Welcome,
From Rebekah Kowal & Jennifer Kayle
MFA Graduate Directors
Greetings!
Thank you for your interest in the MFA Program in Dance at The University of Iowa. We are pleased to have this invitation to share some information regarding our outstanding Dance program, which enjoys a national and international reputation for excellence.
As you consider your application, you may be excited to hear that all of our graduate candidates are fully funded through fellowship awards, teaching assistantships, and research assistantships. While our Dance Department demands the deepest investment from each graduate student, in return, we offer the financial support necessary to their fullest contribution. A substantial number of our MFA candidates hold teaching fellowships allowing them to teach their own courses in a variety of genres or to assist faculty in our dance studies curriculum. Although graduate teachers are given the freedom and responsibility to design their own courses, they are also given support in the form of individual mentoring, departmental discussions, and coursework in pedagogy.
This invaluable teaching experience is part of the preparation we offer students on the cusp of a professional career, or for those transitioning from the profession to academia. In fact, over 90% of our MFA graduates from the last 5 years are currently employed in higher education, dance companies, arts entrepreneurship and administration, and secondary education. The success of our grads is due not only to their hard work, and to the extraordinary faculty who have mentored them, but to the long history in our department of nurturing the art of Dance.
At the foundation of this department’s philosophy is a commitment to diverse voices, both in the classroom and on the stage. As a result, graduate students in Dance will find an exciting breadth of approaches, especially in the studio curriculum. For example, all technique courses are team-taught in 5-week rotations, 7 of the 8 faculty participate in offering an extensive choreography curriculum, and each member of the faculty participates in mentoring independent projects of all kinds. Throughout, the value placed on varied professional opinions, backgrounds, and aesthetics is reflected in both the faculty expertise, and the structure of the curriculum. Graduate students are encouraged to benefit from this diversity as they research and refine their own artistic methods and philosophies.
The 60-credit MFA degree program offers two separate degree tracks: choreography and performance. These two areas of emphasis share a core curriculum, but also allow for specialization and flexibility in fulfilling requirements to support emerging interests. The curriculum includes advanced level studies in modern and ballet technique, choreography and performance, pedagogy, improvisation, and many electives (kinesiology, pilates, floor-barre, Afro-Cuban Dance, Brazilian Carnival, etc.). Integral to the depth of the program is graduate level study in dance history and theory. Moreover, since 15%-25% of every graduate degree is comprised of electives drawn from College of Liberal Arts, our curriculum in dance is coupled with offerings from a world-class university. The Dance Department works to ensure that each graduate candidate is taking the proper advantage of the experience, resources, and expertise at their disposal.
One of our most valuable assets is our engagement in the professional world of dance. Graduate candidates, for example, have numerous opportunities to choreograph and perform in a yearly season of over 12 Dance concerts in venues including Hancher auditorium’s 2,500 seat proscenium theatre, and the newly expanded 220 seat Space Place Theater. Another source of opportunity for our graduate candidates has been the extensive professional activity of our faculty who present their work regularly in national and international venues. Connections made through guest artist residencies also provide support to graduating MFA’s. Recent guest choreographers include David Dorfman, Bill Young, Donald McKayle, Gabriel Masson, Miguel Gutierrez, Nicholas Leichter, Joe Goode and Lucas Crandall.
Substantial resources at University of Iowa Dance Department include our 150 undergraduate dance majors, our six beautiful dance studios, a fully equipped Pilates studio, a professional staff of musicians, a sound engineer/composer, video staff, and costume assistant. Graduate candidates are encouraged to seek opportunities to collaborate with other MFA students in our Division of Performing Arts, and to experience the rich creative and intellectual community in our University and beyond. Students can also look to the Graduate College and Student Government as a resource and support, finding helpful information, and additional funding for travel and special projects.
For your convenience, detailed information regarding the MFA program for the 2009-2010 academic year, as well as application materials, may be found online by visiting our website at http://dance.uiowa.edu. Please select the “Prospective Student” link, and review the application materials carefully as numerous materials are requested, some of which are sent to the Admissions Office, while others are mailed directly to the Department of Dance. Please note that in order to be formally admitted as an MFA student, it is necessary to apply to both the Graduate College as well as to the Department of Dance. Formal transcripts should be sent directly to the Graduate College, while a photocopy may be sent to the Department of Dance.
Where applicable, please note that incoming graduate students whose first language is not English must score a minimum of 550 on the TOEFL exam or 7.0 with no section lower than 6.0 on the IELTS in order to be admitted into the Graduate College. Both, the TOEFL scores in the range of 550-600 or IELTS scores in the range of 6.0 will require an English evaluation on campus and English courses may be required in the first year of study at the University. Therefore, a total score of 600 on the TOEFL exam or a 7.0 on the IELTS is preferable.
The deadline to apply for admission for fall semester 2010 is December 15, 2009. The MFA audition dates are scheduled as follows: February 16 & 17 or February 22 & 23, 2010. Auditions for Spring 2011 admissions will be conducted by appointment only during the Fall 2010 semester.
When planning your application and audition materials, applicants should begin by identifying the MFA track they wish to pursue – choreography or performance. In all application materials, but especially the candidate’s video/DVD and audition solo, candidates should take care to showcase their accomplishments specifically in the chosen track. To assess technical proficiency, all candidates will take a ballet and a modern technique class at the on-campus audition, and those applying for a teaching assistantship will be asked to teach a lower-level technique class.
We hope that you will consider an application to the University of Iowa Department of Dance, and that you will contact us regarding any questions you may have. We would love to talk with you, and to discuss how your specific goals can be accomplished here in our MFA Dance program. We especially look forward to discussing how your Masters degree from University of Iowa will only be the beginning to a long and successful life in the dance field.
On behalf of the Graduate Committee and faculty at the UI, we are looking forward to receiving your application.
Sincerely Yours,
Rebekah Kowal, Graduate Director & Graduate Advisor
rebekah-kowal@uiowa.edu
319-335-2180 Office
319-335-3246 Fax
Jennifer Kayle, Associate Director & Graduate Recruiter
jennifer-kayle@uiowa.edu
319-335-2187 Office
319-335-3246 Fax
Mailing address:
The University of Iowa
Department of Dance
E114 Halsey Hall
Iowa City, IA 52242-1000
