shellipearl

I've been hearing that dance at Ithaca is not a strong part of their MT program is that true? Is there a dance dept separate from the MT dance? Can a strong dancer improve at IC?

kasl24

I had the same questions about IC when I auditioned there in Nov. and while they do not have a dance department, the students there seemed content with the dance they were getting. They did say that dance is not as equally emphasized as acting and singing. I live in Ithaca, and have heard from some people in the community as well that have been involved with IC about the dance being weak there. There are not many opportunties to dance in Ithaca for college age students and above, so I would definitely inquire directly to the school as much as possible about the dance program if that is something that is important to you (that is one of my drawbacks to Ithaca because I am a dancer and worry about their level of dance.)

dgreenw2

If you consider yourself a dancer who sings and acts (as opposed to a singer/actor who dances), Ithaca is not the choice for you. If you truly consider yourself a triple threat, Ithaca is worth consideration. This is mostly because the training is geared towards very strong singers and very strong actors. Dance is, however, equally emphasized and as such is an important part of the program. The curriculum is set up so that non-dancers will improve to a level at which they can successfully navigate a broadway dance call. If a dancer does decide to come to Ithaca it is up to him/her to take additional classes that are offered but are not part of the required curriculum (upper level ballet/modern classes). All MT majors are required to take the following: 2 semesters Ballet I, 2 semesters Jazz I, 2 semesters Jazz and/or Ballet II, 2 semesters Modern I, and 2 semesters of Tap I (there is only one level of tap geared towards intermediate dancers, for the non-hoofer this is a challenge, for the advanced student it's not very hard), as well as 2 semesters senior year of Dance for the Musical Stage. If you so wish you can augment these requirements with extra semesters of Ballet II, III and IV(pointe), as well as Modern II. Additionally Voice and Movement for the Stage is part of the standard acting and musical theatre curriculum freshman and sophomore year (sophomore year mask work, Laban, and Viewpoints are taught).

Hope this helps!

shellipearl

Is it possible to augment your dance classes with the dance classes that the dance majors take? (are there dance majors?) Because in many school we find that they say you can't take the dance major dance classes only the MT dance classes? Yes she is a triple threat a singer/actor who dances but her dance is strong and we feel that is a great advantage so we really want a program where she can strongly develop all three skills. It would be a shame not too.

dgreenw2

The upper level ballet and modern classes are the classes that dance minors takes (Ithaca doesn't offer a dance major, though they're in the process of developing one). Besides these classes the ones that MT's can't take are Dance History, Intro to Dance, and Dance Composition simply because there isn't enough room for all of the dance minors that take it. Dance is most definitely emphasized for ALL MT's, however. To clarify my earlier statements, I would not recommend Ithaca for someone who wanted to do only musicals with a lot of dance in them. I would rather recommend it for students that want to be able to do musicals, straight shows, character roles, leading roles, etc. Ithaca's strength is that the MT's are held to the same standards as acting majors as well as voice majors. The emphasis for freshman year dance classes is building good technique for non-dancers, correcting flawed technique in dancers, and building overall comraderie in the class. Later on dancers will progress to higher levels of dance, but unlike somelike programs all of the students start out at the the same level.

PantheMan22

My best friend goes to Ithaca for MT, and she is definitely not a dancer. Thus, the dance program at Ithaca is very challenging for her and her fellow non-dancer MT friends. However, she does have a few friends who entered the program as seasoned dancers. These kids are in a dance company on campus called "Rock Hard" I believe. As I understand, the company meets four to five times a week and includes challenging jazz, modern, and contemporary choreography. The company is a great opportunity for the kids to workout, perform, and choreograph. If any of you dancers have questions about "Rock Hard" you can pm me and I get get you in contact with the right people.

mt_scorpion

hey, pan!

I'm gonna be a junior MT at ithaca in fall. I'm not in "Rock Hard," just because last semester was really demanding, but I know most everyone in it. There are a few great student-run dance companies in the dept. Now to the subject of Ithaca and dance. The great thing about the school is that they don't reject great singer/actors who have no previous dance training. I had plenty of training before I came to Ithaca, and though the dance training doesn't cripple me, I find parts of it extremely challenging. Over the past 4 semesters, i have taken at least 4 dance classes a week, so it's not like we only sing and act. The biggest thing about the dance in the program is that it is not a direct component of our review process. We have singing and acting reviews, but your dance review is your teacher's written evaluation of your progress in class, no performance or "dance off" sort of thing in front of the department like singing and acting reviews. But by the time I graduate, I plan to have taken all levels of ballet, tap, and jazz, with two semesters of modern, and a class for seniors called dance for the musical stage. But if you're solely a dancer who sings and acts, then the program is definitely not right for you. It's perfect for just about every other combination of performer though!!

hope this helps!!