Career Development
The School of Dance has launched the “Careers in Dance” initiative to create new opportunities for student success through career-sustaining business practices.
Careers in Dance
With significant enhancements and strategic funding, the program supports the development of writing and speaking skills related to brand development and individual artist portfolios. Students now regularly engage with professional guest speakers and practice grant writing, pitching, and project planning, among other important business practices for artists.
Touring Ensemble
The initiative also introduced a new practicum for a Touring Ensemble where students apply their business learning to real-life professional performing engagements both locally and nationally. The process of preparing, booking, and presenting professional-level dance serve as an in-school internship or laboratory, preparing students for the business aspects of their careers.
Stevie Eller Dance Scholars
The School of Dance received $50,000 in seed funding from the Eller Family Foundation and additional resources from the Vertically Integrated Program at the University of Arizona. Five students were also named Stevie Eller Dance Scholars, which provides $5,000/student for four years each. The scholars are Ryan Evans, Janelle Gates, Veronica Panteluk, Zoe Revennaugh, and Olivia Zeiml.
Student Engagement and Career Development provides students with resources, guidance, and experiences to build career-ready skills, explore career paths, and connect with employers for internships, jobs, and professional development.
College of Fine Arts | Career Development
Notable Dance Alumni
The College of Fine Arts boasts an impressive array of alumni who have excelled across creative industries. Tori Evans danced on Taylor Swift’s ERAS Tour, Christian Paris Blue, Megan Garcia-Zimiski, and Barton Cowperthwaite are break-out dancing stars. Recent School of Dance graduates are making their mark: Kayla Farrish was named a ‘Break Out Star of 2021’ by the New York Times, Gianni Howell and Alex Yonkovich performed in The Beatles LOVE by Cirque Du Soleil, and Erina Ueda, the first Asian woman to join the Giordano Dance Chicago company, was listed in Dance Magazine’s “25 to Watch” in 2024.
Medici Scholars
The Medici Circle supports talented young artists and scholars with a $1,000 award to pursue educational projects in the summer. For many, these opportunities would be financially unattainable without the award, making these valuable summer intensives possible. In the summer of 2024, over 60 students qualified.
Margo Bartlett, a third-year BFA dance student and East Asian Studies major, participated in a cultural exchange tour of Japan and China. Organized by her hometown studio, Oregon International Ballet Academy, the tour included performances in Japan’s Casa de Arte ballet studio’s 20th anniversary and visits to high schools in Beijing, Tianjin, and Shanghai.
Arts Administration Minor
The Arts Administration Minor is an 18-unit program that equips students with skills in fundraising, marketing, programming, and community engagement for creative organizations. Partnered with Eller College of Management, College of Social and Behavioral Sciences and other colleges, it offers practical coursework and career insights through internships and professional experiences in theaters, galleries, festivals, and more, preparing students for roles in non-profit and market-driven arts organizations.