Boston College

[tutu007]

Hi,

 

I was wondering if anyone knew anything about Boston College's dance department and/or faculty... Also, do you know if it is in close proximity to Boston Ballet or easy to reach by subway? Finally, if it is close, how is Boston College's academic schedule easy to do along with taking classes at Boston Ballet? Thanks!!

[lhc1109]

BC is not close to Boston Ballet, but it is on the greenline of the T---the "BC line" is a very slow go, but there is a shuttle that goes to Cleveland Circle or a fairly short walk to the Riverside line which are quicker options to take to the Copley stop. I don't have first hand knowledge of dance classes at BC, but I don't think you will find much quality ballet training there.

[biners6]

I don't know anything about the program, but here's the link to its website....

http://www.bc.edu/bc_org/avp/cas/thtr/dance.htm

[Taradriver]

You definitely want to get on the Riverside line (green) to get downtown ASAP, both BC/Commonwealth and Cleveland Circle/Beacon St. lines (also green) will get you there but far slower. BC is an excellent academic institution, lovely campus in a really nice area (Chestnut Hill) but is not known in the Boston area for its dance program. If you played ice hockey, that would be a different story!

[tutu007]

Thanks for your help everyone!!!

[Ballet Bunnie]

I am a student of BC, and I am taking the Ballet class right now.

 

Unfortunatelly, BC is not a big art school, and all the dance classes are in the Theatre department. And they only offer one ballet class per year, which alters between Begining Ballet and Intermediate. So then, you get this weird mix of all levels in the class... The good news is, that BC just spent half a million dollars on the dance floor of the studio. It is said to be the best in Boston, even better than Boston Ballet.

 

And, since ballet classes in BC are three credit solid classes, we DO have homeworks, readings, and papers. Sounds weird, huh? This is my first time actually learning all the history and anatomy behind ballet. The weekly take home quiz definitely requires a lot of work. And the 5 page paper = lot of work... This could be annoying from time to time, but it widened my "ballet perspectives". And due to the 3-credit nature of the class, I don't think you can take it for more than two years though...

 

As for the teacher, Margot Parsons is the only one teaching. In my opinion, she is sweet, but according to one of my friends who had taken her class before, she could be mean once a while. I don't think that there are anything that she doesn't know about ballet. She had a good training background. She had performed on broadway. And she is more famous as a choreographer.

She really helped me re-examed my alignment and corrected some bad habits that my other ballet teacher failed to notice before (eg. no cheating on turn-out even to the slightliest degree). And most of my other classmates felt that our previous training did not prepare us for her class...

One thing that took me a while to get used to is that she speaks very softly. Sometimes we don't even notice that she has actually started the class. LOL

 

A lot of my friends and I also take classes in Jose Mateo ballet theatre, which is accessable by Route 86. And there are two dance clubs in BC: dance ensemble, and Dance Organization of Boston College. I believe that Margot Parsons is the advisor for both of the clubs as well.

 

BC does not have a dance major / minor. But it does have a dance concentration affiliated to the theatre department.

 

Boston Ballet is a about 1 hour far away by public transportation. Green line train + 10 minutes of walking. I've been there a couple of times and decided that the commute takes away too much time. I am sure that it will be like 20 min drive faster if you have a car. Personally, I prefer Jose Mateo since it is easier to get to.

 

Hopefully this is helpful to everyone who is considering Boston College!

[MJ]

Although there is a "dancing Jesuit" from India, he recently performed at Fordham @ Lincoln Center, BC is run by the "jebbies" a Mens religious order. The Jesuits specialize in Liberal Arts, B-schools, and Basketball. Fordham's BFA program is under the direction of Alvin Ailey's school.

[dancemaven]

MJ, I don't see that your 'clever' posting has anything to do with the price of eggs in China . . . , i.e., the opportunities for the study of dance at Boston College. Please stay on topic.