photo courtesy calARTS
calARTS
Valencia, California
The BFA Program in Dance is an intensive, four-year education in which students develop high-level professional skills in a variety of dance practices.
Just north of Los Angeles, CalArts Dance benefits from performance opportunities at Redcat and other downtown spaces while continually generating an international network of choreographic exchange beyond the U.S. Dancers pursue rigorous training in technique (ballet, contemporary, hip-hop, and more), choreography, and interdisciplinary and media-driven collaborations. The curriculum also includes courses in critical dance studies, performance studies, dance on camera, music, Pilates, and anatomy, as well as courses across campus in other arts and media. CalArts Dance offers comprehensive instruction in dance production, including stagecraft, lighting, and costume design. Through career-building workshops, BFA students match their creative visions with the professional tools needed to see them through. CalArts dancers regularly perform and experiment in a variety of contexts, including stages, galleries, films, public spaces, online platforms, and more, as the school is attuned to the changing field and demands of dance. The program is grounded in one-on-one mentoring by a diverse faculty of experienced, practicing artists and scholars. CalArts Dance faculty have danced professionally with companies and artists such as Nederlands Dance Theater, Ballet Preljocaj, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Complexions Contemporary Ballet, Rennie Harris, Boris Charmatz, San Francisco Ballet, Heidi Latsky, and Mia Michaels, and encourage students to explore a range of performance contexts, from the commercial industry to the experimental realm, and to understand the socio-political context of each endeavor. Students are exposed to a range of internationally-renowned artists working in dance and performance, and regularly benefit from choreographic residencies and performance workshops. CalArts Dance maintains significant relationships with choreographers across the globe, especially Europe, and BFA students are able to study with them beginning in their first semester, through both learning and performing existing repertory and co-creating new work. Those pursuing a BFA in Dance at CalArts also have opportunities to study abroad, earn internships, and benefit from interdisciplinary programs such as Integrated Media.
Prospective applicants and dancers can feel free to contact directly:
Kevin Whitmire
Assistant Director of Admission for CalArts Dance
kwhitmire@calarts.edu