Deadlines and Requirements: Dance Performance

  • DEADLINES:
    Fall:     February 15, 2019
    Early Action: Not Available
    Spring: Not Available

Application Requirements:

Audition:

  • Online audition registration for the BFA Dance program will open October 2018 in our SlideRoom portal.  To register for an audition you must first submit an application to the college for the BFA Dance program. Only applicants to the college for the BFA Dance program will be able to register for an audition. Applicants will be emailed the audition registration instructions. The non-refundable audition fee of $60.00 plus the $5.00 SlideRoom submission fee must be submitted online at the time of your audition submissions.

    Please do not call the Conservatory to schedule an audition. All auditions are scheduled online.

    Admission to the Conservatory of Dance is highly competitive. Acceptance is based primarily on your dance audition, demonstrating:

    Prior training and the ability to demonstrate advanced knowledge of modern and/or classical ballet techniques

    • Talent and potential as a performer
    • Musicality
    • Good physical proportions in a healthy body that is injury free

    The dance audition consists of a ballet class and modern combinations in the center and across the floor. You might be asked to improvise. Following class, the audition panel will call back the dancers who will present their solos in the afternoon. The faculty will conduct a short interview following the audition. The schedule is adhered to as much as possible; however, the number of people in any given audition, the weather, or other extenuating circumstances may cause changes. Please plan to spend a full day at Purchase College.

    Solo Performance

    Each dancer should be prepared to present a 90-second solo performance in classical ballet, contemporary ballet or modern dance. We would like to see you in a work that shows you at your best. Note the following carefully, as no exceptions will be made:

    • Your music should be on CD (with your name clearly printed on the label) or an iPod.
    • Choreography may be by you or another person.
    • If your dance exceeds 90 seconds, you will be asked to stop. We are primarily interested in your performance and movement ability.
    • Be prepared to introduce your dance: title, choreographer, composer and any additional information you wish us to know.
    • The audition studio has a marley floor.
    • No costumes are permitted.

    Dance Information Requirements All dancers are required to submit the following items at time of the audition. PLEASE DO NOT MAIL THESE MATERIALS TO THE CONSERVATORY.

    • Dance Resume
    • One (1) Artistic Letter of Recommendation
    • Dance Photo (a 8 x 10 full body shot in leotard and tights in first arabesque is preferred)
    • A copy of the essay you submitted with your Common Application or SUNY Application to the college.  

    Audition Dates

    Sample On-Campus Audition Schedule

    9:00–10:00am
    Registration: Complete the audition form, submit your resume, letter of recommendation, essay and photo and receive you audition number
    10:00–10:30am
    Parents meet with the Director of Dance/Auditionees warm up
    10:30am–12:30pm
    Dance Auditions
    12:30pm–1:30pm
    Lunch Break / List of requested solo performances posted
    1:30pm
    Solo auditions, presented in order of registration, followed by an interview

    Dance applicants are invited to attend the BFA Dance Senior Project Performances in the Dance Theatre Lab at 8:00pm on the evening of your audition. Dancers may sign-up for two (2) complimentary tickets when registering in the morning.

    Off Campus

    Chicago, IL:
    Chicago Academy for the Arts
    1010 W Chicago Ave,
    Chicago, IL 60642

    Los Angeles, CA:
    Los Angeles County High School for the Arts

    Dance Class Audition Video Online Submission

    (Only students outside continental U.S.)*

    Only candidates living outside the continental United States may submit a Class Audition Video online rather than audition in person. This includes Hawaii, Alaska and Puerto Rico. Your Class Audition Video must be received in SlideRoom by March 3, 2019.

    The Class Audition Video should include:

    Introduction: State your name, dance training, and information about your solo: title, composer, choreographer and any additional information you want us to know. Tell us why you are interested in attending the Purchase College Conservatory of Dance.

    Ballet Class: Present barre work, center work (adagio, allegro and pirouette combinations) and across the floor combinations. You do not need to repeat exercises on both sides.

    Modern Class: Present warm up exercises, center work including back work, and across the floor combinations.

    Solo: 90 seconds maximum.

    Mock schedule for the day:

    • 3:00-4:00pm– Registration
    • 4:00-6:30pm - Audition Class: Ballet and Modern techniques
    • 6:30-8:00 - Solo presentations: 90-seconds, your music on ipod or CD

    If you reside outside the continental United States, you can submit a digital video file or link to your Audition Class Video on YouTube or Vimeo and pay the non-refundable audition fee of $60.00 plus the $5.00 SlideRoom submission when you submit your audition materials and fees in SlideRoom.

    Injury Policy: If you get injured prior to your scheduled audition date, you may reschedule your audition for a later date. If your recovery period exceeds the final scheduled audition date (March 3, 2018) you may be granted an extension by request. Please contact the Conservatory of Dance in either case.

    For additional information about the Dance BFA program visit the Conservatory of Dance.

Admission Decisions

You will be notified of your admission decision three to four weeks after your audition date if your application is complete and you have paid the audition fee.

Whether you just graduated high school or you’ve taken a gap year (or more), if you have not yet attended college you should apply as a freshman. Even if you’ve taken college-level courses in high school, Advanced Placement (AP) or International Baccalaureate (IB) exams, you’re still a freshman.

Who We’re Looking For

It takes a certain nature to thrive at Purchase. While we seek to enroll academically qualified students with a consistent record of achievement in a challenging high school curriculum, we also seek students with grit—the determination to strive and succeed.

Successful students at Purchase are highly motivated, intellectually curious, and deeply engaged in our community as well as the world at large. Our students are passionate about their goals and persevere to achieve them. They are daring—willing to take calculated risks to achieve more when they create works of art, engage in research and scholarship, or take on internships. They are driven to succeed and exhibit an entrepreneurial spirit in creating that success for themselves. In addition, Purchase students are often socially aware and will take an active stand for what they believe in.    All candidates are encouraged to pursue a rigorous college prep curriculum throughout their entire high school career, enhancing their college preparation through honors and Advanced Placement coursework. The Office of Admissions maintains a holistic review process with a focus on the quality of your academic program, your cumulative academic average, your Think Wide Open Statement, and supplemental information. 

Typical Grades

Generally, successful freshman applicants have earned a GPA of 3.0 (or 85 on a 100 point scale).

Purchase does not require scores from the SAT or ACT exam (with exceptions), though applicants are given the option to submit them. It is recommended that test scores be submitted only if it is believed to benefit the application. For applicants who are considering submitting scores, we typically prefer the following:

  • SAT: 1170 total score; minimum Reading score of 24 
  • ACT: 24 Composite

Students who are required to submit test scores include:

  • Applicants who are homeschooled
  • International students, who will need to provide a TOEFL score
  • Applicants who attended secondary schools that provide only narrative evaluations rather than some form of grading scale

 

Think Wide Open Statement

Purchase College’s motto is “Think Wide Open.” It’s our way of learning, teaching and being and so much more. By choosing Purchase, students make a conscious decision to join an intense community with a deep respect for individuality and diversity and an unparalleled environment of creativity and innovation. As an applicant, we want to know what Think Wide Open means to you. All students submit either an essay, video or other creative work (poem, song, visual artwork, etc.). It should be original and should connect to Think Wide Open broadly or specifically. Videos and creative works should include a brief introduction or statement that helps contextualize your submission for the viewer/reader.

Not sure?

Students that do not meet these exact requirements but demonstrate a compelling academic history or, in the case of our professional training programs in the visual and performing arts, exceptional artistic talent may still be considered for admission.