The 2013–2014 dance program audition dates are:
- October 11, 2013 — Entrance and scholarship auditions for prospective dance majors
- November 8, 2013 — Entrance and Scholarship auditions for prospective dance majors
- February 21, 2014 — Entrance and limited Scholarship availablity for dance majors; advanced placement for dance minors and musical theatre performance majors
Audition Reservation Request Form Complete and mail it EARLY (must be received two weeks prior to desired audition date), since audition slots are filled on a first-come-first-received basis. We will confirm receipt of your application by email.
*Prospective students from outside a 500-mile radius of Kalamazoo may elect to audition for admission via videotape. Videos must be received no later than March 1 for entrance for the following fall semester. See Video Audition Requirements for more information.
Entrance Auditions
All students who wish to Major in Dance MUST attend an Entrance Audition Day.
Entrance auditions are scheduled three times a year: October, November and February. Prospective majors may attend any one of these three auditions. Most accepted students enter the dance major program in the fall semesters. The Department of Dance accepts a limited number of new majors for January depending on the number majors who graduate in December. Preference is given to transfer and current WMU students who meet the admission criteria.Students may also elect to audition for the New Dance Major Scholarship, the Robert Christianson Male Dance Major Scholarship, and/or the Cultural Diversity Dance Major Scholarship. Scholarship applicants are considered at the October and November auditions only. Scholarship applicants must send two (2) letters of recommendation prior to the audition date. We suggest that these be from a dance teacher and an academic teacher or administrator. A student must place into Technique I level in two or more dance idioms to be eligible to declare a dance major. (Technique Level I does not mean “beginning” — it is the level at which 90-95% majors enter). Entrance Audition Day relates only to your admission to the dance curriculum. If you have not already done so, you should make application to the University itself. An application to Western Michigan University may be obtained from the University’s Admission Office (Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo, MI 49008). This is a necessary step, but is not a prerequisite to New Student Audition Day participation.
Detailed Audition Information
Prospective dance minors do not audition, but may seek placement beyond the beginning level by:
1) Enrolling the beginning level class and indicating to the instructor that you are a dance minor or on the dance minor waiting list. That teacher then places these students on the form provided and returns it to dance academic advisor. The advisor keeps these forms on file for quite a few years so that when students on the waiting list are offered a space in the minor, she can go back to those lists to determine placement for those students.
2) If you are already a dance minor you may contact the instructor of the Technique I level course to arrange a day to come and take that level. The instructor of that course will inform the dance academic advisor if you have the skills and may register for Technique I level course. If the instructor approves you for the Technique level I course without having to first take the beginning level course, you would need to see the dance academic advisor at or after your time to register in the WMU registration system as those are restricted enrollment courses.
Due to excessive enrollments, the department is currently placing prospective dance minors on a waiting list for entrance into the dance minor program. To be placed on the dance minor waiting list, please email your name, your local phone number, your date of birth and your current email address to jane.baas@wmich.edu. You will be contacted via email when space is available for you to enroll in the dance minor program.
WHAT DO I DO DURING AUDITIONS?
Those who wish to Major in Dance must take ALL auditions classes. Scholarship candidates must also write an essay at the audition and have a brief interview with a dance faculty member (October and November only). Those accepted Musical Theatre Performer majors and those who desire a Dance Minor may audition for advanced placement during the February audition, unless space becomes available in the October and November auditions; please note the dance idioms (Ballet, Jazz and/or Modern) for which you wish to audition on your reservation request form. If you audition, we encourage you to attend all classes.
WHAT TO WEAR FOR CLASSES?
Ballet — Women: solid-colored leotard, tights with feet (preferably pink) and ballet slippers. Men: black tights and ballet slippers, white T-shirt.
Jazz — solid-colored leotard and tights, or unitard, and jazz shoes (preferably with rubber soles). If you do not own jazz shoes, ballet slippers will suffice.
Modern — solid-colored leotard and either no tights or tights without feet, or unitard. The feet must be bare.
Schedule of Events
(Parents or friends who come to audition day may not observe audition classes.)
| 9:00 – 10:00 | Registration Dance area, 3rd Floor Dalton Center (Studios available for warm-up) |
| 10:00 – 11:15 | Ballet Technique Class (Studio A) |
| 10:00 | Question & Answer session for parents with Department Chair Jane Baas, Admissions & Housing staff and student panel. |
| 11:30 – 12:15 | Jazz Technique Class (Studio A) |
| 12:15 – 12:50 | Essay writing and interview for scholarship students only Lunch (on your own) |
| 2:00 – 3:00 | Modern Technique Class (Studio B) |
| 3:00 – 3:15 | Improvisation (Studio B) |
| 3:30 – 4:30 | Orchesis performance followed by Question and Answer session |
Audition Results
Within two (2) weeks of the audition, we will mail and send an email with your audition results. Those accepted to the program will be given their placement level in ballet, jazz and modern technique. You may also expect to be notified of one of the following decisions:
- Accepted as a dance major: You must notify us in writing via mail or email if you plan to accept your place in the dance major. Spaces in the dance major are filled on a first come, first served basis from those accepted to the program; once all available spaces are claimed, accepted students who still wish to attend will be placed on a waiting list in the order is which we have been notified of desire to major. We will notify all accepted students when all the dance major spots have been filled, and will then notify students on the waiting list in the event of a cancellation that enables them to major in dance at WMU.
- Not Accepted: An indication that we feel you will not be successful in our dance curriculum. You may not begin course work as a dance major at this time. Feel free to audition again at a later date. You may audition for entrance to the dance program no more than three (3) times.
The Department of Dance has designed the entrance audition process to focus soley on judging prospective students’ potential to thrive and succeed in our dance curriculum. Because of that we have made a decision not to provide individual feedback to the approximately 150 students who audtion each year.
Those applying for scholarships will also receive notification of their scholarship status.
IF YOU HAVE FURTHER QUESTIONS, PLEASE CALL (269) 387-5830. Please leave your valid email address. We will only return messages via email, or email jane.baas@wmich.edu
