Auditioning for BFA dance college?

Question:i want to attend the university of minnesota in minneapolis and earn my bachelor's degree of fine arts in dance. this is by audtition only. so for all of you out there that have auditioned for a college what do they expect/training needed. tell me as much as you can about this! i have been dancing for a long time now. it is my life i am well trained in tap jazz and ballet. please share any experiences with me.

i looked on the website for university of mn, but it did not describe the auditon part well.

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker: i want to attend the university of minnesota in minneapolis and earn my bachelor's degree of fine arts in dance. this is by audtition only. so for all of you out there that have auditioned for a college what do they expect/training needed. tell me as much as you can about this! i have been dancing for a long time now. it is my life i am well trained in tap jazz and ballet. please share any experiences with me.

i looked on the website for university of mn, but it did not describe the auditon part well.

As the mother of a senior BFA dance major at a triple-emphasis program, I know quite a lot about college dance programs and a fair bit of what the auditions are like. I've reviewed the auditions page for the program and it seems fairly thorough:
http://dance.umn.edu/auditions.php

The information includes the following:
"Acceptance rate is approximately one in four. Auditions consist of a technique class in modern, ballet and jazz, a short student solo... and an interview."

Scroll down and you see the schedule. From 10 am to 12:30 pm, you have technique class in modern, ballet and jazz. Then there is a lunch break in which they will make the first cut of applicants. Those that make the cut will be called back for an additional modern technique class that lasts one hour. The next hour is for showing individual solos in which you are asked to perform a one-minute solo that you have choreographed on your own, or you can improvise for one minute. They then do a SECOND cut, and those that make this cut are called in individually for informal interviews.

So as you can see, a lot of emphasis is placed on modern dance, as that is what this BFA program emphasizes. I do hope that is what you are looking for in a dance program since you did not say that you are well trained in modern dance. Have you had ANY classes in modern dance? If not, you should be able to draw on your jazz experience to get you by. Every dance program that my daughter auditioned for (including Juilliard) did not expect applicants to have much background in modern dance since they know that it is rarely taught to younger students. They mostly want to see how you respond in a modern class. So just be open to the movement and apply corrections quickly. Of course, you should be prepared to dance barefoot.

Given that you have been dancing "for a long time now," I'd say that you are a decent match for their one-in-four acceptance ratio. This program is not a top-tier dance program, so you won't be competing with top-tier dance students. So relax and let your passion for dance show through. That is really more important than worrying about having perfect technique (especially in modern). Treat the audition as though you were on stage performing. For the solo, create one that shows off your strongest performance qualities and don't worry about doing a modern piece if you don't feel comfortable doing that. This does not appear to be a program that is impressed with competition tricks, so do not use tricks just for show. Modern dance teachers hate that. They like purposeful movement that communicates something to the audience.

Other tips:
When you are waiting your turn for center floor or simply listening to the teacher give a combination, always mark the combination with your hands. Whenever you are not dancing, be sure your face and your arms express openness and attentiveness to the movement. The reason why so many auditionees fail in modern auditions is because they are more worried about looking stupid in front of their peers instead of showing how tuned in they are with the teacher. Many young dancers who have never had modern dance before may show their discomfort with the movement by scowling, rolling their eyes and putting their hands on their hips or folding their arms across their body out of nervousness. The judges are looking for people who are teachable, not those who are worried about looking stupid.

Watch out for combinations with strange timing, where the movement may not be with the beat. Pay attention carefully and, if you suddenly notice that you are the only one who has the right timing, DON'T try to match everyone else who is wrong.

These are strategies that my daughter has used successfully to get accepted into many highly selective programs. I could probably say more, but this is long enough.