ROLE CALL: College Admissions for Dancers™

SUNY Brockport

Description of Program: The Department of Dance is a supportive community of artists, scholars, and educators who train dance students to pursue a wide variety of careers including choreographers, performers, teachers, physical therapists, arts administrators, designers, studio owners, lawyers, and health care professionals. The students in the highly selective programs excel not only in the studio and on stage, but also as critical thinkers and writers. Degree options include BA, BS, BFA, MA, MFA and Minor in Dance. Auditions are required for all degree options and talent-based scholarships are available to in-coming and returning dance majors and graduate students.

Producing six dance concerts a year in two dance theatre spaces, there are numerous choreography and performance opportunities open to all students in the department. Two concerts per year are dedicated exclusively to the production of student choreography as well as several informal opportunities. Sankofa, our African Dance and Drum Company, tours extensively throughout the region. Supporting our student artists in their creative work are faculty mentors and a full-time costume designer, lighting designer and two musician/composer. State of the art facilities in the department include five large dance studios with sprung floors, a conditioning lab, costume shop, and scene shop. The modern dance centered program includes a variety of approaches to modern dance, as well as courses in ballet, contact improvisation/partnering, tap, African dance and drumming, history, dance conditioning, movement analysis, hip-hop, jazz, and teaching pedagogy. Our robust yearly guest artist series provides additional experiences to perform and study with experts in the field. Recent guests include Stephen Petronio, Doug Varone, Trisha Brown Dance Company, Adriane Fang, Colleen Thomas, David Dorfman, and Youssouf Koumbassa.

The department is unique in that it allows all undergraduate students to double major and focus the curriculum to support their individual career goals and interests. An extensive and engaged alumni group provides significant networking opportunities for students and scholarships are available for summer experiences.

Since its inception over 50 years ago, The Department of Dance has developed a vast network of active and engaged alumni throughout the United States. Alumni are regularly invited to speak about their professional experiences in the Career Seminar class and often advise graduates in finding internships, housing, auditions, selecting graduate schools, and other practical information. Because the students are mentored closely through their studio, writing, and theory courses they are well positioned to enter a broad range of careers. While many students become performers and choreographers in dance companies, cruise ships, and theme parks, others have gone on to open businesses, become K-12 teachers, or assume administration positions in some of the most prestigious arts presenting organizations in New York City. Many students double major in Dance plus the sciences, which supports future careers as physical therapists and other health care related fields.