Auditions
RWU’s Dance & Performance Studies Program welcomes all students interested in movement studies to audition for our Dance Major. Our majors (many of whom are double majors) receive the training and mentorship they need to refine their personal styles, artistic choices, and specializations.
Our faculty – all active professionals in the field – train technically proficient, creatively independent, and professionally adaptable dancers. They nurture each student’s interests and goals – while sharing their professional expertise and networks.
The majority of RWU dance majors move toward careers in dance. Our alumni are professional performers, educators, choreographers, and small business owners – employed by dance and theater companies, training studios, competition circuits, K-12 private and public schools, and university dance programs.
Our students also use their liberal arts education to combine their dance training with additional fields that interest them. Many become clinical mental health counselors and dance therapists, or build on years of physical education to become physical, occupational, or massage therapists – who also dance. Others have become personal trainers, Yoga instructors, Pilates instructors, or other somatic bodyworkers – who also dance.
RWU alumni are also employed as resident artists and activities directors in preschools, nursing homes, group homes, and other community service organizations. Some use their communication, aesthetic, and organization skills as arts administrators, public relations media artists, dance on film directors, and action photographers.
At RWU we help each dancer find a sustainable career path that merges their interests and goals with the professional skills they need to be successful.
Join us! Register for an audition!
When:
- Early Action 1: Monday, Oct. 9, 2023 – 3-6 p.m.
- Early Action 2: Tuesday, Oct. 24, 2023 – 3-6 p.m.
- Early Action 3: Monday, Nov 13, 2023 – 3-6 p.m.
- Regular Decision 1: Monday, Jan. 29, 2024 – 3:30 p.m.-6 p.m.
- Regular Decision 2: Monday, Feb. 5, 2024 – 3:30 p.m.-6 p.m.
- Regular Decision 3: Tuesday, Feb. 20, 2024 – 3:30 p.m.-6 p.m.
Where:
- RWU Performing Arts Center. Please meet in the lobby to check-in before going to the dance studio.
We encourage in-person auditions so each dancer can:
- Participate in a master class alongside current students for immediate peer connections.
- Perform their solo live among supportive peers.
- Participate in an informal Q&A to get direct feedback from current students, faculty, and our admissions team.
- Arrange a personalized campus tour prior to the audition – make a day of it!
If an on-campus audition is not possible, please contact us about our virtual audition process!
To register for either an On-Campus or Virtual Audition – or for more information about RWU’s general admissions process – please contact Admissions Counselor Jessica Thibeault at jthibeault@rwu.edu
For questions about the Dance & Performance Studies Program itself – or specific questions about the audition process – please contact Dance & Performance Studies Professor Cathy Nicoli at cnicoli@rwu.edu
Dance Theatre is the repertory company of RWU’s Dance & Performance Studies Program.
All RWU students are welcome to audition! Though required of all Dance Majors, many Minors and Core Concentrators also love being a part of this dynamic dance-making community.
Dance Theatre members develop their resumes and professional networks by working in a company setting with guest artists, faculty, and peer choreographers. Each semester the company performs a series of events that are open to the public. Our week-long concert series at the end of each semester is a notorious friend and family favorite
Fall 2023 Casting Audition:
September 6, 6:00-8:00 p.m.
RWU Performing Arts Center – Dance Studio
*Bring your semester calendars to help you fill out your registration form!
Spring 2024 Casting Audition:
January 31, 6:00-8:00 p.m.
RWU Performing Arts Center – Dance Studio
*Bring your semester calendars to help you fill out your registration form!
Contact Professor Cathy Nicoli at cnicoli@rwu.edu with any questions!
