Hey fellow dancers!
I'm college surfing...I REALLY need a College with an amazing dance program in modern-lyrical-contemporary and in choreography. Lots to ask for, hu? I have done countless hours of research but I really get nothing but companies and world programs. I Really want to go to BYU in salt lake city, UT but I cant help but think there is somewhere better for modern. I want to start a studio with my two sisters who also dance so my plan was to get a major in Modern-contemporary-whatever and minor in production/choreography.
If you have any tip on helping my plan my future, that would be Great

p.s. I have only been dancing for 6years so, I'm not the most developed? but i LOVE it and am willing to bust my firm butt.

University of Michigan has a modern program. It also has many opportunities for choreography. If you have more questions about Umich specifically, PM me and I'll help as I can.

PS, if you want to start a studio, you need to get your butt in some good business and perhaps advertising classes. It takes more than a great dancer to create a great studio.

BYU is excellent for Modern. Two of my modern teachers went there.

What kind of school setting are you looking for in regards to dance? Do you want to find a school that is more conservatory based or do you want a more typical college environment? Where in the country are you looking? These factors will really help me to make some recommendations.

I also agree that with opening up a studio you need to have some business experience. Also I suggest you teach at several different successful studios for a while so that you get a feel for how they are run and what works or doesn't work for you.

It takes more than a good dancer to be a good teacher. Food for thought.

If you want to own a studio, you should major in business. Dance degrees are USELESS unless you want to teach in the public school system. Don't waste your time.

About my studio expearence: i have taught at two studios (one very successful the other newly starting up) for the past three years for kids, adults and asisted in beginning teen classes. just so you know. working out the kinks of being a teacher for such mixed age groups has been hard but i have learned tonz. do i have to major in bussiness?
what can i do with a dance or choreography major or minor? I dont really want to be signed for a huge company because of the lifestyle. it seem A LOT. but on the other hand...i dont know much about that either.

See, this may sound selfish, but i look at college as a way to get to dance and grow with amazing mentors from all over (apart from busting my butt in my core classes of course) is that the wrong outlook?

Working out the kinks of being a teacher for such mixed age groups has been hard but I have learned tonz. do i have to major in bussiness?

What can I do with a dance or choreography major or minor? I don't really want to be signed for a huge company because of the lifestyle. it seem A LOT. but on the other hand...i dont know much about that either.

See, this may sound selfish, but i look at college as a way to get to dance and grow with amazing mentors from all over (apart from busting my butt in my core classes of course) is that the wrong outlook?

What can you do with a dance major? Basically nothing. The degree itself is not worth a lot, and most people only use it if they are not yet of the technical ability to go into the professional workplace yet. If this is your intention, then you want to look for a conservatory program where you can focus on dance mostly, and have fewer gen-ed requirements. Or, better yet, think about if you need the collegiate system at all: they won't be hiring you because of the degree, so perhaps looking at alternative methods of learning would be better. (For example, my university has a series of community classes, available to the public, taught by the staff of the university. ) Why spend big bucks on tuition and time in Psych 101 if you can find other ways to get the education you desire.

However, earlier you said you wanted to open a studio. Being a good dancer does not make a good teacher, nor does it make a good studio owner. Dance studios fail every day because they were started by dancers who didn't have a business plan. It's not like play time where dancers get to dance with their students: it is a legitimate business that needs to be understood and thought through. Just because you know dance doesn't override the requirement to understand business. If you want to start your own business, or own another business some day, you NEED to take business classes.

It sounds like you are unsure of your goals. I would suggest that you figure out your number one goal, and then structure your upcoming years around that.

Dance magazine come out with a college guide every year. It lists colleges and facts about every program. It is really hellpful in selecting schools!

Just to elaborate on what many of the post said...

Basically you really do not understand what a dance degree really does. Like they said, if you want to open your own dance studio, you need to get a business degree. I think you should re-evaluate your goals. You wont find a school that will have lyrical dance as an actual technical core class. cause it isn't. By Contemporary, you probably mean commercial contemporary (sytycd) and you won't find that in curriculums for accredited college dance programs. Getting a dance degree does not mean you will become a great dancer and a working dancer/choreographer. It just means you studied dance. You dont need a dance degree to open your own studio; you just need to be good at what you do and teach.

But, if you are still looking for schools here's my list. (mind you, these are all based around LA since I live here lol)
1. CSU Long Beach (Former Graham and Horton dancers are faculty there)
2. UC Irvine (a very Ballet prominent school, McKayle use to be faculty there)
3. UC Riverside (offers dance for undergrad, graduate, and doctorate. A very modern school)
4. Mills College (bay area) (Private all-women college that have a very strong focus on Graham technique)

Marymount Manhattan College has an excellent dance program where you can focus in Modern, Ballet, or Choreography. The school is a liberal arts college so you get a well rounded education and can minor in business or something else you may be interested in. It's also great because it is right in Manhattan so there are a lot of opportunities for networking, internships, going to see shows, etc. You also get to work with famous guest choreographers, which is a really great learning expirience and also looks good on a resume. Being in nyc is also great because you can go take classes outside the school as well in any type dance you want.