Ithaca

kbellantone07 · 08-23-2005, 04:28 PM

Does anyone have information regarding the Musical theatre dept. at Ithaca College? I am a strong belter with very limited dance skill and it seems that Ithaca would be right for me...also, any other colleges with less emphasis on the dance audition? Thanx!

nytheatermom · 08-23-2005, 07:58 PM

Go back into the forum's archives. There is lots written about Ithaca and its fine MT program.

kbellantone07 · 08-24-2005, 04:30 PM

Thanx! will do!

Sporti2005 · 12-05-2005, 12:16 PM

i have heard from students in the program at ithaca college that there is very little emphasis on dance, though they still have to take dance classes, etc. and there is no dance audition for admission.

nytheatermom · 12-05-2005, 01:15 PM

We just returned from audition there. While there is NO dance audition, they made it very clear that dancing is an important part of the program.

Ericsmom · 12-05-2005, 10:41 PM

We are very impressed with Ithaca. The play on Friday night included some great acting.

Other schools that I can think of with no dance at the audition (but that have plenty of dance once you are there) include OCU, Elon, Webster, and NYU (dance audition is optional).

soozievt · 12-06-2005, 12:25 AM

Ithaca is a wonderful program. My D also auditioned there (last year) and got in. She obviously considered this school. One aspect that was a drawback to her in comparison to other schools on her list was DANCE.

I will share what I know. The director of the program spoke to the parents/students on the audition day. He acknowledged that dance was the area least emphasized in their program (I hope I worded that OK but I'm not saying he said it wasn't "important" but that it was least emphasized there....this question arose from the audience and they concurred or acknowledged it). As you know they do not have a dance audition. But as others noted, there are other schools that do not have a required dance audition. One school already mentioned is NYU/Tisch. However, there is a difference here in a few respects. At NYU (and actually at BOCO which also had no dance audition LAST YEAR but does this year), they have dance PLACEMENT once you are IN the program. So, while there will be kids who get in with very little or no dance background, they are not placed with advanced dancers. For instance, at CAP21, just for FRESHMEN alone, there are four levels of jazz, four levels, of ballet, four levels of tap all via placement. At Ithaca, particularly as there is no dance audition, students from a wide range of dance background from beginner to someone with 12 years of dance will be in the same level of class. A girl from our high school went to Ithaca for the BFA in MT (she has even appeared on their brochure cover and while she is now in NYC, she recently performed in a musical cabaret here and was great), she had no dance going into Ithaca. I do not believe that you take all 3 disciplines of dance all four years as is the case at some other programs. I know they only have ONE Level of tap and for my D (this is just a personal preference/need, does not apply to others unless they are similar in desire/need), this was not as desirable as she had taken tap for 11 years, has been a tap troupe and has choreographed tap. She was afraid she might not be able to progress much further. I'm ONLY pointing this out if someone who is an advanced or serious dancer is looking into the program. My daughter would have attended and there are MANY fine aspects to this program, size and much else. She has a friend from our region there now.

For someone without strong dance skills, auditioning for Ithaca is attractive because it does not have a dance audition. I'm glad Ericsmom pointed out others where this is also the case and might be good places to audition if that is a concern. If an advanced dancer, you may want to find out the situation at schools that have NO dance audition (thus possibly admitting students with little dance training) IF they then use dance PLACEMENT. Ithaca does not. Just sharing this to be helpful. For many, this is a nonissue. For some, they might want to know.

I won't get into all the great things about this fine program but wanted to share what I know and our experiences there. My D was thrilled with the acceptance as it was her first. They also gave out really nice scholarships!They were hoping for a class of 12 (yikes!) but besides my D not taking the offer (goes to CAP21), she has another VT friend who declined it (for Emerson) and a FL friend who declined it (for UMich). So, they do accept more than 12 to yield 12. The kids who are in the program all seemed quite enthusiastic and I liked how they had them do a Q and A at the auditions.

Good luck to all who auditioned there this past weekend and it is great many of you met up which adds to making audition trips fun!

kbellantone07 · 12-06-2005, 05:33 AM

Thank you so much! love the info--keep it rollin'!

bearcaaat · 12-16-2005, 07:18 PM

I was just wondering, has anyone heard from Ithaca, either yes or no, yet??

NotMamaRose · 12-28-2005, 10:39 AM

Forgive me if this post is misplaced and ought to be under the "summer program" discussion. If so, someone, let me know!
I am wondering if anyone here has participated in Ithaca College's three week, summer MT program.
Suddenly, we find ourselves thinking about the option of sending our D (should she be accepted somewhere) to a residential MT or acting (preferably, MT) program this summer. (We had thought she was going to do a camp closer to home, but the one we were considering doesn't look to be very high quality, and she is asking to be challenged.) A three week program is something we may be able to swing, financially. Ithaca's is the right length, but I know nothing about it. Anyone?
I can also post this on the summer program discussion list.
LD

Ericsmom · 12-28-2005, 07:27 PM

MotMamaRose - I know nothing about the Ithaca summer program, but I'm sure it is beautiful there and with perfect weather in the summer.

See my post on the summer thread about OCU's 3 week program - another to consider. Send me an e-mail if you want more.

erinl · 01-08-2006, 08:59 PM

If anyone here knows any students who are at Ithaca, I'd be interested in knowing what the transportation in and out of the town is like. This is a school on my list for next year and the transportation issue is one of the questions I need info on for each school. Most of my other schools are in bigger cities so it's not as big an issue. Thanks for any info anyone can give! I'm early in this I know so I hope you don't mind me asking.

chrism · 01-08-2006, 09:10 PM

http://www.ufva.org/articleReader.php?id=0000000014

Transportation & Parking
Ithaca is accessible by air via US Air, with direct flights to and from a number of major cities. Nearby airports are Ithaca Tompkins Regional Airport, Syracuse Hancock International Airport and Elmira-Corning Airport. The Ithaca airport has car rental counters in the baggage claim area. Taxi fare to Ithaca College from the Ithaca airport or the Courtyard Marriott costs approximately $11.00 for one person and 50 cents for each additional passenger. On a typical day a taxi ride should take 15 minutes to reach the College from these locations. Taxi service may be arranged by calling Ithaca Dispatch at (607) 277-7777. Public bus transportation is also available. TCAT bus route 31 runs between the airport and downtown Ithaca; request a transfer at the last stop to continue on bus route 11 to the Ithaca College campus. For more information about TCAT visit the web site at http://www.tcatbus.com/ Ithaca Airline Limousine is also available from the Syracuse airport and can be contacted at (607) 273-3030.

actor465 · 01-08-2006, 09:12 PM

You're gonna get mixed reviews on the public transportation in Ithaca. It's called the TCAT, and personally, I find it to be pretty reliable. It stops on campus every half hour and it costs $1.50 to ride it. It stops twice on campus, in front of Textor Hall twice an hour and in front of the Towers one time each hour. You can take it to a variety of places. Most often people take it to the Commons, which is about a ten or fifteen minute ride. You can also get a transfer pass, so you can take a bus from the Commons to the Pyramid Mall (for example) without having to pay an extra fare. On nice days (which are usually not this time of year) some people like to walk down to the Commons and take the bus back.

Now that I look back at your post, it seems you want information on getting to campus? Oops. Well, usually people drive in and out. Some of my friends who have to catch planes out of Syracuse either take the Greyhound one-way for about $15 or split a cab among all of them. Others fly into Ithaca and then take a taxi to and from campus.

Hope that helps. Let me know if you have any other questions; I'd be glad to answer them!

Sporti2005 · 01-08-2006, 09:24 PM

i also go to ithaca, so i'll just add a little bit to what actor465 said.

i have friends from around the country who usually get rides with people to the airports when exams are done, etc. -- but sometimes it's a bit of a problem. for example, my friend from atlanta had to find a ride to rochester. doesn't really sound THAT difficult except that he had an exam the very last day after most people had already left. he ended up deciding last minute that he would take the bus to rochester, but it was a little frantic for a while.

ithaca is small. the airport is tiny, but people make it work, i suppose.