Although young dancers spend a lot of time in the studio, for many graduating from high school, the idea of dance as a discipline—as much an intellectual pursuit as a physical one—is It may be strange, even mysterious. What does a college dance program actually entail? What is life like as a student?
A university’s faculty, size, location, and type of dance degree all influence the student experience. For example, BFA students dance more than 40 hours per week, while BA students’ dance hours may vary from semester to semester, giving them more time to pursue other academic interests. The scope and duration of senior projects can also vary greatly: students on larger projects often work within the confines of allowing everyone to schedule, whereas students on smaller projects may have half or even an entire night dedicated to their Work.
But the main thread is transformation. Although the four students here participate in dance programs of varying types and sizes, they all describe their department as a supportive community. They have close relationships with staff and other students. (Especially at large universities, this exposure can distinguish dance from many other disciplines in which students do not always work directly with faculty.) As their daily lives reveal, the university Fundamentally changed the way they dance.
Ellie Daly, ’25
University of Iowa (large public university)
Total enrollment: 31,452
Major: Dance, BFA
An average day for Ellie starts at 8am and rehearsals end around 8 or 9pm. She has ballet and modern technique, up to six hours of rehearsals every day, and at least one other department class. She also takes non-dance courses most semesters. On the weekends, she attends extra rehearsals, teaches with the University of Iowa Youth Ballet Company, and spends time with friends in Iowa City.
Ellie enjoys the program’s emphasis on collaboration and the many on-campus performance opportunities each semester. She considers MFA graduate students to be her mentors: she takes classes with them and dances in their works. She also performs off-campus with a professional company of faculty members.
Ellie originally planned to double major in dance and pre-occupational therapy. That changed after taking a course on Dance and Society in Global Contexts, which she says “illuminated me.” In addition to her love of dance and performance, learning that dance “does have meaning and can reveal the ways in which society has progressed—and sometimes regressed—is exciting and affirming,” she said. “Learning Dance History and Theory” Changed the way I viewed dance and how I engaged with dance and choreography.” While many of her peers did have two majors, she dropped the second major to focus all of her energy on dance.
Ziel Inami, ’25
SUNY College at Purchase (conservatory of music within a public university)
Total enrollment: 3,257
Major: Dance, BFA
Zil’s alarm goes off at 7:30 a.m., classes start at 8:30, and the last rehearsal usually ends around 10 p.m. They have multiple technique classes every day, approximately 20 hours of rehearsals per week, and up to three hours per week in composition and choreography classes. They like to spend their free time with friends in the dormitory and talk about art.
Ziel, on the other hand, makes movies, and they spend one semester a year on the campus ropes course. They also took courses in puppetry, screenwriting and studio recording. But rehearsal and performance conflicts can make it difficult to attend performances in other departments and off campus, even within 30 miles of New York City.
Before college, Ziel trained primarily in ballet. They welcomed Patches’s shift toward modern technology and choreographic experimentation. Zil focused on composition and production, studied choreography, stage management, and lighting design, and worked behind the scenes at many performances on campus. Technicians are often available by appointment Sunday from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. “Producing the episode is a huge time commitment,” they say, “but I absolutely love and enjoy being a part of the production of the show, so it’s definitely worth it.”
Adele Welch, ’25
Bates College (small liberal arts college)
Total enrollment: 1,874
Majors: Earth and Climate Sciences; Dance, BA
Adelle usually wakes up at 7am, has breakfast, and then goes to the gym before her geology class at 9:30. More science and dance classes, homework, teacher office hours and rehearsals take up the rest of her day. Depending on the semester, Adele spends anywhere from four to 12 hours a week rehearsing, usually until 9pm.
While there are daily technique classes, if she wanted to prioritize daily classes, some of them would be beginner-level classes rather than large audition-based classes. But Adele came to appreciate the diversity of the experience and found that working with a range of students “expanded” her choreography. “It’s so cool to figure out how to work with new dancers,” she said.
Adele has studied ballet since she was a child. She wanted to study dance in college, but she didn’t expect to major in dance. During her first semester, she discovered a repertory class where she discovered that dance could be like the books she loved in high school—more whimsical and provocative than fairy tales—and she was hooked. She wanted her dance thesis piece to be “ghost-like,” and since she worked in theater and a dance costume store, she wanted it to involve sets and costumes that she helped create.
Adele said that at Bates College, “there is a wealth of student aid available for research around the world. As long as you work hard, there is almost nothing you can’t do.” This summer, she participated in the internationally renowned Bates Dance Festival, and conducted research for her honors thesis in climate science.
Worm E., ’25
Emory University (mid-sized private university)
Total enrollment: 15,889
Majors: Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies; Dance and Movement Studies, BA
Ilo uses “he/they” pronouns, takes at least three non-dance courses each semester, and has an on-campus job in the dance department. A standard day starts around 8:30 a.m. and includes a dance class and a rehearsal, for a total of three to four hours of studio time. They often had additional rehearsals on campus and on weekends with student recreation clubs, and off campus with Atlanta choreographers whom Ilo met through connections between Emory faculty and the Atlanta dance community. This choreographer.
After attending a performing arts high school, “it was hard for me to imagine an education without dance,” Ilo said. But they also want to pursue something else in college. After starting college as a pre-med student, Ilo switched a second major to women’s, gender, and sexuality studies, excited to discover that the discipline, like dance, helped them “find the language of the human experience.” .
Like Adele, they spent a summer at the Bates Dance Festival, thanks in part to a scholarship from the Emory Friends of Dance support organization. Emory’s dance department, which focuses on somatics and personal artistry, “allowed me to develop a healthy relationship with dance,” Ilo said. “It provides a safe space for critical growth and artistic discovery.”
