dance scholarships

[Guest camarie1085]

Hi, I know this probably isn't the right place to be asking this but I don't know who else to ask. Could anyone tell me how dance scholarships work? Are you required to major in dance if you get one? Can you minor? Can you agree to just join a dance club? Will they only pay for the coverage of your dance fees, and not say your major coursework? If anyone could give me any information or a website or something to turn to I would be most grateful as the time when I will have to start applying to college is disgustingly getting closer and closer...

[Victoria Leigh]

Camarie, I'm not absolutely certain of all the details, but I believe if you get a Dance Scholarship, then you would certainly be expected to be a dance major. If you got an academic scholarship to the college or university that would be different. But if you audition for dance departments, and are granted a scholarship, they will definitely expect you to major in dance!

 

As to what the scholarship covers, that will vary depending on the size of the the scholarship itself. I believe it would cover all your courses if you received a full scholarship.

 

[ December 18, 2001: Message edited by: Victoria Leigh ]

[Guest hesterlover1]

Miss Leigh, I don't mean to contradict you, and that is probably usually true...but a guy who used to dance at my studio has a dance scholarship to a college, although he is not a dance major. He is just required to take a certain number of dance classes each semester--I think he is only required to take one class which meets 3 times a week (although he might take more) and be a member of the dance company. However, this might be because he is a guy, and also because this isn't a major dance university like Butler or Utah or Arizona or Point Park, but a smaller liberal arts college.

[Victoria Leigh]

Ah Katie, for males in ballet they can practically name their own terms! And, at a small liberal arts college I imagine it is even easier for him to be able to do it that way. Doesn't seem fair, however, as long as there is a shortage of male dancers this will happen.

[Guest hesterlover1]

I figured it was because he was a guy, Miss Leigh... Yeah, it doesn't seem fair but I guess you just have to get used to it.

[Guest pdance]

Hi! I have a question about scholarships, not about colleges or universities, but about si's. How easy would it be to get a full scholarship for a female at si's? I mean, I understand that you have to be very talented, but what is the probability of getting a full scholarship? And if you can, what are some programs that you know of that do actually give females full tuition scholarships, because some do not at all. Thank you in advance!

[Victoria Leigh]

Christa, that's a really difficult question. I think that most of the major programs have some scholarships available for the very top choices in female students, but I don't think anyone could could give you probabilities in terms of how easy or difficult it is to receive one of the very few which are offered. As you probably know, the programs will look for the most talented potential dancers, and when they see what they are looking for in terms of possible company material, they might offer a scholarship for that student. Full scholarships are generally reserved for those with the most potential, and are a bit easier to obtain when you are younger, as the expectations are less and the judgement is based more on potential than actual technique. The older you get the harder it is, as you have to get beyond potential and show acutal technique, strength, musicality, and artistry. However, everyone who holds auditions has different standards and ideas of what they are looking for and it's always a totally subjective thing. For instance, one teacher may see something totally different in a student from what another teacher might see. Or, one might notice something, either positive or negative, that another might miss in a large class of students they have never seen before. That is one of the reasons that sometimes people are accepted, or even scholarshipped, to one place and not another. As one who does the auditioning for our SI, I can tell you that it is very, very difficult to see everything one needs to see from every student in a large class of unknown students.

 

While it is very expensive for the students to attend these programs, it is also very expensive to run them, and the schools do have to cover their operating expenses with paying students. Some schools can afford to offer more scholarships than others, but all are limited to varying extents. I have seen many students I would love to have been able to offer scholarships, but it is just not possible to do that. One has to make some tough choices sometimes.

[Guest pdance]

Thank you Ms. Leigh. That does help, and I have another question for you. You mentioned that it is easier to get a scholarship when you are younger. There is an audition in my area for the Houston Ballet si, and I am VERY interested in their program. Their audition is two days before my birthday, and I will be turning 15, which is the turnover point as far as which audition class I should take (12-14, and then 15 and up). Would you recommend me to take the class for 12-14 year olds, or should I move on up in to the next class? I was planning on asking my teacher what I should do, because she has seen me and could probably judge very well which would be best for me personally, but I was wondering what you think about it. Taking the 12-14 class would put me as one of the oldest in there, and would most likely make me look better as far as the rest of the girls, but would it be better to go ahead and take the older class? Thank you.

[Victoria Leigh]

I would recommend the 15 year old and up class as the level is higher, but you would be one of the youngest in that level. When I am holding auditions I'm more interested in knowing the age they will be in the summer, since the auditions are held so early. If someone is within a month or two of a birthday, I like to know that. It can also make a difference in class placement. This can be a positive or a negative, depending on the level of the dancer of course. If I see someone 15 who is still Int. level, this might not be a problem, but if they are 16, or very close to 16, and not at the advanced level, this could work against them. Houston is an excellent program and always my first choice for our students.

[Guest pdance]

Thank you, Ms. Leigh. I will go to the second audition then. I am also glad to hear that you think so highly of the program. Some of my friends went this past year, one of them on full scholarship who was asked to stay the year, and they both said that it was excellent. Thank you for your advice!

 

[ December 25, 2001: Message edited by: pdance ]

[Guest ballerina05]

Can you get full schlorships to the American Ballet Academy, and other good schools like that? Or do you have to pay, and do schools like that really feed right into companies?

 

Thanks Alot

Meaghan

[Victoria Leigh]

I hate to burst your bubble, Meaghan, but the ABA is a fictional place created for the movie Center Stage.

 

Most of the Summer Intensive programs have some scholarships available for the most talented and promising students, but they are very hard to get. Most students have to pay. There are some company schools which do feed into the company, like SAB, Houston, PNB, SF, etc.