You are right on several counts, @halflokum. It IS an acting focused program. There is no doubt about that. And dance is not leveled in that the kids have to audition to get in classes. But they dance to their level…so, for example, the kids who were proficient at pointe got extra pointe classes, while the newbies to ballet did not. The “over 20 hours a week in training” is WAY more than 20 hours, depending on what you consider “training.” I consider, for example, rep class and voice lessons training; the many acting classes and scene study; and all the dance classes. That is pretty much all they do, and their schedules are packed. My D has classes from 9 until 6 today, then rehearsal from 7 to 10. It’s her toughest day, but they are all pretty much like that, except for Fridays, when her schedule is lighter. So, yeah…when they say “over 20 hours,” they mean OVER 20 hours. Maybe they don’t want to scare anyone. It’s a brutal schedule, but it sounds similar to many of the other programs.
@alwaysamom, you’re right that Ithaca was not known for their dance years ago. They hired new (incredible) dance teachers, and they stepped it up. My D is a junior now, and that was her ONE concern when she was deciding where to go…she was afraid the dance wouldn’t be challenging enough. She spoke to students who were there, and they assured her it was very challenging. And she has not been disappointed. But some of Ithaca’s graduates over recent years have been phenomenal dancers…Danny Gardner (2005) was just cast as Lucky in B’way Dames at Sea, and I hear he is a phenomenal tapper. Ben Fankhauser (2011) and Jeremy Jordan (2007) were both in Newsies on B’way…this is just a few. So I think the reputation the school had of being bad at dance was ill-deserved. Of course, there are kids there who aren’t the strongest dancers, as I’m sure is true at most schools, but the dance is getting stronger and stronger every year.