<p>I got this information from a graduate of Emerson. Thought I would share:</p>
<p>In terms of dance, Emerson’s dance program isn’t the focus of the training. It’s not that it’s not something you can work on and develop, but if its something you want to concentrate on and develop those skills, you have to take it upon yourself to take more classes at Emerson, or take some dance outside of school. But Emerson says upfront that they aren’t a dance heavy program-which was great for me because I wouldn’t call myself a dancer. But I did grow to be much more confident about my dancing. There were some people in my class who are “dancers” and did find an outlet–so it’s possible. My classmate did an intensive at Broadway Dance Center here in NY, and my other classmate started choreographing at Emerson and just finished a Disney Cruise. So in terms of dance it’s up to you as to how you wish to work on that part of your training. </p>
<p>The cut policy is not as scary as it seems. It’s sort of daunting at first, but it is a good thing in the end. Our class in particular started with 28 people, and by the time re-auditions rolled around we were 18. If you make it a point to develop a relationship with the heads of the department and stay on top of everything, you’re fine. Most of the people who get cut see it coming and have had some kind of warning sign for the professors. </p>
<p>Emerson is the place to go if you want to really develop your acting chops and confidence in your skills. It’s not the type of place that churns out actor/singer/dancers. There is a focus on developing who you are and recognizing your strengths and working on your weaknesses. They don’t really hold your hand when you graduate by getting you agents and managers. The program is changing though, because the head of the department just changed (which is a good thing, in my opinion). </p>
<p>Emerson gears toward a very specific type of actor so it isn’t necessarily for everybody, so it depends on what you want to get out of her college experience. I got a lot out of Emerson because it was the right place for me. Scott Lafeber (the department head) is a huge part of that. I’m excited to see what he does with the program, because its in good hands.</p>