What to do after high school?

[Alyson]

I have done studio dancing and high school dance team. Does anyone have any suggestions on what colleges, dance schools, or anything else i should check out?

[danceadvantage]

Are you looking within a certain locale? U.S.? Region?
What are your goals? Do you want to perform? teach? combine dance with other interests? Do you want to go to college? Just some things to think about. Offering some ideas about what you had in mind will help us give more specific answers.

Off-hand I can point you to a couple of DA posts. The College Guide is here: http://danceadvantage.net/2008/12/11/college-bound/. Be sure to check out the Dance as a Career links on that page too-- some great posts at DanceHere.

Also this one on setting goals might contain food for thought: http://danceadvantage.net/2008/04/13/setting-goals-in-dance/

Hope those help! Let me know if I can help you more specifically. There are so many great programs and opportunities. Have you talked with your dance teachers?

Nichelle

[Jessica Mumford]

Hi Alyson,

What was your studio like, and do you want to continue dancing/performing in an environment similar to your current studio? The reason I ask is that if you are looking at going to college for dance, I think it is really important that you go check out the dance programs of the colleges you are interested in before you decide on a college. Depending on your studio experience, college dance programs can be very different than high school students' dance studios.

I, for example, came from a competition dance studio. The college dance program I chose (Hope College in Holland, MI) was very very different from my studio dance experience. In my studio, we did a lot of jazz and lyrical, whereas at Hope College, I focused more on contemporary modern and ballet (common at many college dance programs). This was a great change for me because I was looking for something new, but I have seen several students blindsided by the difference between college dance life and studio dance life. There are programs out there that offer jazz, hip hop, tap, etc., but it is really important that you look before you start applying at what programs offer, because many programs will not offer everything. When you start looking, check out what classes they offer and what dance styles they focus on. Sometimes programs will offer certain styles, but only in a single or a few classes, whereas other styles are taught by several teachers with a variety of classes. This is often because the program focuses on that particular style.

If you find a couple of schools that you like just by looking at them online or through pamphlets, it's always a good idea to visit the school and sit in on a dance class or two. Check out the teaching style of the professors. I say this because it is not uncommon for teaching methodologies to differ from what you experienced in your studio. (Again, this was a big plus for me, but I have seen other students have a hard time with this).

Another thing you want to think about is location. I did my undergrad in a small town where the only dance happening was in the college. (It's a good thing I really liked the program!) I currently live in Phoenix where I just finished my masters in dance at Arizona State University's grad program. Phoenix is much larger than Holland, MI, which means there is much more dance happening outside of the school. Several students who go to Arizona State also get involved in local dance companies, take outside dance technique classes, and get to see a lot of amazing touring dance companies. I think that this can be a nice mix because students get the college dance experience, but also get involved in different dance experiences outside of the college.

In general, the best advice I can give to you, if you want to go to college for dance - or if you want to pursue dance at all - is, do your research! If you want to go to college, go visit the schools you are interested in, sit in on a class or two, talk to the teachers or the director of the program, and make sure that what they offer is what you are interested in. If you want to move to a new area, check out the dance scene happening there, either online or in person. In both of my dance college experiences (Hope College and ASU), I chose the places because I went to check them out. They were not always my first choice before I visited, but once I did visit, I knew that was where I wanted to be. I think it is too late to realize that the program is the right or wrong fit after you have already made the move :)

I hope this helps!

Jessica