DANCE
We are so excited to dance with you in Summer 2025!
Registration opens in January, and you can learn all about our program below.
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RUTGERS SUMMER DANCE CONSERVATORY
July 20-25, 2025
The Rutgers Summer Dance Conservatory offers a collegiate-level atmosphere experience through a rigorous daily schedule of diverse movement practices within African Diasporic forms, Classical/Traditional forms, Contemporary Fusion forms and Somatic forms. Taught by Rutgers dance faculty, alumni, and EdM Dance Education graduate students, the expansive training in a variety of movement practices aims to develop and broaden skills that are reflective of the ever-changing field of Dance. Daily improvisation and choreography classes are offered to engage in movement exploration and dance-making culminating in student choreography to perform in an informal end-of-session showcase. Beyond the rich layers of dance training and creating, participants are mentored by counselors who are students at Rutgers University. The program offers the participants an opportunity to expand their dance training, engage in creative practice and experience life on a college campus.
Students have the option of commuting each day or living in Rutgers dormitories with other campers under the supervision of our highly trained camp counselors!
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LIVE AUDITION INFORMATION
The audition will consist of 3 40-minute sections in the following forms:
- Classical Traditional Movement Practice: Ballet
- Contemporary Fusion Movement Practice
- African Diasporic Movement Practice: Hip Hop
- No pre-prepared solos or videos are required.
- Please bring a headshot or school photo (any size) with your name clearly printed on the reverse. Headshots will not be returned.
AUDITION ATTIRE
- Form fitting clothing to allow observation of technique which may include but not limited to: unitard, footless or convertible tights, fitted leggings, tight-fitting top, leotard.
- No skirts, no loose-fitting tee shirts, no leg warmers, and no costumes.
- Hair pulled up, no jewelry
- Ballet shoes for Ballet; bare feet for Contemporary; sneakers for Hip Hop
LIVE AUDITION DATES:
VIDEO AUDITION INFORMATION
Clothing Requirement:
- The dancer must be in form fitting clothing to allow observation of technique which may include but not limited to: unitard, footless or convertible tights, fitted leggings, tight-fitting top, leotard that clearly enables the viewer to observe the dancer’s technique.
- No skirts, no loose-fitting tee-shirts, no leg warmers, and no costumes.
Video Requirements:
Your video must be less than 15 minutes in length. The entire dancer should be visible throughout the video (no close-ups) and must include a maximum of 5 minutes in each movement practice following the requirements listed below for each. If a dancer does not have experience in one of the movement practices, the student may provide 2 videos in one of the other movement practices (ex. Does not have experience in Ballet, so provides 1 5-minute video in Contemporary and 2 5-minute videos in Hip Hop). All movement demonstrations must be accompanied by music.
- Begin your video by stating your name, age, and date of birth.
- Classical Traditional Movement Practice: Ballet – Center
- Adagio to include a pirouette exercise – 4 sets of 8 counts performed on each side
- Petit Allegro – 2 sets of 8 counts performed on each side
- Contemporary Fusion Movement Practice
- Movement combination must not exceed 5 minutes and may be original or from standard repertory. It should demonstrate the dancer’s range of motion, body connectivity, rhythmic acuity, and use of weight as a tool for motion in the contemporary form.
- Mason Gross Dance defines Contemporary Fusion Movement Practice as contemporary movement practices that draw from at least two forms of dance.
- African Diasporic Movement Practice: Hip Hop
- Movement combination must not exceed 5 minutes and may be original or from standard repertory. It should demonstrate the dancer’s expressive qualities and flow in the form of Hip Hop.
Video Submission Requirements:
- Save your video as an MP4 file with the title following this template:
LASTNAME_FIRSTNAME _RSDC24 - Upload your video here.
- If you have trouble uploading your video to the link above, you may also upload your video to a personal YouTube channel and email the video URL to communityarts@mgsa.rutgers.edu.
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Cristina Marte
Cristina Marte is an educator, artist, administrator, and advocate for dance and dance education. As a dance educator, Cristina taught at the Ocean County Vocational Technical Schools Performing Arts Academy where she took part in developing the dance curriculum and building the rigorous four-year dance program. She also developed and taught a full time dance program in Jersey City Public Schools for Kindergarten through 8th grade. She was a member of the State Model Curriculum Writing Team for Dance and a member of the Visual and Performing Arts Standards Revision Team for New Jersey. Cristina has been on faculty at Montclair State University Department of Theatre and Dance and Raritan Valley Community College. She also taught multiple dance residencies in New Jersey public schools throughout the state. Cristina’s most recent artist endeavors are choreographing for the productions of the Princeton Festival. She holds a teaching certificate in the state of New Jersey and is a member of the National Dance Education Organization. Starting her journey as a board member in 2005, Cristina was the Managing Director of Dance New Jersey from 2015 through 2019. She became the Executive Director in mid-2019. She received her B.F.A. in Dance from Montclair State University and her M.A. in Dance Education from New York University’s Steinhardt School of Culture, Education and Human Development. Cristina is honored to be part of the faculty of Mason Gross School of the Arts at Rutgers University and grateful for the opportunity to share her experience in the field of dance education with the future dance educators in the EdM Dance Education Program.