Dance/Ballet at Butler

Hi, I was wondering if anyone could give me some information about the dance at Butler. I have been accepted into the University but I still have to audition for the dance department. Could anyone give me any information about the size of classes, types of ballet focus (ie: Vagonova, Checketti, Balanchine), and just some general information. Thank you so much, balletgirl395

Hey Balletgirl!

 I am an English major and don't know too much about the program, but I asked one of my dance major friends and this is what he said:

"Class sizes are generally small. When they audition, they will take class with two separate levels which will give them a good idea as to what the class sizes are. But generally, there are about 20-25 dancers in each level, it does fluctuate. As far as the ballet training goes, it's pretty Vagonova, definitely not Balanchine, with maybe a hint of Checketti from a few of the teachers.

General information: LOTS OF PERFORMANCE OPPORTUNITIES. Ha ha, I was just thinking about that one today, actually. It's pretty strict ballet. If you are looking for a school with a good modern program, you might want to look elsewhere, though our modern classes are very technically good. But, that's about pretty much what I notice."

I hope this helps! If you have more questions, let me know and I will ask him or another dancer.

Hello. Could you ask someone how many (if any) Balanchine pieces have been performed in the last few years? Is it all Petipa-ish? Are there more contemporary works? I know they do the annual Nutcracker and spring classics like The Sleeping Beauty; I also feel like I have seen a season schedule, but I cannot seem to find it. Thank you so much!

Ha, okay so if anyone else has dance questions, my friend has agreed to be our Butler Ballet Advice Columnist (any catchy names for his column? please leave your suggestions.)

Here is his response for Olivia's questions:

Hello!

As Mrs. Jarvis (the head of the dance department put it) "Does it look like we do Balanchine here?" (while she overcrosses her legs and mocks Balanchine technique). That's a pretty definite no on the Balanchine. It all is pretty much Petipa/Vogonova technique that I'm sure you have heard a lot about.

As far as performing with Butler Ballet goes, it is pretty strongly balletic. We do two full length ballets a year: Nutcracker in the winter and one that changes every year in the Spring. Besides these two ballets, we do have Midwinter Dance Concert which is surprisingly Modern (and what I will be rehearsing for this week and you should definitely check out on Friday or Saturday). Midwinter usually has choreography done by several of the faculty members along with modern works that Butler Ballet buys and has set on dancers. We also bring in a guest choreographer such as James Kudelka or Stephen Mills to set new works on Butler Ballet dancers. This year  we are doing Paul Taylor's Cloven Kingdom. Very modern, very dynamically different from ballet.

There are still many performance opportunities outside of Butler Ballet as well. Every Fall, we hold a student produced, student choreographed, student performed showing of choreography. Most of the pieces are usually contemporary and students are usually used in several pieces. Also, there is a specific choreography class that upper class men take and use the under class men to set the choreography on. There is also a showing from this class in the Spring (on March 6th and 7th this year if you are interested).

That's pretty much the general feeling of dance here at Butler. Very balletic with hints of modern. I do want to be a modern dancer when I leave this school and feel that the training I receive here will have me prepared. If that's any help to you:)

Let me know if you have any more questions.

I hope this helps, Olivia! Really don't hesitate to ask if you have any more questions.  The dancers love to talk about their program.  I can also track down some other opinions if anyone wants to know if being a girl or having a double major or being an Arts Admin Dance major is very different from this guy's experience.

Thank you. I will attend Butler next year as a female double major--dance and English. I know it's different being a guy, but technique transcends gender. Your friend was an enormous help. What exactly do they mean when they forbid brightly colored leotards? I think I read that on the dress code sheet; maybe the word was "neon." Actually, that one may be a question for a girl, as guys usually do not go in for leotards.

Hey! Im a Junior in the sunny state of florida [[well not right now, its actually raining..]] but, Im very interested in the dance program the information that I have read above is very helpful to me also. I do have a few questions of my own.. How intensive is the program and about how many classes a day is it? Is it possible to get a sample schedule from a dance major?

HI...i just auditioned for butler ballet on monday.  we had a meeting with the dept chair, ms. jarvis.  from what i gathered, the program seems to be very tough but very rewarding..im sure if you dropped her an email, she would be happy to answer questions. as far as a schedule goes, she said it kinda changes every now and then.  if you were to go to the website for butler ballet (cant think of it at the moment) they have suggested curriculm guides on how best to complete the degrees so you can kinda know what classes youll take each semester...but ya, you could email her and i dont think she would have any problems answerin questions

Here is the link you are looking for:
http://www.butler.edu/dance/da_curriculum.html

Great discussion everyone! Even I am learning something :)

I love to dance, but am going to be a music education major, and I was wondering if there are no-major dance classes. If so, what are they like?