Even after the whirlwind of Nutcracker season and finals dies down, summer break can feel very far away. Still, because appli­cations for intensives, internships, and jobs open in winter, now is the time to start planning for the warmer months. Find Your Focus In her Intro to Dance Studies course at Chapman University, Jennifer Backhaus encourages dancers to use the few summers they have as college students wisely. “In the beginning, a lot of students want to stay close to home, and they go back to the studios where they trained growing up,” she says. “As they move through the program, we […]

Choreographer David Dorfman, a professor at Connecticut College, says students who attend summer dance festival intensives return to campus with something in common: They’ve gone through an artistic growth spurt. “You won’t realize what you learn until weeks afterward, but it has sunk into your cells,” says Dorfman, who attended American Dance Festival’s intensive as a grad student himself in the 1980s and has since taught there as a faculty member. “All these young college students and young professionals are there doing the same thing that you are: They’re sweating. They’re trying things they’ve never done before. And you get […]

January 17–19, college dance teams from around the country gathered in Orlando, Florida, to attend the Universal Dance Association 2025 College National Championships. Teams competed in three divisions (D1A, D1, and Open, based on the size of their university and its NCAA status) and in three dance categories (Jazz, Pom, Hip Hop). Here are the dance results: D1 Jazz Hofstra University, choreographed by Zach Galasso; coached by Kelly Olsen-Leon, Kristen Olsen & Danielle Bradle University of St. Thomas UC Santa Barbara Photo courtesy UDA and Varsity Spirit. D1 Pom Cal State Fullerton, choreographed by Quinton Peron; coached by Jennie Volkert […]