Why Study at CalArts?

Comprehensive Approach to Dance
The programs of The Sharon Disney Lund School of Dance give equal importance to technical excellence, choreographic creativity, artistic production and intellectual understanding. These four branches of study converge to cultivate a deep mastery of the elements of dance as a fine art within the context of contemporary society.

Distinguished Faculty of Working Dance Artists as Mentors
All faculty members are noted professionals actively working in the field of dance. Their wealth of real-world experience gives students a realistic perspective on the artistic and professional challenges of careers in dance. Students benefit from a strong one-to-one relationship with an individual faculty member who serves as an artistic and academic advisor, mentoring the student in his or her progress for the duration of the program.

Extensive Performance Schedule
The school's performance calendar includes 8-10 concerts featuring student- and faculty work each year—including an Open House Concert, BFA II Solo Concert, The Student Curated Concert, MFA Thesis Concerts, Winter and Spring Dance Concerts and the Last Dance Concert. This rigorous schedule provides students with regular performance opportunities at each stage of his or her development, and prepares students for the demands of professional dance productions. Over the course of the four year undergraduate program, students gain repertory experience with faculty, professional guest artists and fellow students.

Full Range of Facilities and Technological Tools
The Sharon Disney Lund Dance Theater is a fully equipped and versatile space used exclusively for dance performances, rehearsals and classes. Other key facilities include two large dance studios and a body conditioning studio with Pilates equipment. The School's labs provide tools for audio and video production and post-production, and support multimedia performance applications.

Guest Artists
CalArts benefits from close affiliation with The Herb Alpert Foundation who selected CalArts to administer and collaborate creatively in the establishment of the Awards Program. Inaugurated in 1994, the Alpert Award honors and supports artists respected for their creativity, ingenuity and powerful bodies of work at a moment in their lives when they are poised to propel their art in new and unpredictable directions. Each year, the recipient of the Alpert Award in Dance shares his or her expertise with the CalArts dance students through residencies, master classes or setting work on students. In 2007-08, New York artist Jeanine Durning was in residence for two weeks during which time she set her piece Heart on a cast of 14 students. Recent awardees who have been guest artists at CalArts include, Sarah Michelson, Donna Uchizono, Stephan Koplowitz and Rennie Harris. Additionally, artists presented at REDCAT regularly offer master classes to CalArts students. Recent guest artists include, Ronald K. Brown, Reggie Wilson, Faustin Linyekula and artists from the Slovinian dance company, Betontanc.

Festivals
CalArts participates each year in the American College Dance Festival. Artists, faculty and students from Colleges and Universities throughout the country gather for extended weekends of classes and choreographic showcases and adjudication. Student choreographers and performers are selected each year to represent CalArts at these regional and national festivals. The school also provides financial awards to students to support participation in national and international summer festivals. Approximately 20 awards annually, assist students in attending summer festivals such as, American Dance Festival, Jacob’s Pillow, Bate’s Dance Festival, Alvin Ailey School and international festivals in Barcelona and Hong Kong.

Professional Partnerships
The Sharon Disney Lund School of Dance actively pursues unique opportunities to forge connections between professional artists and CalArts students. In 2007, CalArts was selected to be a participant in a national initiative to support the preservation of American Masterpieces. Artist David Gordon and his 1982 work Trying Times, were selected for this honor. The reconstruction and touring of this work, 2008-09, will include residencies at Cal Arts involving the entire student body and eight students will be selected to join the cast for national touring. This project, made possible by the National Endowment for the Arts American Masterpieces: a Dance Initiative administered by the New England Foundation for the Arts with Dance/USA, is indicative of CalArts strong commitment to forging professional partnerships that enrich the educational experience of our students.

Collaborative and Interdisciplinary Projects
Projects As America’s first conservatory to offer in-depth training in all the arts, CalArts is one of the most unique creative environments in the country. Students have the opportunity to collaborate with working artists from all disciplines. Students at both graduate and undergraduate levels regularly work with composers and present work with live music. Students regularly collaborate with costume designers, lighting designers, experimental film and animation artists and many choreograph for theater productions. All students are eligible to apply for annual grants specifically designed to support interdisciplinary projects. With the intimate proximity to the Schools of Music, Theater, Film/Video, Visual Art and Critical Studies, dance students enjoy the opportunities for course work and collaborations with each of these disciplines.

International Exchange Program
Two upper-division undergraduates are selected each year to study at the London Contemporary Dance School during the fall semester. This excellent opportunity provides students with the experience of a comparable, conservatory style training in the heart of London. Each fall semester, two students from the London Contemporary Dance School attend CalArts, enriching the student body with their international perspective. This exchange provides a European foothold for CalArts graduates wishing to explore opportunities in Europe. Additional Exchange Programs in Europe and Asia are being explored and planned.

Center for Integrated Media
Integrated Media (IM) is a supplemental concentration available to advanced MFA applicants who wish to combine the art of dance with an exploration of digital and interactive technologies.

Roy and Edna Disney/CalArts Theater (REDCAT)
REDCAT, a nationally recognized venue for contemporary art, is CalArts' downtown Los Angeles center for the presentation of innovative visual, performing and media arts. Its programming runs throughout the academic year, allowing students to experience a wide range of experimental work by regional, national and international artists. Twice each year, the School of Dance produces a concert of faculty and student work at REDCAT, providing professional experience to many student choreographers and performers.

Community Arts Partnership (CAP)
CAP is an award-winning, nationally recognized program that links Cal Arts and the diverse communities of Los Angeles County through free, after-school and school-based arts programs for youth. CAP provides School of Dance students the opportunity to teach, to hone their artistic abilities and to redefine the role of artists, arts education, and the arts in society.