Dance

Do I have to audition to get into the dance major/minor?

No! We encourage all applicants to reach out to us during the application period, but definitely after they have applied. If you’re coming to campus for a visit, we would like to schedule a time to meet with you and see you move. If you aren’t coming anytime soon, we will schedule a virtual meeting and ask that you send us a short video of you dancing so that we can see how you move. We’ll have a short chat to help us get to know each other better and help you to find out if HPU is the right college fit for you. Auditioning for us will also qualify you for departmental scholarships, which are awarded during the first semester.

Click here to find more information about scheduling an audition or visit to observe a class!

Students interested in minoring in dance do not need to audition.

Can I double major with dance?

Yes, and we encourage you to if there is another area of interest. If you are adding a second major that is not a Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree, it is considered a dual degree and may necessitate a few summer courses to graduate in 4 years. Some majors with high credit hour requirements can be difficult to double major with. Your dance faculty advisor will work with you in any way that she can to ensure that it works for you, so please reach out to us at [email protected] and we can help you with the details specific to the area that you are interested in pursuing alongside dance.

What is the average class size?

Our average class size is 10 students but can range from 8-14 depending on the classroom space.

Can I take a dance class or perform if I’m not majoring or minoring in dance?

Yes! We welcome students of all majors to audition and be involved in our dance concerts and other performances. The same goes for our dance classes, which are open to students of all majors. You can also participate in the classes taught weekly by students in the HPU Dance Company.

Are there scholarships available?

There are many scholarships available at HPU! The Department of Theater and Dance has scholarships available to incoming freshmen that are renewable at the end of the year based upon production and academic work and maintenance of a 3.5 GPA. These usually fall in the range of $1,000 – $1,500 per year but can increase with active participation.

The Creative Arts Fellowship is an exciting program for majors in the creative arts, including dance! It is valued at $3,000 per year. Read more about it and the other fellowships here.

Read more about the university scholarships here.

Our students have no shortage of opportunity to perform or choreograph. We host two mainstage dance concerts (Fall Dance features faculty and guest artist choreography and Spring Dance features student choreography), a fall musical, a holiday performance, and occasional innovative performance opportunities like in the Caine Conservatory (Spring 2021). In addition to this, students can submit their ideas to produce their own work in 2 slots per semester.

We take our students to regional and national collegiate dance conferences and festivals such as ACDA, and our students are often chosen to perform in new faculty work for local and regional festivals such as DUMBO, Greensboro Fringe Festival, and the NC Dance Festival.

In addition, we bring in guest artists at least 2-3 times per semester to present workshops, master classes, and to set new choreography for our concerts. Read more about our past guest artists and other internships our students have had here.

Creative Arts Fellows

Creative Arts Fellows receive a $3,000 scholarship renewable annually based on academic performance and continued participation in the program. This is in addition to the High Point Scholarship, Presidential Scholarship, or Presidential Fellowship.

The HPU Dance Company is a student-run organization that strives to provide additional opportunities for students to move and create. They teach classes each week in a variety of genres that are open to all students at HPU. The HPU Dance Company also organizes the fundraisers and donation drives that are part of the Fall and Spring Dance Concerts. For the 2021-2022 year, they raised $3,602 for Cancer Services, Inc.

Check them out on Instagram here.

National Honors Society for Dance Arts

Established in Spring of 2022, the HPU chapter of the National Honors Society for Dance Arts is built on fostering an appreciation of dance and recognizing outstanding artistic merit, leadership, and academic achievement. In order to be considered, students must have a high level of involvement and success in three categories: Artistic merit, leadership, and academic achievement. They must uphold a minimum GPA of 3.5 or higher in their dance courses as well as demonstrate positive characteristics such as self-motivation, creativity, collaboration, and scholarship in their classes, rehearsals, and other dance activities.

Our chapter works to not only recognize achievement, but foster dance in the surrounding community through volunteering dance class opportunities as well as raising funds to bring in guest artists for master classes.

Reach out to president Karissa Fryar with questions at [email protected].