#soitturns

[templeuniversitydancedept-blog]

Many thanks, and a request

Thanks so much for your advice several months ago on resume writing for dancers- I am happy to announce that the application I submitted landed me an internship with the Jacob’s Pillow Summer Festival in their Education department!

I’ve decided to road trip across the country to get there (because when else am I going to have the excuse to do it) and could really use some help getting there. The link below is a GoFundMe page for my road trip- would you mind sharing it on your page?

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If you would like to help another contemporary dancer who will be taking part in the Contemporary program at Jacob’s Pillow and needs some financial assistance paying for the tuition, you can follow this link.

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I’m hoping to get more tango and modern training after the festival in communities other than the SF Bay Area where I usually work and train. On the itinerary is also a visit to Temple in early September when the festival ends. Who can I talk to about arranging a visit to inquire about the graduate programs?

Hey, sorry for the delayed response!!!

Unfortunately it’s against University Policy for me to share private fundraising links, but congratulations on the internship!  I bet it was awesome.  I’m glad to hear the tips were helpful too (more here)!

Now is a perfect time to schedule a visit!  Email us at [email protected] and we’ll work it to fit your availability.

[templeuniversitydancedept-blog]

Any resources for dancers hoping to pursue further education in dance, but don't have a BFA in dance or theater? Most articles on dance and education only ask "Should I go to college?" not "What do I do now that I've gone to college for something other than dance?"

What a great question!  I can’t fully speak for other schools/programs, but I don’t think anyone should ever completely rule out a grad program of their choice just because their undergrad degree was in a different area. With a lot of grad programs (not just dance), valuable skills/talent, professional experience, and non-degree education the particular field can make up for lack of an undergraduate degree in that area.  A few things to consider:

1. What kind of program/goal are you interested in?  If it’s research, or an MA, there is a bit more wiggle room in terms of dance background.  For that kind of focus, academic background is at least as important as a dance studies foundation.  If you’re after an MFA, with focus on choreography and performance, you’ll need to show that you managed to get good training and learn about choreographic processes and ideas, despite not having a bachelor’s degree in dance.  An MFA is a terminal degree, so post-college professional experience is recommended regardless of what your undergrad degree is in.

2. Does the program require pre-reqs?  The answer to this will be different for every school and program.  Some, such as ours, may require master’s students take grad versions of undergrad courses such as Music for Dancers, Dance Science/Somatics, and Dance History if they didn’t have those things in their undergrad.  

1+2. What does your goal require?  You’ll find that different schools’ programs have different foci in terms of dance styles.  Some may require that a high level of ballet/modern training be achieved.  Others will focus more on creative, pedagogical, or community experiences and be willing to accept proficiency in any dance style as well as provide lower-level classes in ballet or modern to those who need or want it (our programs are definitely in that second, broad, category).

Here are some other resources to check out:

MFA?: http://www.danceu101.com/articles/2013-08-19/next-step

Applying to Grad School: http://www.danceu101.com/articles/2009-01-05/knowing-and-showing-your-strengths

Teaching: http://www.dance-teacher.com/2010/01/summer-study-guide-the-case-for-continuing-education/

Why they went back to school: http://www.danceu101.com/articles/2012-11-01/investing-school-again

Dance Therapy: http://www.dance-teacher.com/2013/03/movement-as-medicine/

And of course feel free to ask me more questions!  Maybe we could even convince Dance Magazine to do an article on this…