? Do you want to immerse yourself in daily technique classes or would you prefer that the movement courses take a backseat to business and anthropology?

This requires self-reflection, particularly for well-rounded performers: Consider even your slightest preferences, such as, “I love ballet,” “I’d like to pursue musical theater,” or “I aspire to dance with Paul Taylor’s company.” From there, you can look into programs that align with those goals.

Though no one likes to think about the possibility of injuries that could make earning a dance degree impossible, having a backup plan in college is a smart move. Consider one or two alternate majors and plans of study, in case dancing doesn’t work out. You should be happy at your chosen school, even if you don’t end up dancing there.

Seeking Knowledge
The real legwork starts once you know what you want out of higher education, and begin to research specific colleges. Early on in high school (before junior year), check out your school’s guidance department for information about higher education in general. However, because many high schools don’t provide resources about the specifics of college dance programs, you’ll probably need to seek out other sources of information. Write to university dance programs for brochures to peruse and compare. Talk to older dancers from your studio who are already in college to find out about their schools. Go online and bookmark university dance department websites on your web browser. These sites usually provide an explanation of a program’s mission right on the home page.

If you team up with other college-bound dancers at your studio, you can pool your research and make your studio “higher-ed home base.” Sharing a binder of program brochures, lists of useful websites, and other research materials with your friends, is a great way to broaden your search—and it will also provide you with moral support and company as you plan for your big entrance into college dance life.

When examining college dance departments, pay close attention to the courses offered to find a good match. “Is it ballet-based or mixed?” asks Patty Phillips, co-chair of Florida State University’s dance program. “This is important, so students aren’t disappointed.” Though many schools focus on modern or contemporary movement, that is not the only option open to today’s coeds. Some schools are jazz havens, while others offer environments similar to ballet conservatories. Also, not every program is performance-oriented. Some departments focus on choreography, some on dance production and management, while others groom future dance teachers with courses in anatomy, kinesiology, and dance history.

Bill DeYoung, a professor in the conservatory-style contemporary dance department at the University of Michigan, notes that an excellent indicator of a program’s fit is how well its alumni career paths mesh with your ultimate dance goals. For example, if 75 percent of a school’s alumni go into commercial dance, and you have always wanted to be on MTV, then the program is probably going to teach you the right skills to get there.

As you narrow your options, begin to set up meetings and interviews with professors, instructors, and even the directors of dance programs. Here, too, friends can come in handy. Working with your dance teachers, you might plan a college night at your studio where local university professors and alumni can answer questions and share their experiences. This can be an invaluable service to both you and your parents.
If the college you’re interested in is located far away, attending the regional recruitment session or making a few long-distance phone calls will be more than worth the effort. The more you’re aware of before you apply, the less chance you’ll wind up at the wrong school. If you are able to visit any of your prospective choices, do so. Once there, make sure to observe classes, ask about choreographic or technical core requirements, and seek as much information as possible about the potential four-year commitment.

Getting There
Once you have created a list of potential matches and reached the official application phase of your college search, your years of training can serve you beyond your dance technique: Talk to your teachers about writing letters of recommendation on your behalf. Klein sees this as her duty: “It’s very important [for teachers] to give a proper foundation in the studio, and see it through by taking care with letters of recommendation,” she explains.

As college entrance becomes increasingly competitive, a glowing recommendation from an instructor—who has known you for a decade or more—can make a big impact. Your teacher’s recommendation can give professors insight into special qualities that aren’t evident during auditions, such as your impressive work ethic or willingness to help peers learn new choreography.

Auditions are perhaps the scariest part of the process. But there are things you can do to help yourself shine in such sink-or-swim moments: In the months before the audition, seek out unfamiliar dance classes and teachers to practice absorbing new styles and combinations. Attend any and all local auditions to get used to the pressure and to develop coping skills that’ll ease your nerves on the big day. You might even ask your dance teacher to invite a guest teacher to your studio to lead a mock audition. If you videotape it, you’ll be able to watch your movement, behavior, and class etiquette, all of which may impact your audition results.

Dance professors say the best audition tool to develop is a willingness, openness, and eagerness to learn and embrace whatever challenges you meet. In a UM audition, for example, students may be asked to create their names in movement. At California State University Long Beach, they may be instructed to embody an animal. As Phillips of FSU explains, “Because of the diversity of training students are going to get with us, what we look at, in addition to technical ability, is how they roll with the punches and if they have an appetite for going into the unknown. We are looking at how they react to situations they’re not necessarily experienced in.”

With most schools, the technique and skills demonstrated during an audition will be a good snapshot of what the department values. (If the day is improvisation-heavy, for example, then be prepared to explore improv and your choreographic voice for the next four years.) It’s easy to get caught up in the need to be accepted once you’ve begun the application process, but during auditions, listen to your intuition to assess whether a given department is right for you. You’re auditioning them just like they’re auditioning you. This knowledge can help you keep your wits about you on a day when it’s easy to feel powerless.

Once the auditions are over and the applications are in, stay positive and realistic. Even at this stage, it’s important to weigh your options. And if you don’t get accepted into your first choice, don’t despair. Another program (likely one that’s better suited) will come along. Four years later, you’ll emerge from the university with a degree, as well as an invaluable learning experience—and you’ll owe a great deal of that satisfaction to having done your homework.

Laura De Silva is a freelance writer whose work has also appeared in Dance Spirit and Décor and Style magazines.
(Additional reporting by Caitlin McEvilly)

A version of this article first appeared in Dance Teacher, December 2006.