ROLE CALL: College Admissions for Dancers™

USC Glorya Kaufman School of Dance

Description of Program: Founded in 2012 by a transformational gift from visionary philanthropist Glorya Kaufman, the USC Glorya Kaufman School of Dance expands the University of Southern California’s unique signature as a private research university with a deep commitment to the arts. With its innovative vision for arts education, USC Kaufman is at the forefront of developing versatile dancers and risk-taking choreographers. The school’s mission is to empower dance thought leaders through artistry and scholarship. Dance is an increasingly dynamic art form, and the professionals who will shape the future of the industry need the flexibility to move seamlessly between dissolving boundaries in the world around them: to embrace innovation with tradition, technology with history, classical with contemporary dance forms. To meet that need, USC Kaufman envisioned a hybrid model for dance expressed in studio practice, music, choreography, performance, media and scholarship. Our Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance program combines the artistic rigor of conservatory dance instruction with the unparalleled academic opportunities, faculty and high-level resources offered by one of the world’s leading research universities. Our goal is to cultivate dance innovators and artist scholars who are connected to the world at large. We call this vision The New Movement. As partners in The New Movement, we will work together to choreograph a creative and fulfilling professional life for you in dance. You will experiment with dance forms and techniques, explore multidisciplinary collaborations and innovate beyond the traditional stage. Simultaneously, you will broaden your education in a wide range of subjects from business to music to cinematic arts, further informing your dance studies. As you forge your own artistic path at USC Kaufman, you will choreograph not only your future, but the future of dance itself.

There are numerous networking opportunities for current students and alumni. A good number of students perform in the field, in both the concert and commercial realms. Some are active choreographers. Others are dance activists, journalists, photographers, videographers, entrepreneurs, and more.