What can I do to be accepted into a dance college?

Question

I've been dancing since I was 3, but for all those years it was just a past time. Recently I've become more serious about dance and after a lot of thought I have decided I would like to study dance in college. I know nothing about how to get into a dance college so I was wondering what I should do to prepare myself. Obviously I'll need to practice and I still have a few years before I'll go to college so that shouldn't be a major problem, but is there anything else I should do? For example I heard performers will need to start a portfolio when they're younger a few years before college. Is this true? And if so how do would I go about making one? Any advice at all would be appreciated!

Answer 1

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What you do to get accepted into a dance college depends on what YOU want to do. There are college dance programs where no audition is required (typically in a liberal arts college), and others where it's easy enough to get accepted if you're at the intermediate level. It's only at the more selective college dance programs where you need to be at the advanced level. For example, at Barnard College (which is in New York, since you were interested), "Once admitted, a student can take any dance course that is appropriate for their level."
http://www.barnard.edu/dance/prospective…

Needless to say, though, the more serious you intend to be with dance, the more you'll need to prepare. IN ORDER to start researching which colleges you might be interested (as OCU Dance said in passing), you should get hold of the Dance Magazine College Guide:
http://www.dancemagazine.com/thecollegeg…

As you read through the program descriptions and articles, you should also start visiting ANY college dance program, starting now with ones near you. At the very least, go to see their performances. This helps you start getting an idea about what you like about college campuses, the dance facilities, the type of students that go there, and so on. Be sure to read the programs to see what they may say about the teachers and students. You'll need this background in order to make informed decisions about your top choice schools.

To take things to a higher level, you really should be attending selective summer dance intensives. Beyond getting the intense training they provide, those programs also help you to get practice with auditioning, as well as experience working with different teachers and choreographers. They also help you to network with dancers from many other regions, and that network is valuable in the dance world.

For the selective dance programs, it's not so much a portfolio that you need, but a dance resume. The more selective intensives you've attended, the better. You'll also need letters of recommendation from teachers (the bigger their reputations, the better), and you may eventually have to prepare a dance solo. Sometimes a short video of your dance abilities is also required.

Be sure to keep up your grades, as many colleges base their decisions (and award scholarships) on your academic transcript.

Source(s):

My daughter graduated with a BFA in dance in May of 2008 and is now a professional dancer. My field is in college and career counseling.

Answer 2

i was dancing since 15 years,now my aim is I become International dancer,since i was dancing in college,i want more practice in dance,iwant to learn more stunts in dance,now a days i have decided i like to study dance in college.

Answer 3

Each college dance program has its own requirements for admission. Its a good idea to start researching colleges you are interested in and the requirements for your top choices.

Oklahoma City University's Ann Lacy School of American Dance and Arts Management offers three unique dance degrees: Dance Performance, Dance Management and American Dance Teacher. Our school focuses on American dance forms, including jazz, tap, and ballet as used in musical theater. Our graduates can be found dancing all across the entertainment industry from Broadway to Las Vegas, from L.A. to Tokyo.

The Dance Performance degree is for dancers interested in becoming a triple threat in the entertainment industry. Dance performance majors take classes in dance technique (jazz, tap, ballet, musical theater, pointe, partnering, rhythm tap, and more), acting, and voice. In addition to developing performing abilities, dance performance majors also learn to manage their careers through classes concerning professional standards and conduct, contracts, dancer’s health and anatomy. Dance performance majors also take classes in jazz, tap and ballet pedagogy and choreography, so they are also prepared for careers as teachers and choreographers as well as triple threat performers.

The Dance Management degree is for dancers interested in dancing as well as the management of the arts. The dance management degrees supports a wide range of career possibilities for dancers. Dance management majors have a core of dance technique classes (jazz, tap, ballet, musical theater, pointe, partnering, rhythm tap, and more), arts management classes, and business classes. The arts management core of classes include: entertainment technology, non-profit management, fundraising and development, touring performing arts, presenting and sponsoring performances, contracts, stage management and costuming. The business core of classes include: marketing, economics, accounting, business law, business finance, statistics and management and organization. The dance management degree is ideal for a wide variety of dancers including dancers who would like have a performance career and then transition to a management career without having to return to college to supplement earlier training. Other dancers may want to work as a company manager, stage manager or another arts management position after college.

The American Dance Teacher degree is for dancers interested in a lifelong career as an extraordinarily well-prepared teacher. The new American dance teacher degree provides dancers with a depth and breadth of study never attempted by other dance programs. Dancers will experience a well-rounded program that includes instruction in: tap, jazz and ballet technique, tap, jazz and ballet pedagogy, dance history, choreography, anatomy and dance health, dance studio management, dance studio technology, marketing and advertising, contracts and management and non-profit management. American dance teacher majors also will receive hands on experience through teaching in the Community Dance Center while receiving feedback from OCU dance faculty.

If any of these three degrees sounds interesting to you, you can find more information on our website at www.okcu.edu/dance_amgt.

Source(s):

www.okcu.edu/dance_amgt