A Dancer's Guide to College

The decision of where to attend college should be influenced by what you'd like to do for a career. Do you want to be a performer in a modern dance company? On broadway? Do you want to teach? If your goal is to perform with a professional company and make a living at it, the more rigorous the technique requirements at your school, the better. If your goal is theatrical in nature, a program with a strong theatre/musical theatre program will be an asset (combined programs will require a smattering of theatre/production classes that will benefit you on this career path). If you want to be a teacher or own your own studio, look for schools that offer more than one teaching course in the curriculum, or better still, look for one with a teaching/pedagogy track, and look into ways you can perhaps incorporate business classes into your coursework. If you're unsure which school can get you where you are going, I would suggest trying to find out where alumni from the programs have ended up - get actual names if possible and see what they're doing. It is a good indicator of where the program will lead you. If you're unsure about what you really want to do, don't stress. As you pursue your college education this may change anyway. Look for a school that you feel sure will provide you with a solid education and in which you feel comfortable but challenged. Should you decide that your goals have changed and warrant leaving your school, know that transferring is an option. I myself was a transfer student, and succeeded in graduating "on time" regardless.

The audition process can tell you a lot about what a particular school is looking for in prospective students and what you can expect from the program. Most dance departments require an audition of some sort. Sometimes the audition can be sent via video/dvd, however, most programs will want to see you in person. An audition may determine your entrance into the dance program or it may be a placement audition which helps faculty decide in which technique levels you will begin your study (provided, you meet requirements for general acceptance to the university). Either way, an audition will typically consist of an interview with faculty and participation in a dance class (usually both modern dance and ballet). Some schools will ask to see a performance of choreography either of your own making or set on you by another, but this is more rare. Dance departments who require an audition into their department are usually looking for skillful dancers who will benefit from polishing and perfecting their technique for a professional career in performance or choreography (often these schools offer a B.F.A degree versus a B.A but this is not a hard and fast rule). Those that require a placement audition or no audition at all expect to have varying levels of ability and experience within their classes and provide a less-specialized education for those seeking employment in a more diverse range of dance-related careers.

Other considerations should be the school's location, facilities, and campus life, and how you feel you will fare within these. If you are a small-town kid, the transition to a large, inner-city school can be quite a culture shock, and visa versa. (This can be a positive or negative.) When visiting campuses, make sure that you are able to see the dance facilities (maybe even see some classes in progress or talk with faculty) and get a feel for the campus in general. Talk to other dance students if you can and trust your instincts. While auditioning for college programs, I experienced both ends of the spectrum. I suffered through an audition before faculty and students who received me with an aloof manner and seemed to eye me with cool distance before auditioning at a school in which I was immediately greeted by a dancer within the department and treated with warmth by faculty members. Can you guess which school I attended? Both are excellent schools but School A was not for me. Some thrive in a competitive environment, I needed to be where I felt welcome and supported in order to succeed.

If you are concerned about grades it is important to know that (assuming you've got another year or so to go of high school) you have time to improve. Grades are usually not all a college looks at for entrance, however, poor grades often result in required remedial classes (taken over the summer) - not fun! Right now, you may think that academic work is not as important (or interesting) as the work you do in dance class. However, keep in mind that in the professional world, good dancers are intelligent people that could do anything they want but choose dance. Intelligent dancers are curious and want to learn and grow even in areas outside of dance. High school grades don't always reflect the potential that lies within many students but it won't hurt to, right now, begin to practice the kind of dedication, perseverance, and self-discipline that a major (and career) in dance will require of you, and work to bring up those grades!

Technique Classes

If you are a dance major it is probably because you like to dance! This is your chance to do so. Typically all dancers in a university program are at minimum required to take a ballet and modern technique class each semester. Chances are, even if you did not have to audition to be accepted into the dance program at your school, you will probably have to take a placement class in which one or more of the faculty decide the class level for which you are best suited. Don't be discouraged if after training since the age of 3, you are still entered into the level one classes - this is quite normal. Even students who transfer from another college dance program are sometimes placed at these entry levels in their new school.

Technique classes are generally worth only one or two credits so that a regular full-time student can take more than one and still maintain a typical full-time credit load (12-15 credits). While there are occasional written assignments or requirements for attending a concert, etc., a high percentage of your grade in a dance class is usually determined by your attendance record. This means you have to show up and be prepared to do the work to get a decent grade in the class. Seems easy enough, right? Well, for students who are perhaps relishing their first taste of freedom from parental supervision, getting to class is sometimes a surprisingly low priority (never mind the condition in which they arrive). Late nights studying, hanging out, partying, internet surfing, etc. with no one to tell you to get to bed, coupled with a 9am ballet class... you get the picture.

Rehearsals

Unlike many of your fellow college students, you will probably find yourself heavily involved in dance activities that don't necessarily earn you credits but, are nonetheless, worth it or even required. Many of these activities will result in performances both formal or informal which, like taking class, has a lot to do with why you bought your ticket for this ride in the first place. Particularly as an underclassmen, you may find yourself auditioning in front of and for upperclassmen who are looking for guinea pigs for their own choreography. At my alma mater for example, there was an entire process dedicated to the auditioning, presenting, adjudicating, and performing of undergraduate works. Once dancers were cast, the student choreographers scheduled rehearsal time (for whenever and wherever space was available - racquetball courts, anyone?) and later presented their work in progress to faculty several times. By the final showing, dances were chosen for a final year-end performance and those that didn't make the cut were offered a slot in less formal performances. I'm sure every university has a slightly different process and a variety of opportunities - faculty concerts, composition (choreography) class projects, off-campus or community outreach efforts. You may not always be cast as a performer. However, there may be other ways you can take part. Although disappointing at first, not being cast in my first college production resulted in one of the most beneficial learning experiences of my student career when I instead stage-managed the performance. Taking a backstage role is a great way to learn about the craft of production and will be of value to you in the future when you create your own choreography, manage a dance company, or run a dance studio.


Improvisation

Improvisation may be an entirely new concept for some of you (if we're not counting the off-the-cuff choreography you've performed in front of your bedroom mirror). I count myself very lucky to have had early experience in creative dance and improvisation at my hometown studio. At the time, I did not realize it was a rarity. However, it was not long into my first year as a dance major that a professor introduced the concept of improvisational movement and began leading the class in some beginning exercises. I could feel tension among the students. Some were nervous to appear so vulnerable in front of their peers and instructor and others had no idea how to start or what to do. A few that had before been asked to move as they'd like in a dance studio class had perhaps had no guidance and had always used the moments to re-hash their favorite moves or try something they'd seen the older kids do. It seemed likely that this was not what the professor was looking for. Fear suddenly paralyzed the most talented dancers among the class and for once I felt like I had an advantage over these gorgeous dancers. If you are an experienced improviser, your background will serve you well in the college environment. If you are in the other group, don't panic! Improvisation, just like technique, takes practice to move comfortably and confidently. And you will get plenty of practice now that you are entering this new phase in your study of dance.

Modern Dance

Modern dance may be new to many of you as well. It is a very important part of many dance programs because it was within academic establishments that Modern techniques were developed and the art form found its foothold in America. Despite its prominence at universities, few dance studios offer Modern Dance techniques in their curriculum. Some of you may compete in (or witness) Modern at competitions. However, often only some of those that compete in this category are studying modern dance techniques and usually even less are utilizing the choreographic processes typical of Modern Dance. If you are one of the few, kudos to your dance school.

The art form of Modern (sometimes referred to as Contemporary) Dance is more than just performing the techniques and steps with which it is associated. That is the "how" but Modern Dance also asks "why." Without the process or investigation of this question, a dancer or choreographer is offering their interpretation of Modern Dance. In other words, a dance may look expressive or emotive, contain un-balletic poses or rolling on the floor, and be accompanied by unconventional music choices, but can lack the artistic intent of contemporary dance forms that you will be asked to explore in college and beyond. I believe I'm safe to assume that many of you will find what is expected of you in your study of Modern Dance (and perhaps other dance forms as well) in a university setting to be very different from your studio at home. There will be more emphasis on dancing with an understanding of how the body functions and how something feels (as opposed to how it looks), on working apart from or even against the music as you dance, on presenting abstract meaning or intent through movement, and on discovering ways of moving that are new or even unflattering.


Theory and Liberal Arts Classes

In addition to classes in which you further your education as a performer of dance (technique classes), as a dance major or minor, you will be required to expand your academic understanding of dance. This is done through theory classes like Dance History, Anatomy or Kinesiology, Music Theory for Dancers, Composition or Choreography, Teaching or Dance Pedagogy, etc. Some of these classes will provide hands-on learning similar to that of your technique classes and some may follow more traditional methods of study (i.e. attending lectures and studying texts). This area is where many promising students struggle, particularly if academics was not their strong suit in high school. I have found that dance faculty often have a more engaging approach than many professors within other realms or specialties, offering more opportunities to explore and discuss topics rather than just talking about them. However, in some subjects, a certain amount of memorization, reading, and writing is inevitable.

Classes outside of your major in a traditional liberal arts setting provide an opportunity for expanding your interests and knowledge as well. Some courses will be required because someone has decided that no college student should enter life without a basic understanding of say, algebraic equations or a second language. In other areas you may have quite a bit of choice as to what type of course you'd like to take to fulfill a particular requirement, so choose classes that truly interest you whenever possible. At some point in your college career, you may be one of the many nameless faces trying to stay awake in a lecture class auditorium or, if you are fortunate, you may be part of a lively discussion in a class of five.

Deciding on a College

1. What do you want do in your dance career? What are your goals?
2. Schools requiring an audition for entrance into the dance program often have more intense programs for performance and choreography.
3. Schools requiring an audition for placement or no audition at all often have programs focusing on a wide variety of dance careers.
4. Check out the location, facilities, and campus life during a visit if possible. Look for a good fit.
5. In the professional world, good dancers are intelligent people that could do anything they want but choose dance.
6. Grades aren't everything but they do require dedication, perseverance, and self-discipline... just like a career in dance.

What to Expect in the Dance Department

Technique Classes

1. You may go from being an "advanced dancer" at your school to Level 1 in college.
2. A high percentage of your grade is based on attendance... be there!

Rehearsals

1. There is a lot of time spent rehearsing for little or no credit. Stay organized.
2. Take advantage of any opportunity to be involved with production, even (or especially) behind-the-scenes.

Improvisation

1. Improv may be new to you and many of your fellow students
2. Don't be afraid or embarrassed. Focus on the task you are given, trying not to re-hash your favorite moves or force something "spectacular."

Modern Dance

1. Modern dance may also be new to you and others.
2. It is not a look or style but explores the intent of movement - it asks "why?"
3. There will be emphasis on how the muscles and bones move and how movement feels in the body.

Theory and Liberal Arts Classes

1. Dance in college (probably unlike your previous dance experience) is academic, requiring study.
2. Liberal Arts classes are an opportunity to learn and expand your knowledge in many areas.
3. Try to choose classes that truly interest you whenever possible.

There may be a point during your college career that someone may imply that there have been gaps in your dance education and you are faced with breaking old habits or learning something in a different way. If or when this occurs, I'd like you to resist becoming indignant. Learn to trust your new instructors, letting go of any assumptions that you "already know how to do" whatever they are asking you to do. As a college instructor, it was often frustrating for me to see talented students holding on so tightly to what their teachers "back home" had told them that their progress in my class stalled. In fact, the students who improved most rapidly in my beginning level classes were those who had little to no dance experience because they held no preconceived notions and could absorb all that I offered them. I encountered students with 14 years or so of studio experience which had yielded many bad habits from repetition of poor technique. Unfortunately in some cases, these "experienced" students seemed unsatisfied with re-examining the basics after having been considered "advanced" dancers at home. It would have benefited these students to remember that even professionals consistently work to better understand and perform the basics of their technique.

If you find out that you weren't as well prepared for college-level dancing as you thought, don't lose heart. While it is wonderful when dance schools for young students take steps to provide an understanding of the more creative or artistic side of dance (and as you may know, I highly encourage this), I realize that teaching students to execute dance is the primary function of a studio. You should not feel shortchanged if your school has provided you with a solid technical foundation and performance experience. You have plenty of time to dig deeper in your understanding of movement and to mature as an artist.