FINDING THE PERFECT UNIVERSITY SERIES: PART 2

I hope that you found part 1 of this university series to be helpful. As a dance educator, my first priority is, and always will be, the students. Their education and training, the knowledge and application of the knowledge, creating exceptional work ethnic, instilling acceptance of personal responsibility, teaching them to always believe in themselves, and helping them get where they want to be in life, all while mentoring them to be good human beings is what it is all about to me. Thank you for taking time to read this series. I thank these precious souls for taking time out of their busy schedules to contribute to this project! I hope you find this week's post useful in your search for the perfect program for you!

Dance hard. Dance smart.
Meredith

Reagan Ricossa - LOYOLA MARYMOUNT UNIVERSITY

My name is Reagan, and I am a dance major at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles, California. As a senior in high school, I kept my eye out for any college or university that had a dance program. Personally, I narrowed my search to schools in New York City or Los Angeles, because I knew that is where I wanted to begin dancing right after I graduated college. However, I also looked at schools that had dance programs in other areas too such as Chicago, Florida, and Alabama. My advice to any dancer auditioning for college programs is to have an open mind. Not every dance program will be the perfect fit for you. Some dance programs may seem like a great match for you, but then you aren’t accepted. That is okay! Keep an open mind through your college search and throughout each audition process.

Loyola Marymount University is a Jesuit College in Los Angeles, California. Our dance program has a base of ballet, modern, and jazz dance. The program is geared more towards concert dancing, but also prepares dancers that want to go down a more commercial route. For example, I plan to dance professionally in a more commercial dance scene but feel that my the classes in LMU’s dance department prepare me for this route as well. We have core dance classes that revolve around teaching and choreographing dance, learning about dancers’ bodies, and even Laban Notation which is basically a language for dancers. The program also offers classes in genres of tap, musical theatre, hip hop, African, and Hawaiian, etc. Dancers have opportunities to incorporate classes of various genres that interest them and prepare them more for their future in dance. So far, our program offers a Bachelors in Arts degree, but is planning on adding a Bachelors in Fine Arts degree option as well.

We have three shows in our academic year. The first show is our “Faculty Dance Concert” and it’s always the week before Thanksgiving. This show includes pieces that are choreographed by Faculty and Staff here at LMU, and guest choreographers from other areas. Dancers audition for spots in these pieces during their first week of school, and are casted by the second week to begin rehearsing. Our second show of the year is around February, and it is titled “Impulse”. This specific show is more relaxed because it is all student choreographed and isn’t performed in our usual theatre space on campus. The third show of the year is the Student Concert that occurs in April. This show is actually all student choreographed pieces as well, but there is an adjudication process that takes place first. Basically, dancers put together pieces and audition them for the faculty. The faculty typically picks certain pieces they think would be good for the show, and give the dancers and choreographers some feedback to work on. Eventually, there is a second adjudication which then decides what pieces will be performed for the show.

The dance program at Loyola Marymount University is pretty close knit, and the campus as a whole is a very special community. This university’s campus is absolutely stunning and being surrounded by people who are so passionate for their personal craft is truly inspiring. The scholarship process for LMU is pretty similar to the typical scholarship application process. Using FASFA and the university’s financial aid websites, you can learn more about their offers and opportunities. The dance department specifically doesn’t offer any dance scholarships during your audition but after talking to the chair of our department, Damon Rago, he can offer more advice on the scholarship process according to each individual’s personal circumstances.

The audition process for LMU is very different from many schools that I applied. At LMU, there is not a specific audition date or set of dates for you to attend. Instead, you contact the department and schedule an audition for either a Tuesday or Thursday that best suits your schedule and is available for prospective students to attend. There is typically no more than four prospective students auditioning per day. You will take a ballet class, a modern class, and a jazz class with fellow dancers in the program. This type of audition gives you a better understanding of what an average day in the department would be like in the future. However, feel free to ask teachers or other students questions throughout the day because you may find out more about the dance classes than what you originally perceived. If you come to an in person audition, you are still asked to bring a video of you dancing. The guidelines and criteria for this video are listed online through the LMU Dance Department page. You also will have a casual meeting and interview with the chair the department, Damon. This way you can get to know him and the department on a more personal level. If you are unable to attend an in person audition, then you can send the video in and also have an interview with Damon through phone or video chat, etc.

Loyola Marymount University’s dance program is filled with dancers of many backgrounds, levels of training, passions, and goals for the future. Overall, we are a community that aims to be a home for dancers where they can come into a classroom not only to improve their dancing but to better themselves as a person. I felt so welcome by the faculty and students the minute I auditioned here in the spring of 2016. This dance program wasn’t initially on my radar when I began searching for colleges, but I am so glad that I discovered LMU and am furthering my education here now.

Taylor DelGreco - LOUISIANA STATE UNIVERSITY

Louisiana State University offers dancers the ability to obtain a Dance Minor in the College of Music and Dramatic Arts. Unfortunately, students cannot have dance as their major, but the Dance Minor gives a lot of opportunities to be active both inside and outside the classroom. You need 18 credit hours to complete the minor: 9 hours of core classes, 6 hours of technique, and 3 hours of electives. The core classes needed to be taken are Introduction to Dance, Dance History, and a choice between Dance Composition or Improvisation. Technique classes are broken into jazz, ballet, and modern, and all 3 are offered at the beginner and intermediate level. A dancer can take the same technique class twice. Lastly, Stage Movement is an elective that will fulfill the 3 elective hours; however, the dance concert is also an option as an elective. The dance concert is offered every spring, with admission by audition, and there is the choice of being either a dancer or a choreographer (upon completing the Dance Composition course). However, this option is only worth 2 credit hours, so a dancer would have to take it twice to complete their electives. Dancers are more than welcome to take part in the dance concert even if they do not need the credit.

I was a competitive dancer since I was 7 years old, and I loved dancing at my studio back home. At the end of my senior year of high school, I was nervous that my senior recital would be the last time I could ever be up on a stage doing what I love most. When I arrived at LSU, I did not know about the Dance Minor. After my sophomore year, I was able to find a studio and start taking classes regularly again. One day my teacher told me she taught a jazz class at LSU. I immediately signed up for her class for the next semester, and I absolutely loved it. Afterwards, I talked with my advisor and later declared a Dance Minor. This coming fall I will be a senior once again, and I can definitely say I’m thankful to have found this minor at LSU. I have gotten the opportunity to work with incredible teachers and learn about how dance started from the very beginning. I would encourage any dancer to be a student at LSU and get involved in the dance program. It has been an unbelievable experience and has prepared me to take my dance career a step further in the future.

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