Subsequent spring, Mia Sanderson will graduate from College of South Carolina’s Betsy Blackmon Dance Program with two levels, finishing 4 years of dance and promoting curriculums that now place her for a number of profession choices: Will it’s skilled firm life or advertising for a dance group? Possibly even musical theater, she says.
“I’ve undoubtedly grow to be a greater model of myself,” Sanderson says as she considers the schooling that introduced her so far. “I’m simply going to see the place the world takes me.”
Sanderson’s enviable flexibility is the results of professors like Jennifer Deckert, USC’s dance program director, who has by no means been eager about educating a slender path to success. “It’s about far more than their ardour for dance,” she says. “It’s their passions for all times.”
Prepping for the Stage, the Classroom, and Past
Deckert constructions USC’s program with this in thoughts, and the varsity presents two BA tracks: Efficiency & Choreography, which helps double majors like Sanderson’s, and Dance Training, which permits college students to graduate with a Ok–12 educating certificates. The latter practically ensures employment within the state of South Carolina, and makes getting a dance schooling place in one other state a lot easier. As well as, this system not too long ago added a low-residency MA in Dance Research, the primary graduate program in dance within the state of South Carolina designed for working professionals.
“There are extra avenues than a efficiency life,” Deckert says. Alongside the BA in Dance with an emphasis in Efficiency & Choreography, “there are levels college students can search that may assist them and proceed to serve the dance neighborhood—that will or is probably not them persevering with to carry out full-time, however [they] are nonetheless built-in into our dance world.” Frequent second majors or minors embody Enterprise, Political Science, Journalism, Media Arts, Pre-Med, Pre-Bodily Remedy, Advertising, Biology, Historical past, and Psychology.
A Classical Basis, With Room for Play
The number of choices shouldn’t, nevertheless, be misconstrued for a scarcity of high quality or depth. USC’s program is classically targeted: College students take ballet 4 days every week and modern twice every week, supplemented with further choices like pointe, jazz, and West African dance.
“They often come to our dance constructing round 11 am daily, after which they’re in rehearsals till about 5 pm,” Deckert says. Evenings stay open to permit alternatives for enrichment past the studio or stage—dance college students are inspired to attend sporting occasions, be part of Greek life, and develop their social and tutorial circles all through town of Columbia.
Les Sylphides. Picture by Sadie Whitehead, courtesy College of South Carolina.
“A part of the explanation why I selected USC is as a result of it’s within the South,” says Sanderson, who’s initially from Minnesota. “I felt like if I had gone to a different faculty, I wouldn’t have gotten as a lot of an thought of the kinds of those who we dwell on the earth with. It’s actually essential to know that as an artist.”
Coming This Spring: The Joffrey Ballet in Residency
This degree of engagement has additionally attracted business leaders for on-campus residencies. Spring 2025 will embody a three-week go to by Chicago’s Joffrey Ballet, throughout which choreographer and rehearsal director Nicolas Blanc will create an authentic work on the corporate. In the meantime, Betsy Blackmon Dance Firm members will immerse themselves into The Joffrey Ballet’s inventive ethos: Gerald Arpino stagers will set historic choreography on the scholars, and so they’ll additionally be taught a recent work created by a Joffrey firm member.
“It’s the inspiration for one thing actually particular,” says Catherine Eby, firm supervisor of The Joffrey Ballet. “It’s so thrilling for college students to have that chance to have perception into skilled work.”
The residency shall be Joffrey’s most in depth collaboration of its form, leading to a well-rounded efficiency slate of dance on campus: The corporate will current Blanc’s authentic work and a number of other items from its repertoire, and the scholars will carry out two Arpino works and the modern piece. Moreover, Joffrey’s music director, Scott Speck, will work with the USC Symphony Orchestra previous to performances directed by USC professor of music Scott Weiss. All through the residency, dancers will be capable to take firm class and observe The Joffrey Ballet in rehearsal. The corporate’s neighborhood engagement director can even be part of the group in South Carolina and oversee every week of arts programming for neighborhood members throughout campus and all through the state.
Eby says the passion and curiosity of USC’s college students and school was what made agreeing to the residency a no brainer. “It’s not about the place the varsity is,” she says. The query is “Is the college dedicated and excited to convey these sorts of alternatives, and are the scholars excited to have this chance? Each of these issues are abundantly true at USC.”
Honoring the Legacy of Betsy Blackmon
The prime quality of assets and engagement that appeal to firms like Joffrey are thanks partly to Tom and Jane Suggs. Final 12 months, the couple made a donation in reminiscence of their daughter, Betsy Blackmon, a beloved class of 2007 graduate who died of most cancers in 2018. The newly renamed Betsy Blackmon Dance Program means better assist for college students and funding for full-time school, visitor artists, and state-of-the-art amenities.
“It’s been such an honor to have Betsy’s identify linked to our program,” Deckert says. “We count on that it’s going to proceed to develop and assist our dancers as they get this full expertise at USC.”
Audition Now, Then Chart Your Personal Course
candidates can discover particulars about auditions—that are submitted by way of video solely—right here. Deckert encourages college students to use irrespective of their background. “We’re on the lookout for dancers which have robust approach and a broad understanding of their our bodies. Then we can assist refine these expertise and skills in quite a lot of instructions,” she says.
Vintage Epigraphs (staged by former New York Metropolis Ballet principal dancer Jenifer Ringer). Picture by Jason Ayer, courtesy College of South Carolina.
Sanderson says it’s truly higher in the event you don’t know which route is yours but. “A number of highschool college students go into their 4 years of faculty and so they count on to grow to be an older model of this person who they’re as a senior in highschool,” she says. “However if you’re taking so many courses and interacting with so many various folks from completely different locations, it creates a brand new model of your self.” She’s excited and curious to seek out out what comes subsequent.
