Program Description
General structure:
Photo by Savannah Lee Sickmon
A one-semester program, ARTS in NYC is tailored to be a gateway to the dance world. Everything dovetails together – classes, experiential activities, performances, and internships – to provide meaningful information about how to analyze the workings of the “dance ecosystem” and think about how to best fit in. ARTS in NYC is open to seniors and graduate students, and welcomes students from other arts disciplines, as well as other universities. Students learn the reality of arts administration (rather than theory), working in the trenches of arts organizations. Students learn the reality of arts administration while engaging directly with dance artists and service providers within a broad arts workforce. This has been especially beneficial for those who elect to remain or return to New York City. Post-graduation, 77% of program alumni remain active in the arts community, working as administrators, performers, and teachers while continuing to perform and make art. 68% of ARTS in NYC alumni from the last four years return to the city to live and work.
Academics:
Anchoring the program is a 6-credit course, “New York City as Arts and Resource”. This seminar deals with how dance relates to the city, and, how the city becomes a partner in all the dance and art making – both historically and in the present day: 3 credits are scholarly seminars; 3 credits are experiential events (guests, tours, rehearsal visits) that bring to life what we are discussing in class. Subject matter for this course exposes students to a wide range of street, social, concert, and commercial dance forms, and equips students with real-world context and connections.
Creative Research Lab (Senior Capstone):
The 3-credit weekly creative research lab is crafted to allow students to be involved in their creative processes, develop professional artistic materials, to do their own production on a small budget and develop the marketing strategies for themselves. The budget and spaces reflect the reality of young artists breaking into the professional world. Self-produced site-specific student performances are presented each semester. Past locations have included The High Line, Chez Bushwick, A.R.T. New York/South Oxford Space, Arts@Renaissance, Fraunces’ Tavern and Niagara Bar. Students have also performed in other productions in the city and whenever possible this is encouraged.
ARTS in NYC is Directed by Hannah Schwadron, MFA, Ph.D. For more information email hschwadron@fsu.edu
Adjunct Faculty Michelle Fletcher with students at Gibney Dance preparing for Dance Composition.
Photo by Savannah Lee Sickmon