The Department of Health and Kinesiology invited A&M and high school students to live a day in the life of a dance science major at Texas A&M on Friday in the Physical Education and Activity Programs Building.
Christine Bergeron, director of dance, said the program was looking for prospective students since dance science is “a little bit different than your traditional kind of performance degrees that most dancers receive.”
Bergeron said she hoped this program would help prospective students see what it is like to be in a dance science program and allow them to see a modern dance, ballet and pilates class and more.
Attendees watched “1, 2, 3: Solos, Duets and Trios,” in which current students performed a short show for the prospective students after months of rigorous practice.
A few of the prospective students who attended the program also auditioned for admission to the program in the coming term. Taylor Woodie, a high school senior, said she hopes to attend Texas A&M in fall 2015.
“I want to join the dance performance and dance science program here,” Woodie said. “I am interested in learning the science behind dance, to know why we are able to do what we do.”
Diane Bedford, clincial assistant professor, said she felt it is a good idea for students to see what their program is like and to see if they are comfortable with the environment of their future school.
“When you tour a big university like A&M, you can maybe feel a little impersonal,” Bedford said. “So when you are involved with something that is your passion and your area of study then it gives more of a personal [experience] and it gives an edge over something that would be just a generic in-the-box tour.”
Bedford said she was impressed with the talent levels and the potential in the prospective students who attended. She said four of the prospective students were auditioning to be in the dance science major program and two were auditioning for the dance minor program.
The current students said they also enjoyed mingling with the prospective students and helping them out with their questions.
Callie Johnston, a dance science junior, said she is happy prospective students get the chance to learn more about the program before they decide to join it.
“It is a great opportunity for the new students to see what we are all about, because it is such a different program,” Johnston said. “We’re combining science with dance. I think it is a really beautiful combination.”
The next prospective student event will be held April 24, 2015.