SUNY Purchase

[Dance_Scholar_London]

I am interested in the dance programme of SUNY Purchase. Could anybody tell me about their ballet department? I have heard that Purchase does "produce" very "technical" dancers in comparison to other dance schools.

 

Is there a rating for ballet schools /dance schools in the USA?

[Victoria Leigh]

No ratings, Dance Scholar. But SUNY Purchase is known to have a strong ballet department. It is up there in the list of the better schools for ballet, like Indiana, Butler, SMU, U. of So. Florida, U. of Oklahoma, and U. of Utah.

[Dance_Scholar_London]

Thanks for you answer Victoria.

 

Is Purchase than more known for ballet or for contemporary dance?

[Mel Johnson]

It used to be heavily Graham technique, but thanks to several "generations" of assertive ballet teachers in the department, lately it's been better known for ballet.

[Dance_Scholar_London]

Thats a useful information. Thanks Mel! Has Purchase than trained any famous dancer?

[Mel Johnson]

Not yet, but the "ballet-to-the-front" orientation of the department is only two or three academic "generations" old, so it's a bit early yet.

[dadof2dancers]

DD is a busy dancer & junior in HS.

Parents are trying to get her started looking past the immediate,

Nutcracker, reality TV, next SI, Pointe magazine, etc.

Does any parent, dancer, teacher or ?

Have any 1st hand knowledge regarding SUNY - Purchase & their

Dance BFA program?

Any input would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

[Victoria Leigh]

It is recognized as a very good program. Faculty mostly former professional dancers from ABT and other companies. Seems to have a good reputation. Campus a bit isolated, which can be either a positive or a negative, depending...

[coffee]

Ted Kivit is one of the teachers and he has come to my studio for a week long intensive for as long as I can remember. He is an excellent teacher, and I always improve so much during that week.

[Guest dancingforever]

Like the daughter of dadof2dancers, I am a junior in high school and am looking at colleges, including SUNY Purchase. Is there any information regarding where their graduates end up dancing? Thanks!

[BW]

If you go to this website: Purchase Conservatory of Dance and look around you will find, among other things, a button to click on that list alumni - and from there you'll see a number of different listings of students and where they are now, of companies represented and more.

 

Read everything, request a catalogue and, if possible, attend one of their performances, too.

[Robin G]

dadof2,it's great and very competitive to get into the ballet program.i would ask daughter's teachers to guide her where on College dance.

[Amy Reusch]

Campus a bit isolated, which can be either a positive or a negative, depending...

 

well... "isolated" in that it isn't in Manhattan... but it's not so very long a trip from Purchase to Manhattan... which is where most of their faculty commuted from back when I went there (more than 20 years ago so I can't offer advice on the quality of the training there now... )

 

I would call a place like NCSA more "isolated"... however, perhaps Victoria was referring more to the feelings the architecture exteriors might inspire... they were trying to create an urban look to a country estate campus.

 

When I went that building was brand new and a fabulous facility for dance. Whether there have been the funds to maintain it, I can't say.

 

Back then, after graduation almost every one of my classmates danced professionally.. with companies such as ABT, Houston Ballet, Merce Cunningham, Martha Grahm, Limon, Paul Taylor, Twyla Tharp, David Parsons.. etc...

 

But a lot can change over the years, and I know the program is structured differently now than it was then.

[Mel Johnson]

There's been a hard-fought battle there over the years, championing ballet. When Bill Bales was in charge of the program, small wonder, it was heavily slanted to modern, modern, modern. But as Amy says, things have changed.

[Dance_Scholar_London]

well... "isolated" in that it isn't in Manhattan... but it's not so very long a trip from Purchase to Manhattan... which is where most of their faculty commuted from back when I went there (

How long does it take to commute from NYC to Purchase?