Ballet Help Desk

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In July 2025, a new Indiana law set minimum graduation numbers for degree programs at public universities. IU responded by combining its ballet and contemporary dance programs into a single Department of Dance within the Jacobs School of Music, which launched this fall. Sarah Wroth and Liz Shea join us to explain how the new department is structured and what it means for students applying.
Students can now earn a BFA with either a ballet or contemporary dance track, or a Bachelor of Science in music with an outside field. Sarah and Liz share admissions numbers for both programs, what faculty look for at auditions, and how about half of IU's dance majors pursue a double degree.
They also discuss how high school dancers can prepare for college applications, from attending university summer intensives, which can double as a prescreen, to visiting campuses and taking class at college dance fairs.
The conversation ends with career outcomes. Liz explains why a BFA is the typical path into contemporary dance and where IU graduates are working, and Sarah talks about the current ballet job market and how certifications and second degrees help dancers find work.
Links:
Summer Intensive Boot Camp
Submit Ballet Competition Reviews
Read Our Ballet School Summer & Year-Round Reviews
Instagram: @BalletHelpDesk
Facebook: BalletHelpDesk
TikTok: @BalletHelpDesk

Chapters:

00:00 How IU merged ballet and contemporary into one Department of Dance
02:55 The history of IU's contemporary dance program
05:37 Crossover between the ballet and contemporary programs
10:16 Incoming class sizes and admissions numbers
14:37 Can students switch between ballet and contemporary?
19:19 Where contemporary students train before college
21:51 Admission trends in ballet and contemporary
26:11 How high school dancers can prepare for college applications
34:03 How to get into IU's summer intensives
37:36 Are college dance fairs worth it?
42:45 Student life skills and communication after COVID
48:42 How to talk to a director about casting
55:39 Career preparation for dance majors
57:37 Where IU contemporary graduates work
1:01:18 Is college the standard route into contemporary dance?
1:03:00 The current job market for ballet dancers
1:05:51 Certifications and skills that help dancers get hired
1:08:18 Double degrees with a BFA in dance
1:13:07 College vs. the postgrad route
1:18:00 Advice for dancers considering a college program
Music from #Uppbeat:
https://uppbeat.io/t/ian-aisling/new-future
License code: MGAW5PAHYEYDQZCI

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We sat down with Henry "Hank" Lichtmacher, Sreya Sathish-Kumar and JiaLi Deck, three members of the board of directors of the Columbia University Ballet Collective,   the school's oldest student-run ballet company, which is marking its 20th year. All came up through serious pre-professional training at places like Ellison Ballet, City Ballet San Francisco, ABT JKO and Houston Ballet II. 
The three discussed how they raise most of a roughly $40,000 budget, rent theaters off campus and hire the choreographers who create new work for the company each semester.  Well-known choreographer, Justin Peck, staged one of his first works here. Off the stage, the company runs a free weekly class on campus, teaches ballet in New York City public schools and organizes the Ivy Ballet Exchange.
We also talked about college applications. Most admissions readers don't know much about ballet, so how you describe your training, what goes in your dance supplement and who writes your recommendations all matter.They also shared how they handled the transition from full-time training to dancing as an extracurricular. JiaLi is now a dance major, while Hank and Sreya dance far less. Interestingly, all three told us that dance is more fun now than it was when they were in serious pre-pro training.
CBC's fall gala is December 5 at the Ailey Citigroup Theater. Follow @columbia.ballet.collaborative for details.
Links:
Summer Intensive Boot Camp
Submit Ballet Competition Reviews
Read Our Ballet School Summer & Year-Round Reviews
Instagram: @BalletHelpDesk
Facebook: BalletHelpDesk
TikTok: @BalletHelpDesk
Chapters:
00:00:00 Meet Sreya, Hank and JiaLi
00:08:25 The dance major vs. extracurricular ballet
00:10:49 Why Sreya chose college over the pro route
00:15:42 Why Hank left Houston Ballet II for Columbia
00:21:38 What is the Columbia Ballet Collaborative?
00:24:21 Running a ballet company on a $40,000 budget
00:28:42 How CBC chooses choreographers
00:35:05 Who can join and how auditions work
00:37:50 The Ivy Ballet Exchange
00:40:14 Applying to college as a pre-pro dancer
00:41:54 Does elite training give you a leg up?
00:49:35 How did they have time for everything?
01:02:28 Leaving full-time training for college
01:10:57 Should you dial back ballet in high school?
01:12:32 Dance and identity in college
01:20:53 What they wish someone had told them
01:24:58 Columbia's other ballet companies
01:26:49 What stressed them out that seems silly now
01:32:49 Where to see CBC
Music from #Uppbeat:
https://uppbeat.io/t/ian-aisling/new-future
License code: MGAW5PAHYEYDQZCI

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Is your dancer hoping ballet will be their ticket into a top college? We sat down with Sandy Choe and Corinne Smith of Infinite Futures, a college advising company made up of former admissions officers and high school counselors, to have them walk us through what pre-professional dancers need to get into the most competitive colleges and universities.
Corinne spent years reading applications at five highly selective schools, and she says grades and course rigor come first. At many top schools, a dancer's supplement won't even get looked at unless the student clears the academic bar. And that win at a big ballet competition? Most admissions officers know very little about ballet and can't tell one ballet competition from another.
We also get into how full-time training fits with a college plan, how colleges view online high school and homeschooling, when to send a dance supplement, who should write recommendation letters, and why applying as a transfer student can work for dancers coming out of trainee programs and second companies. You can learn about everything Infinite Futures offers on their website.
Links:
It's Summer Intensive Planning Time!
Submit Ballet Competition Reviews
Read Our Ballet School Summer & Year-Round Reviews
Instagram: @BalletHelpDesk
Facebook: BalletHelpDesk
TikTok: @BalletHelpDesk
Music from #Uppbeat:
https://uppbeat.io/t/ian-aisling/new-future
License code: MGAW5PAHYEYDQZCI

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This week, it's just us! We're talking all things postgraduate ballet training. We spend some time going over our most recent iteration of the Ballet Help Desk Postgrad Directory, including some trends we've observed over the last few years. There are some new pieces of data we've added for this year and we discuss why we think it's important that this information be included. Finally, we talk about why dancers need to think much more strategically during their high school years if they have aspirations to dance professionally.
Links:
 
Pick Up a Year-Round Training Corrections Journal
Ballet Competition Reviews
Read Our Ballet School Summer & Year-Round Reviews
Instagram: @BalletHelpDesk
Facebook: BalletHelpDesk
TikTok: @BalletHelpDesk
Music from #Uppbeat:
https://uppbeat.io/t/ian-aisling/new-future
License code: MGAW5PAHYEYDQZCI

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There's one body type for ballet. We asked Peter LeBreton Merz, artistic director of Eglevsky Ballet and former director of Ballet West Academy, and Racheal Nye, director of Oklahoma City Ballet's Yvonne Chouteau School and Studio Company, whether that's true. In Part 2, they also answer your questions about competitions: are they the only way to earn summer intensive scholarships or get into top schools, does training for them give you the best training, and does it matter if your dancer never places? Then Peter and Racheal weigh in on when it makes sense to send a dancer to school in Europe, whether big donations lead to better treatment, and whether Vaganova is the only method that works. At the end, each of them addresses a myth we didn't ask about.
Links:
Online Workshop: Your Dancer's First "Away" Summer Intensive
Pick Up a Year-Round Training Corrections Journal
Submit Ballet Competition Reviews
Read Our Ballet School Summer & Year-Round Reviews
Instagram: @BalletHelpDesk
Facebook: BalletHelpDesk
TikTok: @BalletHelpDesk
Music from #Uppbeat:
https://uppbeat.io/t/ian-aisling/new-future
License code: MGAW5PAHYEYDQZCI