Being a professional dancer or choreographer in colleges with dance majors may be notoriously difficult because it takes both natural skill and a lot of training.
Fortunately, dance-related employment is not just available on Broadway and in the world’s top ballets. Many Colleges with Dance Majors work in theme parks, on cruise ships, and in dance studios.
In addition, a lot of dancers use teaching dance to kids as their main or secondary source of income.
On our list of the Best 20 Colleges for Dance Majors, you will also find lesser-known colleges where many of the upcoming generations of performers will acquire their skills.
Let’s get started already.
Table Of Contents
What Do We Describe As Dance?
Wikipedia, an online encyclopedia defines dance as performing art that consists of random movements that are chosen or improvised. This movement is artistically pleasing and frequently symbolic.
Dance can be classified and described according to its choreography, movement repertory, historical era, or place of origin.
WhoThen Do We Say Is a Dancer?
Simply said, a dancer is someone who performs the dance form. The dancer is that individual. They invest a lot of time in learning and honing this technique.
He is also known, as a performer who uses gestures to express ideas and stories during performances.
That takes us to talk about the Colleges with Dance Majors. That specializes in training dancers.
10 Best Colleges With Dance Programs
All of these universities provide students with robust professional dance training and top-notch performances.
You understand now that students are selected for either the more general Bachelor of Arts degree in Dance, or the pre-professional Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Dance Performance.
For individuals who want to go to graduate school or become professional dancers, both degrees offer excellent training.
#1. Arizona State University
Studying dance at ASU gives you the chance to learn more about the subject and broaden your perspective on what dance can do in society.
The program promotes the growth of the various talents necessary for success as a dance artist.
Students can grow as creative artists, academics, and instructors at the School of Music, Dance, and Theatre’s inclusive, vibrant, and culturally diverse learning environment.
#2. Barnard College
The Barnard College Department of Dance offers an interdisciplinary program that integrates the study of dance within a liberal arts framework of intellectual and artistic discovery.
The department is located in a global center for dance. The Colleges with Dance Majors expands on the dance department’s studio courses, productions at Miller Theater, New York Live Arts, and other venues, as well as a wide range of dance studies courses.
#3. Bellhaven University
The Belhaven University Dance Department provides students with the chance to learn about dance in full and practice it in a Christ-centered setting.
A Master of Fine Arts (MFA), Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA), Bachelor of Arts (BA), and a Dance Minor are among the degrees available.
According to the university’s objective, the dance department’s goal is to prepare students on a spiritual, academic, and artistic level for employment in dance and other related fields.
#4. Butler University
Butler is one of the few universities that are authorized to grant the Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance-Performance professional degree.
Excellent preparation for a performing career and beyond is provided by this degree. It focuses on the discipline and tradition of classical ballet and blends professional expertise with academic research.
#5. Florida State University
The Florida State University is well known for being a hub for the invention, reconstruction, and performance of excellent dance repertory, encompassing both traditional classical choreography and modern unique works.
This simultaneous commitment to learning and art has produced graduates who are dancers, teachers, researchers, and leaders in businesses, institutions of higher learning, and organizations dedicated to these arts are both domestic and foreign.
#6. New York University
We aim to create and train fully realized dance artists who are critical thinkers, daring leaders, and proficient performers at the Tisch Department of Dance.
Ballet and modern dance techniques are emphasized in our Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) degree, along with performance and choreography.
On-site Dance Department Tours are still suspended as of September 24, 2024. This is done to uphold the policies set forth by the university as a whole regarding non-essential NYU visitors.
#7. Ohio State University
The Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) in Dance program main goal is to give students a thorough education in contemporary modern dance with an emphasis on actual dancing.
To achieve this, students are given a strong foundation in the following academic disciplines throughout their first two years of study:
Movement practice, performance, choreography, dance description and notation, pedagogy, history, production, and technology.
Building on this foundation, students are given the chance to concentrate on particular areas of interest, assisted by faculty involvement and mentoring.
#8. University of Michigan
The Department of Dance honors innovation, theoretical and applied research, academic excellence, wellness, and entrepreneurship.
The college offers a comprehensive perspective on the value of dance within cultures and communities that combines top-notch dance instruction within a prestigious academic university.
To prepare dancers for resilient and multifaceted careers in our quickly expanding professions, we offer a variety of viewpoints and integrate practice and theory.
#9. University of Southern California
Rethinking the professional degree for the 21st century and the function of a dance school within the larger national ecosystem were opportunities presented by the exciting possibility to establish a new school.
To carry out this enormous goal, USC Kaufman developed “The New Movement,” a hybrid and collaborative approach to dance education that is manifested in studio practice, music, choreography, performance, new media, and scholarship.
It combines artistic excellence with considerate industry access.
#10. University of the Arts (PA)
At the university of arts, students are encouraged to identify their passions, express their points of view, and position themselves as active participants with the capacity to develop critical approaches to dance performance, and academy.
Integrating practice and theory and preserving cross-national partnerships and exchanges at the undergraduate and graduate levels, the curriculum adopts the breadth and rigor of a discipline-based dance conservatory.
5 Best Dance Colleges In The World
There are tools made accessible to students at the following dance institutes, which are among the few things that can turn inexperienced dancers into methodical professionals.
Therefore what each dancer is advised to do is to effectively polish their skill, by being different from everyone.
Dancers must carefully consider the areas of specialization offered by the dance institutions they wish to study at, and the faculty who may serve as future mentors.
Lastly, the types of notable alumni these institutions have historically produced, and the culture of the dance scene in the cities where these institutions are located.
#1. Vaganova Academy of Russian Ballet (St. Petersburg, RU)
Many people believe that the Vaganova Ballet Academy is where contemporary ballet originated. As class sizes get smaller and smaller each year, this 275-year-old school only grants graduation to those deemed to be the very best dancers in their year.
Many people believe that the Vaganova Ballet Academy is where contemporary ballet originated. As class sizes get smaller and smaller each year, this 275-year-old school only grants graduation to those deemed to be the very best dancers in their year.
#2. Juilliard School Of Dance
Without a shadow of a doubt, Juilliard is and has been for decades the best school in the world for musical studies, acting, and dance performance majors.
Their curriculum is known as the gold standard for contemporary dance. As it is impossible to ignore its close ties to the history of ballet and other dance genres.
While studying at Juilliard, students are encouraged to develop into a performer who is both flexible and subtle via the research of ballet, modern, and contemporary dance methods.
#3. Vanderbilt University
The emphasis of the education provided by the Vanderbilt dance faculty is on classical ballet, tap, contemporary/modern, hip-hop, and international dance techniques.
The Vanderbilt University Dance Program, which offers dance instruction to students at all levels, from beginner to advanced, finds the Memorial Gym to be the perfect venue.
Vanderbilt University offers its students the chance to study one of its 70 undergraduate majors, as well as a full spectrum of graduate and professional degrees on its lovely campus, which is also an official arboretum.
#4. Skidmore College
The college has 2,500 students from 67 different countries, 43 academic disciplines, 120 student organizations, and more than a hundred distinct study-abroad programs.
The Skidmore students are encouraged to connect concepts that on the surface might seem unconnected and to develop these connections into practical solutions.
#5. Paris Opera Ballet School
The Paris Opera Ballet School, located in the nation’s capital, consistently ranks among the top Colleges with Dance Majors worldwide.
The school is listed as one of the finest Colleges with Dance Majors in the world, even though it was not initially meant to be a school for children.
King Louis XIV first founded the Paris Ballet School in 1713 to educate adults. It was never meant for Kids until a few years later.
The college has consistently ranked among the world’s most esteemed dance schools for the past three hundred years.
5 Colleges With Dance Majors
Searching for colleges with dance majors Check out this list of colleges that offer dance to compare information on admissions, costs, rankings, and more.
#1. Johns Hopkins University
A private university was established in 1876. The campus is 140 acres in size, has a total undergraduate enrolment of 6,132 (fall 2024), and is located in an urban area.
The academic calendar is based on semesters. The National Universities section of the Best Colleges rating for 2024–2024 places Johns Hopkins University at number seven. It’s $60,480 in tuition and fees.
#2. Northwestern University
Here we have Northwestern University, which is a private university founded in the year 1851.
The campus is 231 acres in size, has a total undergraduate enrolment of 8,494 (fall 2024), and is located in a suburban area.
It makes use of an academic calendar based on quarters. The 2024–2024 edition of Best Colleges places Northwestern University at #10 among National Universities. The total cost of attendance is $63,468.
#3. Washington University in St. Louis
Washington University was a school established and located in the city of St. Louis, with a total undergraduate enrolment of 8,034 (fall 2024), and has a 169-acre campus.
The academic calendar is based on semesters. National Universities, the 2024–2024 edition of Best Colleges, places Washington University in St. Louis at position 15. The total cost of the program is $60,590.
#4. Cornell University
Cornell University is located in a rural area, with a total undergraduate enrolment of 15,503 (fall 2024), and has a 745-acre campus.
Its academic calendar is based on semesters. The National Universities section of the Best Colleges rating for 2024–2024 places Cornell University at #17. The total tuition and fees are $63,200.
#5. Emory University
This is an awesome school Emory that was established in the year 1836. With a total number of 7,130 undergraduate students enrolled in the (fall of 2024), the campus is 631 acres in size, and the location is a city.
With its academic calendar based on semesters. The 2024–2024 edition of Best Colleges places Emory University at number 22 among National Universities. The total cost of the program is $57,948.
FQAs
The State University of Arizona. Barnard University. Bellhaven College. Berklee’s Boston Conservatory. Butler College.
College Marymount Manhattan University of Montclair. Columbia University. Oberlin University.
Purchase College, SUNY. Juilliard College. Towson College. College of Arizona.
Teaching. You can work as a dance teacher’s assistant or teacher with a dance major.
Choreography
Administration of the arts.
Market research.
Pilates or yoga instructor
Videography and photography.
Costume creation.
Therapy for the body.
The school’s successes are a powerful testament to its earned renown and stature. Paul Taylor, who graduated from the program in 1953, just two years after Juilliard’s dance section was established, was one of the school’s first “superstar” dance alumni.
With this challenging art form, dance majors put their bodies and minds to the test. Students can pursue professions such as dancers and choreographers after completing a bachelor of fine arts (B.F.A.) or a bachelor of arts (B.A.) degree.
Students can use their B.A. to prepare for employment in dance therapy, administration, and education.
Conclusion
From all we have said, have you the reason the following Colleges with Dance Majors, stand out? They provide its students with the skills needed and the platform to exhibit them.
They are great at assisting students in locating post-graduate work opportunities.
These colleges with dance majors may sometime seem difficult to locate, but with all the information provided in the above article. You should find it very easy to get one.
We hope this information was helpful. Leave a comment on the comment session below.
References
- collegetransitions.com———Best Colleges for Dance
- usnews.com ——-Colleges Offering a Dance Major