Associate in Dance
Located in Franklin, Massachusetts the Joan Phelps Palladino School of Dance at Dean College is the only college dance program in New England and the entire northeast to offer both the A.A. and B.A. degree in Dance. The mission of an Associate degree in Dance curriculum is to integrate the four disciplines of ballet, modern, jazz and tap within a liberal arts context.
Graduates of the A.A. degree program have the skills necessary to transfer on to pursue baccalaureate study in Dance or any other discipline they choose to pursue, or they may choose to enter directly into the professional dance world. Students may also pursue a nationally credited independent study at the world-renowned Alvin Ailey Dance Center in New York City, an opportunity available to students at only a handful of collegiate programs.
Here are a few more reasons to choose Dean for the study of Dance:
- Rigorous technical study combined with an academic dance curriculum that includes pedagogy, history, composition, anatomy, creative movement and rhythmic analysis
- Genre specific instructors who are noted professional performers and teachers
- Regular instruction and master classes from renowned guest artists such as Pilobolus, Diane Walker, Al Blackstone, Ellenore Scott, Ailey Company members, Maurice Hines, Gregory Hines, Gus Giordano company members, Mark Morris company members, Broadway performers and choreographers, and many many others!
- A long-term relationship with the Ailey School, and private auditions for the Alvin Ailey Pre-professional Summer Intensive
- Multiple performance opportunities each year including student choreography showcases
- On-campus auditions with agents
- Double major and minor opportunities for success on and off the stage
- On site, full time dance athletic trainer who provides our dancers with personalized assessment as well as injury care and prevention
- Our track record: Graduates of our school are dancers with Cirque Du Soleil, studio owners, dance therapists, performers on cruise lines and in music videos, working with talent agencies in New York and Los Angeles, directing dance companies, and teaching. Our alumae have been significantly contributing to the field of dance for many years.
Additional Application Requirements
In addition to the required academic components of the application for admission, applicants to the Dance program are required to attend an on campus audition. Complete details are available at www.dean.edu/audition. Students travelling from a distance who are not able to attend an audition should contact Admissions Counselor Dance Recruitment Christy Haynes at chaynes@dean.edu to explore alternative arrangements.