12 BEST DANCE SCHOOLS IN THE WORLD IN 2022
Dancing is a fascinating activity that goes beyond the demonstration of rhythmic gestures, steps and moves in response to dulcet music or musical sounds. It is, in fact, a skill that translates into a reasonable stream of income if well utilized.
In any aspiration to become a successful dancer, one important thing is readiness to master the ropes of dancing while another is the education that makes this possible. It is a proven fact that in all of this, pursuing a degree in a dance-related program is one great way to attain this education.
Fortunately, there are dozens of universities offering theatrical courses or Dance degree programs. If you’ve ever dreamt of becoming a professional dancer, you may want to find out some of the best dance schools that can help your dream come true. This article will, therefore, arm you with a well-written list of the 12 best dance schools in the world in 2021.
What Are the World’s 12 Best Dance Schools in 2022?
1.Brenau University
Brenau University is a high-profile dance school that facilitates students’ personal and professional growth. The school provides its dance students with a good deal of options with some of the areas of focus being modern dance, pre-physical therapy, dance pedagogy, jazz/musical theatre, and advanced ballet.
Brenau University is a duly approved institution which awards various degrees including master’s, baccalaureate, associates, doctoral and specialist degrees. The SACSCOC-accredited university maintains a low student-faculty ratio and for its first-year students, Brenau University pays great attention to preparation and professionalism.
The dance school also runs a mentorship program intended to foster students’ professional and personal growth. Dance students in this school greatly benefit from access to various facilities including a fitness center which comprises an athletic training room and four dance studios. This fitness facility is simply the ideal fit for Brenau University’s students to exercise their bodies.
At Brenau University, final-year dance students are presented with artist statements. Quite interestingly, Brenau University avails its dance students the benefit of access to several studios. Besides its fitness center with four dance studios, the dance school maintains a well-furnished Pilates studio located in Brenau East.
For dance students who are hell-bent on spicing up their summertime, Brenau University runs a two-week dance program, Summer Dance Intensive, which incorporates Yoga sessions along with a variety of dances –West African dance, pointe and ballroom dancing.
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2. University of Rochester
University of Rochester is a New York-based private academic institution with a relatively competitive 30% acceptance rate. Both within and outside New York, the University of Rochester has been rated among the leading schools for dancing education.
University of Rochester has a population of 6,250 undergraduate students with some of its major programs being Economics, Biology and Nursing. At this medium-sized academic institution and dance school, the tuition fee is $58,208 while the graduation rate stands at 85%.
Considered an MSCHE-accredited dance school, University of Rochester does maintain a somewhat competitive rate for admission seekers. However, the interesting point is that a graduate of this dance school can expect to earn a reasonable starting salary in excess of $44,000.
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3.Elmhurst Ballet School
Elmhurst Ballet School is a high-profile and long-existing dance-focused institution considered Britain’s oldest vocational dance school. This school evidently lives up to its erstwhile name as “Elmhurst School for Dance”.
With its campus occupying five acres of land, Elmhurst Ballet School is a well-equipped dance school previously situated in Camberley, Surrey. Some of the school’s high-grade facilities include a 250-seat studio theatre, a physiotherapy center, a medical center and a theatre workshop.
Most interestingly, Elmhurst Ballet School boasts seven dance studios and students of this dance school are at a huge advantage, thanks to the school’s alliance with Birmingham Royal Ballet. With this advantage, it is meant that lots of Elmhurst Ballet School students can feature in Birmingham Royal Ballet’s productions.
Elmhurst Ballet School is an HLC-accredited dance school with a remarkable success rate. Some of its alumni are said to have secured employment with top dance companies including Royal Ballet, Ballet Black, Scottish Ballet, Northern Ballet and Birmingham Royal Ballet.
Elmhurst Ballet School prioritizes the transmission of sound dance knowledge to its students as a way of saving them the risk of career-threatening injuries that could result from erroneous practices.
4. Vanderbilt University
Vanderbilt University is a SACSCOC-accredited university with a tuition fee of $50,800 and a favorable student-faculty ratio of 7:1. Located in Nashville, Tennessee, Vanderbilt University is a private research institution established in 1873.
Vanderbilt University runs a dance program –named The Vanderbilt Dance Program –which caters to both advanced and beginner learners. Through Vanderbilt University’s dance program, students are trained in differing dance techniques including hip hop, contemporary, classical ballet, world dance and tap.
The graduation rate at Vanderbilt University stands at 92.9% while the dance school further earmarks 9.6% acceptance rate. Based on verifiable stats, Vanderbilt University is one of the best universities for dance education.
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5. Skidmore College
Skidmore College is a New York-based private university touted as one of the world’s best dance colleges. Being a college with considerable focus on dancing, Skidmore College runs two degree programs concerned with dancing.
Regarded as a seat of learning with extensive focus on liberal arts, Skidmore College generously favors creativity. Meanwhile, the dance college believes that creativity is a force which enables individuals to integrate differing ideas, give life to such ideas and transform them into useful solutions. Creativity is what sets the stage for students’ ability to make the difference.
Skidmore College maintains over 100 study abroad programs, offers many internship opportunities, runs 120 student clubs and holds a population of 2,500 students coming from different countries.
Skidmore College is an MSCHE-accredited college with a student-faculty ratio of 8:1 and a 30% acceptance rate. The creativity-focused college is situated in New York’s Saratoga Springs. Notably, MSCHE is fully pronounced as Middle States Commission on Higher Education.
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6. Fordham University
Fordham is an academic institution which prioritizes nurturing intellect and talent, making it one of the top dance schools in the world. The curriculum at Fordham is quite comprehensive as it takes students through philosophy, history, the arts, theology, science and literature.
Fordham University is one academic citadel which appeals to two crucial values; respect for the individual, and intellectual rigor; as entrenched in the Jesuit tradition. The school, which was established in 1841, runs one Dance degree program.
Notably, Fordham University is an HLC-accredited dance school with two residential campuses namely Lincoln Center and Rose Hill. Lincoln Center is situated in Manhattan while Rose Hill is situated near the Bronx Zoo and the New York Botanical Garden. Also notable is that HLC –an arm of the Middle States Association –is fully pronounced as Higher Learning Commission.
At Fordham University, the tuition fee stands at $58, 208 while the acceptance rate is pegged at 30%. There’s also a student-faculty ratio of 13:1.
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7. The Juilliard School
This dance school adopts a multi-faceted curriculum and a teaching system that builds its students into “citizen artists” and “effective communicators”. It is a school that emphasizes going beyond one’s expectations in a bid to accomplish greatness. The Julliard School helps students perfect themselves in the craft of dance, making it one of the world’s best dance schools.
One of the facts that point to this dance school’s aim to help students go beyond expectations is the availability of an acceptance letter that lets students audition for the school’s “24 Julliard dance B.F.A students”. Prettily, this is a sort of challenge which encourages the students to take up strenuous ballet training coupled with contact improvisation, and dance-related topics.
As an art school, the Julliard School requires that students take several courses –including politics, stagecraft, dance history, culture and society –as parts of their liberal arts and/or departmental courses.
Most interestingly, The Julliard School is a dance-focused institution with loads of performance activities such as productions that students can audition for. Also, there’s the Choreographers & Composers course which encourages synergy between music composition students and a number of talented dancers.
The Julliard School is one of the MSCHE-accredited dance schools and while its tuition fee stands at $49,510, there is a 6.9% acceptance rate.
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8. University of Buffalo, SUNY
This university is a moderately competitive academic institution with a population of 19,000+ undergraduate students. Located at New York’s Amherst, precisely at Buffalo, this university maintains a graduation rate of 75% and a student-faculty ratio of 14:1.
Aspiring professional dancers can enroll in this university for any of its two degree programs in Dance. Whereas this university offers other programs, inclusive of Social Science Research Methods, Psychology, and Business, its Dance degree program is a great way to master the art of dancing.
This Buffalo-based university is an MSCHE-accredited institution whose graduates can expect to earn up to $40, 800 as entry-level salary. Meanwhile, it is a large seat of learning with a 14:1 student-faculty ratio and a tuition fee of $10,724.
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9. Columbia University
Columbia University is a medium-sized academic institution with a 7% acceptance rate indicating stiff competition for admission into the university. Located in New York’s Manhattan, Columbia University is a private university with two degree programs in Dance.
This dance school boasts a 95% graduation rate and a population of 7,592 undergraduate students. With parts of its major course offerings including Government, Computer Science, Political Science, and Economics, Columbia University is enviably among the world’s leading dance colleges.
It is noteworthy that Columbia University is an MSCHE-accredited dance school with a student-faculty ratio of 6:1 and the tuition fee of $64,380.
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10. The Hammond School
The Hammond School is a SACSCOC-accredited dance school which fits into the description of a comprehensive dance school. Founded in 1917, this dance school teaches music, drama and dance. It caters to both under-16 students and students above age 16. Some of its beneficial facilities include a music suite, dance studios and a 420-seater Performing Arts Centre.
Undeniably, The Hammond School could be the perfect fit for parents looking to enroll their little children in a dance school. The school allows entry for all categories of children to its Year 3 prep school. This prep school is best suited for children who already show a promising knack for the performing arts.
The Hammond School is, in fact, a highly reputed institution whose products can be found in notable dance companies including Lithuanian National Ballet, English National Ballet, Matthew Bourne’s New Adventures, The Australian Ballet and Phoenix Dance Theatre.
The Hammond School offers A-Level education, hence making it possible for sixth-form students to take the school’s various A-Level subjects. Also, alternatives –including the Zumba classes and Pilates Level 1 Mat Teaching Qualification –are available to students who are done with A-Levels or who are not interested in A-Levels.
Interestingly, The Hammond School is a highly ranked learning institution and according to Ofsted, the dance school scores remarkably in every category. While the acceptance rate at The Hammond School stands at 96%, the student-faculty ratio is 17:1.
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12. University of Cumbria
Through its Performing Arts Department, the University of Cumbria exposes students to a learning environment that portrays the life of a dance student. Headquartered in Carlisle, University of Cumbria is a Cumbria-based public academic institution with campuses in London, Ambleside and Lancaster.
The teaching method for the university’s dance students extensively combines rehearsals, relevant fun activities, performance opportunities and mini-lectures. As a well-recognized British academic institution, the University of Cumbria appears on the list of approved British degree-awarding institutions as recognized by the UK’s Department for Education. This university’s undergraduate dance program is therefore a proven avenue for students to acquire sound education in dancing.
Duly accredited by the British Government, the University of Cumbria maintains an acceptance rate of 73% and a student-faculty ratio of 16:5. The tuition fee at the dance school stands at 9,250 GBP.
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13. New York University (Tisch School of the Arts)
Year-1 students in this dance school experience placement and alignment which is a combined effort intended to educate the freshmen about healthy and efficient dancing techniques. While NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts maintains three-year duration for its dance B.F.A, the final year takes students through an experience of professional dance along with choreography and performance.
Through the three-year duration, there are two summer semesters during which students undergo rigorous dance training. Also, there’s a selective dance audition which entails performing a brief solo dance lasting only three minutes. Students interested in this audition are expected to have perfected their steps, gestures and techniques ahead of the solo dance. This is because the dance should demonstrate a student’s technical and physical capabilities without any traces of imperfection.
Touted as another MSCHE-accredited institution, New York University (Tisch) produces students who go on to become professionals that perfectly fit into the industry. While the acceptance rate at this dance school stands at 16%, there are a tuition fee of $54,880 and the student-faculty ratio of 9:1.
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Top 5 Commonly Asked Questions about Dancing and Dance Schools
How much money can I earn as a professional dancer?
The average yearly salary of the professional dancer is estimated at $48,589 and that is as stated by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The stated salary is simply an estimate because in reality, several factors can influence the salary of a professional dancer.
Are there online dance courses?
There are online dance courses but frankly, the online sphere isn’t the best avenue to quickly master the ropes of dancing. Because dancing is a very practical exercise, you should opt for a traditional Dance degree rather than go the online way. This way, you’ll be able to partake in the hands-on activities that should build you into a well-grounded dancer.
Is it compulsory to have a degree to become a professional dancer?
Inasmuch as talent is what is needed most to become a dancer, somebody without a degree in any dance-related course might become one. But in order to appear professional and boost your chances of a fruitful dancing career, it behooves you to acquire a degree in a dance-related program.
What is the tuition fee at a dance school?
There is no fixed rate for the annual tuition fee at a dance school as the fee tends to vary depending on the school and the peculiarities/conditions attached to your program. Based on our estimate, your annual tuition at any of the world’s top dance schools can range between $10,000 and $60,000.
How long does it take one to become a dancer?
A couple of factors determine how long it will take an individual to become a dancer. For the most part, the individual’s natural (dancing) ability is the primary factor that determines how soon the individual will master dancing techniques, steps, styles or moves.
If you’re enthusiastic about dancing but only wish to become a casual dancer, it might take you only a few months of dedication and constant practice to achieve your goal. But if you aspire to become a professional dancer, you’ll not only require constant practice and dedication but also have to enroll in a dance program.
Normally, a Dance degree program spans a four-year period during which you’ll be exposed to exhaustive dance training alongside other learners. With the help of generous hands-on experience and collaborative ways of learning dances, you’ll have grown into the form of a professional dancer at the end of your Dance degree program.
Conclusion
The listed universities/colleges/institutions are the best schools you can count on for exhaustive and effective dance education. All of these 12 dance schools are fully accredited and even though they charge tuition fees, you’ll certainly acquire sound education in anyone of them.