North Carolina School of the Arts

Dance Magazine, Sept, 1997 by Marian Horosko

John Kerr, Jr., in the tradition of orators of the Old South, addressed the 1963 session of North Carolina Representatives: Now," he cried in ringing tones, "some of you have ridiculed this legislation as a toe-dancin' bill. Well, if there's going to be toe-dancin', I want to be there." With that speech, the bill to establish the North Carolina School of the Arts, the first state-assisted residential conservatory, was passed.

Since 1965, North Carolina School of the Arts has prepared junior high, high school, and college-level dancers at this first school of its kind in the United States. In 1972 it became one of sixteen campuses of the University of North Carolina, and it still lives up to the "unorthodox and heretical" description former Governor Terry Sanford hoped for it at its inception. It would be difficult to find a professional dance company where a former NCSA student has not performed.

The school maintains an intimate artistic environment for its ballet and contemporary dance majors through campus interaction of five arts schools -- dance, music, drama, design, and production -- and will soon add its newest program, filmmaking.

The dance department provides personal guidance for each student to reach his or her fullest potential without conforming to a specific methodology. Unusual as well is the school's emphasis on development of the whole person -- artistically, academically, individually, and socially. The student's technical and artistic accomplishments are evaluated on a yearly basis, and invitations to remain in the dance program are extended by the faculty.

Susan McCullough, dean of the school of dance, explains NCSA's multilevel placement: "We have 210 students enrolled this year. with 145 in ballet, 144 in grades 8 to 12. and 65 in college. This breaks down into five levels for high school, grades 11 and 12, and four levels for grades 8, 9, and 10. In contemporary dance, grades 10, 11, 12, and college-level students are placed into two new levels.

"We audition for students," McCullough continues, "to find those with the physical and emotional ability to deal with an intensive program. Our high standards result in a 50 percent turnover because some students don't do well in academics, or in living according to our dormitory behavior code, or are frequently absent from classes. We also graduate a great many students every year."

With a faculty from various backgrounds and through extensive exposure to guest artists and choreographers, the school upholds its mandate to train dancers to be proficient in a variety of dance forms. Forty workshops, public performances at Stevens Center in Winston-Salem and at the 188-seat, on-campus Agnes de Mille Theatre, as well as an annual statewide tour of The Nutcracker, keep the dancers busy with performing opportunities.

"We face the problems of every school," McCullough adds. "There are some students who have talent but no desire to become professionals and other& who are looking for a showcase instead of concentrating on building their technique to encompass any style they might meet in a company that is not limited to one style or methodology. When we see a student with the physical and mental capacity, the desire and drive for a career in dance, we can give them all that is necessary, all they need. Our preference is for younger pupils with less training because there is less to undo. Students with hidden injuries not reported by parents can offer difficulties to the staff, despite every facility available for their health."

NCSA students, as in European academies, attend academic and technique classes all day, beginning at 8:30 A.M., with evening rehearsals six days a week. Living and studying in the same location provides a more relaxed and supportive environment. Fifty percent of the students are on financial aid or have merit scholarships.

Melissa Hayden, who teaches pointe, technique, and repertoire, describes NCSA's yearly nationwide auditions: "There is great diversity in the students who audition. I look for good former schooling, good basics, good placement. Turnout is not important to me because an exaggerated turnout distorts the back and legs and makes the body injury-prone. I like to see strong but flexible and articulate feet, slim ankles, and a harmonious figure without low-slung hips or a drop-seat. Some students are in a growth period and seem all legs or arms, but we allow for that. Important to me is the look in a student's face. Even in a plie at the barre, the face should show enjoyment. I look for a love of dance and a desire to be in the art form that is their chosen place.

"Placement classes take a week for faculty to decide what level is best suited to both teacher and student. We consider the student's feelings when they expect a higher level than we choose for them. That has to be explained.

"Thirteen years ago," continues the former New York City Ballet principal, "when I came here, there were a great many boys enrolled on all levels. Now, there is competition for scholarships from other schools, and boys and parents look first at what a school offers that student instead of first considering the school's level of training. Here, the ambience and the integration of the arts through our joint productions develop a dancer not only by technique, but one who has been daily surrounded by other art forms and who has gained -- perhaps only a superficial knowledge -- an awareness of the contribution of music, drama, and opera to a dance career."