College Dance Major Forums

[RaisingTheBarre]

Just noticed that another popular college website (college confidential) has finally added a dance major forum. One more resource for everyone!

[balletbooster]

Good to know! Thank you for sharing this information.

 

I honestly think that Ballet Talk currently has the best database of college information relating to dance majors that is available online or in print. So, please be sure to share what you learn as you visit programs or as your dancer attends a college program. There is really very little available that gets to the issues that are of concern to dancers with pre-pro training who want to continue in the college arena outside of BT, so let's continue to make this a useful and accurate forum!

[in transit]

I'm a frequent reader of College Confidential, and I can't see it ever addressing, in detail, the dance-related college search issues discussed on BT4D, even in a Dance Majors forum. When a CC poster is looking for colleges with good ballet offerings, someone often points him/her in the direction of this board (I know I have!). Posters used to be permitted to post a link, but the CC moderators have gotten strict about that.

 

Where CC excels, and can be a real help to the college-bound dancer, is in the academic aspect of college admissions. For example, NYU Tisch is, of course, a very selective dance program; but it's an equally elite academic program. A dancer who can find his/her answers about the Tisch dance program here (what's the program/audition like; what are the auditioners specifically looking for) can find detailed info about SAT scores of accepted Tisch students, essay issues, campus visits, etc. on CC. And, although dancers have quite enough to do by taking classes, developing audition pieces and DVDs, planning audition tours, etc., they still must deal with the same nuts-and-bolts issues every college applicant faces: how do I improve my SAT score? Should I ask my history teacher for a recommendation, or would my bio teacher be better? CC is an outstanding place to find this stuff - I know it was a great resource for my kids in their college searches.

 

I think it will be interesting, and fun, to read the new forum, but I don't think it will ever offer the depth of ballet-specific information available here.

[Guest showtime4me]

I agree with both of you (balletbooster and in transit) however wouldn't it be great if there were a dozen or more dance forums, each with many contributors, different insights, perspectives, information, etc.? Of course right now Ballet Talk has the most extensive "bank" of information in this area, but I for one hope lots of people post in the CC dance major forum, as well as any others out there. We as parents of dancers/students, dancers themselves, teachers, etc. can never get too much information. Plus, while Ballet Talk does branch out some beyond ballet in terms of dance genres, it is primarily a ballet forum. CC can become a great resource for other types of dance as well. Ballet Talk will no doubt continue to be an outstanding resource for all things ballet; hopefully what someone can't find in one forum they just might find in another!

Edited November 21, 2008 by showtime4me

[shosty]

I used CC for our other daughter, who is a composer, and it was very helpful. I posted several times on CC asking for a dance major forum, and I am glad they decided to initiate one.

 

I have been reading Ballet Talk for a few months now, but it does not really address our needs, because it is, as the name implies, ballet-focused - and rightly so.

 

Our daughter takes ballet maybe 3-4 times/week, but her main interest is modern. She was lucky to start out with works by choreographers like Humphrey, Limon and Graham, at a young age. She has barely done any pointe, despite her pretty extensive ballet experience, which means she doesn't fit very well in any of the usual categories of young dancers. Schools for teens don't know what to do with her, so she takes class and performs with adults.

 

She dances professionally at this point, with conservatory graduates and others, but I have no idea how auditions at schools will go, since classical ballet is so often part of the audition process. At the same time, she really does not want to be involved in programs that are "post modern," with emphasis on creativity and improv etc. She has a lot of respect for technique. She also has no interest in jazz, hip-hop, tap...

 

So, CC is very much appreciated by us, for the sake of our quirky daughter. Ballet talk is also very helpfu, because some of the issues discussed here apply. For instance, she is doing high school part-time, combined with online, and she comes and goes at school as she needs, an idea bolstered by things I read here.

 

Each step along the way, we have to figure out the best path for the next year or summer, and we need all the help we can get! All sites are read eagerly!

 

Sometimes ballet talk makes me feel that our daughter is not as well-prepared as the dancers you all have in your house. She works just as hard, and dances many hours, but for a variety of reasons, has not had full classical training. But, dance is her passion and I know she will find a way to do it, and all of these sites are helpful.

[tu2sparkles]

Would you mind pming me the site?

[gogators]

College Confidential discussion forum site is at:

 

http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/

 

Scroll down and you'll see the Dance Major link under College Majors.

 

IMHO, even if a student is primarily a modern-focused student, I think Ballet Talk has much more reliable and confirmed information on various college dance programs (of which most are modern-focused anyways).