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"Finding the Perfect University" series concludes with information from parents to better equip you on your journey to find the school that best suits your young adult for their future career. Whether you are a parent searching for a university for the first time, or you are a parent searching in this area of study for the first time, these three wonderful dance moms have provided invaluable insight and perspective on the subject, such as guidance on what to expect and what important questions to ask. Mandy and Stacy give advice regarding university dance majors and minors, while Cheryl shares her experience with a college dance team. I cannot thank these fabulous women enough for taking the time to help others by contributing to this series. I hope this post, along with the rest of the series, is helpful to you in making your decisions.
Mandy Davids
As a dance parent for over 17 years, the journey with both my daughter and son has been one that I would have never imagined. Both started competing at a young age at their home studio, and it was literally their home away from home. They created friendships and bonds with their teachers that will last a lifetime. As high school graduation approached for each of them, 5 years apart, it was interesting to watch both of them seek out what they wanted to do with their dance now that they would be moving on to college. The transition can be scary and daunting. Dance had been such a huge part of both their lives that I couldn’t imagine them not dancing in college; however, my husband and I reeled in the reins of what we wanted to see them pursue (which was to keep dancing) and let them move on to studying for a career in something else…and let me say it was no easy task, but the rewards have been amazing watching them both in the next chapter of their lives.
We encouraged both kids to search the colleges that fit what they were looking for, and not fall into the trap of doing what everyone else was doing and applying to colleges that they didn’t see themselves attending just to say they applied, yes, that’s a real thing. College applications/visits are stressful enough, and then comes the waiting for the acceptance letters or denials, scholarships, students loans, all while trying to hold on to senior year and enjoy every ounce of it. A bit exhausting to say the least.
Both kids still wanted to attend a college that offered some type of dance, not really sure that they wanted to pursue a dance degree, but they still wanted to have an opportunity to dance while attending college. So our journey for both kids was not the typical asking lots of questions about dance major programs because that was not going to be their main focus. For my daughter, Tiffany, she attended Cal Poly SLO where they have a dance company that is affiliated with the college, Orchesis, which she could earn a dance minor along with her business marketing administration degree. At the Open House we asked questions like:
How does the audition process work? What are the opportunities for performing? What else is required to earn a dance minor? Do the dancers have to audition each year for a spot in the company? When are the auditions? What other opportunities within the dance company are there for the dancers, i.e., intern positions, dance assistants, etc.? What is the yearly cost for being a member of the company? Are there scholarships/grants available for a dance minor?
Tiffany was a member of the Cal Poly SLO Orchesis dance company for all four years, and became an intern for her last two years where she honed leadership skills and co-directed one of the dance shows in her senior year. All in all, such a great experience for her, which has led her to now being a dance teacher/choreographer in the evenings at a studio, “and now the student becomes the teacher.” She works a full-time job in Business Marketing and a dance teacher in the evenings, best of both worlds for her.
For my son, Chandler, who has just started his college years at Cal State University Fullerton, his journey to college was similar to his sister’s. He knew he still wanted to dance so attending a college with a dance program was important to him, as well as a strong business program. We asked similar questions during Open House, but we found out that Fullerton does not offer a minor program in dance, only a major degree. Chandler thought that would be okay and he could still take some dance classes while pursuing his business degree. However, the path changed for him once he started taking classes and realized how much he wanted to dance since it’s such a huge part of his life. He started asking questions about how to audition for the dance program, if that was something that he could do, and what the program entailed. He found out the dance program is small, approximately 80 students, and there are opportunities to perform twice a year at the school, as well as possibly other dance opportunities. Once he auditioned and was accepted into the dance major program, he told us of his decision to become a dance major and minor in business, which we fully supported. So even though his direction began one way, college brought to light other opportunities for him so he could pursue both areas of study.
I am not a professional college parent by any means, but having watched both my kids be able to soar and create their path, not mine. It has been a beautiful experience. Letting them feel the freedom to explore different paths than what they planned and seeing them thrive not only in their art, but also as good human beings, is more than I could have imagined and prayed for them to achieve. What worked for us (and it was not always easy) may not work for others, but when I learned to let go and focus more on what they wanted to pursue instead of forcing my wants on them, I have been blessed beyond my hopes for them.
Stacy Hagen
As a parent, student owner, and dance teacher, these are some important questions I suggest asking when considering a college dance program.
How many times a semester/quarter do the students get to perform? Is it open to all grades? What is the audition process for being chosen? Ask the same questions concerning choreography.
What other opportunities are there to dance/choreograph, such as campus clubs, choreography/dance festivals in the community, etc?
What classes are required in the dance curriculum? What other classes besides the required are available in the dance curriculum? Jazz, hiphop, tap, ballroom – besides modern and ballet?
What classes are available that expand their education in the field of dance ? For example, are there classes in injury prevention, dance in film, choreography, dance and technology available.
Are their opportunities to study abroad within the dance program, or within the university?
What types of jobs are graduates of the program getting?
How does the school support students in booking jobs?
How does the school support/network with their alumni?
What are the opportunities for double majoring? Minoring?
Graduation rates from the program? Graduation rates from the University? Why high or low?
What are the opportunities for leadership within the program and on campus?
What master classes/outside choreographers are brought in to work with the dancers? Is that available to all dancers or by audition? Grade?
Does the University have a competitive dance team? How do they do?
Cheryl McCarron
Here are the things I discovered right away, and a few that took a little longer to find out when my daughter tried out and made the dance team at the University of Tennessee.
1. This is not high school! As a parent, as soon as the tryout process and making the team event happens, you quickly learn that your role will be minimal. As with all things in college, your child is now a student or member of that University and of that Team. All obligations to the parents are off. It doesn't matter if you pay the bills, the University does not communicate with parents due to privacy laws, and coaches/spirit coordinators for dance teams may be the same way. And you shouldn't be offended, but it is a big learning curve! If you were used to being communicated with about practice schedules, performances etc., there is a very good chance that this will not be the case.
● Ask about what, if any, communication you will receive as a parent. I think I heard from the Spirit Director once after Parker made the team, and it was a note about nationals stating that no one should expect their athlete to be on the floor for the routine (final decisions at UT could be made all the way up until the week or even days before the performance) – and that parents should travel at your own risk, understanding that your dancer may not make the floor AND, depending on how large the team is, may not even travel to the event.
My #1 advice would be to make sure your dancer is you communication conduit. The coaches/directors have many athletes under them, and they expect them to tell their parents what they need to know.
2. Ask if parents get tickets (free or a block held for purchase) to games. At UT, we parents weren’t given tickets, nor was there a block of tickets that we could buy from – so it was all on our own.
3. Make sure you ask WHAT SECTION to buy tickets in! If they have a huge stadium like Neyland at UT, you don’t want be on the opposite side of the stadium trying to watch your dancer! Chances are, they move around (sometimes they swap end zones in different quarters, or swap with the cheerleaders) so make sure you learn if they spend more time in one section so you can buy tickets in that area.
4. Ask about practices:
● Are they all held on campus? If not, how do they get there?
● How many times a week?
● What about work outs?
5. Ask about their policy on game day (football) – Can you see your dancer before or during the pre-game activities? Are they allowed to stop and take a picture with you? UT has a routine before games where they do short routines where the fans are “tailgating” as well as visit alumni tailgates. We used to follow it around taking pictures, but the dancers were pretty much expected to stick with the team and “do their job” versus socializing with friends and family.
6. Ask about appearances! We didn’t understand the commitment the dancers (cheerleaders and mascots) have each week, especially during football home game weeks. There were appearances (pep rallies) at grocery stores, alumni activities, nursing homes, on campus events, not to mention TV appearances (local broadcast, ESPN SportsCenter, etc). The entire team doesn’t typically go to every event, but there are several a week, so your dancer will need to go to at least one or two. This is in addition to practices and work outs... it adds up to be a lot. It’s important to understand all of the expectations so you go in informed.
● Ask about how they get to appearances that aren’t on campus! Is transportation provided? (It wasn’t provided at UT, so all Spirit Team members had to coordinate and drive together to off-campus events.)
7. Do they require any fundraisers to pay for expenses? Do the dancers have to pay for anything? At UT, they hosted clinics and worked the UDA camps to earn money for the program, but there were no requirements to “sell” anything or for us to buy anything. UT has consistently placed at UDA, so their expenses have been covered (top 3-5 teams each year win all or part of their expenses for the following year), so I’m not sure how teams who finish outside of the top teams fund their trips. UT provided everything – shoes, sweats, uniforms, poms, tights, hair pieces... etc.
8. If you make the team in the spring, ask about all of the summer commitments. Graduating high school seniors who compete at studios usually have recital, nationals and nationals practice in the summer. This sometimes happens at the same time when the college team is having practices and going to UDA or NDA camp. What is the policy for incoming freshmen who have conflicts due to commitments with their studio?
9. What happens if you have a conflict with a game or appearance due to a family event (like a wedding)?
10. Ask about practice for UDA/NDA nationals. UDA is in early January, so that meant that when they finished finals in mid-December, the girls had to stay on campus for an additional 8-10 days for nationals rehearsal, and to perform at basketball games. If you live far – that means you don’t go home. Parker came home on December 23, and had to be back on December 30 for a basketball game and more nationals rehearsal before classes resumed. So while the holiday break for regular students was almost a month, she came home for almost 7 days.
● Also ask about where freshmen stay during practices when dorms are closed (summer, holidays, breaks). If you live far and can’t travel back and forth to your home, freshmen need a place to stay! At UT, the older dancers who lived off-campus were responsible for “hosting” the dancers who still lived in the dorms.
11. Understand the rules around game appearances during holidays (Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter) and breaks (Spring Break). If there are games, does the whole team have to stay, or do they split it up so some dancers only have to stay for one holiday (say Thanksgiving weekend) but get to miss another game during a different holiday or break?
12. Do they have study/grade requirements? UT required all Spirit Team members to attend study hall times. Freshmen had to go to the athlete study hall 5 hours a week first semester. After first semester, I think the number of hours you attended was tied to your grade point average.
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For class, choreography, or booking information, please email: meredith@thecompetitiveedgebymeredith.com
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