Skidmore

[americanlostinUK]

i was wondering about the amount of dance they do. it's not very clear on the website. anyone with experience? its program looks better than a lot of the other colleges i've been looking at, but thats just at a glance. how many hours a day is normal? how many days a week?

 

thanks

[puppies_fly]

I'm still in high school, but I take a few classes at skidmore when I'm home (my mum is on their science faculty so I have free tuition) and personally I think it's great! You can search their schedule here. The average class is about 2 hours long and meets 3 times/week, and of course a dace major would take probably 2 techniques, at least one pointe, variations workshop, perhaps ballet choreography, possibly also take a lower level en pointe, and often work in a small informal group of dedicated classmates and a teacher out side of class hours. (The teachers there are great about this, they will even spend time with me although I am away from home much of the year). Never mind trying a non-western dance form (I reccomend bharatnatyam, a very different style yet it retains all the grace and elegance of ballet) or pilates or yoga. And there are 2 very good ballet schools in the area, Saratoga City Ballet and Ballet Regent. I believe both have turned out current NYCB dancers/principles, (as well as being taught largely by former NYCB principles). In addition to the Balanchine style you can find in Saratoga, Ms. Limoli (skidmore) has retired from ABT and Ms. Gedalecia (Skidmore and Saratoga City Ballet) has a strong knowledge of the Danish school's style. (Ms Gedalecia was not able to have much of a preforming career due to an injury, but it seems like she can still dance better than her students! She's amazing). If you or anyone else has more questions about anything related to skidmore, I'll do my best to help! (I know a few current full-time students as well as my own class experience, plus my mum and many family friends teach there.)

[americanlostinUK]

hmmm i suddenly like this school a lot now for the killer question, is an audition required?

and i'm still in high school too i'm a freakishly young junior

[Guest Chedva]

Skidmore does not require an audition for acceptance to its dance major. Only for placement once you're in school, I believe.

[puppies_fly]

Yes, you may major in dance without an audition, and while you will not be denied a class, there is no guarantee of getting placed into an advanced level. If your level does not offer enough credits in dancing classes, you will have to take more theory and history courses until you improve. Non-majors mostly take the same classes as majors except for seminars, and they too are placed by audition, not denied a class.

[americanlostinUK]

lovely, thanks so much for your help puppies fly

[e'smom]

Can anyone tell me about scholarships and aid at Skidmore? Since there's no audition, are there any scholarships specifically for dance?

[gogators]

Dd will be touring and interviewing with Skidmore this summer, so will be sure to post a "scout report" later this summer.

 

The dance program is small (i.e., wouldn't consider it as a place to seriously train for ballet, but more for continuing to dance on the side while pursuing excellent academic programs/faculty offered in a small liberal arts class setting). But one of the faculty members is Denise Warner Limoli who teaches at the ABT Alabama summer program.

 

Also, I've been told that their admissions people value & understand applicants who devoted alot of time pursuing classical ballet training.

[dressage]

Any update on this school? Can you minor in dance?

[gogators]

Sorry for my premature post above -- Skidmore got cut from my dd's college list before we left this past summer to tour schools in the area. Don't know much about the dance program other than what I previously posted -- but for sure -- Skidmore is a very good liberal arts school for someone who wants an intellectual environment and a chance to explore multiple academic areas in a small-class setting taught by very good profs.

[jbtlse]

Briefly: We went to Dance Open House this weekend. Appears to be a vibrant dance community. Unlike most liberal arts schools with dance majors/minors there seems to be the ability to take a daily (5 days) 2 hour ballet class.

[EllenDana]

I don't know about the program at Skidmore, but my dd attended 4 years of summer intensives there (Briansky Saratoga Ballet and NY State Summer School for the Arts). The on-campus studios are relatively new and lovely. Saratoga has a vibrant dance community because it is NYCB's summer home and also the home of the National Dance Museum. Beautiful area and nice campus. The dorms are rather utilitarian.

[lindsaythomas]

I am a senior at skidmore college and am a psychology and dance double major.

To answer some of the above questions:

There is no dance-specific scholarship, but there is a lot of financial aid available.

There is a dance minor that requires a certain number of dance credits and only one dance history class. If you plan on dancing in at least one class per semester, you'll complete the requirements with no problems.

Ballet IV (the most advanced technique class) is offered twice a week for two hours, and Ballet III (very suitable for advanced dancers) is offered three times a week for an hour and a half. The two ballet professors are very good.

 

Just a short story: When I first enrolled in Skidmore I thought I wouldn't dance for much longer, because I'd done so much in high school, but I fell in love with the professors, my fellow dancers and now almost four years later, I'm still dancing 4 times a week and performing in the final spring performance.

 

If anyone has any questions about the Skidmore dance department, feel free to ask me!

[claeri]

Does the Skidmore dance department turn out professionals? My mom is trying to convince me to go there as a school with a good academic/dance balance, but I'm not so interested if it's just for-fun dancing and not pre-pro (nothing wrong with for-fun dancing, but just not in line with my aspirations

[balletnast]

I am also interested in the answer to claeri's question. Does anyone know?