What are some good colleges with dance programs in the USA?

Question

I would like the school to focus on contemporary modern and not a lot of ballet. Also not the traditional modern but the new stuff that is i guess you could call it 'LA style'

Answer 1

waste of time

Answer 2

go india

Answer 3

Be more specific are you talking about dance oriented schools?

Answer 4

I'm not sure you're going to find a college dance program to suit you. Asking for a college to focus on "LA style" contemporary dance, is like asking their music program to focus on contemporary rap, or their writing program to focus on romance novels. Sure, those genres are what sells the most, but a college education is about providing you with the fundamentals and a solid grounding in the historical roots of an art form. Without knowing what preceded the latest craze, you won't be prepared as an artist to go out to create the NEXT big thing.

As I hope you are aware, "LA style contemporary dance" - better known as lyrical dance - is an outgrowth of ballet, modern and jazz. You can be sure that popular contemporary choreographers like Mia Michaels and Wade Robson studied ballet, modern and jazz fairly intensely to get where they are today. On the other hand, no one is saying that you need a college dance education to go out and be a successful dancer. In fact, many dancers bypass college and head straight to the dance world and do quite well. You can get excellent, cutting edge dance training at places like Broadway Dance Center in NYC or The Edge Performing Arts Center in L.A. My point is just that that is not what a college education in dance is all about.

If you study ballroom at a top ballroom studio, you can come out and be an amazing ballroom dancer, but you won't make it on Broadway. If you study lyrical, you can be a fabulous lyrical dancer, but you won't make it far in commercial film work. But if you study a triple emphasis in ballet, modern and jazz, you can come out and do practically anything as a performing dancer.

Some of the triple-emphasis programs include the following (I don't claim to know them all, but there aren't much more):

Point Park University (not Park Point, and no longer Point Park College)

University of the Arts

University of Arizona

Marymount Manhattan College

Southern Methodist University

Chapman University

University of Nevada, Las Vegas

The existence of a very strong jazz concentration in a college dance program is what is going to get you closest to the pop style of dancing that you're looking for. Without a strong jazz strand in the curriculum, most of the college dance programs are going to focus on modern dance (what you are calling "traditional modern," but which THEY view as "contemporary dance" - hence the confusion and why you are right to distinguish the styles). Another handful of college dance programs focus on ballet a bit more than modern dance.

Hope that helps.

Answer 5

Muhlenberg College in PA, Skidmore College, University of the Arts- Philadelphia, Fordham University/Ailey (at Lincoln Center), The Claire Trevor School of the Arts (UC Irvine), Barnard College, Park Point College, Oklahoma City University's School of American Dance, Bucknell College, and Florida State are all excellent schools. As far as I know, Park Point, UArts, and The Claire Trevor School of the Arts (UC Irvine) allow you to focus more on a modern dance form vs. ballet.

Good luck!

Answer 6

Here is a great site with lots of links:

http://www.dance.thelinks.com/edu.html

Most major Universities offer dance programs.  You may want to check the web sites if colleges and universities near you to see if they offer the program you are looking for.

Answer 7

Try a school in L.A. then!  UC Irvine has a great program.  I know Desiree Robbins used to teach there. She's the Bomb. She teaches for Tremaine. Another great school is BYU. But you pretty much have to be Mormon to go there. OCU has a great dance program as well. Most colleges you look at are going to have strong connections with Ballet as far as pre-requisites go.   You could always opt to go to a school near a great dance studio either in NYC or LA.  That's really where you'll get the BEST training.  Good Luck!

Answer 8

check out web site below.

Answer 9

julliard is the school for you...they are amazing...thats where i want to go after high school...they have amazing programs....and i bet your amazing.....you should go on their web site and check it out....and i also know FSU has a good dance program too...but no one beats julliard