As a veteran studio owner and dance educator for over two decades, it brings me immense joy to support my dancers' journey in dance from childhood through high school and beyond college. But honestly, in all my years of mentoring students, it has been a constant struggle to find the time to dedicate to research all of the available options tailored to my dancers' strengths, wants and needs.
I am a parent myself in the midst of searching for the right path for my dancer. I know firsthand how overwhelming the college search process is. Once your child reaches high school, the decision of what comes next becomes inevitable and can be incredibly daunting. You find yourself seeking solutions to numerous unknowns, requiring further exploration and understanding which requires massive dedication of time and effort.
How do I ensure that I have provided them with the right tools to prepare them? How and where do I gather the critical information so that I am informed and educated on the options available to them? How can I get my dancer the exposure to the relevant college dance decision makers?
The information needed to do a compare and contrast of the college dance teams, dance programs, conservatories and extended studies programs is just not easily accessible or organized. The video submission deadlines for not only college dance program or team recruitment and acceptance but also for summer intensives and clinics for high school age dancers have vastly different timelines.
In addition to that, there are differing video content requirements, essays and letters of recommendations that are needed to complete the dance portion of your application. Let's also not forget that generally speaking, your dancer will need to be accepted academically before being considered, so knowing if your dancer can meet those requirements is critical. It is OVERWHELMING to say the least!