The University of Southern Mississippi’s School of Performing and Visual Arts hosted their bi-annual High School Dance Day event on Friday, November 15th. The day allowed high school students from Mississippi and surrounding states to experience opportunities offered in dance at Southern Miss, as well as meet with Dance and Fine Arts faculty and students.
While the event normally only sees around 40 students each event, this event had a total of 75 students, which is nearly double the normal number of students. The morning started with introductions and a showcase performed by current Southern Miss dancers before the high school dancers broke off into groups to take jazz, ballet and modern dance classes. High school students were able to experience the level of technique and ability executed in college level classes and learn about the opportunities offered at Southern Miss.
After the initial classes for the day, some students would be staying later to audition for a place at Southern Miss. Throughout the event, faculty of the program were talking with students, observing their abilities during classes and engaging to look for potential within each of the students auditioning. Because the Southern Miss dance program is also smaller than some other programs, the acceptance rate of dance majors is a bit more competitive. The program is intentionally smaller so that faculty can closely mentor each individual student.
Southern Miss is an accredited school and is an institutional member of the National Association of Schools of Dance, which is considered a high honor by the program. This means that their classes, spaces, performances and faculty are internationally accredited experts, and Southern Miss is one of the only accredited schools in Mississippi. Southern Miss is also the only school in Mississippi with degrees in all four areas of Fine Arts.
The faculty that worked together on the High School Dance Day expressed their excitement to teach and observe students across the states that morning before breaking off into their classes. Julie Hammond is a professor of dance at Southern Miss who teaches ballet and was one of the High School Dance teachers. Hammond expressed her love for the shared energy among dancers when together and enjoys the connection and passion that comes with learning dance.
“I’m interested in how they [high school students] handle challenges and how they learn,” said Hammond. “I love the energy that’s created between the students and me, but also each other.”
The high school students who attended the event were all from different places. While some were from Mississippi, some also came from out of state, like high school sophomore Savannah Peterson. She attends the Baldwin County Preparatory Academy in Loxley, Alabama, and says she has spent most of her life dancing in Alabama. After the High School Dance Day event, she said that the classes taught her several new things that she had never learned in classes in the past, and that Southern Miss holds a lot of opportunities that she had not known about before.
“I had never had a ballet or modern class like I did today,” said Peterson. “I think that the staff is really supportive and definitely wants success for their students.”
For more information about the next High School Dance Day, visit the Southern Miss Dance website. The program can also be found on Instagram and Facebook via USM Dance.
