Department of Theatre, Dance and Media Studies

Letter From A Student

 

My name is Arica Brown and I am a senior Theatre and Dance major at The University of Missouri at Saint Louis. Since I have been at this university, I have been in over 13 main stage productions and over 4 student run and directed productions including, Cabaret a main stage musical, Comedy of Errors a main stage play, The Sum of Motion Dance Concert a recent main stage dance concert, Cold Hands and Heat Rises a student directed full-length dance production in an art gallery on campus and Carnevale Morboso a full length faculty and student run dance theatrical. I have had the opportunity to participate in master classes with Michael Uthoff, Tania Perez-Salas, Pilobolus, Alvin Ailey, Joffrey, Tango Buenos Aires and several local guest artists as well. I have participated in 4 American College Dance Festivals and each year, our school has brought student work for adjudication. I have shown two pieces at the informal dance concerts ad two pieces for adjudication. This was an excellent experience, not only as a dancer with the opportunity to take class all week, but as a choreographer to get feedback about my dance piece. During my first years at UMSL, I served as both Student Government Representative and Treasurer for the dance organization on campus, The Group formerly known as Jete. I have served as president my last two years. This organization is a great way to stay involved with other dance students and participate in exciting events. Overall, my experience at UMSL has been a great one. The dance faculty are amazing and are dedicated to student growth with development. Each student gets the attention they need and every student is given opportunities to dance, choreograph and participate in concerts each semester. If you’re looking for a dance program, I would recommend putting UMSL on your list of consideration. Good luck with all your future endeavors.

Arica Brown, senior dance student