What does it mean to teach choreography in a university setting? The answer has always been complex and multifaceted, but it’s shifting in new ways. While composition courses used to focus on the craft of designing movement, today’s professors are expanding the conversation, not only about how it’s taught and what is prioritized, but even […]

The study of tap takes many different forms across college campuses. Some schools have multilevel programs with full-time faculty, while others are known for their student-run groups and showcases. Whether the goal is to pursue tap professionally, become a tap teacher, or simply keep percussive dance part of the college experience, students can find a […]

“I started dancing when I was 4,” says Diane Rawlinson, now 63 years old. “If someone had told me, when I was 18 or 20, that I’d spend half of my life teaching dance in public schools, I wouldn’t have believed them!” Now retired from teaching K–12, Rawlinson has embarked on her next career: mentoring […]

Even after the whirlwind of Nutcracker season and finals dies down, summer break can feel very far away. Still, because appli­cations for intensives, internships, and jobs open in winter, now is the time to start planning for the warmer months. Find Your Focus In her Intro to Dance Studies course at Chapman University, Jennifer Backhaus […]

When graduates of Pace University’s commercial dance BFA walk across the stage at graduation, they have a cap, gown, and amazing eye-high kicks. That’s because of their curriculum’s focus on multiple styles of jazz, including the precision jazz made famous by the Radio City Rockettes. There is no formal relationship between Pace University and the […]

Next spring, Mia Sanderson will graduate from University of South Carolina’s Betsy Blackmon Dance Program with two degrees, completing four years of dance and advertising curriculums that now position her for several career options: Will it be professional company life or marketing for a dance organization? Maybe even musical theater, she says.  “I’ve definitely become a better […]

On a Friday afternoon on the last day of May, Donna Faye Burchfield was sitting on her deck in Philadelphia when a newspaper notification popped up on her friend’s phone: University of the Arts, where Burchfield had been dean of the School of Dance since 2010, was closing its doors in a week—for good. Were […]

Dance careers generally don’t last forever—many dancers even transition into second careers during or after their years onstage. Because Point Park University recognizes this reality, it’s preparing its students for the many chapters in their dance journeys, starting with the first day they step on campus in Pittsburgh. To that end, Point Park is now offering a […]