Thanks to the indefatigable recruiting efforts of our intrepid administrative team and faculty, the Department of Dance saw a hefty leap in the number, strength and diversity of prospective students auditioning and interviewing for our degree programs this year. Led by Chair Anderson, administrative team members and faculty attended several dance festivals, college fairs, conferences and showcases offering many masterclasses for prospective students to get a glimpse of everything the department has to offer. This year, department representatives attended Dancewave’s Dancing Through College and Beyond in Brooklyn, New York; the International Association of Black’s in Dance Conference in Memphis, Tennessee; South Carolina Governor's School for the Arts and Humanities Grand Jeté College Fair in Greenville, South Carolina; the Regional High School Dance Festival in Norfolk, Virginia; the ADAPT Postsecondary Audition in Toronto, Canada; the Booker T. Washington High School for Performing and Visual Arts in Dallas, Texas; Kinder High School for Performing and Visual Arts in Houston, Texas, the National Dance Education Organization, and the Dance Studies Association.
In addition to this national campaign, the department continues to host prospective students at our Grad Day and College Day open houses and to engage with the community at our Saturdays in the Studio free dance classes for Columbus City middle school and high school students, Columbus Kids’ Dance Day and Summer Dance Intensive for High School Students.
We welcomed over 160 Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance program applicants, including first generation and all backgrounds/walks of life, at both of our in-person audition experiences and asynchronous online accommodation. Approximately 25% of this year’s BFA pool is from Ohio and 75% from 22 states, including CA, CO, FL, GA, IA, IL, IN, KY, LA, MA, MD, MI, MN, NC, NJ, NV, NY, PA, TN, TX, VA, WI and 2 other countries, China and Colombia.
A video of Department Chair Charles O. Anderson teaching a class for these amazing dancers at the Regional High School Dance Festival.
Photos by Damian Bowerman:
- College Day class with Momar Ndiaye
- College Day class with Alfonso Cervera
- College Day class with Orlando Hunter and Ricarrdo Valentine
- College Day class with Charles O. Anderson
- College Day panel with Charles O. Anderson and BFA in dance students
- Damian Bowerman at a Buckeye Bound table fair
