Urban Dance Colleges in Pennsylvania

Learn ballet in urban Pennsylvania colleges.

Urban Pennsylvania cities are host to some of the country's top schools for dance education, with majors including modern, jazz, and ballet and dance pedagogy. The schools focus on training highly qualified dance professionals with creative skills as well as a scholarly understanding of the history and philosophy of dance.

University of the Arts

The University of the Arts is a university located along the Avenue of the Arts in Philadelphia. The university specializes in educating creative students in the visual, performing and communication arts. The school offers a Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) in modern dance and jazz dance. The modern dance program prepares graduates for professional careers in the modern dance performance and/or choreography fields. Advanced technique, repertoire and composition are emphasized in the program. The jazz dance program prepares graduates for professional careers in jazz dance performance and/or choreography fields. The program emphasizes teaching jazz dance, voice, jazz repertory, and acting.

Point Park University

Point Park University is located in Pittsburgh in a 42,000-square-foot complex with dance studios and performance space. The university offers a Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) degree in dance and Bachelor of Arts (BA) degrees in dance and dance pedagogy. Majors include ballet, jazz or modern dance. Ballet classes emphasize techniques such as pointe and variations, pas de deux, male technique and rehearsal and performance. Jazz classes focus on teaching techniques such as jumps, movement across the floor, isolations and a sense of musicality. Modern dance focuses on traditional movements as well as the history of modern dance. Dance pedagogy emphasizes a range of teaching philosophies of instruction, from children to professionals.

Temple University

Temple University's Boyer College of Music and Dance is located in Philadelphia. The college has several buildings across the university campus. The university offers a Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) in dance, a Master of Education (ME) in dance, a Master of Fine Arts (MFA) in dance and a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in dance. The bachelor's program places emphasis on the learning of performance, choreography and dance technique. The master's program focuses on interdisciplinary perspectives and the mastery of the craft. The master of education program trains in the teaching of dance, including curriculum, teaching, research and cultural studies. The doctor of philosophy focuses on creating leaders of dance organizations, scholars and higher education professors.

Muhlenberg College

Muhlenberg College is a liberal arts college located in Allentown. The school offers bachelor degree programs in dance performance and choreography as well as dance science and scholarship. The dance performance and choreography major emphasizes intensive studio training, composition, and the theoretical and historical background of dance. The dance science and dance scholarship program trains students who want to work in the fields of dance medicine, or physical therapy, rather than becoming dancers. Thomas Jefferson University offers a co-op for physical therapy for dance science and dance scholarship students.

References

• The University of the Arts: BFA in Jazz Dance
• Point Park University: Dance Concentrations
• Boyer College of Music and Dance, Temple University: About Dance
• Muhlenberg College: Theatre & Dance

Resources

• The University of the Arts: About the University of the Arts
• Point Park University: COPA Fact Sheet
• Temple University: About Temple
• Muhlenberg College: About Us