Classical and Contemporary Dance Department

The Classical and Contemporary Dance Department focuses on training in concert dance techniques – ballet and contemporary dance – and developing creative artistry and skills in choreography. Commercial dance is offered once per week, and other styles such as hip hop, tap, and world dance are included in various repertory pieces by faculty and student choreographers. Academic studies include dance history, theory, criticism, nutrition and dance cultures of the world.

The heart of the program is composition and improvisation, the experience of being a practicing artist, in which students create their own work with guidance from the faculty by exploring a diversity of styles that are interesting to them. Guest artists from the community create or reset dances with CoSA students, giving them the opportunity to work from many different professional approaches.  

A key component of the conservatory program is semester, authentic assessments called juries. Each semester's jury is aligned to the conservatory's benchmarks.

Admission to CoSA is extremely competitive and requires includes an application process as well as an interview and dance audition.