Prospective Dancer Letter

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Dear Prospective Dancer,

Dear Prospective Dancer,
Thank you for your interest in the Skidmore College Dance Department.  We hope the following brief over view will help to answer some of your questions.  We also invite you to visit our website where you can access information regarding class and performance schedules for the academic year, faculty bios and a photo/video gallery of dancers both past and present.  Go to www.skidmore.edu and click on the A-Z Index in the upper right hand corner and then scroll down to Dance. 

The Dance Department emphasizes serious technical training in ballet and modern as well as the creative inquiry that comes through compositional studies and historical research. We offer a B.S. in dance and a dance minor. Many of our dancers are also double majors with their second concentration in areas as diverse as business, exercise science, government or studio art, among others.  The majority of our classes are open to majors and non-majors alike with student placement being determined by the instructor.  Currently, we have over 500 students enrolled in technique and theory courses.  There is a full list of courses offered in our prospective student packet.

A dancer at Skidmore can be a member of the corps de ballet or a soloist in Swan Lake by Petipa; a character dancer in the “Mazurka” from Coppélia; a performer in a reconstruction of the modern classic Dances to Schubert by Isadora Duncan; a participant in a multimedia event in the prestigious Tang Museum; or a dancer in original choreography by faculty members and guest artists such as Robert Battle and Summer Lee Rhatigan.  The Choreography and Senior Capstone concerts provide even more performance opportunities for our dancers while independent studies and seminars allow advanced students to pursue individual interests in depth.  

The Dance Department has two spacious 50’ x 50’ studios with newly installed Harlequin sprung floors and large windows, which infuse the spaces with natural light.  The Dance Theater is an intimate 184-seat space used exclusively by our department.  Throughout the year we present an array of performances by students and faculty, guest lecturers, and visiting artists.  There are also 5 active dance clubs, “Terpsichore” (Ballet & Modern) “Stompin Soles” (Tap), “Rithmos” (Hip-Hop), “Irish Step” (Irish Dance) and “Swing Fever” (Social Dance).

The Dance Department has four full-time, and six part-time dance faculty, an artist-in-residence, four dance musicians, and a full-time technical director of the Dance Theater.  Guest Artists are invited to choreograph, offer workshops, performances, and lectures throughout the year for the campus community and the general public.  Our long and rich history of guest artists include Deborah Hay (Post-Modern), Kenneth Topping (Skidmore Alum and Graham Co.), Susan Griss (Dance Educator), Tina Baird (Jazz/Tap), Alexander Proia (New York City Ballet) and Odadaa (African).   For the past twenty years Skidmore’s Special Programs has hosted major dance residencies during the month of June. Dance luminaries such as The Jose Limón Company, Twyla Tharp, Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Company, Trisha Brown, Mark Morris, The Martha Graham Company and David Parsons are among others that have worked with students from all over the world along with many of our own Skidmore dancers.

The Skidmore Dance Department encourages individual growth and development supporting our graduates’ ability to benefit from the diverse dance opportunities available today.  Our alumni are members or directors of professional companies in New York City, Florida, New Hampshire, and California.  Others have become dance therapists, arts administrators, dance company managers, designers, directors of international dance institutes, and teachers in the dance field.   Please contact us if you would like to arrange a visit to take a class, observe a rehearsal or just chat with one of us.

We look forward to meeting you!

                                                                       
Warm wishes,    

Debra J. Fernandez                                                                   
Professor & Chair of the Dance Department
dfernand@skidmore.edu
(518) 580-5377