Boston Conservatory Named a Best School for Aspiring Choreographers
Accolades are hardly new for Boston Conservatory at Berklee’s B.F.A. contemporary dance program. Having already been named a top 10 program by Backstage and a top 25 program by OnStage, Boston Conservatory can claim yet another distinction as one of College Magazine’s 2019 10 best colleges for aspiring choreographers.
Boston Conservatory’s highly regarded B.F.A. in Dance: Contemporary Dance Performance features an innovative core curriculum that goes beyond the building of technical skills. Dance students also study dance theory; explore the choreographic process, including improvisation and collaboration; have in-depth coursework on body awareness; and undergo cross-conservatory training that encourages them to engage in multidisciplinary approaches through music and theater. This dynamic academic structure supports well-rounded, culturally aware artists who are prepared to enter the most cutting-edge spaces in contemporary dance.
In particular, student choreographers at Boston Conservatory develop their unique artistic voice and critical leadership skills through real-world opportunities to debut their creations publically. For example, each year, one of the three dance productions on the Conservatory’s mainstage features student-created works, in addition to a collaborative concert self-produced by the senior class. Students also learn from world-renowned artists in residence, such as Darrell Grand Moultrie, choreographer for Beyoncé and Witness Uganda, Doug Elkins of Doug Elkins Choreography, Inc., and Keith Thompson, artistic director of danceTactics.
Graduates of Boston Conservatory’s contemporary dance program are lifelong members of the Boston Conservatory family, and the Conservatory continues to support its alumni dancers and choreographers through several unique programs. One program, the Alumni Choreographic Commission, commissions select alumni to create new works for current B.F.A. students to perform on the Conservatory's mainstage. Another program, the Alumni Entrepreneurial Grant program, provides funding for alumni to explore and develop their unique programmatic ideas within the arts.
Prospective students can experience firsthand this unique curricular model that combines rigorous classical training with cutting-edge approaches to contemporary dance through Boston Conservatory’s revered Summer Dance Intensive (SDI). This three-week intensive for pre-professional dancers between the ages of 15 and 22 builds performance technique and expands dancers’ skills in contemporary ballet, modern dance, and improvisation. This year, participants will have the chance to work with Sidra Bell (Sidra Bell New York), William Isaac (Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre, Armitage Gone!, Alonzo King Lines Ballet), and Michael Trusnovec (Paul Taylor Dance Company).
Learn more and apply to Boston Conservatory’s Summer Dance Intensive by June 1.
Learn more about Boston Conservatory at Berklee’s leading B.F.A. in contemporary dance program.